My Dish On Ole Miss

Like Yankees arriving 155 years late, Birdie and I started to retreat as soon as we began our drive-by of the Ole Miss Rebel campus. After visiting laid back Birmingham-Southern, we weren't prepared for the visual onslaught of a million students armed with cars. Then reality set in. First, we're southerners, not Yankees. Second, a million is way off count. And third, students drive SUVs and pickup trucks. So we smoothed our ruffled feathers and quickly discovered Ole Miss belongs on the Birdie short-list. First, Rebels eat well. Oxford's town square is ringed with bars and restaurants. At the Ajax Diner, Birdie and I inhaled grilled shrimp hoagies then tried to kill ourselves swallowing toothpicks. The idea is to use a drinking straw to launch toothpicks into the ceiling tiles. We failed miserably. However, if Birdie selects Ole Miss, Big Guy and I will have years to practice toothpick shots while Birdie eats in the dining hall. In addition to great food, Ole Miss has Dr. Kerri Scott. Birdie and I met the forensic chemist as we walked through the famed Ole Miss grove. Dr. Scott welcomed Birdie to Ole Miss just like she knew us. In fact, she'd noticed Birdie's visitor tag. I don't know where Dr. Scott was walking, but she was late getting there. She talked with us a long time about why she likes Ole Miss and about how to make large intro. science classes less anonymous. She made the campus feel more manageable. Later manageable turned into almost cozy. As Birdie and I wandered the chemistry building, again we met Dr. Scott. The three of us peered into a chemistry lab and Birdie spotted Merle Scheff Girl. Actually, she spotted the Merle Scheff sweats, then noticed the goggled blondie who sported them. Merle Scheff Girl is a friend of Daisy's--a very startled one as she waved our way. I asked Dr. Scott if Merle Scheff Girl was in her intro chemistry class. She isn't. With that fact locked down, Dr. Scott scored another point for Ole Miss. This school, that seemed so large, has professors who know who their students are.