Expand Your Life

ATL: Out in the big city February 22, 2008

This week I went out in Atlanta for the first time. I just turned twenty-one in November, so I hadn’t gotten a chance to go out in the city since then. I am from Acworth, GA, which is about thirty or forty minutes outside of Atlanta, and I was surprised to find that once I got off the interstate I had relatively no idea where I was. It was unbelievable that I could have such little knowledge about an area so close to my hometown.

I was staying with a couple of girls I knew from college who had already graduated. All their friends had jobs and responsibilities. I felt like the little kid of the group, still in college and living off Daddy’s paycheck. Nevertheless, I seemed to fit in decently, and excitedly got ready with the rest of the group. I had no idea where we were going, but apparently it was somewhere in the notorious “Buckhead area.”

I soon realized that going out in Atlanta is nothing like going out in Athens. For one thing, you can’t just rely on taking a cab downtown, unless you want to spend about $50. So we loaded into my friend Rachel’s car and perused the many available pay lots downtown, searching for a reasonably priced, possibly overnight location. After riding back and forth between adjacent lots about four different times, we finally decided on the original lot. We paid the parking lot attendant, who by now easily recognized our faces and laughed as he collected our money and waved us in. We parked and we ready to begin our adventure.

We went out to East Andrews, apparently a popular hotspot among Atlanta’s hip, young population. It was a large place, filled with mingling people trying to strike up conversations with friendly strangers. A fountain decorated the middle of the spacious interior, which was lined with bars on either side. Everyone was massed together in all areas of the room, some by the fountain, some waiting for drinks at the bar. Another big difference between going out in Atlanta and Athens is the difference in age. In Athens, everyone is pretty much college age–or younger. In Atlanta, the average age, especially of the men, seemed to be about thirty. After talking to about the third forty-year-old who hit on me, I knew exactly what to say and how to act to appear like the rest of the young, working women who lived in the city. Often, if I let on that I was still in college, the conversation turned to ”Oh my, you are just a child!” I felt like I was still in high school trying to look cool at a college party.

We didn’t stay out until the end of the night. A friend who lives in the downtown area was kind enough to come and pick us up. The streets were crowded with trucks and props for the upcoming Oysterfest event that was to take place the following day. Riding home, we passed the tall skyscrapers and neon signs that make up the city of Atlanta. Prior to going out in Buckhead, I had imagined the bars to be lined up beneath these buildings, with everyone wandering the downtown area and hopping from bar to bar just as they do in Athens. I was dismayed to find the tone of the “party scene” in Atlanta to be somewhat less exciting than I had hoped. Maybe when I’m older and one of the “hip city girls” I will appreciate the eclectic blend of maturity and business men that make up East Andrews, but for now I am content to spend most of my weekend nights in the crazy, college-aged town called Athens.

The heart of country: Nashville, TN February 14, 2008

For my newest endeavor, I decided to travel to Nashville, Tennessee, for the weekend. It was my friend’s twenty-first birthday, and she invited everyone up to her home town of Nashville to celebrate. Ordinarily, I would say no to this sort of thing. I automatically ignore any type of Facebook invite I get involving an unusual trip. In fact, I left this invitation sitting in my events for over a week without really thinking about it. The hassle of packing and deciding who I am riding with, where I will be sleeping, and when we are leaving is enough to drive me crazy.

After remembering my promise to myself, I decided to give the trip another thought. I had never been to Nashville before. In fact, I had never even been to Tennesse before. Why not venture to a new city and a new state with a big group of friends and new acquaintances? Before I knew it I said I’d go.

The ride there was long. Leaving during Atlanta rush hour on a Friday afternoon was probably not a very smart idea. Luckily, we gained an hour when the clocks changed for Tennessee time. We arrived at my friend Maggie’s house in Nashville around 10 p.m. Friday night. Everyone was exhausted and very much appreciated the steak dinner waiting for us at the house. Maggie opened her presents and we cut the cake. After playing a few board games and socializing for a while, everyone was ready to hit the sack and prepare for the big day ahead.

Saturday morning everyone piled into the SUV to go take a look at country star Alan Jackson’s house. For anyone who is a country fan, this was a big deal. His house was beautiful, majestically set behind a gated driveway and surrounded by rolling hills and stables. On our journey, we also passed Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s country home, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s previous and current country homes, Naomi, Winona, and Ashley Judd’s neighboring residences, and country phenomenon Dolly Parton’s estate. It was a country music lover’s paradise.

