2007

The past couple of days I've been thinking about this year and everything that I have done and learned and I figured I'd make a list. These are in no order and I'm sure I'll leave something out but here goes.

1. New Places
- San Antonio
- NYC
- Walden Pond
- Corbin, KY
- Burlington, VT
- New River Gorge
- Roanoke, VA
- Hampton Roads area (been there before but when I was a lot younger)

2. Experiences
- Went on some blind dates
- Climbed NC's Stone Mountain
- Attended Emily's graduation
- Closed three deals creating 124 units of affordable housing and 3,000 sf of commercial space
- Spoke at a conference for the first time
- Drove across the Linn Cove Viaduct, saw some early season snow, and basked in the sunlight filtered by the golden leaves
- Saw the Temptations in Raleigh
- Saw the Charlotte Symphony
- Went to a bunch of Tech football games and spent too much money doing so, but it was well worth it
- Attended by second bowl game, the Gator Bowl
- Asked and accepted to be the best man in Mark's wedding
- Served as pall bearer for my Great Uncle Bob
- Sang Christmas carols at the nursing home over Thanksgiving with the extended family
- Went camping with Katie, Jac, Ben, and GJ at the OBX
- Lost my golfing buddies to the Pacific Northwest
- Had free courtside seats at the womens' ACC bball tournament thanks to the alumni association
- Organized the second annual work golf tournament with increased attendance and prizes
- Learned a lot at work
- Played my second season of First Presbyterian softball and now have a scar to show for sliding into second while wearing shorts
- Sold my 1995 Explorer and bought my first car the 2002 Envoy

3. Lessons Learned
- Keep asking questions until the task is completed.
- Dating is complicated and having friends for advisors is great, but I don't think anyone knows what you're supposed to do.
- I don't agree with this one, but apparently one isn't supposed to show much you like someone early on in the dating game.
- Entertaining oneself is a good skill to have
- Sometimes you just have to get away (not really a new lesson but a good one to remember)
- Women are confusing
- It's ok to tell somebody that's older what to do
- Trust is earned in the business world

4. Resolutions Accomplished
- Started flossing regularly!
- Exercised more often, but not consistently

5. 2008 Resolutions
- Exercise and eat better with the goal of getting buff by June so that all the ladies at Mark and Megan's wedding wonder who that buff best man is.
- Be more outgoing
- Make some friends in Raleigh
- Use my continuing education money from work
- Keep learning at work
- Visit more new places

If I Could be like Daryl...

Gatorade should make a new commercial and replace Michael Jordan with Daryl Richard. I can hear it now, "If I could be like Daryl." For those of you not in the know, Daryl Richard is a junior defensive tackle for Tech. He graduated from with a BS in Management in three years and started his MBA this fall. On top of all that he's a starter and also named to the second-team Academic All American team this fall. He puts it best, "Playing on a top-15 defense and getting a top-15 education," he said, "that's pretty hard to beat." (though that should be top-10 education)

Macon Telegraph - "Academics big part of Georgia Tech lineman's life"

Sometimes I dream
That he is me
You've got to see that's how I dream to be
I dream I move, I dream I groove
Like Daryl
If I could Be Like Daryl Like Daryl
Oh, if I could Be Like Daryl
Be Like Daryl, Be Like Daryl
Again I try
Just need to tackle
For just one day if I could
Be that way
I dream I move, I dream I groove
Like Daryl
If I could Be Like Daryl
I wanna be, I wanna be Like Daryl
Oh, if I could
Be Like Daryl

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood[a] it.

6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.[b]

10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- John 1:1-14

Dorkiness

You know you're a dork when you're watching a presentation about transportation and planning on the local Raleigh public access channel.

Hmm...

Have you ever wondered why it's just now getting cold and winter is just beginning, but the days are about to start getting longer and longer?

Yeah, I figured you hadn't, but I figured I'd put the thought in your head.

Something's Wrong Here

Hmm....

Shake that head

I think if you're a guy cellist you have to have long straight hair.

Brrr....

Enjoy my fireplace!

The Game of Life

Sometimes I wish life were as easy as spinning a wheel, hopping in my car, and picking up life tiles, but I guess the uncertainty is what makes life interesting. You can't do everything right or know the right path, you just have to feel your way through the maze one step at a time and trust your gut.

In the Category of WTF, Mate!?!

I saw a brief news clip this morning on the local Raleigh ABC affiliate about a movement to change Santa's "Ho Ho Ho" to "Ha Ha Ha" because it may offend people. WTF! As one of the anchors said, "that was one of the stupidest things I've ever heard." Looks like most of the world agrees that this Australian-based movement is ridiculous.

Chicago Tribune - "Ha, ha, ha. Merry Christmas!"

Great Falls Post Star - "Ha ha ha: Beware of the politically correct Santa"

P.S. If you don't know the source of WTF, Mate?!? click here (NSFW)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your's!

Mountaintop High

Last week I traveled to Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia for the Virginia Governor's Housing Conference. Three days out of the office are always enjoyable, but this was probably the best conference I've attended in the little over two years I've been working. A coworker and I manned our display throughout the three days and I met hundreds of people involved in affordable housing. I don't know if we'll get any business out of it but it never hurts to talk to everyone you can. It was also pretty neat to see the reactions when somebody saw a project in which they were involved in a photo on our display board. Their eyes lit up and they screetched with happiness.

Friday we had to pack up the display early so we both hung out for a couple of hours and then hit the road. I didn't have a schedule so I started my explorations with the goal of seeking out the world's largest man-made star on top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke (learned that interesting fact after I reached my destination). Leaving the star I hit the Blue Ridge Parkway near the city and followed the one way loop up Roanoke Mountain all the time enjoying the winding road and the beautiful fall leaves that were still clinging to the trees.

After enjoying the overlooks, I headed back down to downtown Roanoke and found a historic rehab in which we invested several years ago and crisscrossed the downtown grid. Roanoke was a surprise. I figured it would be small town, but it's a full fledged city with a lot going on downtown. I don't think I'd want to live there, but I certainly wouldn't mind visiting again.

From Roanoke, I drove south on I-81 to I-77 and bsck to North Carolina. If you're looking for a great view, the section of 77 just north of the NC border is amazing, just watch out for the trucks while you're admiring the scenary. My quest for the afternoon was to finally drive across the engineering marvel, Lin Cove Viaduct section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I entered the parkway near Boone and drove about 40 miles south on the parkway. I cranked up the classical music thanks to the XM and cruised through the mountains. I know I had a smile on my face the entire time and the adjective flowing from my mind can only describe the afternoon as glorious. The sun filtering through the golden leaves was glorious, the first snow of the season was glorious, and the brisk temperatures brought a smile to my face. I love the mountains and the parkway certainly is a national treasure.

After my mountaintop experience I drove to Charlotte to spend the night at my sister's in Uptown. We had dinner at La Paz (the same as the one in Vinings) and had a good time.

