only in oklahoma

words can't really convey what a different world oklahoma is from baltimore. or the midwest, for that matter. the longer i live away from home, the stranger things about oklahoma seem to me: the way that girls all start wearing the same miss america makeup at age 16 and keep doing it until their 50s; the way that christianity is absolutely ubiquitous, unqestioned.

i just have to share one only-in-oklahoma experience from christmas with my grandparents:

-the doorbell rings-
me: who's that?
robin: jackie.
me: who's jackie?
robin: you know, jackie, that black lady who works at the club. -dubious look- she's come to serve dinner.
me: WHAT?

that's right, dear readers, apparently the concept of colored help is alive and well in oklahoma. as if it wasn't enough that i grew up amidst expensive houses and country clubs, i actually sat at my grandparents' dining room table while a nice black lady walked around and picked up plates and refilled water glasses. and the entire time i'm sitting there thinking, what's funny is that i'm usually on the other side of the coin here. i'm usually the help.

really i'm making it sound worse than it was. my grandparents are 85 and 90 years old, bless their hearts, and it's not like they're whizzes in the kitchen anymore; and they know they can't expect the punkass younger generation to clean the dishes....