I was asked again recently what my favorite place is. I think that’s a pretty odd question.
A lot of people can probably answer that without giving it a second thought. I, on the other hand, have about 500 places on my list of favorite places.
“Well, pick one, why don’t you!” you might be thinking. My response: “No. You can’t make me.” I don’t want to pick just one favorite place. I don’t want to because I can’t.
I have been fortunate enough to travel domestically and internationally quite a bit for my age. I enjoy experiencing different cultures and people and usually find something fun and interesting just about everywhere. Because of that, so many places have become my favorite places, all for different reasons, of course, but favorites nonetheless.
There’s no way I can compare the small town of Bell Buckle, TN, where everyone knows what you were like in first grade, with the hustle and bustle among the neon lights and yankee accents of New York City. Music City USA with all its honky-tonk bars and talented musicians can’t compete with the maze of cobblestone alleys of the serene city on the water, Venice. Peruvian culture and Swedish culture are worlds apart, as are my cozy, spacious apartment and the Mountain Hostel in the middle of the Swiss Alps. I can’t even compare a nearby park I frequent with the many baseball fields where I’ve spent countless hours relaxing, cheering, and talking. Every place is special in its own way.
Instead of asking you what your favorite place is, how ‘bout this: What are some of your favorite places?
I’m just waiting for people to start asking me to make the rain disappear. – David Copperfield
This weekend I scored a free ticket to see David Copperfield at TPAC, thanks to my friend Erin. Yes, THE David Copperfield, the dude who’s been around forever and makes things disappear and such. Pretty much a legend. Maybe you’ve heard of him.
Illusionists are all about creating a false represenation of reality, deceiving us so that we think about their sly tricks until we fall asleep (that’s what I did). This is another love/hate relationship I have. I love how fascinating illusions on this grand scale can be, but I also get so frustrated that I can’t figure out how they’re done and why the mysterious “magic curtain” is always pulled over the things appearing or disappearing. I think we should start a group to bond together to steal David Copperfield’s magic curtains and THEN put him on the spot to make something vanish.
So anyway, on Saturday night, the legend made a sea-green vintage car appear on 4 pillars, a quacking duck disappear and reappear, predicted lottery numbers random people from the audience guessed (random? hmmm), and “transported” himself and a lady in the audience to Austrailia and back, among other tricks. We all know those things didn’t really happen and Erin and I questioned some of the supposed randomness, but it was still pretty cool. Obviously it takes some skill or we’d all be doing this and making millions of dollars each year.
We supposedly like to travel, recycle, play co-ed sports, eat expensive sandwhiches, and go to Wrigley Field. I know I sure do. What’s wrong with that?
Nothing. It just means I’m white. At least that’s what the author of Stuff White People Like thinks.
A friend sent me the link to this fairly new blog. It was started at the beginning on this year and already has over 3.5 million hits. You’re probably going to start laughing, so don’t eat or drink while reading the posts.
February 21, 2008 at 12:36 pm
· Filed under web ·Tagged blogging, writing
While reading multiple coworkers’ blogs, one day a lightbulb went off in my head. “Why am I not doing this? I totally can!” So I started Peachy Perspective about a year ago. But why did I start and why do I make it a priority now?
Make connections with others. Conversations. Feedback and interaction. There have been so many face-to-face conversations I have been a part of regarding what I or someone else posted. If it weren’t for these conversations, I wouldn’t have talked with certain people about the ideas and topics we’ve discussed. Blogging bridges some gaps and has given me great opportunities to get to know some people beyond just a generic, surface relationship.
Remember and reflect on life. There is a story for everything and every day, no matter how mundane the day or the circumstance may seem. Who wants to go through a week, a month, a year, or a life and not remember anything, even the daily activities that make a difference over the long haul? Reflecting and remembering helps us all to learn and progress.
Sharpen my writing skills. I’ve always liked to write; it’s how I’m wired. Writing at work is great. I am thankful I have flexibility and am encouraged to let my creative juices flow. Writing outside of work – writing what I want to when I want to – is beneficial, too. Reading a variety of blogs also helps me sharpen my writing and thinking skills, too, so thanks to yall that have made it to my Google Reader.
Share my life with others I don’t talk with every day who might be interested in what’s going on. Blogging is so cool and really helps people stay connected like that. That is why I encourage so many people to start a blog. Everyone has interesting stories, experiences, and pictures to share that I might not otherwise know about. So go start (or revive) your blog today!
Once I get a handful of recipes in my online recipe book, I am on a focused mission to bring them all to reality and into my mouth. Here are some I’ve tried and really liked over the past couple of weeks:
Cream Cheese Tarts - Oh, my word, these are freaking amazing! They’re just mini-cheesecakes and take no time at all to make. I used cherry pie filling for the topping.
Mushroom, Onion, and Basil Pizza - Super fabulous. It tasted like a pizza I would order at a restaurant. Little Caesar’s is poop compared to this pizza!
Crispy Chicken Fingers - This was good, but definitely not crispy if you want leftovers the next night. Be sure to crush the corn flakes up very small.
I have other Peachy-approved recipes over on the cook page.
February 14, 2008 at 8:59 am
· Filed under friends, life
Recently my roommates and I hosted a wine and cheese party for a small group of our friends. We provided most of the cheese dishes and asked each person to bring a bottle of wine. (The picture above is a small sampling of the wines at the end of the party.) My two favorite cheese dishes were the baked brie with rasberry preserves and the cream cheese block with apricot jam poured over it. So freaking yummy. My favorite wine was some called Sweet Walter Red. If you don’t like it sweet, you definitely won’t like that one.
