Playlist For The First Week Of College.

The General Specific – Band of Horses
Miss Magnolia – Matt Costa
My Hands Are Shaking – Sondre Lerche
Definition – Mos Def & Talib Kweli
Every Thought A Thought of You – mewithoutYou
Die Die Die – Avett Brothers
It Will Follow The Rain – The Tallest Man On Earth
So Comfortable – Orba Squara
Drinking, Thinking, Sinking, Feeling – Slow Club
Sunlight – Harlem Shakes
Not Tonight - Tegan and Sarah
Chelsea Hotel No 2 - Leonard Cohen
Love Song – Tilly and The Wall
I’d Rather Dance With You – Kings of Convenience
She’s The One – The Beta Band
Saint John – Cold War Kids
After Hours - The Velvet Underground
How Can I Love You If You Won’t Lie Down? – The Silver Jews
These Days – Nico
Did I Step On Your Trumpet? – Danielson Famile
Navy Nurse – The Fiery Furnaces

The Ultimate Saab Story.

Disclaimer: I’m writing this under the influence of mildly strong muscle relaxers, so while I’m aiming to be completely coherent in this post… even the best laid plans of mice and men go awry. So there. Bam, literary allusion. Now for the content.

If you're going to wreck your car, across the street from a hospital is the place to do it.

I was involved in a serious car crash on Tuesday. I was headed up an on ramp on Walnut Grove across from Baptist Hospital, traveling approximately 40 mph towards the I-240E exit. Orange construction cones thinned our already tight lane to an uncomfortably tight squeeze — causing the drivers ahead of me to tap their brakes cautiously. An SUV 2 cars ahead of me took a yield sign as a sign to stop, and 2 seconds later, I collided with the Jeep in front of me, which I then slid underneath. Our two cars pushed the Pontiac in front of us into that first SUV.

Mea culpa... mea maxima culpa.

I might wax poetic about this later, but for now, I’ll just list the facts:

Totally my fault.

No, I was not on my phone.

No, I was not messing with my iPod.

No, I was not voluntarily distracted in any way.

No one was injured at the scene. No scratches, no broken bones, not even a bruise.

Memphis PD and Memphis Fire Department were incredibly helpful and wonderfully kind. Always say “yes sir” to your police officers & firemen. Remember who you’re talking to. They arrived quickly & took control of the situation. Love them.

I received a ticket for failure to maintain a safe distance. Point very well taken.

Always buckle up, always always always. I look at these pictures and realize how ridiculously fortunate I was, how I had a band of angels working overtime keeping me safe. Everyone who arrived on scene to assist asked, “Where’s the driver of that car?” (Pointing to my Saab) I would sheepishly raise my hand and speak up, “Here I am. That’s my car.” Cue looks of horror/awe/disbelief. No one could fathom how I was able to simply walk away from such a horrific scene. I spoke up every time, in something of a shock-induced stupor, “That’s God. You need proof? Look at me. Look at my car. It was God who kept me safe.”

I was jarred, but calm. You could probably get away with callin’ me serene. The other fender benders I’ve been involved in led to proper tear fests. I break down at the drop of a hat – I’m a free crier. Have always been, it’s in my blood. This time, after being helped out of my car (not that I required the help — I was just stunned from the airbags deploying & wasn’t 100% sure of what had just happened) I stood back, muttered to myself for a moment, checked my pocket for my phone, and dialed the first number that came to mind.

“Daddy?”
“Hey Aimee Cait, I’m in a meeting, what’s going on?”
“Daddy… I’ve been in a, um, a wreck.”
“Okay, sweetie. Are you alright?”
“Yessir, so’s everybody else. We’re all okay.”
“Good. Okay, where are you?”
“I’m on Walnut Grove, across from the hospital, facin’ the I-240E on ramp. Daddy… I wedged my car beneath a Jeep.”
“That’s close, I’m 10 minutes away. Are the police there?”
“Yessir, they’re here. I’m waiting for you to hand out insurance information, though.”
“Okay, darlin, I’ll be there in just a minute. You sit tight. Go talk to them, make friends, make sure everybody’s okay… Wedged? Aimee Cait, that’s very Nascar of you.”

Mr. Alfred was the driver in the Jeep. Sit for a moment and try to imagine how I felt as I exited my vehicle and looked up at this tiny old man, unable to hop down from his seat because it was too high off the ground. His son-in-law came and chatted with him for a few minutes as his father-in-law sat and absorbed what had just happened. Alfred had had knee replacement surgery a few weeks ago — he couldn’t just jump down to the ground for fear of agitating his knee, which was still healing. This man, an absolute image of dignity and grace, found himself clinging to his son-in-law’s shoulders as he was piggy-back’ed to safety on the side of the road. Cue me whimpering in shame.