Saturday morning I woke up early and hit the road to Atlanta with the Tech flags flying on the Envoy. I arrived at the tailgate right on time and had some great white chili thanks to Meagan. I procurred a free ticket from a nice Tech fan and had a good time at the entirely too close game.

Thanksgiving vacation makes me thankful that I have the opportunity and ability to have such great experiences.

Photos from my Travels

Ginormous Star in Roanoke


Grandfather Mountain from the Parkway

Four for $30

This weekend was the annual "Tech vs. North Carolina School Tailgate Hosted by Brian" and this year's opponent was Duke. Unfortunately, given the competition, level of Tech's recent play, and timing of the game the turnout wasn't as high as in years past with only four brave souls making the trek to the Triangle. Although the group was small we were loud and proud alums and had a great time.

Gameday started out with a trip to Bojangles on 15-501 in Durham much to Melissa's disappointment after we passed one on Glenwood in Raleigh. From Bojangles we headed to Duke and joined the masses of Tech fans in the lot of 751 and Science Drive and broke out the cooler. My unusual culinary concoction this year was Peach Ginger Bellinis that I saw Tyler Florence make on the Food Network. The tasty beverage consists of a simple syrup with infused ginger blended with frozen peaches and then shaken with Champange. It turned out decently well for my first attempt, but it was a little thick and probably could have used some more Champagne (According to my friend Mark, when in doubt always had more alcohol to the recipe).

While hanging out in the parking lot we tossed the football, visited with fellow fans, and acquired some tickets. This was my third game at Duke and I have learned to not buy tickets for full price. The stadium is never close to being full so tickets are abundant and cheap. While enjoying the tailgate a scalper, if one can call him that, came up asking if we needed tickets. He told us his stock, selling $25 Tech-side for $20 and general admission $15 for $10. I offered him $10/ticket for the Tech tickets. He thought about it for a few seconds and said "How about 4 for $30?" I confered with the group and immediately whipped out $30. Yes, he just sold us 4 for $30 when I offered him $40. I think he must have thought I said $10 for all 4, but nonetheless we got a better deal. Moral of the story, don't be a scalper at Duke games, you won't make much money.

The game was pretty fun and the defense dominated. The score would have been much more lopsided if it hadn't been for scores off an interception, blocked punt, and fumble. Duke capitalized on our mistakes, but couldn't get anything going offensively. Our offense showed some life, but the receivers need to learn to hold onto the ball when it hits them square in the hands. The highlight of the game was when Tashard "Duece" Choice started the game only three weeks after knee surgery and acknowledged the crowd chanting "Duuuuueeeeccccceeee" as he walked on the field for the first series.

After the game, I drove the group around campus to see the beautiful Gothic architecture and then dropped Ben at his car so he could meet his sister for dinner. The three of us then headed to downtown Durham and the American Tobacco Historic District for dinner at Mellow Mushroom which gave me the chance to give an architecture/real estate tour.

Following dinner we were tired and drove back to my apartment, started a fire, and watched a Knocked Up. It was pretty good but slow towards the middle, evidenced by my falling asleep for a few minutes. Sunday morning we had breakfast at Brigs Restaurant which has won numerous "Best of" awards for its breakfast which turned out to be pretty tasty. After lunch Melissa and Adam hit the road and Ben and I hung out the rest of the afternoon being nerds playing video games and watching Man vs. Wild.

Overall a pretty fun weekend and if you weren't there you missed out!

Camera Phone Gallery of Gameday

Buzz!

Congrats!

Congratulations to my sister Emily for being a published researcher! Last year she worked in a chemistry lab and now the paper has been published and she's the third author. Pretty cool stuff, especially considering she's working in investment banking now.

CHED 000 - Synthesis of a histidine analog: (2-Imidazolyl)alanine
Grace Logan, Kathryn A. Lipford, Emily Oxford, and David R. Haines, Department of Chemistry, Wellesley College, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02481, Fax: 781-283-3642, glogan@wellesley.edu

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an endogenous peptide released in the insulin induction pathway when food is ingested. GLP-1 binds to the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) in pancreatic b-cells, initiating a second messenger cascade resulting in the release of insulin into the bloodstream. As part of an SAR study of the N-terminal histidine (1) of GLP-1, which is essential to the activation of GLP-1R, we have prepared (2-imidazolyl)alanine (2) as a histidine analog. Hydroxymethylation of a protected imidazole occurs preferentially at the 2 position. Reaction of the protected hydroxymethylimidazole with thionyl chloride, followed by reaction with a chirally protected glycine anion gave protected 2 as a single diastereomer. Removal of the protecting groups gave 2 enantiomerically pure and in excellent yield. BOC protection of 2 followed by incorporation, by solid phase synthesis, into GLP-1 in place of histidine gave a GLP-1 analog which was screened for activation of GLP-1R.

Smell the wet forest

Sometimes you just have to get outside. Saturday I couldn't stand the itch any longer so I headed south to Raven Rock State Park along the south bank of the Cape Fear River. When I arrived I headed away from the main trail to the rocks to avoid the small crowd arriving around the time I did strode off down the Northington Ferry Trail which dead ends at the river. After exploring a creek mouth and wishing I had brought a fishing rod as the fish jumped, I headed back and took a left down the Fish Traps Trail. This trail also ended at the river next to rapids which would be perfect for making fish traps back in the day (probably would work now too ;) ). Having enough solitary time I headed back to the main Raven Rock trail and stumbled upon the beautiful overlook of the river. It's amazing how relatively high the cliffs are along the river given the location in the southern Piedmont/Sandhills region of the state. After about a mile I arrived at the rocks which were carved out of the bank by the river and explored for awhile and marveled at the natural forces that shaped the rocks. Surprisingly the park wasn't too crowded which made for an enjoyable afternoon. According to the map I guess I hiked about 5.6 miles.

Photos Here

Contemplative

Have you ever wanted something, but not really known you wanted it? What about if you couldn't have it? You were close to obtaining your goal but it slipped away. It leads to doubt. Could I have done it better? Should I have said something in a different way? It's the what ifs in life that can bring you down and hold you back. God has a plan for everyone and I need to realize that he is the guiding light on my path. I think I know where I want to go, but only he knows if I'll make it to that destination I have dreamed about for the last six years or so. I'm impatient, dreams make me impatient. Dreams that have turned into goals and desires to prove that I am capable and can do big things. As with many things, I want it now, but the timing isn't right. One day the timing will be right and I'll keep progressing. Right now I am where I'm supposed to be and learning what I'm supposed to be learning. I've been happy and there's no need to get down about it now. I'll keep my chin up and keep working towards the dreams with his help.

Building a Cake II

Round two of cake building was Saturday afternoon and the results were much improved. As I told a coworker, "It wasn't perfect, but it was dang good." I used the same cake recipe, but switched to Paula Dean's caramel icing which didn't require caramelizing the sugar and spread much easier. We ate it on Sunday and everyone seemed to really enjoy it which made me happy.

