Sail Away

While sailing in the Inner Harbor on the Patapsco River, I spotted a boat adorned with several flags—one in particular caught my eye: the rainbow flag. The passengers looked like they were having an absolute blast, soaking in the sunshine and the joy of the day.
 

Colors of Love

Love comes in all forms and colors.  It is easy for some to tell you that you are wrong… as long as you are in it for the right reasons, how can you be?

Thunderous Silence

Part of Wordless Wednesday!

UMMC

I don’t like hospitals; in fact I detest them with every fiber of my being.   However, I do feel the need to write about this one in particular, this is the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.   I was born here and so were my mother, and many other members of my family.   I have seen too much of this place recently and I feel the need to write about it in hopes that it will appease the powers that be so that the universe rights itself and no one in my life has to enter  through it’s doors for a reason other than employment.   

 So let the appeasement begin.  

UMMC is one of the best hospitals in the state of Mississippi, and it is probably the only hospital that I trust.   While it isn’t perfect as most hospitals aren’t, but it is a bit different than most others in the area in that it is a teaching hospital.  This means that it is not run solely for profit, so it is one of the few hospitals that will work with you and offer reasonably attainable financial aid if you can not afford normal care.   (You see the fact that the American Healthcare system is a for-profit industry is something I find morbid and frightening… but that is a rant I’m not going to get into.) This hospital is the only level-1 trauma center in the state of Mississippi and has been the hospital of choice in my family for generations.  

I have seen a lot of this hospital recently, as my mother has been in and out of it since March.   It has been a long ordeal and we still have a long way to go, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  

Pearl Flag

I personally created this flag when I noticed that the current flag for my hometown is not flown prominently.   I also wanted to design a flag that was deep in symbolism for the city rather than having a generic city flag with the city seal, this way Pearl, Mississippi can have a flag that rivals that of most cities within the state, one that we can all be proud of.   I submitted this for the consideration of the Mayor and the city Council, about a year ago and but have yet to hear anything.  Below is further explanation of the symbolism behind the flag.

The colors of the flag are Pearl’s traditional Blue and Gold.

The Canton is based on the Bonnie Blue flag that was one of the early flags flown in Mississippi when it was part of West Florida.  The Bonnie Blue Flag was also used as the Canton in the Original, “Magnolia Flag,”  that flew over the State of Mississippi until 1894.  Its inclusion is showing that the City of Pearl has a foothold in the history of the state.  The single gold star on the blue field shows that pearl is definitely a golden point within Mississippi’s history, and Pearl will continue to enrich the state.

I chose the non-traditional stripe pattern Alternating blue, gold, and white to differentiate the flag from both the Mississippi State Flag and the National Flag to show that Pearl is a city making its own future; it does however retain 13-Stripes to honor the original 13 colonies of the Untied States.  The striping is also similar to the blue and gold stripes currently in use on Pearl PD police interceptors.   

Rue Bourbon

New Orleans is the southern city of sin, and I mean that in a loving way. Why there are many tourist destinations in the city, from the Audubon Zoo and Aquarium of the Americas, this is the one that most remember and love the most. With it’s many clubs covering a Varity of types of people and tastes, to its world class drinks and shops. Bourbon Street offers it all, usually at night when the centre of the French Quarter nightlife comes to life, and people walk in mass down this wonderful slice of beautiful sin.