Alfred and his son-in-law were so kind. After we had all established that there were no injuries between the drivers/passengers, we began to chat, albeit tentatively. I’m sitting there praying: “God, please don’t let them be angry. I know they’ll probably be angry. But please give me grace. Don’t let ‘em kill me.” The first words directly to me from Alfred were: “Well, your shoes are sure cute.” I paused, looked down, examined my red patent leather flats, and nervously said, “Thank you, sir. Picked ‘em out special for today. See, they’re my car-wreckin’ shoes.” He smiled. Instant BFFs.

Signing autographs. Handing out my insurance information.

Alfred joked about taking me on a date. Dad showed up, lookin’ the part in a black trenchcoat, suit and tie, and he assumed control of the situation. However, I’m gonna go ahead and put it out there that I handled this potentially catastrophic event with ease. The policemen were very helpful. They were like little boys, though, ooh’ing and ahh’ing at the positioning of the cars. They could hardly believe the angle the Jeep was at. (I know I’ve just ended this sentence with a preposition — I’m on Skelaxin, I don’t care.) The last time they saw a scene like this, it was with Hot Wheels, which they made a point to tell me. I’m sure they might have been a bit more cross had the scene not been so ridiculous. I mean, my car… beneath Alfred’s Jeep. No one was hurt, so laughing was fair play.

This is easily the greatest accomplishment of my life.

I need to go ahead and quit typing for now, I feel sleepy in the nicest way.

xxAimee Cait

Big Kid School.

I’m applying to U of M as a first-time freshman with a GED. Since I’m not submitting any high school transcripts, they haven’t got any information to scan for what they call ‘deficiencies’… still not sure exactly what they’re talkin’ about, but whatever. I know I’m deficient — I’m a dropout. Waheyyy. Anyway, because they’re admitting me sans diploma & sans GPA, I have to include a ‘personal statement attesting to my academic and career goals, with special emphasis placed on experiences I’ve had since leaving high school that I believe will make me a successful college student’. I figured it would make (somewhat) interesting reading, or something. So here it is, in black and white, for your reading pleasure. Gather ’round, children, it’s storytime.

To Whom It May Concern:

This is my personal statement attesting to my academic and career goals.

I am 20 years old. Most of my friends my age are in their sophomore or junior year of college, but I’m just now applying for my freshman year. What took me so long? To put it plainly, I dropped out of high school. Admittedly this is not a decision that I am particularly proud of, and I am all too aware of the consequences that have followed. However, I now view that decision as a necessary step in my journey towards truly appreciating the value of education and strong work ethic.

Since leaving high school, I haven’t been entirely lazy. Rather than take the GED and attend college at 18, I spent a year living and working in the United Kingdom. While in the UK, I volunteered with a Christian non-profit organization that worked with the church & local government to reach out to young people. Much of my time was spent in an office, using technology to find creative ways to communicate a Christian message to youth while remaining culturally relevant. Some nights I went out walking with a couple of other adults in hopes of forging relationships with the at-risk youth living in the community. I also learned how to fend for myself when traveling internationally on my own. The time I spent in England has proven priceless, as I’ve been able to watch myself transform from a scared, shy 18-year-old girl to an independent, passionate young woman with a passport full of visas. I believe that I now have a better understanding of what it means to really work, regardless of the payoff at the end of the road. My thirst for education has hit an all-time high, and I believe I am finally ready to give my all to a college career.

Having said that, I aim to earn a bachelor’s degree in either communications or graphic design, or a combination of the two. My interests are varied, but they all seem to stem from my love of the creative process. Graphic design allows art to be useful, tangible, and widely available to the public. I appreciate advertisements that make me stop and stare for a moment. Often, I find myself examining a particularly eye-catching poster or magazine ad and wondering, “How did they do that? I wonder if I could recreate that…” Further education in this area would allow me to make a career out of my need to create. My father always told me that if I loved something enough, I could find a way to make money doing it. I really can’t express how much I love graphic design, and I’m determined to find a career that lets me wake up every morning and truly enjoy my job. My first step toward realizing this dream is earning a degree, and I hope to do that at the University of Memphis.

Thank you for taking time to read this. I look forward to your response.

