the challenge

The players: Peter, Laura, me.  There might be others… in Atlanta.  

Why am I playing this game from NYC? 

Objective: The first to get a boyfriend/girlfriend wins.

Reason: The three of us are somewhat tired of being single.  Plus, Peter thinks almost everything is a competition – so this is our way of playing into that strange part of his brain.

Prize: A significant other.  And bragging rights – if you’re actually jerkish enough to brag. 

I’m not really sure how I got pushed into this competition; I wasn’t an original player.  This was strictly an Atlanta initiative.  Unforutnately, since I’m oddly connected to Peter’s Atlanta posse (just because I know them), I was dragged into this game during my visit.  

If Peter and Laura really wanted me to feel like crap, they’d just date each other and call it a day.  There’s no way Peter and I could date each other, for a variety of reasons.  Laura doesn’t have to worry about that. 

The game just can’t be that easy.

act 3: _______

When I first thought about this “weekend-in-three-acts” thing, I thought I had the three acts all planned out. Unfortunately, act 3 (which I’ve been trying to write for about 20 minutes) never amounted to anything informative, so I decided to delete it.

So, in it’s place I’m going to write about something else: what’s next after NYC?

I’ve been on the East Coast my entire life – except for those times I briefly left the area. I’m a fan of this side of the States. Aside from the insane humidity over the summer and the growing inconsistency of the seasons, it works for me. I started in New York City, moved to Roanoke, spent some time in Charlottesville, and then DC/College Park – and now I’m back in the Big Apple.

After my stint in NYC (maybe 2-3 years), it will be time for a more drastic change. Chicago? Atlanta?

But here’s my problem: I don’t know much about what this “glorious” country has to offer. It’s not mandatory that I live in one of those big major cities. I just don’t know how to pick up and move somewhere. How do people end up in those smaller cities and random suburbs?

That said, I don’t think I’m anywhere close to “settling”. For starters, I’m still single. I have nothing holding me down (well, besides my sanity). Second, not only do I have 90% of this country left to see – I have so much of the world to visit!

I better get to livin’… (sorry about the Dolly Parton reference)

*** Side note: spending time in Atlanta this past weekend got me thinking about where I could see myself after NYC. I like Atlanta. It’s nothing like DC (which is nice), it’s much cleaner than NYC (also nice) and it’s warmer than both places (bonus points).

Atlanta and me

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a week-long seminar on Poverty and Prosperity (run by the Institute of Humane Studies) at Georgia Tech.

I’m a nerd awesome. Don’t hate. I’m just trying to save the world.

Anyways, it was a lovely time. Besides the fact that the seminar room was a steady 50 degrees every day, the food we ate was 100 times worse than any cafeteria food I’d ever eaten, and I didn’t really learn many new ideas, I’m really glad I decided to go. At the very least, I got to see my good friend Peter, who I hadn’t seen since January. That was a good time.

I made a lot of new friends (my facebook friend count went up 457 to 474) – many of whom were international students. It was a little weird being in the minority as an American, but it was welcomed. I learned a ton from my new buddies.

Luckily, I didn’t spend all week sitting in lectures – they gave us an afternoon to explore Atlanta (which wasn’t nearly enough time). Of course, I made it into a photo adventure.

Of course we went to the World of Coca-Cola. I’d been there before, but it was still a new experience.

Doesn’t it look like she’s flicking someone off? She’s probably saying, “F you; drink coke.” Anyway, I thought it was funny enough to take a picture of.

Yes, that is a picture of the “adorable” Coca-Cola bear eating my head. That thing was frightening – and its teeth kinda hurt. I should sue Coca-Cola for that insanity.

Worst. Drink. Ever. I hope whoever concocted Italy’s Beverly was immediately fired and punched in the face.

The Coke museum was the extent of my photo adventure. Oh well.

Now I’m back in Connecticut with one more full day of freedom before I become a working adult. It’s nice to have a life with purpose again.