Building a Cake

My granddad's 90th birthday is on Monday so I went to work last night trying to build a cake. The only cake I've ever made is chocolate pound cake with homemade chocolate icing. They've turned out ok, but not as good as mom makes. This time I'm trying a caramel cake. I followed the recipe and the results while very tasty didn't turn into the best looking cake. I think some water got in the icing while I was stirring it in the ice water bath and caused it to seize up and become unspreadable. I'm glad I did a test run and am going to see if anyone will go near the monstrosity today at work. Looks aren't everything! Attempt number two is tonight or tomorrow.

Bad Boys

Here's another amazing pregame speech from the Tech locker room before Saturday's win over Clemson. What a team!

Travelin'

Last Wednesday through Friday I was in Vermont for a conference and had a great time. I learned a little, met some new folks, visited a new state, ate good food, drank some good drinks, and generally had a good time. Traveling for work isn't really like work. Yeah you have to do stuff, but the change of scenary breaks up the everyday office dwelling. Unfortunately the leaves hadn't really started changing yet, but there were the scattered early trees that made me want to go back in a week or so to see the full glory. Burlington is a great small city/college town on the shores of Lake Champlain and at the base of the Green Mountains, ideally situated for outdoor persuits.

Thursday night we had an event at Shelburne Farms which was originally owned by members of the Vanderbilt family and designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. We gathered in the Coach Barn, a beautifully detailed brick structure for a reception, dinner, and an evening of hilarious comedy with Rusty Dewees aka The Logger. Also, in the world of coincidences, when I got back and was reading the NY Times online there was an article about the farm. I want to go back.

In other news, Tech beat Clemson on Saturday!

New States Visited Map (Yes I need to go out west)


create your own personalized map of the USA

Celebration of Life

Thursday I got the call that I'd been dreading yet knew was coming at any moment. My grand-uncle (I was corrected this weekend since he's my mom's dad's brother) peacefully passed away on Thursday morning. I wrapped up my work, headed to my apartment, packed, and headed home picking Emily up in Charlotte on the way. Friday was the visitation and it is amazing how many people he touched during his 84 years with us. The visitation was a constant stream of family, friends, acquaintences, church members, and other people I didn't even know for over two hours. Saturday morning I served as one of the pall bearers along with close family friends and we led the family procession into the packed church. I'd say there were at least 150 people there and maybe more. It was easy to feel the love for Uncle Bob and the family. After the service and the internment, my cousin Bobby hosted a catered lunch at his house for the family and friends and there were probably 75 people there celebrating life and enjoying each other's company.

While it was a sad occassion, I realized how much community means. It was an overwhelming feeling knowing that everyone around you loves you in some way. Small town life has some drawbacks, but they surely were outweighed this weekend. I don't know if I'd like to live in Carrollton right now, but I miss having the family and friends nearby. It's trite, but live in the moment and enjoy your life and those around you.

ROBERT L. STEWART SR.

Mr. Robert Long “Bob” Stewart Sr., age 83, of South Street, Carrollton, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends on Thursday morning September 20, 2007.

Mr. Stewart was born in Jasper, Alabama, on April 20, 1924, at the home of his beloved grandparents “Mr. Bob” and Pearl Long. Raised in Carrollton, Bob spent many summers in Jasper with his friends and family and most loved cousin Marion Gallacher Crew.

Having attended Carrollton City Schools, Bob graduated Carrollton High School and then attended the University of Alabama, majoring in business administration and joining Sigma Chi social fraternity. Volunteering for service in World War II, Bob joined the Army and served in the Philippines, New Guinea, and the occupational forces in Japan. After Bob was discharged honorably, he remained faithful to the American military, the army, and his country.

Bob was raised on South Street by his parents, Charles Horace and Lucile Long Stewart, along with his younger brother, Charles Horace Stewart, Jr. all of whom preceded him in death. After returning home from the war and school, Bob met and married the love of his life, Jean Penfield whom preceded him in death in 2002.

Jean and Bob have three children and six grandchildren, (Bobby) Robert L. Jr., Gloria Smith Stewart and Amanda, (Jimmy) James Penfield, Cathy Miles Stewart and Andi Stewart and Shane Miles all of Carrollton, Jane Stewart and Ryan Reynolds, Robyn, Russ, and Garrett Reynolds of Lilburn. Bob is also survived by two nieces, Susan S. and Joe Miller of Atlanta and Barbara Stewart Oxford, mother of Brian Stewart Oxford and Emily Catherine Oxford, his grand-nephew and niece.

Bob Stewart was a loyal soldier, father, friend, and scout, living the creed and motto his entire life and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Bob served as a scout leader after the war and became an organizer of the Carroll County Rescue Squad. Bob was President of City Supply Company, founder and owner of Stewart Sales Company, and retired from Stewart Advertising Company two years ago. He was a lifelong member of the Carrollton Presbyterian Church.

Our family will be forever indebted to the “Stewart House Crew” not just for the professional care given, but for the genuine love, patience, and Christian attitude of the wonderful people working and living in Bob’s parents old home place. We also recognize the compassion and care given by Tanner Hospice to Bob and his family.

Funeral services will be Saturday, September 22, 2007 at 11 a.m. at the Carrollton Presbyterian Church with Rev. Jan Tolbert officiating.

Pallbearers will be Brian Oxford, Phil Carter, Bobby McMillian, Joe Miller, Marshal Myers, and Wade Pearson. Honorary pallbearers will be the Elders of Carrollton Presbyterian Church, Boy Scout Troop #179, C. W. Cunningham, Ed Aycock, Lamar Knight, Buddy Pope, Nat Shackleford, Eugene Lambert, and Fred Baughn.

The family will receive friends at Almon Funeral Home Friday from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Carrollton Presbyterian Church, 14 Maple Street, Carrollton, GA 30117 or Hospice Care P. O. Box 1136, Carrollton, GA 30112.

Messages of condolences may be sent to the family at www.almonfuneralhome.com.

Interment will be in the Carrollton City Cemetery with American Legion Post # 143 folding and presenting the flag.

Almon Funeral Home, Carrollton.

Most of the Stewart side of the family last Thanksgiving

Family, Friends, Football

This weekend was full of highs and lows. I'll start with the downers.

Friday my flight was supposed to leave at 4:49 but due to the weather in Atlanta and Raliegh we left a couple of hours late.

Friday afternoon my great uncle (maternal grandfather's brother) had a minor stroke and isn't in very good shape right now. Luckily I was able to see him a couple of weeks ago when I was at home. Saturday morning mom and I went to see him at the nursing home so I could see him one last time. It's amazing seeing and feeling everyone's love. Saturday morning when the Hospice attendant was changing shits he said, "It won't be long." She asked, "What won't be long?" and we responded "Until I see Jean." That's probably the most caring thing I've ever heard. Jean was his wife and we passed away in February 2002. What's even more amazing is that he said it clearly and he hasn't been able to talk very well for the last month or so. Hearing that made me at peace. He's soon going to a better place.

