Empty Voices

Jackson, Mississippi , the capital of my home state, is near and dear to my hear for many reasons. Most notably the fact it has gorgeous homes from the Civil War era dotting the city and many of them are now housing a bed and breakfast or are open to tours and let you get a taste of bygone years.

Built in 1850′s in the the picturesque style of Greek Revival , is the plantation home of Dr. H.T.T. Dupree. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Dupree House developed from a three-room structure. Mamie’s Cottage, the in-town home of Dr. Dupree’s adopted daughter, Mamie, was moved to the property in 1977 following her death. These days, the cottage houses two bed and breakfast suites. Dupree House owners welcome groups for tours and catered meals. They also have the home available for rent to host reunions, weddings, luncheons and parties.

Eudora Welty House and Garden located at 1119 Pinehurst St., is a lovely house and stunning garden that can be toured. when she passed on Welty left her house and collection of thousands of books to the state, and her family donated furniture and art to fill the home. Eudora Welty’s mother, Chestina, designed the garden in 1925 with her assistance before she left for college that year. In 1931 she returned home following the death of her father and continued work with her mother on the garden until 1966 when her mother passed away. The Department of Archives and History is currently working to open a visitors center to provide space for special exhibits on Welty and her family as well as on-site restrooms and parking for visitors of the site.

Located at 823 N. Jefferson St. is the Oaks House Museum, a modest cottage also built in the popular Greek Revival style. The Oaks House, circa 1853,original owners were a middle-class family: James Hervey Boyd, business man and 4-term mayor of Jackson, his wife, Eliza Ellis Boyd, and their children. The home was owned by various members of the Boyd family until 1960, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Mississippi purchased it. It’s available for tours every Tuesday through Saturday for a small entry fee of $4.50 adult and $3.00 for children.

I’ve toured the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion many time growing up and love it’s wide open rooms and domed ceilings. The mansion is the second-oldest continuously occupied gubernatorial residence in the United States, having served as the official residence of Mississippi’s first family since January 1842. In 1972 the state underwent a period of reconstruction on the mansion to restore it to its historical beauty, reconstructing original design details and furnishing it with museum-quality antiques. The governor’s Mansion is a living, breathing, working glimpse of history that’s free to tour on mornings between 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. and is something I wouldn’t miss while visiting Jackson .

Last November, I attended the ‘Go Green’ Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center . I came to Minneapolis for a job interview, and while I was waiting for my interview, I picked up the Minneapolis Star Tribune and read about the ‘Go Green’ Expo. It sounded pretty interesting and there would be hundreds of ‘Green’ companies promoting their innovative products. So, I planned that after my interview, which was downtown town Minneapolis, I’d head on over to the Expo.

Since my field of expertise is an Environmental Engineer with a side of unemployment, I thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce myself to each and every company there and make inquiry’s about any job openings. I’ll be missing some of the presentations, such as ‘How to Green Your Business’ and ‘Green Marketing and Brand Development’, but I’ll be able to catch ‘Green Job’s’. Which was perfect!

The presenter, talked about how Wind Energy Tax incentives will bring jobs to Minneapolis. She say’s the state can move forward with tax credits that are designed for European wind energy manufacturers to bring their businesses here. The tax incentive could bring approximately 1,350 new jobs into the city. The Iron Range in Minnesota just may be the beneficiary of the high quality manufacturing jobs. She also advised that Minnesota will be in great need of an experienced workforce to fill all the jobs openings created from this tax incentive. The presenter then launched into how the Congress has the power to put thousands of Americans who live in the hardest hit industries back to work and at the same time protect the environment.

After the presentation, I walked up to the presenter and asked if her company is hiring. I gave her my qualifications and told her I’d like to be a part of a company that deals with tough issues and finds solutions. I gave her my card and went back to my hotel, passing all the Minneapolis luxury hotels on my way, thinking one day I’ll be able to stay in one of them. When I got to my room, there was a message for me, it was from the Presenter telling me to send my resume’ to the human resource department of her company and on the cover letter mention that she highly recommends they hire me!

This summer the city of Palmdale, California will be re-introducing a favorite local cultural activity to its list of ongoing events. Thursday Night on the Square is a weekly outdoor market in the city and there will be numerous entertainment features and activities that are associated with it. Basic attendance of the event will be free and it is extremely family oriented. There are many activities and entertainment aspects that are specifically directed toward children and they are guaranteed to have as much fun as the adults. This will also be a great way for tourists who happen to be in town to experience some of the local culture and find a free event to attend.

As with many cities in Southern California, Palmdale’s tourist population increases in the summer and many people are always eager to find something new and interesting to do. Hotels in the area will be able to provide information on this and other events that are going on and are also excellent resources for finding great places to eat and getting transportation information. In addition to offering quality accommodations, most of the hotels are excellent information and resource centers and guests should take more advantage of this aspect of there chosen place to stay.