I love beginning big official letter things with ‘To Whom It May Concern’. Love it. Does anyone else envision faceless old white guys in overly starched suits when they type that? Because I do. They’re sitting in a darkened board room around a long oak table, in grotesquely oversized, ornately carved wooden chairs with crushed velvet upholstery. The room smells like 80 years of dust and cigar smoke, and possibly scotch. Mm.

Okay, enough of that. Thoughts? Let me know.

xxAimeeCait

Songs For The Sleepless; Lullabies For The Listless.

Miss Spiritual Tramp – Blitzen Trapper
Noah’s Ark – CocoRosie
You Remind Me Of Something (The Glory Goes) – Bonnie Prince Billy
Two Bodies, One Heart – Noah And The Whale
Walk The Line – The Tallest Man On Earth
One Of These Things First - Nick Drake
Wagon Wheel – Old Crow Medicine Show
Honey Pie – The Beatles
Piazza, New York Catcher – Belle & Sebastian
Hotel Chelsea Nights – Ryan Adams
Is This Love? – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Reckless – Tilly And The Wall
Travel Song – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Goods – Mates of State
Innocent Son – Fleet Foxes
Don’t Forget To Breathe – Beulah
Two Way Monologue - Sondre Lerche
Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright
California – Rogue Wave
Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl – Broken Social Scene
I Don’t Blame You – Cat Power
I Summon You – Spoon
Misread – Kings of Convenience
These Days – Nico

Fidgeting. Nico always makes me cry.

xxAimeeCait

Whatever My Lot, Thou Hast Taught Me To Say.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trumpet shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Oh, this hymn. It’s on my mind today, inexplicably.

At any rate, it’s been an amazing day at Life Church. Servolution was particularly lovely as Joe and I continued to meet people and make friends while loving on the Hollywood community in Memphis Proper. I can’t really tell you how much I loved what we did today. We went door to door inviting people to a Thanksgiving celebration next Saturday at the Hollywood Community Center. Most of the people we spoke with were elderly and several struggled to even make it to their front doors to speak with us. One lady, Miss Margaret, actually invited us in to sit in her livin’ room while we chatted with her. Understand, today’s high was 47 and it was drizzling, so while I might have refused the offer any other time, today was my day to recognize a blessing when I heard it and say: “Yes, please!” I didn’t even allow the lady I was walking with, Julie, a chance to object — I answered for the two of us and quickly followed Miss Margaret inside. Gahlee, that living room was like a warm hug.

I love how faux outgoing I get on days like today. I’m such an introvert. I mean, I feel painfully shy at times… so maybe not 100% proper introvert, but still. I guess I’ve grown out of most of that. Haven’t got the time to be shy anymore. Can’t afford it.

Must mention the amazing lady Joe and I met and carpooled with to Hollywood. Kim just started attending Life Church and is something else. She’s just as excited as we are about finally finding a place to call home… I had such a good time laughing with her and getting to know her. Hope to see her again soon.

After Hollywood wrapped up, Kim drove us back to Life Church, and Joe and I got some Starbuck’s to warm us up. I highly recommend the Gingersnap Latte — Buddy The Elf agrees: it is the new best way to spread Christmas cheer. Got back to the Sawyer Residence and I chickflicked with Joe’s mama while Joe filled out his paperwork from his clinicals on Friday. Man, that stuff takes for-ev-errr. Homeboy is dedicated. It should be funny once I have homework… Wonder what kinda b-word I’ll be.

Went to the Saturday night service with Joe, Rachel & Andy (woohoo, quality time with The Schelbs!) and had a blast. Went to dinner after the service, but not before meeting Amanda Meneses and Leslie Siebeling. SO lovely. As always, my mouth went about 90mph… so I hope my babbling isn’t the only thing they remember about me. I’ve been meaning to introduce myself to those two for a while — both are LSU grads — I love finding Tigers away from heauxm! But yeah, Rachel, Andy, Joe and I had a great time at dinner. I think that’s our first double date… what a couple to double with. I love our friends.

Alright, restless legs. Can’t handle sitting in this chair anymore.

Be good, smile pretty, work hard.

xxAimeeCait

Category Three.

All grown up, and not showin' signs of stoppin'...

Read what the Advocate (local Baton Rouge, Louisiana news for non Baton Rougeans) has to say about Gustav here.

I typically avoid websites like CNN and FoxNews at this point in disaster coverage because they tend to sensationalize a great deal and they also haven’t got a real understanding of the culture of hurricanes. Of course it seems ridiculous that a bar is staying open tonight, serving drinks in the face of doom and destruction… but considering our culture, our relationship with hurricanes, our attitude towards life in general… how is this unusual? There’s a very real possibility of that bar either being flooded or somehow otherwise damaged… so why not serve drinks while they can?