Now for the highs. I felt guilty going to the football game but everyone insisted I go and to pull for Tech (that's coming from a bunch of UGA fans). So I went and had a great time taking my mind off everything.

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day! We arrived on campus for tailgating at the grassy knoll between the 4th Street Apartments on Techwood which I'd never considered before but it was a great place. The only downside was lugging all of the stuff across the interstate to the parking deck before the game started. This was the group's first real tailgate (other than WCF) where we cooked a lot of stuff and even had a tent. Last year for the NC State game in Raleigh counts but we got the BBQ catered for that. Things went fairly smoothly and hopefully people will get on the planning bandwagon a little more next time :)

As for the game that was probably a low but I still had fun so it was ok. I had a bad feeling going in and it was validated by our inability to run the ball or get any pressure on BC QB Matt Ryan. BC is definitely the front runner to win the ACC Championship Game. One of the best things about the game was the weather! It was in the mid 70s (I assume) and in the Upper East we had a breeze. Man it was nice. I know it's the teaser we always get but I'm ready for Fall. My seats were also pretty good, right on the 40 and up high but had great sight lines for the entire field. Good enough sitelines that I could tell the refs were terrible and we weren't doing what we needed to do. Hopefully we'll be able to turn it around in Charlottesville next weekend.

After the game dad dropped me off at Shaun's condo in Midtown since I had an early flight this morning. When I walked out of the building to walk to the Arts Center MARTA station I was greeted with the pleasantly cool air which brought a smile to my face. Thankfully the flight back to Raleigh was uneventful.

In closing, I'm not feeling the immediate tugging at my heart to move back to Atlanta as work is going pretty well right now, but everytime I spend time down there it makes me miss it more and more.

Camera Phone Game Pics Gallery

View from Section 224 Row 28 Seats 5



Coke Building and the Moon over Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field

"Oh, lookie there, I've got a bite"

Saturday morning was an early one. My boss and I left Raleigh at 5:30 heading north to Lake Mayo near the stateline for a day of fishing. The weather was beautiful and not too hot while we were out there and as a bonus the lake wasn't crowded at all. On the water by a little after 7 we fished until about 12:30, and unlike our other fishing trips we actually caught some! I caught two largemouth bass and two chain pickrels which were also the first two I've ever caught. Chuck caught three largemouths and one pickerel.

In other news, Tech football looks to be heading in the right direction! I know we didn't try to run the score up during Saturday's 69-14 victory since we played 73, yes 73 different players. That's everyone that could play. It was great to see the backups get some action.

"...we're going to get up and fight some more"

Here's the pregame speech from Tech team Chaplain Derrick Moore before the Tech vs. Notre Dame game last weekend. If this doesn't get you fired up I don't know what would. As someone said on the Hive, "I don't know whether to start praying or to hit someone after seeing that."



Here's the famous "Mash on the Gas" speech from last year before the Maryland game with highlights. I couldn't watch this one because it was on ESPNU, but listened online as Michael Johnson came out of nowhere to make two game winning plays on the goal line stand. Listen to Wes Durham's call at the end of the video, after such a great stand it's amazing. My heart was beating a mile-a-minute during that last two plays of the game.

A Walk in the Woods

This weekend was a nice respite from the oppresive heat of the last few weeks and I took full advantage by spending some time outdoors. Saturday I went to the driving range and realized that a small bucket of balls isn't really enough to get grooved in, next time I'll return to the large bucket. After the range I went to the North Raleigh Char-Grill and got a tasty hamburger and sweet tea with crushed ice. While waiting on my food I conversed briefly with an Auburn graduate wondering why it was so crowded and I suggested it was a holiday weekend and football season. Then I moved onto a husband and wife that were State fans who were talking to a UNC fan, both were headed to their respective games. I subtely mentioned that they should find a tv at 3:30 and watch a real game. After lunch it was GAME DAY!!! Another game in favor of the good guys.

Sunday I skipped church and communed with nature at my favorite fishing hole in Hillsborough, Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area. Unfortunately, this trip turned out like many of my others to the pond and I was skunked again. I wasn't too bummed as I just enjoy being outside enjoying the weather. After fishing, I continued west to Elon to see the G-units. We had lunch and I gave them a ride in the new ride. I think they liked it and seemed to be easier for them to get in and out of which is a good thing.

Monday I checked another North Carolina state park off my list by visiting Medoc Mountain State Park in Hollister, NC. When I first arrived at the park I think was the only person there besides the rangers which is highly unusual for a holiday weekend but no complaints from me. I found the trail head and ended up hiking around 5 miles or so to the whopping 300' summit of Medoc Mountain. It was a beautiful day and other than breaking all of the spiderwebs along trail I had a great time.

Upon returning home I relaxed for a bit and then finisehd reading "Into the Wild" by John Krakauer. I picked it up at the ATL airport last Sunday after reading an article about the upcoming movie and plowed all buy 60 pages or so while in the airport. If you know me, that's a lot of reading, especially at once, so it's a great book. It's about the true story of Emory graduate Chris McCandless' journey through the west and Alaska as a vagabond. The novel provides an insight into McCandlesses thoughts, travels, including interviews of people he interacted with along the way. As a bonus, a movie is to be released in a couple of weeks. Check it out!

Another book I recently read (yes two books in two weeks!) is Walker Percy's southern literature classic "The Moviegoer". I highly recommend this one as well.

Toe Meets Leather

Up with the White and Gold! It's finally college football season which means it's almost fall and my favorite time of the year. Tech came out and busted Notre Dame in the mouth from the first whistle and easily beat the Irish 33-3 in South Bend! If we can get a little better on the passing game and keep up the amazing defense and Tashard's running we're going to have a special season.

In bigger football news, congratulations to the Appalachian State Mountaineers in their victory over the dreaded Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Way to represent the southland. This victory deserves a reprise of the best college video ever, App State is Hot Hot Hot!

Two Years!

It's hard to believe that I've been working for two years. Yesterday was my second anniversary since I began working and it's flown by. Over the two years I've learned a great deal about tax credits, real estate, and business in general. I've traveled all over the southeast and am looking forward to a trip to Vermont in September! I've closed over $10 million of equity into three projects with my fourth closing coming up in the next week. Golf tournaments, a Bulls game outing has been planned, I've moderated a panel at our annual conference and have spoken on a panel at conference in West Virginia. It's hard to imagine that I've done so much in a relatively short amount of time, but I guess that's why we go to work. The best part of my job is by far attending the grand openings, especially after some people have moved in, and seeing the smiles on their faces as it's probably the best place they've ever lived and it's affordable!

Congrats!

Congratulations to my friend Mark who I've known since preschool and his girlfriend/fiance Megan on their engagement tonight!

Braves Fans

For you Braves and Tech fans out there so pretty much everyone that reads this, Mark Teixeira now has a song. I saw it posted on the Hive which linked it from Neal Boortz's site. I haven't watched many games recently, but have been following the team on the news and newspaper and they're still 5 games back in the division and 1 game back in the wild card race. On the positive side they've been putting up great numbers since Tex joined the team, a la Fred McGriff back in the day.

