Sweet Home Alabama!

Last weekend... Mother's Day Weekend... I attended a large church in Kentucky. During the sermon, the minister spoke very meaningfully and quite eloquently. I consider him one of the most gifted communicators in the country.... very talented! But, surprisingly, in the middle of his sermon, he made not one, but two, disparaging comments about the state of Alabama. Without going into detail, let's just say he didn't paint Alabama in a very favorable light. I think he was trying to be funny... using Alabama as the butt of a joke. But, the audience didn't even laugh... they just simply moaned.... kind of like..."I can't believe he just said that..."

He is a very influential speaker with an extremely large audience. Maybe I'm just extra sensitive because I happen to live in Alabama. But, my question is "Why do we have to make fun of others"? Is there a bit of elitism there? Does someone think they are better than others? I don't actually think so, but I have to admit that it was a "turn off" for me. I was disappointed in his comments - actually a bit angry, if I was honest.

Alabama has tried very hard to tear away from the typical stereotype that many people have. I've lived in the Huntsville area for about 7 years. Alabama is not perfect, but unless you've lived here, you can't appreciate the progress and accolades the area has achieved. You can find many of the national and international recognitions here. Once you come and see for yourself what a great place this is to work, live, and play, you may not want to leave.... we hear this a lot.

It's a bit funny to me that someone from KY is making fun of someone from AL. I don't mean to be critical, but have you been to eastern KY lately? Oops... I'm doing the same thing, aren't I? I have business acquaintances on the west coast, and frankly, they don't see much different between KY and AL... or TN, MS, WV, etc. for that matter.

So, why do we do this? Why do we use someone else as the butt of a joke? Just to get a laugh? His comments tear down everything we are trying to do in AL, in regards to improving our image. I just don't see the value in doing this. I hope he will reconsider his approach in the future. Am I just extra sensitive because I was negatively impacted? Would I even be writing this if he had used TN instead of AL? Not sure. But I do know that my eyes were opened a bit wider because of the episode.

By the way.... I am from KY, born & raised there. I always speak positively of the Commonwealth. I hope others in KY will do the same about Alabama....

Football vs Basketball ??

Tami & I lived in Lexington, KY, for almost 24 years. In Lexington we raised kids, plugged into a church, made great friends, endured ice storms, cheered for UK, built 2 houses, and grew deep roots.

We've lived in Madison, AL, (just outside Huntsville) since July 2006... 3 years. For almost three years prior to that, I actually lived in Huntsville during the week and returned to Lexington on the weekends. That was not much fun - although I did become a Delta Platinum Medallion Member during that time....

So, even though the duration scale is tipped in favor of KY, I recently wondered about and reflected upon the differences between KY and AL. Now granted, there are huge differences even within each individual state itself. I mean Louisville and Lexington are quite different from places in, say... eastern KY..... as Birmingham and Huntsville differ from the lower central part of AL. Anyway let's give it a try....

In KY, when you ask for tea, it automatically comes unsweetened... in AL, it's sweet - really sweet. It goes nicely with the Alabama BBQ that seems to be everywhere.... and not just chain restaurants....I mean "real, real BBQ places". Granted, NASCAR is popular in both states, but horse racing rules in KY. One could also argue however, that Talladega is where racing really happens...

The weather is usually similar in both states too. The temperature difference between Lexington and Huntsville generally averages about 7 - 10 degrees, with Huntsville being warmer. The big difference is winter.... no snow on the ground in AL! We get occasional flurries, but I have never seen more than a brief, "gone by 10AM" dusting... and when this "dusting" is forecasted, the bread & milk are gone!! KY can get significant accumulations, including ice. Remember the recent ice storms? Don't miss those!

But without a doubt, the biggest difference between AL and KY, is the passion for college football versus college basketball. When in KY, I thought no one could ever top the passion and excitement the fans exude toward UK (and U of L) basketball. Never could I have imagined what goes on in AL, however, regarding Alabama and Auburn football. Where basketball is king in KY, football reigns in AL. It even starts in high school... high school football games are attended, followed, and promoted just about as much as college.

I remember one time in Huntsville when Tami was shopping in a store and she spied a person wearing a UK shirt under an opened zip-up jacket. She ran up to the person and exclaimed, "Hey! Another UK Fan! Hello, I'm from KY too!". The person strangely said nothing, but simply opened their jacket further to reveal the dreaded word "DUKE" written across the tee shirt. If only I had had a camera....

I am clearly a UK basketball fan, and am earnestly looking forward to the upcoming season with new Coach "C". But, when it comes to football, I have yet to declare a favorite. This is intentional of course. You see, you can make and break friendships based on your choice of team colors... and, I don't have many friends.... so I want to keep the one's I have. Consequently, in AL, I'm currently riding the fence. I'll attend both Auburn and Alabama football games and yell and scream with the rest of the rabid fans, accordingly.

I'm sure there are other differences, but mainly, the people are the same. There are good and bad folks no matter where you are. We miss friends in KY, but we have made wonderful friends in AL. If you're in the area, stop by.... we'll be watching either Auburn or Alabama beat up on most of the SEC teams, while we eat our BBQ ribs & drink our sweet tea. Of course, that's just until basketball season begins...