Plan C

Thanks to my Mississippi friend Amelia, a new idea emerges. Her favorite place on the planet because of "really, really spectacular people."

Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Who doesn't know why? Are you AMERICAN?! That's the crossroads, baby - where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil, the true birthplace of the blues.

And I love New Orleans jazz in a way I never thought possible, but the blues, well, they speak to me deeply.

I can go to the Delta Blues Museum and then stay at Shack Up Inn:
"If you want something more down to earth, try digging up the roots of the blues in Clarksdale, Miss., home of the Delta Blues Museum. “Here in Coahoma County, we have a rich history with musicians like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, who were born or lived here,” says Bill Talbot, innkeeper and co-owner of the wryly named Shack Up Inn.
Accommodations are a “six-pack” of shotgun shacks slightly renovated and furnished with mismatched furniture and a potent dose of memorabilia. Once tenements for sharecroppers, today’s tenants are more likely to be blues-minded tourists from far-flung places such as Japan, South Africa, and Latvia.
In addition to soaking up history, tourists can drink in live music at the Commissary, the on-site club that’s a remnant of its former identity as a plantation, and at actor Morgan Freeman’s juke joint called Ground Zero.
Rates start at $50 and, in a true show of Southern charm, you’ll find a Moon Pie on your pillow when you check in. For details, call (662) 624-8329 or log on to www.shackupinn.com."

Damn. I need a month for my spring break! Maybe next winter break I need to stick around here - three weeks of playtime.

Yup. Breaking up with what's-his-face is just sounding better and better. Moonpie on my pillow or mosquitos? Blues or grief? Driving six hours or flying 24?

I'm at the crossroads myself now baby.