Thanks Tex! Enjoy.

Bye Explorer

Last night I sold the Explorer and now my second vehicle is gone. I've always thought it would be neat to have every car I've owned, but who needs that many vehicles? The Explorer is now in the possession of a family that lives in Creedmoor north of Raleigh that found it on the Autotrader website. Thanks to everyone that passed along the sales flyer to your friends and family.

Here are some fond Explorer driving memories:

Transition I




First time offroad, 2005 post-graduation OBX trip


Ferry across the Pamilico after UNC graduation


May 2007 OBX Camping Trip


Transition II

Weekend

After a blisteringly hot week the weekend was a nice respite from the heat. Saturday I went to the Allman Brothers Band concert at Walnut Creek with Tech Emily and her high school friends. It was my first amphitheatre in quite some time and while the crowd was large it wasn't sold out by any means which made for a pleasant experience. I recognized two songs from the evening, Statesboro Blues and Melissa and grooved along with the neverending jams. As with similar bands, the crowd at the concert was an interesting collection of people. There were old hippies, new hippies, yuppies, the country folks, the diehard fans, frat boys, prep necks, and however I'm classified and they are all normal in their own way. It's pretty cool how music brings such diverse groups of people together. The two opening bands were JJ Grey and Mofro and the Drive by Truckes. JJG&MoFro blew the Drive by Truckers out of the water and the rest of the group agreed. Speaking of the group, they were pretty cool folks and welcomed me with open arms.

Sunday I went to church, test drove the Explorer with a couple that I'll hopefully hear from today if they're going to buy it, and Sears finally delivered my washing machine after the first one was broken.

Thanks for the info!

I bought a 2002 GMC Envoy SLT with four wheel drive on Tuesday and my favorite passage from the owners manual is:

"Off-roading" means you've left the great North American road system behind. Traffic lanes aren't marked. Curves aren't banked. There are no road signs. Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or downhill. In short, you've gone right back to nature.

Who comes up with stuff like that?

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Tom Glavine for earning his 300th win last night against the Cubs. I know a lot of Braves fans don't really like him anymore since he joined the Mets a few years ago, but he's still one of my all time favorites. Another one of my favorites is the Nike "Chicks Dig the Long Ball" commercial with him and Greg Maddux. Enjoy the goofiness below.

1995 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 For Sale!

If you are in the market or know somebody in the market for a cool used vehicle, my 1995 Explorer XLT 4x4 is officially for sale. Right now I'm asking $3,950 (obo) but will cut a deal if I know you. Below are links to a few sites where I've posted it.

Facebook (it's on there but I can't link outside, just go to my profile and you can get there)
AutoTrader
Craigslist

Walkin' Yes Indeed

The trip to NYC this past weekend was wonderful. The weather was perfect with temperatures in the low 80s, sunny, and low humidity. Excellent walking around weather. It was my first trip to New York City and I really enjoyed it. It's always hard to tell if you're going to like a place when the first encounter is on a bright sunny day. I need to return in the middle of winter or on a blustery, rainy day to get a feel for true urban living. But, during the little over two days I was on the island it was great.

If you don't want to read to the entire post here are the photo galleries:

Saturday Photos
Sunday Photos

Friday
I met mom at the Delta terminal baggage claim at LaGuardia around 6:00 and we hopped in a cab for the trip to the hotel. I'm not sure if mom had ever been in a taxi before but that was only my second time but it was a piece of cake. We arrived at the Crowne Plaza Times Square where Emily met us on the curb. After settling in the hotel we walked to dinner at John's Pizzeria a couple of blocks from the hotel. Emily had been to the original Greenwich Village location earlier in the trip so she suggested we go to the closer one for dinner. It was good pizza, but definitely a tourist restaurant given its location. I would have liked to venture to the original neighborhood joint. After dinner we relaxed at the hotel.

Saturday
Well Friday night started not feeling well so that put a slight damper on the trip, but we made do. Saturday morning Emily had to attend a bike building service day with her coworkers, so I ventured out to walk around by myself with the goal of seeing Central Park. I started out heading east on 49th street and then north on 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) so I would have a straight shot at the center of the park. I walked past Radio City Music Hall and saw that Widespread Panic was playing that night (Very tempting for both Emily and me but we resisted). Central Park is beautiful and full of energy. People were running, walking, biking, and skating all over the place. It truely is a bastion amidst the skyscapers. As I walked along the path, I happened across several softball fields with teams in full action playing games of modified fast pitch. I found a spot on the bleachers and a couple of games for a few minutes and wishing I was playing. After watching the games, it was time to head back to the hotel to meet Emily.



I walked out of the park into the bright sun and bustle of Columbus Circle where vendors lined the sidewalk selling photos and other assorted tourist art and cabs zooming around the cicle. Proceeding south on Broadway I grew closer and closer to the masses of tourists in Times Square. I quickly realized thar Times Square is really just a big tourist hub designed in honor of commerce. It reminded me of the area around the Alamo in San Antonio for the cheesiness and my vague memories of Picadilly Circus in London for the visual and auditory experience. I have a feeling that natives avoid the area if at all possible.

Google Map of my Morning Walk to the Park

Saturday afternoon Emily and mom went to find a doctor (everything was fine she just wasn't feeling well) and much to my protestations was urged to go out and enjoy the trip. So, I went ahead with our plan to take one of the Circle Line boat tours of the island. I grabbed a cab and directed him to Pier 83 on 42nd and 12th for my 75 minute tour of the island (they have 3 hour tours and I laughed to myself everytime somebody said it). The 75 minute tour is the shortest they offer and stays just in the Hudson River but it provides an overview of the highlights of what everyone wants to see. As we motored down the river the tourguide explained the history of the prominent buildings and other landmarks such as the Holland Tunnel and of course the Statue of Liberty. As we passed the statue, the boat leaned slightly to the right as people stood and moved to the rail to get a better glimpse. It's amazing, the statue is 305' tall and definitely does not appear that large from a distance. For the scale, look at the people at the base in some of the photos. Another highlight, if it can be called that, was seeing Lower Manhattan and trying to visualize how the skyline looked before September 11. The tourguide pointed out that we should double the height of the tallest building and that would represent the height of the World Trade Center. Those must have been some pretty impressive structures.



