New Location

So I heard through the grape vine that people were having trouble following and/or responding to this blog, so I will be moving it to a new site (one that does not require an account for a comment like Google currently does). Here everyone should be able to subscribe without trouble and leave a comment just by using a Nickname and their normal email address (makes sure you are not a robot).

The new address is uubooker.wordpress.com, and is the same Blog name...look it up and leave a comment!

Haircut

So I succeeded in finding one of the only places left in the area (northern Atlanta at least) that still does straight razor shaves, even integrated into the haircut. I am a fan! The hot lather, the amazing delicacy of touch from a hand that just minutes before was wrenching my head around with a comb, and I am pretty sure the back of my neck has never been smoother. And all for less than $20. I think I'll have my hair cut more often!

Fall and Such

Hey ya'll, sorry its been so long since my last post! It has been busy trying to balance midterms and assignments for 10 different classes, to say the least. Just a quick post to say that we are entering week 9 of 10 and will be taking finals in week 11...exciting! Only 3 tests this week, a couple the next, then a boatload for finals...so much to look forward to! But on the bright side, I'll have 3 weeks over the break to do absolutely nothing (except review anatomy, metabolism and physiology so I have a headstart on next quarter); should be fun!

I'll hopefully be posting some pictures of Lights of Life soon (so nice in the evenings on campus now!) but here are some outdated pictures showing the beautiful colors of fall on campus!

Week 4, First Round of Midterms

Took three midterms this week (Anatomy and Physiology, Basic Public Health, Healthcare Terminology) and I am proud to say I am 3/3 with A's. Lets see if I can't keep that up the next 6 weeks and pull off a 4.0 for first quarter! It's crazy but studying actually helps...weird. In other news, been doing a lot of driving around the city and I have come to a few conclusions:

1. California drivers may be jerks, but Georgia drivers are RETARDED CRAZY. Seriously, there is not a day that goes by that I don't see someone almost cause a wreck.

2. Atlanta traffic is some of the worst I have ever seen. It doesn't matter what road you are on, it seems that it is stopped between 6am-10pm (including weekends!). Add crazy drivers (and a complete disregard for driving safety) and you have a fun obstacle course.

3. The $5 million shacks are all located in the hills and there are a surprising number of them that look like normal families live there (cheesy Halloween decorations and poorly made political signs on the lawn).

4. Did I mention drivers in Atlanta are a danger to the public health? Oh, I did.

When 2 miles isn't enough...

...6 will have to do! Just finished a quick (90 minute) jaunt through God's backyard (Kennesaw Mountain). Only had a couple hours to kill before I had a study date with the library, so I took off on the trail toward the top, only to find that in 20 minutes I was there! With spare time and knowing I could make it, I went ahead and cruised the rest of the way down and around the small mountain for a great mid-morning hike in some great fall weather (40-45 F). Here are a couple choice pictures from the trip:

The first rest bench was only a few hundred feet in. The trail was rather busy with joggers down to casual walkers.

Now this is what I was looking for, a bit of elevation! In total there is about 600 ft gain, mostly covered under 1 mile.

Cheater's way up. Costs $2 to cut out 1 mile of moderately steep trail.

Paved trail from the bus stop up to the top.

Downtown Atlanta on the horizon, bout 20 miles away.

One of the MANY battlements on the top of both peaks. One of the decisive battles for Atlanta took place here.

FINALLY some familiar terrain! Only lasted about 50 feet though.

A fun little decent down, took it at scramble speed to test out my new trail runners - they passed!

Country road, take me home...

Willing to bet Dad would stop and try to catch a fish here...

I want THAT house.

Open battlefield next to the Visitor's Center. Earlier I could hear a KABOOM and the cheering and giggling of kids watching a cannon reenactment at this field.

Week 2 Update

Its been a crazy 10 days of class. Well, not too crazy, but definitely hectic. Trying to stay attentive, much less awake, for 12 hours at a time with only a short lunch break (10 hours of sitting in class) is a stretch for the best of us, but we get to do it every Tuesday and Thursday! Balancing 12 classes at once is definitely a challenge, but studying early and often helps to keep them under control.

Also on a positive note, this weekend is our homecoming, and the event that falls on that weekend is Lyceum, one of the largest and most diverse stages for modern Chiropractic. Another plus is that classes are cancelled from noon Thursday through the rest of the weekend, so we get a small respite for the weekend, though we must attend at least a few of the various seminars :-). Which, I might add, I am actually VERY excited about, as many of these speakers you would normally pay loads to go see, while the university brings them right to us and then requires we go see them. Sounds like a good deal to me! I don't know that I'll make it to any of the 7am seminars, but it looks like my weekend will be full of speakers and free lunches. Sweet!

Orientation is over!

So glad on one hand, but on the other sad that I won't be forced to work with a group of relative strangers on balancing on a 2x4 while blindfolded...but with that said, I met some great people and am totally looking forward to 9am class Monday!

On a related note, I just paid my first month's rent in Georgia, so now I'm here to stay!

Classes Start Monday!

Can't wait! My schedule includes Biochemistry, Anatomy & Physiology, Intro to Business Principles, Histology, Osteology, Embryology, Clinic Experience, Intro Seminar, Basic Public Health and Healthcare Terminology. Yep, ten different classes (with an extra orientation class online!). I'll be in class approx. 26 hours a week and will probably spend twice that outside studying. Think of me as a monk in a secluded monastery...set on the outskirts of metro Atlanta...ok, so maybe not the best analogy, but you get the picture! If you have any study tips be sure to leave a comment and I'll take them for a spin!

