Road Maps are a thing of the past....

When I was little and my parents decided to undergo the huge hassle that is a road trip with 12 kids ages seventeen and under there was a definite pecking order. Whoever had to sit in the very back seat of the van was both blessed and cursed, the air conditioning didn't really reach that far, but whoever was back there could hold up signs to the following semi trucks like "honk if you like broccoli" something that never failed to amuse for some reason. The next seat up was the best, right by the huge creaky air conditioning vent. Normally my older and younger sister and I sat there, keeping a bottle of water in the cool air and trying to ignore my brothers kicking the back of the seat. The next bench seat was full of car seats, with one small island of a seat for whoever was in charge of toys, teethers and random half gnawed graham crackers. Either my mother or one of us girls always sat here, and whenever my mother landed in the seat the best seat of all was up for grabs: the shotgun seat. Right by my fathers seat (of course, he was the only one to drive) high up and looking down on the road this seat boasted a great view, its own cup holder AND map reading privileges. My father hated asking for directions, which was one of the first things I learned about men. There was always a tidy heap of road maps, stretching from TN to MA piled on the floor by his seat. Whoever sat by him was always armed with one of these maps and had to be ready to predict upcoming exits, fish out change from the console for tolls, and help decide where to stop for dinner. Sitting in the front seat was an honor, and a terror. You never knew when my dad would decide to take a road or exit that just "looked intriguing" and then it was up to you to follow the little squiggly off road and try and figure out where we were going, and how to get back out.

I hadn't thought about these long summer road trips in years, until changes in my own life brought them up. My lease is almost up, my job is petering out, and I have to take a semester off school for reason upon reason. I started job hunting on Monster, Craigslist and the local Chattanooga Free Press classified ads. But then I started wondering, maybe it was time to take some back roads, or even hit the interstate. I started flicking through Craigslist in Toronto, Seattle, Isreal, Boston, DC. . . Craigslist offers the convenience of either google or yahoo mapping each posting, allowing you to look at street views, search nearby and get a general feel for the area. When I found myself traveling down a street in Boston with a click of my mouse, admiring an old stone wall I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen anything like this since those days in the big front seat. I went on search.twitter.com to see what people in each are were talking about, found some exciting jobs (grocery shopper? german bakery?) and imagined horizons expanding in front of me.

There are so many great programs and tools available on the internet today. In NY you can order groceries online, arrange to have laundry done online, hire a cleaning service, rent movies and meet potential loves online. The need to leave home isn't even there if you can work from home, get direct deposit and can handle never seeing the sky. This used to be something people branded the "nerd" or "geek" faction with, the ability to live all of life through something like a computer. I was thinking about all of this, and remembering how cramped and smelly that van got after a few hours. It would be safer to stay in and interact through the sheild of a screen. But as I moused further down that lovely Boston street I couldnt help but feel something like my father surely did when he saw an interesting back street.

Summer is a great time to branch out. Starting with something small, a student job just for experience, a road trip to some beautiful national monument or park (I suggest this http://tinyurl.com/qzmjg7) or even just a google "walk" down some distant street, but get out there! Try something new!

As for me, my lease is up in a month. My razzle-dazzle resume (see earlier post) is headed all over the country. Time for a change is here, and I will go with it.
I will keep you posted!

"Since we last spoke, you have become infinitely more interesting....or is that just your iPhone?" (Via Twitter)

Well, its been a long time! I hope you all missed me, but in all honesty I haven't had time to miss you. My last post was in August of last year, and so much has happened since then. Times change, friends and technologies evolve, but school never ends! Still, my times at Chattanooga State helped me navigate through the halls of even higher learning, and I am now a Senior at UTC. And here it is, summer of '09 and I am back to my beloved Chattanooga State Augusta R. Kolwyck library, working with some of the most talented and entertaining people in the world!

This is going to be a great summer, full of new adventures and stories. I am still addicted to all things Twitter, Facebook and txting, with the new perspectives time brings.

Since we last spoke I have deleted my Myspace (why did that take me so long?) written an article for the UTC Echo on Twitter (http://bit.ly/kTLC9) and worked for the UTC Fine Arts Center/Theater sewing costumes for two semesters of incredible plays and musicals, including Little Shop of Horrors, Recent Tragic Events, Enemy of the People and PEACE by Aristophanes, an adaptation of a classic Greek comedy.

Working in the theater was a great look into a different facet of literature, one that is not only read but vocally and physically expressed. I still enjoy settling down with a good book or three, but the cultural and interactive aspects of theater have enriched my outlook. Working in the quiet and sunny sewing gallery at UTC, sewing anything from victorian-esque Russian woolen morning dresses, to a sock-puppet "Joyce Carol Oates" to silvery pink metallic snakeskin doo-wop dresses kept my hands busy and my mind free to ponder.

Nobody can deny that this last year, these last semesters have been times of extreme change and impact on everyone. November of last year, and the events leading up to the election of our President were exciting times at UTC, demonstrations, campaigning and finally the real feeling of celebration (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxWjZZ5tkx4) on campus, both election and inauguration days. I really felt grateful to be student then, as history was made and dedicated in my own life and the life of my country.

Finals weeks were another great part of my school year, the UTC library keeps it's doors open for 24 hours during finals weeks, as crowds of students packed up their notes, books and red bulls and headed to the library for crunch time. I spent many great nights with my friends, quizzing each other on Shakespeare quotes, slapping together last minute art projects, pooling our change for a huge pepperoni pizza and wasting a lot of time on Facebook.

With finals finally (lol) over and my books sold back to the store so I could pay my parking tickets, my summer stretches out before me. I am working for Convergys here in Chattanooga, on the DirecTV project, changing the world one subscription to HBO at a time, but I really wanted to come back here, to where I am typing this now, my beloved Chatt State Library.

You will hear from me again soon! Less rambling next time I promise :)

so glad to be back....
Hana Grace