Upon arriving back at the dock, I decided to walk to Ground Zero. In hopes of not looking like a tourist more than I already did with my backpack I hoped to find my way without a map. I first walked east on 42nd Street where I passed a family that I'd seen earlier in the morning at the park and on the tour boat (queue "It's a Small World"). After a few minutes I turned into the lush Bryant Park which was surrounded by really cool looking trees. I then took a left then made a right onto 5th Avenue knowing that I'd eventually find the Empire State Building. When I arrived at the ESB, I turned right on 34th Street to get a better view. It's one big building, but aethetically, I prefer the Chrysler Building. Continuing my walk, I turned left onto Broadway which led me to the Flatiron Building, a building I'd hoped to see but wasn't sure of the location. After the obligatory photos of the triangular structure, I made my way down Broadway and ran into Washington Square Park. Washington Square park was bustling with activity, several music circles, and people enjoying the beautiful afternoon. It was a great contrast to the laid back atmosphere of Bryant Park. Leaving the park, I found myself on a couple of smaller neighborhood streets devoid of tourists which provided a nice break from the hubbub of Times Square. As I walked south, twenty-something guys asked if I knew where Ground Zero was and I said that's what I'm looking for too. Even though I had a pretty good feel of where I was going and would eventually find it I pulled out the map. As I folded the map they thanked me and walked off and I continued on my solo adventure. I soon arrived at Ground Zero and found a construction site and no real memorials that I saw (Side note: the main designer of the WTC memorial is a Tech grad!). It was getting close to 6:00 pm when I arrived at the WTC site and my stomach was growling. I debated if I should push on through to the end of the island and see Wall Street, Battery Park, South Street Seaport, and the all important "nexus of the universe", the intersection of 1st and 1st, but I didn't. I walked west towards 12th Street where I knew traffic wouldn't be as bad and caught a cab. Sixteen dollars later and I was back at the hotel (should have taken the subway).



Google Map of my Afternoon Walk to Downtown

Saturday night Emily and I took the subway to Union Square Park for an al fresco dinner at Luna Park in the park. The food was pretty good, but the sangria tasted as watered down and had sat with the ice in it too long. After dinner, Emily wanted to find some shoes so we hit up the huge DSW across the street but she didn't have any luck. We then hopped back on the subway in search of desert which was either going to be a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery or frozen yogurt from Pinkberry (a new concept). Pinkberry won out and luckily we didn't have to stand in line too long and by the time we finished it was down the sidewalk. Pinkberry is a west coast frozen yogurt shop with only two flavors, plain which is kind of vanilla with a twist of tartness and green tee. I got a small plain with strawberries and blueberries. It was definitely worth standing in line and very refreshing. Finishing our yogurt we headed back to the hotel after a long day.

Sunday
Sunday was another beautiful day and started with brunch at Tavern on the Green in celebration of mom's birthday. We all had brioche french toast with bacon. Mom and Emily really enjoyed their's, but I think the Carolina Coffee Shop in Chapel Hill wins the best french toast award. Since we were in the park, after lunch we strolled around and enjoyed the weather and beautiful scenary. We again took a cab from Columbus Circle back to the hotel to drop off mom. Emily and I then ventured out and about to see some more sights before I had to leave.



Our main goal of the afternoon was to go to the top of the Rockefeller Center. For such a beautiful day it was surprisingly uncrowded at the top which made for an enjoyable time. We both concluded that the Rockefeller Center probably has a better view than the Empire State Building since it's more centrally located and you can see the park. Unfortunately the view of the Chrysler Building is partially obstructed which was the only negative.



While at the Rockefeller Center we found the Nintendo World Store and played a Wii for the first time and it took some self control not to buy one. From Wii World we walked down 5th Avenue towards the park to see the former Plaza Hotel. On the way, Emily found some shoes and we stopped in the Trump Tower to see the "public space" inside the building and check out the waterfall. I really, really don't like Trump's idea of design. It's very 80s and tacky with the brass and black glass. After Trump, Emily resisted going in the Tiffany store and we walked by the Plaza after a stop at the Louvre-like Apple Store on the way to the subway. After a short ride, we popped out of the subway in Times Square, grabbed a slice of pizza, and headed back to the hotel. I then finished gathering my stuff and caught a cab to LaGuardia and flew back to Raleigh arriving at my apartment around 10:00 pm. Sunday night mom and Emily went to see Mama Mia and had a great time and really enjoyed the show.

My impressions of New York: beautiful, urban, unique smell, bustling, green, tourists, and clean. I was disappointed I didn't really hear any "New York" accents but I guess that's because I didn't venture out into the other boroughs. While I did hear many different languages walking down the sidewalk, all of the Americans were pretty generic. I knew going into the trip that I wouldn't have time to even scratch the surface of the city which leaves me with the itch to go back and take it slower and enjoy the atmosphere. I'd like to be able to hang out in one of the parks and relax, take in a museum or two, and venture into other parts of the city. I've also asked myself, could I live here? I'm not sure. I think it would be fun but would grow confining after awhile. The energy generated by the masses of people and buildings pulled me out of the hotel and that definitely doesn't happen in my apartment in Raleigh. I'm still not going to buy into calling it "The City" but now I understand why people do.

What's going on?

Nothing much of interest has been going on the past week or so. Unfortunately my transmission went out again, this time in the middle of the turn lane at Strickland and Six Forks. Luckily nobody hit me as we were all stopping, but I had to sit there for an hour or so until the tow truck showed up. Fun times. Looks I'll be buying a new-to-me vehicle by November when the transmission warranty runs out.

This weekend was very lazy, which I needed after a couple of late nights at work during the week. I finally bought a new washer and dryer, so hopefully I won't flood the downstairs neighbor before it's delivered.

Of the most interest, I'm going to NYC this weekend for a couple of days. My sister is up there training with BofA and has a nice hotel for the month near Times Square. If you have any "must see" sights, let me know.

"That's awesome!" - Me

Check this video out! It's as if the dance was made for the song.



After you watch the first video watch the original below and you'll be saying, "That's awesome!" too.

Mega Update

This past week has been a whirlwind filled with family, work, golf, travel, and the outdoors. Here's a recap:

Saturday June 23
My boss, his wife, and I had dinner at the 42nd Street Oyster Bar with two developers and their families from West Virigina who were on their way to Myrtle Beach for vacation. The restaurant looks like a strip club from the outside but once inside it's a great atmosphere and has a lot of history. The coolest thing was the display of NC license plates from former governors, legislators, and other important folks.

Sunday June 24
My uncle, aunt, and cousins came to NC to visit with our gparents and to look for some land in the mountains. Two cousins from my grandmother's side, that nobody had ever met, also came down from Chesapeake, VA which was interesting. We went to Cracker Barrel and I had pancakes, bacon, and okra (it was brunch!). Dad and Emily also came as well.

Wednesday June 27
My company has an annual conference for the developers, investors, and property manager with which we work. This time we decided to have a golf tournament which I was in charge of organizing (with a lot of help from coworkers). We arrived at the course, Heritage Golf Club in Wake Forest, early in anticipation of the shotgun start at 9:00 AM. The weather was beautiful, a little hot, but a pretty good day for golf. Only one person didn't show up so we had 31 golfers with most of those being non-staffers which made us happy. We gave away some great prizes including a putter for closest-to-the-pin which also came with a Retief Goosen autographed head cover thanks to the company rep that was at the store when we bought it.

Wednesday night we had the conference cocktail reception and then dinner at Winston's with a lot of developers. It was a looonnngg day but a lot of fun.

Thursday June 28Full day of conferencing. Last year I moderated a panel but only had to do an intro for a speaker this time, so not much exciting to mention. Attendance was over 200 so it was a full house.