Upon returning home, everyone took showers and prepared to leave for downtown Nashville. We had two hotel rooms downtown for the night so that we could easily get to and from downtown to celebrate Maggie’s birthday, as her house was about twenty minutes away from the actual city. To our dismay, the rooms were slightly less that what we had expected, but nevertheless their imperfections only added to the experience. From ordering food in to the broken air conditioner to the random homeless guy passed out in the stairwell, the hotel was definitely unforgettable.

We took a cab from the hotel into the heart of downtown Nashville. I immediately fell in love with the city. It was clean and a filled with a whir of activity. Neon signs lit up the night and long lines of people waited to get into the clubs and bars that lined the street. Our first stop was a karaoke bar. After waiting through a long line of people, we finally made it inside. Music filled the air and we immediately signed up to sing. Singing is something I really never do in front of people, but I was focused on living in the moment and having fun with my friends, so I signed up anyway. After much nervous anticipation, it was finally our turn. Singing was a blast. No one was any good, but everyone was having fun. After we sang, we went next door to a different place just to say we had been to two different places. A live band was playing on the stage, belting out classic country hits. Neon lights lit up the room and masses of people buzzed about excitedly.

I was sad when it was finally time to leave and go back to the hotel. Not to mention sleeping three people to a bed! But we somehow fell asleep and woke up the next morning just in time to check out. It was time to head back to Athens. We ate at Maggie’s dad’s country restaurant before leaving. I ate some amazing country food, including fried chicken, green beans, and garlic mashed potatoes. Although the ride home seemed to take forever, I had plenty of time to reflect on my experience. The entire weekend was crazy, new, and a whole lot of fun. If I hadn’t decided to take a chance, I would have never gotten to make such fun memories with my friends. Not to mention now I can say that I have been to Nashville, Tennessee!

Raw Food: a.k.a SUSHI February 8, 2008

Okay, so I’m not really sure if what I ordered was raw or not, but it definitely tasted raw. As my newest endeavor, I decided to try eating sushi for the first time. My roommates are always bugging me about it, asking when I am going to venture into the world of raw food. One thing about me: I am a very picky eater. I do not like trying new foods. I do not like sauces or anything out of the ordinary. I eat things plain and simple (i.e. no salad dressing on my salads). They were thrilled when I asked them if they wanted to accompany me to Ru San’s on Wednesday night to witness my first-ever tasting of sushi.

We arrived at the restaurant after the dinner crowd had already left and settled into a nice quiet table on the patio. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very subtle, with all of the appropriate Japanese decor. My roommates, both avid sushi-eaters, excitedly perused the menu while chattering over what they should order me. After much debate, it was decided that I should try three different types of sushi rolls from the dollar menu (in case I didn’t like it, but also a fabulous low-cost option). The only rule they had was that I had to try real sushi. I was not allowed to get anything fried, otherwise known as tempura in the sushi world. So it was decided. I would be getting the seviche shrimp maki, the teriyaki tuna, and the california roll. One of my roommates also determined that I might like to try edamame as well. All I could think was ‘eda-what?’

When the waitress came, I couldn’t remember the name of anything my roommates had listed for me to get. My roommate Amanda ended up ordering for me, comically acting as if she were my boyfriend by beginning every sentence with, “She’ll have…”

When the food came out, I was pleasantly surprised. Although it was somewhat difficult to maneuver the chopsticks to pick up the sushi, I realized that I actually liked it. Either that or I was just so hungry that anything would have tasted good! The edamame turned out to be a type of green bean in which you eat out the middle beans. To be honest, that was probably my favorite. But the sushi wasn’t bad either. After the ninth roll, however, I found myself starting to feel a little queasy from all the raw meat. I am not the most graceful sushi eater. For some unknown reason, I cannot put the whole roll in my mouth like a normal person. I try to bite it in half instead. For anyone who has ever eaten sushi, you will know that trying to bite the outer rice layer of the sushi in half without making a mess is quite difficult. I was quiete relieved when no one noticed half a piece of sushi dangling out of my mouth as i caught the other half in my hand before it spilt onto my lap. Messiness aside, it was a unique experience and I now know that my favorite kind of sushi so far is the teriyaki tuna roll. Next time, however, I think I will go for the tempura: a.k.a not raw!