Some of the standard features of the Thursday night market will be great food, music, various arts and crafts and live music. Some of the great activities for children include face painting , craft activities, a great bounce tent, and a popular game garden. This is one of the greatest things residents and tourists can bring their children to as a great deal of the activities are focused on their entertainment and fun. Free family fun events are becoming extremely popular across the nation and when they also provide superior cultural entertainment offerings, they are at most people’s top of the list.

One of the things most people will walk away with a strong impression of after having visited Boston, Massachusetts is the great architecture that is found throughout the city. And while touring all of these amazing buildings is rarely the singular reason for a person’s visit at one of the luxury hotels, Boston is made up of buildings that frequently date back centuries and being somewhat awed by this while you are visiting is just part of the package. For this reason it is strongly recommended that you plan at least one day to tour the sites while you’re in town because there will definitely be many that will catch your attention.

However, what occurs and is offered within the walls of some of these great buildings. The Culter Majestic Theatre at Emerson College is just one example of an incredible building with amazing events taking place in it. The original opening of this ornate theatre occurred in February of 1903. And while that alone would place it among the great historical category for most cities across the nation, for one that exists in Boston, it’s really almost new. That’s an exaggeration of course and intended to stress the amount of history that exists in this city.

John Galen Howard was the architect that designed the incredible theatre. He was one of only 400 American architects that had been trained by the L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in the late nineteenth century. Today the theatre continues to represent the standards of excellent set forth by Emerson College. It is one of New England’s premiere cultural establishments and one of its most beautiful theatre buildings. Great operas and classical productions are stage here as are innovative and provocative new works. Part of the mission of this theatre is to push boundaries of communication through the arts.

Second Honeymoons are so romantic. It is often said that they are better than the first. It may be that the first came on the wave of a love so fresh and young and full of naivete that it is always a reminder of what you thought you were getting. In the end, if you make it to the second one, you learn to understand the person you married. Through the understanding and compromise you fall in love with who that person really is. This is true love, a love than runs deeper than hopes and dreams. A love that is strong and wise. So if you have made it to the second honeymoon , you are truly celebrating each other and the life which you have built.

Hawaii has the excitement of a new love and the calmness of an love tried and true. It is here that the two love birds have chosen for their second honeymoon destination. In an attempt to rekindle a fire they did not want to let burn out, they made reservations at one of the luxury honolulu hotels that had an open room for their 6 night stay. It fell on their seventh year anniversary. After three kids and law school, they deserved it. The road had not been an easy one, but it had been theirs. There were many nights they could not fall asleep and lie awake not looking and not touching, just feeling the empty space between them. It somehow always worked out as they learned something new about the other person each time they stared into that distant space. And each time they felt that space it seemed to bring them that much closer to one another. She remembered that her grandmother had given her some advice once, while twirling her pearls as she did. “The space between you is something that needs to be learned. Do not be afraid of it and for heaven’s sake child do not let it scare you away. If you learn what the space is telling you, you will find that there really is no space at all.” She was remembering this now as she pulled the zipper closed on her brown and green suitcase. A smile crawled across her lips at her grandmother’s wisdom.

Granny had been right. She remembered that first night she lie awake at the edge of the space that felt so wide, wondering what she had gotten herself into. She was convinced that she had never really known this man at all, and had committed the biggest mistake in her life. The next morning, while making breakfast, Granny’s advice crept in from the back of her mind. She decided then and there to learn what the space would teach her and not to let it scare her away. Seven years later she was packing for Hawaii and was deeper in love than she had ever been.

Cowabunga! Summer is here! Time to hang ten and hang out with your friends on your favorite beach. Beaches are a great place to have fun with family, friends, and even that special someone in your life. Whether he is ‘Mr., Right’, or ‘Mr. Right Now’, you have got to make an impression! What better way to make sure your guy will stay lusting after you well after the sun has set, than looking great in a bikini! This summer it is all about the legs and the abs! Find this season’s latest trends in Sana Monica and vamp up your wardrobe. Beach bunny boho is super comfy and super sexy!

Southern California is full of some great beach getaways! Take a romantic drive up Pacific Coast Highway and take in the beautiful scenery. Stop and take a stroll through the sand, or put up a net and play some volleyball! Guys love a girl with an athletic side to them! The fun doesn’t have to stop on the beach, choose from a variety of five star hotels santa monica and stay the night! Wake up to the smell of the ocean and make another great adventure.