I left the conference early to pack and hit the road to Charleston, WV to speak on a conference panel on Friday. It was about a 5.5 hour drive but it's a great drive through the mountains.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday June 29-July 1
Attended the WV conference. I was part of a four member panel with three lenders bankers and I was the only syndicator. I think the presentation part went well, but the Q&A was a firing squad. It was tough but a good experience and now I know what to expect for next year (assuming I'm invited to speak again).

After the conference, I hit the road to do some sightseeing; destination: New River Gorge Bridge. The bridge is the western hemisphere's largest steel-arch span bridge and was pretty cool to drive across. My original plans were to camp at one of the area's state parks but I didn't feel like gathering and loading my gear on Thursday before I left so I sought a hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel I found only had smoking rooms left so I headed back south to NC.

I still wanted to do something outdoors so I began pondering options. Should I head west to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the Lincove Viaduct, Grandfather Mountain, and then Mt. Mitchell? I decided against that in anticipation of the holiday traffic on the parkway and ended up heading down I-77 stopping about an hour north of Statesville at a Hampton Inn. My destination for Saturday was Stone Mountain State Park (very similar to Georgia's big hunk of granite). You may recall a blog post about a previous trip to the park in January 2006 where the winds were wicked and destroyed my tent. I didn't attempt the hike to the summit that weekend and it's been on my list of things to do since.

I arrived at the park around 9:30 and was on the trail by 9:45. I was surprised how deserted the park was at that hour, but realized that most of the folks start emerging closer to lunch time after rolling out of their sleeping bags. The 4.5 mile trail was rated strenuous but that mostly applied to the first 0.75 miles to the top which was straight up the granite for a good part. If you did that climb everyday you'd be in pretty good shape. The summit was awesome as all I could hear was my heart pounding, the wind, and some bugs in the scrubby grass. The pock marked surface looked like a moonscape with the occasional gnarly tree clinging tightly to the granite.

Photos from the Hike



After the hike I invited myself to my sister's apartment in Charlotte to help her get ready to leave for NYC for a month of training for her job at BofA. We went to dinner at La Paz (same La Paz as in Vinings) and had a good time visiting.

Sunday I dropped Emily at the airport around 6:45 and hit the road back to Raleigh and here I am now.

Coming Soon: Mega Update

Last week was insanely busy with work and travel so I was a blogging slacker. Hopefully, I'll update this afternoon.

Ballgame

Ballgame! That's what we heard about halfway through our second softball game last night when we were mercy ruled 21-1. Last night was the first night of the Raleigh church league softball tournament and as a D league team we had a play in game at 6:30. The play in game was pretty good for both teams and we almost gave it up at the end but held on to win 13-12. I went 2-3 and scored two runs (I think) and struck out on fouls for the first time this season (argh). I played right field for the first time this season as we had a few people that couldn't make it and had to move some people around. I made a couple of circus catches and had a pretty good time.

Our second game started 15 minutes after the first and was against the #1 A league team that won the regular season and tournament last year. We knew these guys were serious when they were playing pepper before the game started. As I said we lost 21-1 and were glad to not get shut out. They had us played perfectly the entire game. Everytime somebody got ahold of the ball it went directly to one of their players. Their bats were even more impressive. I have never seen a display of hitting like they put on last night. Their second hitter, a lefty, on his first AB launched one over my head in right and it just kept going over the fence. The fence was 300' and the ball probably flew at least 330'. Very impressive. When the balls weren't flying to the warning track they were place hitting in the short field. I played decently well in right catching several flys. Unfortunately when I rush my throws they dive straight at the cut offs feet and when I got that fixed it would go over his head. My goal for next year is to work on my throws a little more. I've never had a good arm but it's improved over last year. I only got up to bat once in this game and again fouled out which was very frustrating to say the least given the blow out.

Overall, it was a great season and I had an awesome time. We finished the regular season 10-4 and overall 11-5. We tied for first in the regular season with the team we beat last night so I guess you could say we won D league!

Improvement

During the summer we can take Friday afternoon off if we've made up the hours earlier in the week. Well I have plenty of hours from the last couple of weeks so I took Friday afternoon off and hit the golf course. I wanted to play on the course where we are having our tournament in two weeks but it was $68 which made me say "bump that" and I headed to Brevofield for a $27 round. I played the first nine holes by myself and then a coworker joined me at the turn.

I think I've found my swing! I shot 103 which isn't good but it's my best ever by 5 strokes. I could have easily broken 100 if I hadn't blown up on a hole and shot a 10. It was very nice to see the ball fly perfectly straight multiple times. While I did have a few errant shots like normal they were reduced and also able to be managed with improvement in the next shot to recover. I'm hoping that it wasn't a one time thing as everything felt in sync. I almost didn't watch any of the Open yesterday or read any of my new golf digest for fear of messing something up, but I watched and read anyway :). Golf is an amazing game of highs and lows and internal competition. It's a mental test requiring emotional control. I love it...well most of the time.

In other news, I had a blind date on Wednesday set up by a coworker. It was pleasant and a good experience but I don't think there's anything there. I was hesitant going in but I'm glad I stepped out there and tried something new.

Going Places and Doing Things

There was a lot packed into last week. I returned to work after a few days in Massachusetts to a big, big pile of e-mails and work. I won't go into the gory details of the work week but suffice it to say I was the most stressed I've ever been in my life. Normally I don't get too stressed over things I can't control but when people outside of the company aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing which then reflects badly on me and the company and has the potential to kill a deal it started getting to me. It was on crisis after another and I could feel physical reactions from my body coming off the high of trying to get something solved. Even with all of the issues +I did close my third deal on Wednesday! It's $2.7 miilion equity investment in a 78 unit apartment community being rehabbed in Corbin, Kentucky.

Friday was a much needed day of little work. In the morning, a coworker and I went to a local golf store that was having a megasale to purchase prizes for our company golf tournament coming up at the end of the month. We bought 10 different clubs (4 hybrids, 4 60 degree wedges, a driver, and a putter), a couple of hats, some nice balls, two coolers, and a windshirt for $1,141 saving over $500 off retail! We even came in under my budget of $1,300.

Friday afternoon was the annual office bowling tournament. I ended up scoring the second highest with a whopping 143 beating my boss by 1 point! I also had the highest speed bowl with 22.45 mph! I won a $40 gift card for my score and two $20 gift cards to Frankie's Fun Park for the fastest roll. No need to slow my roll on Friday! (I just wanted to say "slow my roll")

Saturday dad and I met at my sister's new apartment in Charlotte to move her new bed and two couches she bought at Ikea. It was blazing hot but a nice, sunny day in Uptown Charlotte. I'm really jealous of her intown location. She's going to have a great time. Sunday Emily arrived after attending a wedding on Saturday and we finished putting together and arranging her furniture.

It was a busy week but it's time to get going again. Thankfully I think the late work nights are over for the time being!

