One more go 'round at the VC

I first heard about the Visitors Center back in February of 2005 when I met Kevin Scott. He told me all about the job and I decided right then and there that I had to work at the VC. Trouble was, they only hire once a year and that's in January. I had apparently missed the boat.

Well, back in October I heard rumors that the VC was having trouble finding folks to fill certain shifts during the school day. I essentially went in and begged for work and things clicked - I've been there ever since. And I can't describe how blessed I feel to have had that experience. The people I work with and work for are phenomenal. The hilarious stories about the crazy folks that come in looking for maps or phone numbers or restaurant recommendations are priceless. The walks around North Campus are still gorgeous. The friends I've made will last me a lifetime.

With that in mind, I'm going in for my last shift in less than three hours. It's bittersweet. As sad as I am to see it go, I realize how lucky I am that I got to experience it in the first place. The VC has had a major effect on me and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm gonna miss you, Four Towers Building...

O.L. '05 Reprise

Later this afternoon I'll complete the Orientation triumvirate- I've been to intros and O.L. Live, now it's time for First-Year Experiences (a.k.a. FYE's). I've back loaded my summer with Orientation stuff, intentionally waiting off on it all until later when they have it all polished. So far, so good. This summer's O.L.'s are quite amusing and doing a great job. Maybe not as funny as O.L. '05, but still great nonetheless.

Makes me nostalgiac for last summer, probably the greatest summer of my life up to this point. And it makes me thrilled that tonight will be spent with three other O.L.'s from last summer and we will show Athens how things are done. I spent Monday night with The Balla and tonight's with The Baby Eagle and KScott and Goby-Gobe is along for the entire ride. That's about as good as it gets, folks.

Seven more nights in Athens. Gotta make 'em count. So far, so good.

The rock continues...

One of the biggest perks of living in Athens is the opportunity to discover new bands at any moment. And while The Modern Skirts are by no means an underground phenomenon, I had my first Skirt exposure tonight and it was delightful. About half of their songs sounded like they'd belong on Abbey Road or The White Album and I say that without implying that they sound too much like The Beatles. Just great, sensible pop-rock. Brilliant.

I know Nashville has a much bigger music scene than Athens but I'm sure I'll miss being able to drop into little bars and clubs and hear brilliant music for the first time. Athens is rough around the edges. Nashville is slick. I'll take the humanity of Athens over the polish of Cashville... or so I'm fairly certain right now.

In other news, there was a shim taking the 2:30 tour today at the Visitors Center. Couldn't tell at all if it was a dude parading as a woman or just a lady who confused her multivitamins with hormone pills. It was distracting. Chalk one up for gender ambiguity.

I wonder if they'll hire law students at the Vandy V.C.?

A last hurrah

So I got sucked into this whole Blog thing. I'm not really sure why I resisted it in the first place. Guess I might as well embrace it- seems like it could be fun.

I'm just a couple of hours away from what may be my last live musical performance in downtown Athens, GA. Tonight I'm sitting in with The Josh Taylor Band at Wild Wing and I'm really jacked up about it. I really get a buzz playing music live. It's cliche but it's the exchange of energy between the musician and the audience that really gets you going. That and being turned up loud enough that you can actually feel your amplifier moving air on stage. There's nothing quite as gratifying as your ears ringing. Think about it- you've been listening to and/or playing really good music so loud that you did just a little bit of irreparable damage to your hearing. I guess that's about as sick as I get.

Hopefully I'll play well tonight. Gotta go out on top.