Whether you are taking a romantic walk on the beach, shopping on the pier, or braving the waves in the water, looking HOT is a must! Hit the stairs at the Santa Monica pier infamous for getting you into that great J-Loshape! Nothing makes a guy want to keep you around more than the thought of other guys wanting you. A little healthy competition never hurt anyone! So the bikini body is not just for your guys’ eyes only, make sure he catches the other fellas checkin you out as well! And if he gets a little jealous, no worries just let him put his arms around you and remind him that you only have eyes for him! Don’t take the flirting too far though, nothing is worse than an insecure man! Show just enough to be noticed, yet reserved enough to avoid any huge misunderstandings.

The most important thing to remember is that you ARE a catch! If you do not take care of yourself no one else will, and most importantly, no one else will want to! Show your guy that you are wanted and he should be lucky that you have chosen him!

There are so many reasons for visiting the great state of Illinois, with its rich history, enormous contributions to national and global culture, and cosmopolitan sensibility mixed with splendidly hospitable Midwestern style. Its great hotels are a sure testament to that, where graciousness and style rule the day, making it a pleasure to wake up and fall asleep amid such splendor. Chicago has a certain feel and style to it, but it’s one that is made up of multiple styles, coming from an array of cultural influences. It’s also still very much in development, and one of the great things about the city is that it’s flexible enough to continue to take in new ideas and visions.

There is plenty of old-world charm here as well, and if there’s any doubt, make some plans to spend a morning or so at the Julius Meinl Coffee House . This is the Chicago branch of a very successful coffee place that’s most famous in Vienna. It began there in the middle of the 19th century, with a specialty for roasting their coffee beans. This made it possible for the Viennese to purchase their own coffee without having to roast it in their own homes, which is a rather difficult task without burning.

It was a huge success there, and it’s successful here as well. It’s easy to see why. The coffee menu looks typical at first, but there are fine details that give it an exquisite European twist, serving a coffee that is far above and beyond the usual. Teas, and excellent delicacies are also offered here. The connections between Vienna and Chicago are not small. Both are places that attract some of the most interesting artists and thinkers, and have long histories of migrations of many cultures through the city walls. It’s enough to inspire its own academic conference, sponsored by Demokratiezentrum Wien , where scholars gathered to discuss the traces of similarities between the worlds.

When considering the history of ancient Western cities such as Rome, Italy, there are a few things that frequently come to mind. Generally, when thinking of ancient Rome, many people will associate it with Jesus Christ, Roman mythology, some of the ancient architecture such as the Colosseum and a few of the major political figures such as Julius Caesar. The other common aspect of the ancient culture that is typically remembered today is the drama of the time. And while the way plays were presented and how they were incorporated to society is entirely different from the way it is today, many of the plays from the time are still produced on today’s stage. Theatre is one of the popular attractions for many of the guests staying in one of the hotels in Rome and it’s particularly inviting when they have the chance to see one of the ancient plays onstage.

This is the age where the two genres of theatre known as Comedy and Tragedy were in effect and Tragedy had been written about as the perfect form of drama by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. However, the comedies were generally hits with audiences and Rome had its favored comedy writers. Plautus and Terence were the two primary comedy playwrights in Ancient Rome for which we still have existing scripts.

Plautus lived from approximately 254-184 BC and most, or all, of his comedies were based on earlier Greek plays from the New Comedy format. His plays were popular and generally expressed stories from Roman middle and lower classes. Terence was alive from either 195 or 185 to 159 BC. The most likely date is around 195 because his comedies had begun being performed around 170. He was bought as a slave by the Roman senator Terentius Lucanus who educated him and later freed him due to his literary abilities. He didn’t live long and wrote six plays during his career, all of which still survive.

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever gotten in my life came from my Grandmother. I was in a situation that I was not sure how to deal with, and I was a bit stressed out, when she told me over the phone, to “just breath” . This was not coming from a woman who spent time in yoga classes, her advice pre-dates the yoga craze, peaceful speak. This was advice from a woman who had lived a life, and who knew how it felt to be overwhelmed by that life from time to time.

My situation was that I need to find a new place to live . And moving can be stressful enough on it’s own, but I was dealing with the fact that my beloved dog had just died, I was splitting up with my boyfriend, and my move was not simply to a
new apartment , it was a cross county move to be made in a Chevy Blazer with 200,000 miles on the odometer. Moving during the best of times is stressful, and when major life changes are occurring, that stress can add up. when you move because you have to move, it is a completely different experience from the one in which you move because you want to move. At this time it is best to take note of just what you really need to bring with you.

I looked through my things, and gave away those which I hadn’t used in the past year. This cut down the load for my Blazer quite a bit. I called my grandmother a few times while I was packing, just to hear her voice and to consider the various things that I thought I “needed”. Turns out though, in the end all I did really need to do, was just breath, like she said. I drove the Chevy across the country, from Chicago to Phoenix, and I made in one piece, breathing the entire way.