Welcome to Cracker Barrel

I got a new job at Cracker Barrel. I have never been so happy to work in a restaurant. Growing up in and around a restaurant I would have NEVER pictured myself working in one as a "Grown up." When it all comes down to it I feel comfortable in a restaurant and I was thankful when I got hired. Right now I'm am just about to finish up the training phase. Most of my days so far have been doing paper/computer work. I got my uniform and smock. Most workers in Cracker Barrel have smocks that say their name and have between 1 and 4 stars depending on there level of experience. Well my smock has a patch that says "Rising Star." Basically every where I go in the store for the next month people will know right away that I am the new hire. Actually this practice of placing the stars on the uniform is based on very strong psychological principles. The stars are reinforces. Cracker Barrels entire HR approach is based on behavioral observation and reinforcement. I can't wait for my first day of serving. I'm sure I will have so many blogs to post about what happens with me and my co workers. Come visit :)

TN

Around 4 A.M. thanks to some quick driving by Ches we arrived in Athens. The trip wasn't really over b/c we still had to return the rental van. The van took some damage along the way. I wan't really worried b/c I paid the 6 dollars insurance. As it turns out the damage was there when we received the van. You might notice a black roof rack bar at the rear of the car. That bar was supposed to be attached at the front. Someone bent the rail system and the bar had been hanging lose the entire trip. I told the rental people everything was fine so no worries.It felt good to be in TN again. This place is comfortable. Daddy and I stayed up and talked about the trip. Around 8 A.M. we headed for Knoxville to return the van.

Baltimore/D.C

We left Philly and made it to Baltimore. We looked for a hotel for a while at the fabulous Baltimore Travel Center (bus station). Rather than spend 90 dollars on a room for 5 hours we decided to sleep in the van. Just a little side note: In my opinion Baltimore is a complete waste of a city if you ask me. I have only been there twice but I can say that I have not seen one thing to make me ever want to go back.First thing in the morning we headed for D.C. with hopes of seeing President Oboma (no such luck). Washington was cold, windy, and overcast when we arrived. Most of the monuments were under maintenance. The reflecting pool and WWII both had no water so the photos turned out less than impressive. Never the less it was great to walk around the national mall and see in person some of the views. I stood where MLK gave his I have a dream speach. That was a great feeling. And I got to see the Obama White House in the first months. Washington really has a unique engery that I appreicate. Of course there are the govermental elements. Mixed in you could feel the implied history and then there is the sturcture of the city. By being on the ground you can really tell that Washington has a particualar layout that is powerful and subtle. I would have never know this feeling exactly without experiencing the city first hand. I really enjoyed that part of being in the Nation's Capital.Around mid day Ches and I went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This was my favioate part of the entire trip. I just loved everything about this place. There were so many things. I saw the Hope Dimond, A huge head from Eastern Island, amazing fosils, stuffed animals of all kinds. This place was just fantastic. Ches and I were lucky to go on a Tuesday b/c the butterfly exhibit is free. I took some cool photos and Ches met his dream girl. While we were looking at the butterflies one landes on a girl's head. Ches was nearly speachless. I took the chance to snap some photos from my camera and with the girl's camera. Ches said he is going to find a girl like the "butterfly girl."We left D.C. feeling cultured and excted for the last half of the trip. It wasn't long before he hit Northern Virgina and it felt like home. The people were more Southern than Northern. Ches and I had an amazing dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and sweet tea. On the advice of an elderly man at the meuseum we decided to take the Blue Ridge Parkway for the view. That ended up being great advice. We saw great views, wildlife, and an amazing sunset over the vally. The scenic route took an extra two hours or so but it was well worth it. Around sunset we set out on the last leg of the trip.

Philly

Before we could even make a start of the long trip South we hit a chemical spill. This had to be the worst type of delay at the worst possible time. All the happy feelings of being on the road, all the spirit of adventure was sucked out of the trip the minute that truck flipped. There were EMT's, firetrucks, police, and chemical control clean up workers weaving through traffic. The entire process took at least 3 hours and the cleanup was not finished when we left. When we finally got to Philly it was already midnight but we decided to stop anyway. Despite the fact that it was late and the city was empty we still had one of the best nights of the entire trip. Philly is one of my favorite places. I would trade Philly for N.Y.C. any day. There is a cultured fell to everything. All the buildings are classically styled and there is an artistic flair everywhere you look in the center. I can only imagine what the city would have looked like in the daytime with all the hustle and bustle. We went looking for any place we could to eat a Philly cheese stake. We ended up in an amazing black bar in downtown Philly. Right away we felt like we were back in Georgia. The place was fantastic. There was a D.J. spinning, really friendly staff, and the bar itself was amazing. The waitress must have told the cook that we were visiting and wanted Philly stakes b/c they were absolutely amazing with all the trimmings. The cook came to our table later on with a proud smile on his face and asked if we liked the stakes.After dinner we talked to the D.J. and he agreed to let us mess around on his D.J. equipment. He and Ches played around for a bit and I took pics. After dinner we ran up the Rocky stairs, and fooled around downtown for a while. The whole night seemed like it would be a bust after the chemical spill but it ended up being a highlight of the entire trip. My only regret is that we could not visit the art museum, it is said to be one of the best.