"Not to be ministered unto, but to minister"

I know, I know, after calling you people out for not updating while we were in San Antonio last weekend I’ve been slack about posting, but I have an excuse. I’ve been in Boston for the past three days to attend my sister’s graduation from Wellesley College. I’m writing this post from the Philadelphia airport which is a story for later, but at least I’ve know been to PA.

After returning from San Antonio late on Monday night I had every intention of only going to work for a couple of hours on Tuesday for a conference call and to get a few things done, well that didn’t happen and I stayed at work all day which led to me waking up at 4:00 AM on Wednesday to pack as I had to wash clothes from the previous trip and had softball (we won). The flight to Boston via DC was uneventful and I rendezvoused with my mom at Logan around noon to head west to Wellesley. Wednesday we didn’t do much other than relax.

Thursday was a busy day with a picnic that was moved inside due to the chance of rain and the baccalaureate ceremony. Unfortunately I had a conference call during the baccalaureate and since we were only allowed one ticket I skipped it but everyone said it was great (normally I wouldn’t have participated on the call but since we’re closing early next week and this project is very problematic I needed to stay in the loop). After the ceremony, Dad, Matt (Emily’s boyfriend), and I moved most of her stuff out of the dorm into my dad’s Yukon XL. Luckily she had whittled down her stuff this year and was the most painless dorm move I’ve experienced. That night was the big family graduation dinner which featured the guest of honor, mom, dad, my aunt, Matt, and me. We went to a great local restaurant in Watertown called Stellina. I had the honey mustard glazed salmon which was better than the time I attempted to make it and some excellent calamari for an appetizer.

Friday morning was graduation and a beautiful day in Massachusetts. Commencement was in a humongous white tent, the largest tent I’ve ever been in. It definitely earned the moniker of the “Big Top.” The ceremony lasted for a couple of hours with Madeline Albright (a 1959 alum) delivering the address and all 560 graduates walking across the stage. Emily seemed very glad to graduate and we were all beaming with joy and pride. For audio of the speeches go here.



After graduation Dad and I ventured to Concord to visit the Walden Pond State Reservation and see the site of Thoreau’s respite in the woods. The pond (actually I’d call it a lake but pond sounds better) was clear and was being enjoyed by swimmers all along its banks from secluded rock steps to the water’s edge. It was hard to imagine that it was an oasis of trees amidst clear cut agricultural land in the 1800s as the forest has reclaimed much of the area. Unfortunately we were a on a tight time frame so we weren’t able to hike around the entire lake but we accomplished our goal after four years of traveling to the area.



That night Emily attended a fancy dinner at the Boston Public Library sponsored by the college trustees to honor the retiring college president after fourteen years in office. After chauferring her and a friend to the dinner, dad, Matt, and I drove over to Cambridge and had dinner at Emily’s favorite Boston area restaurant the Border Café which is a mexican resturant with a cajun twist. I had the best fajitas I’ve ever had with blackened chicken and the other two enjoyed their food as well. After dinner we walked around Harvard Square, campus, and just enjoyed the beautiful late Spring weather.

Now to why I’m in Philadelphia, my original travel plans were to fly from Boston to NY LaGuardia and then onto Raleigh. However, when I checked my flight status this morning I found out my first flight to NYC was cancelled. When I arrived at Logan, the ticket agent said the flight was cancelled because of a lack of crew. Well I guess that’s as good a reason as any to cancel a flight. She redirected me to Philadelphia and then I’ll arrive in Raleigh between 5:00 and 6:00 PM (it’s 2:00 as I type this) which puts me back home about 2.5 hours later than anticipated but that’s fine because I’m typing this post while I wait. While my travel plans were frustrating this morning, I’m not letting it get me down as I had a great time seeing Emily graduate! For those of you that don’t know, she’ll be working for Bank of American in Uptown Charlotte for the next two years with plans to go to medical school afterwards. This summer she’ll be at home during June and will then travel to NYC for training all of July and will live in a hotel in Time Square. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. I hope she likes it.

As for San Antonio, that trip was a lot of fun. I’ve come to the conclusion that we to need to have somebody get married once a year from here on out so we can have one big WCF/Tech vacation reunion. In lieu of a recap, here are the top five sayings/events from the weekend.

5. Where am I sleeping?
4. “French kiss” – Me overhearing and misunderstanding Daryl talking to Melissa about her manicure and French tips.
3. Chris, Meagan and Eric: “... in Miami Dolphins clothes and ... in cleanliness and messiness”
2. Melissa: “Hey, there’s a drive through beer store!” In reference to the “Beer 'N All” drive through with the skanky girls where you can get margaritas to go.
1. “I do”



Here are the links to the trip photo galleries:

Johnson-Schwartz Wedding

Graduation

Walden Pond

Slacker

Sorry I'm such a slacker. I'll post trip reports from San Antonio and Boston when I return on Saturday if not before. In the mean time, here's my states visited map with the new addition of Texas which holds the distinction of the first state in the contiguous United States west of the Mississippi River graced with my presence.

Fore!!!

Yesterday was a great day. A coworker, our company president, and I went to Williamsburg for the annual VHDA Charity Invitational golf tournament. The weather was absolutely beautiful, 70s, Virginia (Carolina) blue sky, a slight breeze, and no humidity. It was one of those days that you don't want to go inside and feel blessed to not have to be in the office. There were over 300 golfers playing captain's choice on three courses. Our foursome shot a 72 which was +1; unfortunately, it was nearly good enough to beat the teams that shot 60 to win their flights. This was my first official golf tournament to play in which was good to do because I'm heading up (with great help) the organizing of our first company tournament which will be at the end of June.

In the past I haven't been a fan of the charity party scene, thinking that it was a waste of money to have a big party and then pass on less money to the cause, but I've kind of had a change of heart. I don't know if it's because I've now been the beneficiary of the party/golfing (probably some of it) but I've realized that the funds may not have been raised if VHDA had just asked the developers, bankers, and other companies for the money. As a result of the tournament almost $1,000,000 has been raised for homeless charities throughout Virginia over the last 15 years. This year five charities each received $22,000 to use to serve their missions.

Congrats!

Congratulatinos to the Lady Jackets Tennis Team on winning the national championship tonight in Athens!!! It's Tech's first official team national championship (not counting the 4 football national championships). We've had many individual champions and have come close in several sports but tonight's victory over UCLA proves Tech is #1.

Here's a screenshot from Rambling Wreck.com. Check it out!

Substantial Completion

On Friday I went to Greensboro for the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony for my first project. Even though I wasn't the developer it was very satisfying seeing the fruition of our labors turn into the best place some of the tenants have ever lived. My part of the project involved the underwriting of the equity based off the tax credit syndication for a total of about $3.6 million out of total project cost of $8 million or so. The development is a second phase of project we financed about six years ago and features 64 one and two bedroom units and are affordable to those making less than 60% of the area median income. Additionally, the developer is a nonprofit organization which is pretty cool. Here are a few pics and the rest can be seen here.

The developer