Painfully aware of the failings that led to more than 1,600 deaths during Katrina, this time officials moved beyond merely insisting tourists and residents leave south Louisiana. They threatened arrest, loaded thousands onto buses and warned that anyone who remained behind would not be rescued.

“Looters will go directly to jail. You will not get a pass this time,” Mayor Ray Nagin said. “You will not have a temporary stay in the city. You will go directly to the Big House.”

Col. Mike Edmondson, state police commander, said he believed that 90 percent of the population had fled the Louisiana coast. The exodus of 1.9 million people is the largest evacuation in state history, and thousands more had left from Mississippi, Alabama and flood-prone southeast Texas.

Late Sunday, Gov. Bobby Jindal issued one last plea to the roughly 100,000 people still left on the coast: “If you’ve not evacuated, please do so. There are still a few hours left.”

So… I fell asleep writing. Gustav is in the midst of his rampage through my hometown as I type this. More later.

It is absolutely debilitating not being there. Baton Rouge is home. I love y’all… stay safe, keep Twittering.

xx AimeeCait

Wade In The Water… Again.

Meet my boy Gustav.

3 years later and here we are... again.

It’s eerie, yeah?

I don’t really know what to do with myself, not living in south Louisiana during hurricane season… it feels strange. Granted, we’re savin’ money by not needing to go and grab emergency supplies (just in case), but even that was kind of fun. Louisianians were built to withstand hurricanes… we’re tougher than the average bear. Or maybe we’re just more in love with our home than most. I dunno. I do know that I miss hurricanes. They were just another part of our culture. Yes, problematic & crazy destructive at times, but nevertheless part of our story.

My logical reaction to a major event like a (potential) hurricane is a blog post and a playlist. So here you go.

Hurricane Season 2K8

Hurricane – Something Corporate
Beautiful Disaster - 311
It’s Whatever – Lil Boosie
Like A Hurricane – Neil Young
Rain – Priscilla Ahn
Hurricane – Bob Dylan
Callin’ Baton Rouge – Garth Brooks
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall - Bob Dylan
Float On - Ben Lee
Walkin’ To New Orleans – Fats Domino
Black River - Amos Lee
All These People - Harry Connick, Jr.
When The Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin
Yes We Can - Lee Dorsey
Storm Coming – Gnarls Barkley
Who’ll Stop The Rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Watchin’ The River Flow – Bob Dylan
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans – Harry Connick, Jr.
City Rain, City Streets – Ryan Adams
Didn’t It Rain – Mahalia Jackson
Price of Gasoline – Bloc Party
King of New Orleans – Better Than Ezra
Dry The Rain – The Beta Band
This Is An Emergency – The Pigeon Detectives
The Storm Is Passing Over – Delois Barrett Campbell
Waters of Nazareth – Justice
Louisiana Woman Mississippi Man – Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn
Flashlight Fight - The Go! Team
Blowing In The Wind – Bob Dylan
Wade In The Water – The Staple Singers
Ay Bay Bay – Hurricane Chris

So it’s a bit epic, yeah, but it’s an epic thing, a hurricane. Obviously a lot of cheese present here, but deal with it. It’s good stuff.

Missing everybody in South Louisiana… prayin’ for y’all as the storm season intensifies.

xx AimeeCait

Can’t Be 20 On Sugar Mountain.

Late night… again.

(Oh, really?)

I’ve had quite a day. Cut to me speedin’ along Park Avenue early this morning, racing to get to the Messick Adult Education Center on time for my GED Official Practice Test. I had my window rolled down, trying to force oxygen through my nostrils and into my lungs, but to no avail. It’s been a while since I’ve taken a proper test, and I haven’t experienced that sort of anxiety in ages. My hands were shaking, my breathing was shallow, I couldn’t listen to any song for more than 30 seconds without feeling the urge to switch to the next one. (Death Cab, Beta Band, I apologize. It’s nothin’ personal. It’s not you, it’s me.) Honestly, I felt annoyed that Ben Gibbard had the sheer audacity to remain so fiercely mellow & poetic while I experienced the sort of freak out that I would find hilarious if only it weren’t happening to me. Comedy.

I made it just in time, missing my turn but making up for it by taking the next right onto Greer. I parked and stood with a mass of people, waiting to enter the building only to have my handbag searched while I took a stroll through a metal detector. Took a seat with a few other girls in the cafeteria and was met with a blast of icy air… I wondered aloud why I’d left my parka at home. Cue grins from those seated nearby. We sat in this room for the better part of the next hour, watching as the tables filled with other sleepy adults. Gazing around the room I saw so many different kinds of people, so many walks of life represented. I felt sheepish, really. Here I was, whinging about how it was far too early to be awake, while most of these people had taken off of work in order to be there.

