eatin', walkin' and talkin'

This is my driver. Her name is Emily. She drives my car 8 miles with the emergency brake on. Is that bad?

Yesterday was good. So good. Emily and I woke late and watched a few Pregnant in Heels episodes on E!, while she half-studied for her elementary math exam. It was at one o'clock that afternoon. This happened around 10am. Bagels and cereal in bed, but it ended up being far less crumby than one would think. I drove Emily to her final, and ventured across town in search for a Starbucks. I found one about ten miles away. Oh, the things I do for an overpriced iced/grande/soy/latte. So, I sat in the Sbucks for a good hour - trying to read some Nicholas Sparks novel Emily handed me before walking out the door. I read nearly 2 pages. Three times. Sorry Sparks supporters, but that shiz is bad. Overused verbs, daft dialogue. Eww. Call me snobby, but I prefer language that doesn't make my eyes roll.

Finally, Em called me to come get her. No idea how I managed to find her. We then made our way downtown Fayetteville - we had hunger pains. She took me to Hugo's. This place is known for American favorites, such as the Blue Burger (bluecheese), nachos, french fries, and of course the beer cheese soup. They also offered sweet and savory crêpes... yUm.

Hugo's is actually housed in an old speakeasy; this is an underground restaurant with glass ceilings. Em said during Prohibition, the ground level floor was covered with a rug, and then when night fell, the rug was removed so that anyone who entered could be seen from below. Just enough time to hide the gin and brew. Clever, eh?

View of ceiling from ground floor, not underground yet.

Deciding on lunch was difficult. I felt sorry for our sweet waitress. Emily and I are probably the most indecisive pair. Took us about 15 minutes to decide.

I chose the BLT on wheat, she chose the tuna melt, both came with chips and pickles; the pickles were spears. Didn't have time to take a pic of our lunches. They didn't last long on the plate. Though our choices were very boring, they were not trite. Totally fresh and original.

Reaction to the BLT.

Then we went walking. Up and down streets. These streets are different here. They are not level. They are steep angles. Hills. Yesterday, I opened my arms wide to shin splints. Oh, how I love those things. We went in various different boutiques and specialty shops. One of the favorites was Feather Your Nest (sorry, no website).

Inside Feather Your Nest

This store was adorable and evoked wistful nostalgia - all of the things were from or about France. Just another reminder of what I was getting ready for a year ago - a trip abroad. It is strange to think how fast time is flying by. When I say strange, I mean scary.

Kept walking. Made our way to campus. It was overcast, but the breeze kept the mugginess unnoticeable. Campus sort of looks like Univ AL - just without a quad and more hills, and less squirrels.

We played inside of the Chi Omega house for a while.

Look what I found inside.

This brought a lump in my throat and tiny tears. Being home, in the bubble of mundane suburban Dallas, I found myself getting upset that people around me - the bag boy, the policeman ordering tacos beside me, my favorite barista - are not heartbroken like I am. The tornado broke so many things, and they do not know this. Just goes to show that despite devestation, life will always go on. It is oblivious, just like the people in it. I must be conscious of this. But, these women of Chi Omega, they know. They have friends at Alabama and, so they know. They know about the people that lost things. Their concern does not go unnoticed, or unappreciated.

Emily and I appreciate flowers. We both have pet plants that we love very much. R. W. Emerson told us, "Earth laughs in flowers". We believe this. So, we then played in this petit garden. Emily is very savvy in the herbage department; she teaches me their real names.

Peonies are her favorite.

The closest thing to the Quadrangle (Quad) in Ark is called Old Main/Senior Walk/IDK? It is all confusing. Too many names and traditions, sound familiar? The University of Arkansas was established in 1876. The picture below shows the first graduates of the institution - there were like six. What.

All over the sidewalks around campus are engraved with the graduation year and every single graduate. Kind of cool, huh? We saw some people laying by their names, getting a snapshot taken, probably for their mothers and daddies.

Oh, okay - this is actually Old Main. "It's our, like, landmark or something. We point to it at football games when we sing the alma matter", Emily said. This was the last place we went. Then we went to WalMart and bought things. I cooked dinner for a few of the best people. More to post later. Emily just informed me that we are "going out" in a few hours. Oh, the life of college girls - too much mascara and not enough chap-stick.