PS If you read this blog regularly (or at least as regularly as I post to it) please become a follower/subscribe! Seeing comments and people following along gives me much more incentive to post regularly (and not just you, MOM :-P )

Almost there...

I've got everything pretty much settled as much as possible (paycheck issues means I don't have a desk and therefore no office yet, as well as lighting and storage) and here are some pictures to prove it!

My settled living room (for now). No more boxes!

The view out my living room blinds and off the screened porch. A little forest just for me (with a road and more apartments just behind the small creek that runs through them).

The view out my bedroom windows (three tall ones! though not much light makes it in) is the same patch of trees and small creek from the porch.

One of the MANY picnic areas around the complex,

complete with gazebo, picnic table and BBQ stand

I'll try to post more often this week as I get more things moved around and get started with Orientation. Thanks for all the prayers and support with the move!

Moving In

Well I have arrived and am making this place into my home. I was able to unload the entire truck, with no help, in about two hours. To say the least, I am tired! So far I have the kitchen completely unpacked and organized and have made progress on the living room and bathroom. I will set the master bed later tonight before turning in, but I figured I would upload these pictures for your entertainment first!

Dished that I decided need washing, and

yes Amanda, that is your microwave :-)

One of the dishes...we had a stowaway! Non-native species!

Please don't call Georgia Dept. of Ag on me :-(

Cozy little breakfast nook.

Only the essentials. Now this is home!

Dinner, and probably breakfast/lunch

tomorrow, of champions.

My awesome dining set (thanks Papa and Nora!)

and sweet storage wall.

My dark but very comfortable seating,

looking at an empty wall.

Not sure how I'm gonna store these for a later move,

for now I will build abstract sculpure with them.

Hope you enjoyed these, and check back tomorrow for the amazing view from my porch and bedrooms!

Some views from the drive...

Sorry these are a little late, but I wasn't able to upload and post these the last couple nights...so here they are!

Just outside Groom, Texas a man decided to build the largest cross in the western hemisphere.

So he did. And you can see it from miles away. Perfect site on a crisp Sunday morning!

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Simple Enough.

The tomb of Ramseys-Smith the XIII. Actually I have

no idea why there is a pyramid in Memphis, but there is.

This was my view through Eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Northern Georgia. Pretty, but kinda boring.

Then these shear rock walls would pop out, giving a hint as to what the crust looks like here. Later on I passed a wall that was recently blasted and could see each drilling hole from the top to the roadway. Pretty cool.

All in all it was a beautiful drive from the desert of California to the familiar alpine forests of northern Arizona, to the high desert and canyons of New Mexico to the rolling plains of Texas, to the scattered woodland of Oklahoma and the swamps of Arkansas, and finally the densely wooded corridors of Tennessee and Georgia. Some day I hope I can retrace route 66 and actually enjoy the sites!

7 States Later...

...I am finally in Marietta, Georgia. Just settling in for takeout chinese and a good night sleep before moving in tomorrow morning. Plenty of great pictures to come as well as a few highlights from the trip tomorrow, once I have internet set up in the evening.

Leaving Little Rock

Sorry that I didn't post last night, and I do have some great pictures to share from the drive across Texas and through the Ozarks, but those will have to wait till tomorrow night. For now I get on the road and am seriously considering altering my route to the north so I avoid the rain that is hovering over Birmingham and I-20. Not too much better up on stateline, but not as heavy or persistent. Either way it looks like I'm screwed once I reach Atlanta, though so far Marietta/Cobb County doesn't look as bad as some other areas. Wish me luck, and if you have any updated information after this post call me so I can stay up to date on the road!

Deep in the Heart of Texas...

More rock and dirt today, but at least in New Mexico there is a sprinkling of rose and red to the ground. Only two days and a thousand miles away, but California can bite me. I havn't paid more than $2.50 for a gallon of gas since leaving the state, and the speed limit (truck, trailer or car, they don't discriminate out here) is 75 mph. Yes, big rigs cruising at 75 mph. And the scary thing is, they actually ride and handle better (with little/no change in mileage) up above 60 (at least my truck did!).

Now its time for a day of rest and relaxation before the final push to Atlanta, though I'm still wondering if I ought to look into a boat to get me through Alabama (or maybe just route around through Tennessee).

This is what I get to look forward to Sunday - more flat and rolling plains. The fun part is, time either passes really fast (towns pop out of nowhere because there is no noticeable change in scenery) or time goes really slow (cause there is no noticeable change in scenery). Great. On the plus side, the midwest does have some of the most beautiful skies in the country, so that is nice if I ever look up from the white lines.

Day One Down

Well my legs are sore, my cheeks are numb, and I am beat tired, but I guess thats what 13 hours in the driver seat with only 3 stops does to ya. I think I saw more colors of brown and configurations of dirt and rock today than I ever really needed to see, and to top it off got washed off with a summer shower while coming through Winslow, AZ. Next stop Canyon, TX for a day and a couple nights relaxation with my mother's family, then off to the flooded south (too bad Penske didn't rent boats, I think it would do me more good once I'm past Texas!).

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go...

...truck is loaded, car is strapped down, and I have only 4 hours left in which to sleep. Tomorrow should be almost 14 hours on the road. This is going to be fun.

A lil way...

...to keep ya'll updated with everything that is changing in my life. I'll try and keep then updated at least weekly with news and events from the big move from California out to Georgia as well as how pursuing my Doctor of Chiropractic at Life University, and anything else really cool I think my friends and family should know about! Bookmark it, subcribe to it, or just check it anytime you think of me!