We filed into a classroom where I’d sat once before, about 2 weeks ago when I took my TABE and Locator tests, my mandatory pre-pre-test. Started with an essay question, proceeded to pour an ounce of my soul onto the test sheet in wildly neat handwriting. Then onto the Language section, during which I fought to keep my eyes open. (Apparently, my body can only handle so many consecutive sleepless hours.) Next was the Math section, which actually wasn’t all that bad. Granted, I am no mathematician, but I can handle calculating area & volume. Things get a little dicey when it comes to graphing equations & fiddlin’ around with exponents, but thankfully, I didn’t see too much of that today. Then came a 20 minute break, during which I learned a valuable lesson. If you find yourself at an adult education center, it’s probably a good idea to make friends with the security guards. I’ve never met a guy with a badge I didn’t get along with, so I buddied up with the boys in blue. (All it takes is a smile and a kind word, boys and girls.) Sauntered back into the testing room, got back to business. Three tests later (reading, social studies & science, in that order) and I was trudging out of Messick in a daze. It was a beautiful day outside and I was glad to be back in the car.

So, I felt pleased with how I did today. Granted, nobody really enjoys being that nerve-wracked, but hey. It makes for a good story. I love that part of Memphis. It feels more like Government Street in Baton Rouge. I’ll take South Greer over Creekside II anyday.

2 tests down, 1 more to go… and then I’m sorted. Crazy.

In case you were unaware, Friday is Joe Day. More on that later…

xxAimeeCait

High of 85.

That’s my Collierville forecast. Partially cloudy. High of 85 — low of 65.

Shut. Up.
It’s the first time all summer I’ve been able to tan without feeling like I’m going to die of heat stroke.

Gin & Peter are back this evenin’. I’m stoked — I’ve missed those kids. I’d probably better figure something neat out for dinner. Or make some kind of awesome cookies. I don’t know. I’m totally running on an hour of sleep here, kids. It’s not the healthiest thing I’ve done, but y’know, whatever. I’ll make it.

Mm. “You’re just like/Crosstown traffic/So hard to get through to you“

I’m sittin’ out by the pool (which is positively icy) in this gorgeous weather with my laptop… it’s really beautiful — a welcome respite from the past couple of months of straight heatwave. I can’t find my iPod for some strange reason unbeknownst to me…? That’s a bit nerve-wracking (it’s my little red iPod — I love that thing), but I really haven’t the energy to actually freak out and launch a proper shakedown of the house in search of my personal electronic devices. I’m convinced it’s just going to appear somewhere embarrassingly obvious that my weary little mind isn’t capable of coming up with at the minute.

Watched a film yesterday afternoon starrin’ Mos Def and Alan Rickman: Something the Lord Made. I’m all about Alan Rickman — homeboy is crazy talented — but it was so thoroughly distracting listening to his version of a southern accent. It furthered my love for both of the actors, though. I love me some Mos Def. He’s so laid back without coming off as lazy or apathetic. And there’s something so wholly despicable about so many of Alan Rickman’s characters… he plays a baddie so convincingly. Love it. You should check it out — all about these two men & their journey as friends, coworkers, and eventually pioneers of heart surgery. Crazy neat.

Linds is having the car towed to the mechanics. She’s so on top of things. What a legend.

Nadalee is here at the end of the week. Color me stoked. Should be interesting having a friend from home to show around… Wonder what we’ll do.

Tomorrow is my pre-pre-test for the GED. I should be sweet – just a bit more math to look over. And it’s not super intense… I mean, it’s the practice for the practice for the GED test. None of that sounds all that intimidating or hardcore, right? It is, however, 5 hours long. Holy moly. Should be a right adventure. Few things are more exciting than that. This I know as fact.

Shower time, I daresay.

xxAimeeCait

Things That Aren’t Funny At 6:30AM.

1. The alternator in the 4Runner finally givin’ out… and Ryan needs to be at school in 15 minutes.

(I’m fairly certain this is how I predicted it would happen.)

I’ll be the first to admit that that’s actually pretty funny. It was just wildly inconvenient and made for a sticky situation early on the morning of the Younger Three’s first day back at school. Poor Baby Ryan. We have the greatest neighbors in the history of the planet, really. Charlie & Kelley – y’all are lifesavers.
Off to tan & sleep for a bit.

xxAimeeCait