Dispatches from a Warped Mind
Author: jill
•9:33 PM
 I have a confession to make ... I look forward to natural disasters.

That's right ... bring on a good hurricane, or an oil spill, or a tsunami, or whatever other natural disaster you can think of.

Because it means that my Anderson Cooper will be reporting LIVE from the scene in his (tight, black) t-shirts.

We were discussing it the other night and apparently, my Dad has a problem with this. I do not. Let me repeat that for you ... I do not. My Dad is convinced that Anderson buys his t-shirts one size too small - on purpose. What I think ... is that my Dad's heart is one size too small.

I say this in jest, because Anderson does not wear the t-shirt one size too small in an effort to make us ladies watch him (don't pretend you don't) ... he is a serious news reporter. If I were him ... along the Gulf coast/in a hurricane ... suffering in the high humidity ... and the heat ... I would wear the t-shirts as well. Maybe not one size too small, but I'd wear one.

You should know that I fell in love with Anderson Cooper long before he started wearing tight t-shirts that accentuated his bicepts.  What? Didn't I mention the bicepts? Well, they are there ... but that is not why I love him. I have loved him for a couple of years now; actually from the moment I started to read his memoire ... Dispatches From the Edge. It is a very touching story, reminiscing about stories from his early days as a reporter in the Congo and Ruwanda. Anderson writes about his father death when he was just ten years old and the fact that he never really got over it ... the pain and missing his Dad, that is. He also writes (frankly) about his brother's suicide. It is raw and emotional and honest. If you are looking for an interesting read while lounging at the beach/cottage, and you enjoy biographies/true stories, pick this book up. You will not be disappointed.

So, I will continue to keep on top of all naturally occurring disasters, in the hopes that he'll be there, reporting the latest news. I'll continue to love him for the person he is on the inside ... the caring, emotional, lost man that he is. Not the man who wears tight t-shirts on the news. But, if he wants to wear them, that's okay with me, too.

Image found at http://www.honeymag.com/
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Things Overheard on a "Aversity" Campus
Author: jill
•11:31 AM
... featuring Addie C. Jones.

Over the last couple weeks of June, Addie C. and I had to visit the University a few times. She would hit the campus running, her pace slowing only when it was time to get back into our van. But she had lots of things to say along the way.

"Is that the Aversity? The place with the pictures of the beer bottles all over it?" This is overheard on the way to the Aversity, as we drove by the Hiram Walker plant on Riverside Drive.
"Nope, but University is a place just like this ..." I explain. At least it was when Jonesy and I were last on Campus.

"Hello!" or "Hi! I'm Addie."  Addie C. says hello to everyone - outside landscapers, construction workers, secretaries, students, rocks, grass, puppies named Cooper ... everyone. Until someone says "hello" to her and then she wants to hide.

"What's that drink, Mommy?" Addie C. asks, pointing to a vending machine.
"That is Full Throttle Energy Drink," I tell her.
"Can we get some?" she wants to know. "Puleeeeeeeeese..."
"No. You may NEVER have that drink. Not ever."
And I am very serious about that.

"Can we go up those stairs 'cause I've never been there before." This is not really a question, because she is already half way up the stairs before she has finished the statement.

"Mommy!! Don't leave me ..." screamed at the top of her lungs, as she is running "full throttle" across the campus.

"I don't like that building with all the weeds on it."
Addie C. is referring to Dillon Hall, once known as Assumption Hall. It was built in 1928 and is the most architecturally beautiful building on campus. Plus ... it holds a special place in my heart because I had many, many classes in there and I had my picture taken in front of it (with those beautiful weeds as a back drop), wearing my cap and gown after my graduation with my Grampa.

"Addison, if you don't stay with Mommy, I will not bring you to visit the University again." As she is running "full throttle" across the campus.

"Do they have a garbage at this place? At the Aversity?" Addie C. asks.
"Yes, they do," I explain. These are the types of conversations I participate in.
"Then why do people just throw their stuff on the floor?" she wants to know, as she points out a dirty kleenex on the ground.
"I don't know," I tell her honestly.
She has a point. Why don't people use the garbage bins that are scattered around campus?

"She is just beautiful." Commented by a young girl waiting in a line behind us. She was probably thinking that her children will never run around all crazy like this little girl. See you in a few years ... 'cause that is exactly what I once thought.

Just wait until she visits the Aversity when all the full-time students return. Wait ... would you take crazy Addie C. Jones to a crowded University Campus? Me either.
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