Breaking into Dance: A Hip-Hop experience February 1, 2008

As my first endeavor in “expanding” my life, I decided to branch out and do something I never do. Sadly, that something is dancing. For anyone who knows me, I don’t just not dance–I can’t dance! Even my parents, who have to be biased because they are my parents, can’t help but chuckle when they see me try to bust a move on the dance floor. So when my friend, Jessica, asked me if I wanted to go to a Hip-Hop class with her earlier this week, my first instinct was to reply with a resounding “NO!”

Then I remembered my resolution. I have to try one new thing each week. I have to do something each week that I wouldn’t normally do to enrich my life. Why not start with dancing? Dancing is a great outlet for exercise and is very fun, even for people who have no rhythm. I am one of those people. My body just doesn’t move in certain ways, and the thought of looking ridiculous in front of others scares me so much that I usually refrain from dancing all together. My first thought was that maybe this class will help me finally learn to dance. Maybe it would help rid me of my fear of embarrassment and result in countless future dancing excursions. Okay, so maybe I was getting a little carried away, but maybe I would at least get some exercise out of it! I decided I would take the class.

I was dismayed to find that the only spots left in the class were right near the front. Dancing in front of a huge class of people, surrounded by mirrors and talented dancers, was enough to make me want to run right back out the door. Luckily, I had promised my friend I would accompany her so I was there to stay. I stood there in fear, wondering who was going to be watching me and what they were going to be thinking. As the class started, I tried to look around to see what everyone was doing. No one was watching. Everyone was just as busy as I was learning the first two eight-counts.

To my great surprise, rather than being stressful, the class was actually fun! I realized that no one cared how anyone looked or who was better than who. We learned eight-count after eight-count, dance step after dance step, and then danced it to the music. By the end of the one hour class, I was not only sweating, but I was wanting more! I was exhilarated everytime I kept up with the music, and challenged everytime I couldn’t. The instructor was enthusiastic and encouraging. I realized that everyone in the class was learning, just like me. Even the very good dancers weren’t perfect everytime. The girl in front of me was an amazing dancer, and I tried to imitate her moves to look “normal.” Even though I realized that I danced most of the moves with two left feet, the class was a great experience. I saw many friends I knew, and met a few of the girls around me, many of whom were trying just as hard as I was. The class is offered every week, and I already can’t wait to go back next week and learn some new moves. Had I not made this promise to myself, I would have never even tried Hip-Hop. Now, I have something to look forward to each Monday night, and maybe even some new moves to bust out on the dance floor the next time I go out. Okay, I may be just kidding with that last part, but so far expanding my life has already begun to pay off!

The idea behind “expanding your life” January 22, 2008

When we were told we had to create a blog for my word-of-mouth communications class, my first thought was what on earth am I going to write about? I scanned my brain for a few days and continuously put the assignment on the back burner until the syllabus said it absolutely had to be up-and-running. Lost in my own boredom, I began perusing other blogs on the internet to see what kinds of things other people wrote about. I soon realized that anyone can make a blog about anything.

After much thought on writing about the ordinary details of my daily life, I began wondering if I couldn’t use this blog for something more worthwhile. Surely my own boredom at the moment could be cured by having something, anything to write about. Given that I someday dream of becoming an author, the idea of practicing my writing in a public forum should be somewhat appealing. However, the more I thought about blogging and what I should say, the more frustrated and nervous I became that I didn’t have anything to say. Nothing to say at all. How depressing is that? There wasn’t one single aspect of my life or interest that I could think of that would be worthwhile to write about. So I began thinking. If I feel like my life has nothing interesting or exciting in it at the moment, why not create interesting or exciting things to write about?

My goal is to seek out one completely new experience each week and then write about it on this blog. By a new experience I mean something that I would never normally do. It could mean eating out at a restaurant I’ve never been to, skydiving, volunteering, etc. I haven’t decided what new things I am going to try. I am thinking of it as sort of an “experiment” with myself. Will trying new things make me feel more worthwhile? Will I find things out about myself? Each week I will have to try something I have always been afraid to do or have put off. It is in this sense that I will be “expanding my life.” I want to feel more dimensional in a world that can easily become focused solely on school and going out. There has to be something more out there and I intend to find it. I encourage others to try this experiment as well and see where it leads us at the end of these fifteen weeks of class.