Goodbye N.Y.

After both losing our jobs Ches and I decided to spend one more day in N.Y.C. before we left. This trip was a little different than other trips to the city. We both knew that this would be our last trip for a long time - if ever. So this feeling of finality set the tone for entire trip. We caught the early train into the city so we could spend as much time in New York City as possible. The first stop was Central Park. We saw some interesting sights including a guy skating on roller blades using ski poles to help him along. There was a singing group making absolutely beautiful music. They were singing harmonious sounds under an enclosed pedestrian bridge. The enclosure amplified their voices and was very impressive. After central park we headed for the Museum of Modern Art. I was excited to go b/c I knew that this museum housed some of the most well know pieces of art in the world. I was not disappointed. Along with having a who's who of modern artists, there was also an impressive collection of architecture design exhibits, and sculpture. I loved the MoMa and recommend it to anyone going to N.Y.C. After MoMa we headed to Ground Zero. We did not see much but I was happy that Ches convinced me to go to such an important place. We caught the train to Wall Street. There were only tourists b/c it was Sunday but the buildings made for nice pictures. We also saw Trinity Church and the Franklin Library. We ended the night with dinner at Applebee's in Times Square. We met this really nice waitress. She is one of 6 girls in her family. She told us her dad wanted one boy. He said he would give it one more try and then she was born. Times Square was cool but I did not feel sad leaving. New York overall has been disappointing and so I did not feel any attachment to the city. I was happy to have one last day in the city and I would not be suprised if it is my last.

Quit my job/Back on the road

Well that was short. I quit my job in NY. The company was making cuts and rather than be the next one on the chopping block I decided to leave. Ches and I pack up our things (he left also) and decided to head back down south. Where the grass is greener, the people are friendlier, and the sky is not cloudy all day. With last pay checks in hand we rented a mini van, boxed up our things, and set a course for N.Y.C, Philly, D.C., The Virgina Highlands, and finally in Tennessee.I have to say it is kinda a humbling experience moving home from New York, the world capital of business, after only two months of work with little more than the little pay I received. I was surprisingly happy with the situation. I have a whole new found respect for my way of life and I'm glad to have seen the things I did. So with that we set off. First stop Philly.

New York, New York

So I have been in NY for three weeks now. I like it. The weather is something to get used to but I'm not bothered by it. I got snow boots and a nice fleece and they work well. Most of the time I spend working. My company is super cool. Everyone is real young. The CEO and COO are mid 30's. There is a real energy and drive that you can feel in everything. The company is not as developed as some other so I get to have my hand in a little of everything. People actually come to me for things that are going to affect the company's development. Last week I designed an advertisement that is going to appear on movie screens before the movie comes on. Before that I was working with HR files for the entire company. I really enjoy the variety. There is never a boring day. After my first week the owner bought me a battery for my laptop without batting an eyelash. That was almost 200 bucks. The next day he paid to send me to NYC and meet the Doctors at 4 dental practice plus lunch plus spending money. He said I did really well and I'm going to go back to the city to interview each Dr. and put their profile on the website. It don't get much better than that. Now if I can just get a 401K going I will really be doing well.

Snow Day

It snowed today. The street and road was lined with snow. It was really pretty. Walking down the street my coat turned for navy blue to white. While I was walking I was thinking how much I liked the cold. I hope I still like the cold weather after winter is over. The snow slows things down. I wished I had a camera to take some photos.

Belly Dance

Tonight I saw something really cool. Zen took me to this lounge/bar that has belly dancers. I have never seen this in person before so I was really excited. After waiting for 30 minutes the girls finally came out. There were two girls. They are only average looking but they really could move. The outfits really helped exaggerate their moves. They danced around to a mix of middle eastern and hip hop and Latin music. I really had a good time and I think we are going to go back next week and get some good pictures. The people tell me that on good nights the girls dance on the bars and the whole place joins in. That should be a sight to see. Interesting side note: to tip the girls people walk up to them and "make it rain" and it is considered normal. Apparently that is the way these girls are always tipped. It was interesting to see girls stand next to belly dancers in a bar in Houston and make it rain. One guy even threw every dollar directly in the face of the girl like a dart board.

Tango List Final

So the trip is over. There are some things I did not manage to do. I never sent the post cards that I wrote, I did not get to visit every city in Argentina, I missed going to Uruguay, I still have not skydived (do to financial reasons). With everything I missed I learned a lot along the way. Setting goals is good. Writing about the things you do makes them that much better. The most important lesson I have gained from everything is that you must keep the sense of adventure alive in yourself. No one is going to take you out there you have to get out there and do it yourself. That is what makes a place yours. For now on I have a new perspective that I am going to take with me to New York. I'm going to approach every place like I did Argentina - with an adventure's spirit. After all what makes an adventure is not what you do - it is the attitude you approach it with. Happy Trails!