I've Moved

to the other side of the room. Rearranged the Design room today. My desk is on the other side of the room. The floor slant is at a slightly different angle, and I can't put my foot up on my G5 tower the same way, but it's a nice change of scenery. I can see out the window, and am no longer in direct line of fire from the AC.

nice.

P.S. VOTE FOR TREES!

Feels Like {better than} Home

Here is a snapshot of my favorite place here in Nashville. On nice days, when I'm not bogged down with other social obligations, I drive out to Radnor Lake for some quick hiking. It's a natural conservation area, there's no boating or fishing, no running on the trails. There's a concrete path that usually entertains a number of joggers and dog-walkers (which I personally enjoy). It's just such a peaceful place. The perfect little post-work getaway.

Also on a Nashville note.. here's a glance of the area and the building in which I work. Above you'll see Emma's home. We've got almost 30 folks squished in this building. It's 3 floors of some of THE coolest people you could ever meet. It really is a dream job. We're really growing, work is always flowing, lots of stuff to design never dull. Fridays you can hear Guitar Hero blasting throughout the house and a fridge in the basement bulging with premium beers (and usually Miller or Bud Light to entertain those with less fancy tastes). People are chill, Youtube videos are sent around, laughs are had.. it's a fantastic time. I really can't gush enough about Emma.

And Hillsboro Village, the area where the Emma headquarters is located, is fantastic! Quaint shops line the street, lots of cafés, the best sports bar in Nashville, restaurants with tables outside, an independant theatre and an AMAZING used book store! And the best part is I only live a mile away so I can walk to work and hang out in Hillsboro Village anytime I want. It's great!

And in other news, I've been making lots of friends down here. Jessica's my best bud and then there's the guys.. Mark, Mark, Mike, and Will (with some occasional other friends). They've been trying to get me into liking sports and country music.. mm. we'll see how that goes. Emma staff members are fun too! Sarah and Kim and Rachel and Gina are fun for girl's nights! And I thoroughly enjoy going out to see The Worstie's (Jairo, Jesse, and Anna - Jesse's wife's band). I have something to do every night.. from AIGA to volunteer work, live shows, music festivals, bar hopping, karaoke. Just so much to do!

TN beats PA anyday. Sorry to the kids back home, but truly, I love it down here. Ask me in July when it's humid, mosquito-infested, and so hot my skin's melting off.. I may have a different opinion. But for now, I've got a crush on Nashville. Now if I could just find a guy to crush on I'd be all set..

Keepin it Green..

Here's a pic from Step It Up Nashville last Saturday. It was a good time. Lots of hippies, petition signing, I bought a tree and donated to TreesforTN and won a Jazz CD and a $10 off a stay at a sustainable farm kind of place.. I forget what it's called. Sounds neat though.

Now I may not be a hippie, but I think I've got enough hippie in me to thoroughly enjoy a good environmental festival. It was so informative! I saw a car that some dude rigged up to run on vegetable oil! It was quite interesting! A band called the "Watermelons" played. They were a fun band. Reminds me of Karen's mom's friends and the Dad band that plays at Harry's. And there were some folks up dancing in the grass, I got an Obama '08 button.

It was a good time all around. I think the cause is fantastic. I am slowly converting to energy-efficient bulbs (except my bathroom.. for some reason the bulb in there ALWAYS blows out, every few weeks or so. so for cost-effective reasons, that room is exempt). I've also started recycling paper, bottles, and cans. And once I start to really get a handle on my fincances (ha!) I want to start buying purely organic. Unfortunately, with the sales tax on everything and the higher cost of organic foods, I can only afford some, but milk, eggs, and most of my veggies are organic. I'd just like to make a difference. I'm also volunteering this Saturday for and Earth Day festival which should also be a fun time!

Wooo environmental protection!

Prepare for Landing..

This post is coming to from Terminal C at the airport in Cincinatti, OH. Have some layover time to kill so I thought I'd post.

***WARNING*** This post contains mild ranting and a smathering of complaints. Plus a dash of rambling. Just so you know.

Anyway. I hate flying. I always thought I liked it, but after 4 flights in 4 months, I've come to the realization that no, I really don't enjoy it, for a myriad of reasons. First, lack of control. I hate that I'm not in control. When I drive I never use cruise control so I ALWAYS know how fast or slow I'm going, I can stop whenever I want, listen to music whenever I want, pack what I want call people or not. I love it. Flying, not so much.

I don't like that someone else is behind the wheel, someone I don't know. I fear human error, which is always a possibility. People make mistakes, it happens. If I make a mistake, in a car, well then it's my fault I was in control. With flying, I don't know, what if the pilot had a hard night of fun? what if he hasn't slept in 4 days due to a hectic flight schdule? What if he is harboring some deep-seeded depression? You never know. People are known to be crazy.

Meh. And another thing I don't like about flying are the people. Just so many of them. I inevitably I always get stuck next the crazy Debby-Downer guy, or the guy who reeks of booze and cologne or the lady who wants to chat the whole time when all I want to do is read my book (which is the one nice bonus of flying is that I can usually get 1.5 to 2 books read or half of a really long novel). Screaming babies, airsick children.. I'm just not that much of a people person. I like the privacy of my car. The ability to crank the music, belt out random songs, no offending odors or unwarranted conversation. It's nice.

Plus, I REALLY hate landing. It's just too hard and too fast which brings me back to the whole lack of control issue.

I mean, don't get me wrong, flying's OK. It's a bit faster than driving and in some cases more cost effective. I get a lot of reading done, a lot of thinking. But overall, I'd rather be behind the wheel with my windows down and some good rock music playing. Just me, myself, and the open road.

ANYWAY. Sorry for the vent. Just my observations and personal preferences.

I'm not crabby, just antsy to get home. Tonight the whole fam's getting together for dinner (which is ALWAYS a fun time). This weekend's got me pumped. I'm so excited to see some friends and my family. I miss 'em all!

Happy Easter (or insert holiday of choice)! Safety and good times to all!