We had a great time entertaining and hope our friends had a good time as well!
Fun friends… everyone looks so nice!
This is me and 2 of my great friends that came in from Chatty and Knoxville to hang out over the weekend…
Over at PourOut, the oh-so-popular blog of my coworker Chris, the Inside Seven is a new blogging adventure he is starting up this year. He’s going to pick team members throughout the Dave Ramsey office to interview, and all of us – the cool, faithful bloggers and commenters we have become – will get to determine what questions Chris asks in the interview.
You have a week to think about what questions Chris should ask Blake Thompson and Lara Johnson of “The Dave Ramsey Show.”
February 11, 2008 at 11:46 am
· Filed under books ·Tagged bible, Nehemiah
My church has recently started a new teaching series of the Old Testament book Nehemiah. The series is titled “Re: Rebuilding, Returning, Reclaiming, Restoring,” basically a 3-second summary of the book. I’m excited about studying this book together.
The last time I really studied it (well, part of it) was in my small group in college. One night we met, we weren’t all mentally there (for the moment, of course) so my fearless leader decided to spice things up a little bit by acting out a passage from the book. Due to that brief skit, I will always think of King Artaxeres as “Big Daddy A.” I am sure that’s what people back in his day called him.
Since I’ve been attending Fellowship, we as a church and as Inversion have studied in-depth various books of the Bible, including Ruth, Hebrews, Philippians (twice), Habakkuk, Mark, and 2 Timothy. Bring on Nehemiah!
Considering it’s early February in Tennessee, it’s only natural that one day it’s 27 degrees and the next day it’s 70 degrees. I love the warm weather spurts we get during the winter, but it comes at a cost. The “T” word.
Tornados, duh.
To sum up everything about them: They are beautiful, yes, but I hate them.
A couple of nights ago, I made the mistake of turning on the local news and letting all the Nashville meterologists do their job of completely freaking me out while I was home alone. Lisa Patton on News 2 gets the award for being the most dramatic and freaking out half of Middle Tennessee’s residents. Congrats, Lisa! (If you agree, let me know so we can send her an official award.) Anywho, I started calling my friends and family in the area – some of who laughed at me! – to distract my mind for a little bit. Hours later, I eventually got tired of it all after the first storm passed through and slept through the night. Tornados or not, it was bedtime.
I was chatting with a coworker yesterday about how he grew up in the-middle-of-nowhere, Texas, where you can see for miles and miles into the horizon. Tornadoes came through about twice a week in the summer months, usually without rain, so he and his friends would go outside to watch them and thought these wild acts of nature were the coolest things. It wasn’t until he went to college in another state that he realized people are actually scared of these twisters. Wow. I remember a handful of times while growing up when tornadoes came through our area, demolishing neighborhoods and leaving most of us praying for lives (even if we weren’t in real danger). I grew up in a house on a big hill, so in my mind, if a twister came through, we’d be the first to go with it. Thankfully, it never came to that. I think it’s really interesting how some people want to chase tornadoes and others want to hide under the covers to get away from them.
Maybe one of these days I will be brave enough to chase tornados like Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in Twister… not.
You’re enjoying your day Everything’s going your way Then along comes Debbie Downer Always there to tell you ’bout a new disease A car accident or killer bees You’ll beg her to spare you, “Debbie, please!” But you can’t stop Debbie Downer!
Oh, Debbie Downer, we have come to know and love you. There’s a sweet spot for you in our hearts (I think). I am unfortunately reminded of you by certain people I cross paths with.
This video is the debut appearance of the beloved SNL character from 2004. If you’re unfamiliar with it, Debbie and and her extended family are having breakfast on their vacation at Disney World. It’s supposed to be the most happy and exciting time ever; however, Debbie brings her bright, shining personality to the table to inform us all of tiger attacks, train explosions, deaths, you name it. (The best part is when the whole cast can no longer hold in their laughter.)
I was asked again recently what my favorite place is. I think that’s a pretty odd question.
I’m just waiting for people to start asking me to make the rain disappear. – David Copperfield
Once I get a handful of recipes in my online recipe book, I am on a focused mission to bring them all to reality and into my mouth. Here are some I’ve tried and really liked over the past couple of weeks:
Over at 
Considering it’s early February in Tennessee, it’s only natural that one day it’s 27 degrees and the next day it’s 70 degrees. I love the warm weather spurts we get during the winter, but it comes at a cost. The “T” word.
I was chatting with a coworker yesterday about how he grew up in the-middle-of-nowhere, Texas, where you can see for miles and miles into the horizon. Tornadoes came through about twice a week in the summer months, usually without rain, so he and his friends would go outside to watch them and thought these wild acts of nature were the coolest things. It wasn’t until he went to college in another state that he realized people are actually scared of these twisters. Wow. I remember a handful of times while growing up when tornadoes came through our area, demolishing neighborhoods and leaving most of us praying for lives (even if we weren’t in real danger). I grew up in a house on a big hill, so in my mind, if a twister came through, we’d be the first to go with it. Thankfully, it never came to that. I think it’s really interesting how some people want to chase tornadoes and others want to hide under the covers to get away from them.
