The Time Machine + Other Good Stuff

The Time Machine - 

If you find yourself searching for other terms for the landmass between NOLA and Mobile, I like to call it The Time Machine. Crossing the state line into Mississippi is like traveling back a few decades, both in terms of stuff and people. The town where I work has no red lights. Zero. None. Nothing but a few four-way stops. That is to be expected with any small town, but there are also numerous dirt roads, the main roads have no shoulder, no street lights, and many of the houses you pass look like they should be condemned. Correction - look like they should've been condemned years ago. It truly puts things in perspective. I get annoyed because I have a leak in my sink and I'm not entirely sure all these houses have running water. The schools recently (as in within the last year) got rid of window units and had central heat and air installed. Welcome to the 21st century, everyone!

Abandon house in Oxford, MS

The houses in MS are really eye-opening. You see a lot with aluminum or plastic windows, sinking roofs, and crumbling foundations. In the event that a house finally gets too dilapidated to live in, it is just left. Things don't get torn down in Mississippi. They get left and time does its work on them. While this is startling at first, it is actually a little cool because you can see reminders of the past all around you. You can see what houses looked like in the 40s, 50s, or 60s, if not earlier, and you can only speculate about who lived in them and the history that took place there.

Houses in Crenshaw, MS

Buildings aren't the only things old and in need of renovation in this town. Many of the mindsets of people that live here are similar to what people were thinking in the 50s or 60s. The racial divide that remains in this county, and the entire state, is something that you wouldn't think existed anymore. You see it everywhere. You see it in the upkeep of the towns, the structure of the school systems, the attitudes of the citizens. There is a clear understanding that many people's paths will never cross.







Don't get me wrong, there are some AMAZING people of both races here (I say "both" races because MS is pretty much only black and white). As I have said before, I have met some of the most wonderful and selfless people in this town, but it can't be overlooked how often race comes up in conversation. When projects are discussed, or the issues in the county are brought to the table, the racial divide among the citizens can't be ignored. It is almost 2013 (assuming the world doesn't end) and we are still having conversations about the color of someone's skin and how that influences their way of living, opportunities, abilities, etc. We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of integration at Ole Miss, but there are still questions about the amount of diversity seen in postsecondary education and concerns about educated the student body is on the history of the institution.

A friend sent me a picture of this article from USA Today.
People always have to find something negative in the positive

Is Mississippi ever going to get to a point where race isn't on the forefront of nearly every discussion, or at least a thought in the back of almost everyone's mind? Over this next year, am I going to be able to propose a project or idea without having to consider that populations of people involved? If Ole Miss integrated 50 years ago and we are still dealing with the same issues, just on a smaller, less violent scale, how freaking long is it going to take to just be people working together to better their communities?

The Other Good Stuff...

Music: In case you were wondering - and I know you were - this song gets me pumped for work every morning. 

Sean Hayes - "Miss Her When I'm Gone" 

Life Lessons: Something I've learned recently - don't surround yourself with people that don't know how to support what you're passionate about. If you are lucky enough to find something you genuinely love doing every single day, go with it. If the people that love you don't support it, they're just silly. 

Day Brightener: 

Yours truly. Ridiculous from birth.  

Quote of the Day: 

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" -Aristotle