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• What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Oh, nothing; just moved on the completely opposite side of the country from the state I’d lived in my entire life before that point.
• Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
• Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.
• What would you like to have in 2008 that you didn’t have in 2007?
More balance. I do almost nothing but prepare for work, work, or study/research for work. I’m cool with that now as I love what I do and the company I do it for, but if I had a hobby to fill in the gaps, all the better.
• What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
August 1st, without a doubt. I woke up at a Holiday Inn in Winslow, Arizona, after two full days of driving across the country by myself. After leaving there that day, I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time (a truly awesome experience), feared for my life while driving through a fierce monsoon rainstorm in the Mojave Desert, and drove into the driveway of my new home, and life, in Los Angeles. Upon arriving, I immediately received a call from my boss’ boss and went to a work outing, indicative of how the next few months would go and how my focus shifted in just a few days’ time.
• What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting the balls to completely shake up my life. I moved from Georgia to Los Angeles, previously surrounded by familiarity, people that loved me, and in a completely safe position in all regards. Which only means I felt stagnant, which I loathe. It only took me 30 minutes to decide to make the biggest change of my life way back in May; I drove 2,500 miles away from what I’d known for 23 years to see what I could do on my own.
• What was your biggest failure?
Not honoring those close to me before my move and giving all of them the time they deserved before I moved; also, not saying what I should’ve to a few before leaving. It was a whirlwind.
• Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope! My immune system only fears kryptonite. Which is nice, because it’s fictional.
• What was the best thing you bought?
Drinks for all of my friends before I left. Honestly. Times spent there can’t trump what few material possessions I’ve gathered over the past 12 months.
• Whose behavior merited celebration?
My father’s. He took the news of me moving in stride, never wavering in level-headed advice.
• Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Certain people who have stopped speaking to me since I announced my intentions to move to L.A., usually after a raging fight. It was manipulative, sure, but I’m still sad it ended up that way.
• Where did most of your money go?
In the first half of the year, spending as much time as I could with friends in Athens. In the latter half of the year, dealing with the system-shock that is L.A. living expenses.
• What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving across the country. Also got me really, really, really scared shitless.
• What song will always remind you of 2007?
I Don’t Love You by My Chemical Romance. This album is far and away my most-listened album of 2007; plus, this particular song echoed the response I got from a few people over the news of my move. Dagnabbit.
• Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Happier, if only out of pure wide-eyed ignorance. I’m excited and nervous about living here, which for me translates into being at least satisfied.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
About the same. We’ll see how the next gym blitz goes.
iii. Richer or poorer?
Richer.
• What do you wish you’d done more of?
Keeping in touch with old friends.
• What do you wish you’d done less of?
Getting so worked up about my job. I don’t mind how much time and effort I spend on it, but wrapping it into my over-arching mood might prove a tad bit unhealthy down the line somewhere.
• How will you be spending Christmas?
I have no idea. To me, it’s just another day, especially without the draw of family within drivable distances.
• Did you fall in love in 2007?
Almost in the beginning of the year, not so much the rest of it. Haven’t figured out these California women yet, you see.
• What was the best book you read?
Damn, I’m a nerd. Code Complete. It showed me that even something as nebulous as software engineering and design can have systematically applied metrics and returns.
• What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Drive-By Truckers, freakin’ finally. They’re an Athens band that I’d been exposed to for all the years I’d lived there, but the first time I listened to all the albums straight through was when I was driving across the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona. Freaky stuff in that environment sometimes, but I loved it. I regret not doing it, you know, before leaving Athens.
• What did you want and get?
A change large enough to re-evaluate all aspects of my life.
• What did you want and not get?
Global domination? No…I suppose what I didn’t get was an overly compelling reason to stay where I was. No offense, Georgia peeps!
• What was your favorite film of this year?
No Country for Old Men. Masterpiece.
• What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I turned 24. I can’t even remember what I did. I think I went out with my roommates for a drink or two. Work night, you see.
• What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Convincing more Georgia friends to fly out here to see me.
• How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Hah, funny; I had to switch from the informal dress code of the Athens office to the (slightly) more formal code of the California office; which meant less shorts and flip-flops, really. Nothing huge.
• What kept you sane?
What always does: keeping myself so far beyond busy that I don’t have the chance to ponder insanity.
• Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Ron Paul!
• What political issue stirred you the most?
I’m incredibly political, and not in the mindset of one of the major political parties, so all political issues stir me something awful.
• Who did you miss?
Absolutely everyone. All the old work people, the Cutters crowd, Jenna, Lori, Brockman, Katie M., the fraternity, everyone. I’d say I miss you, Katie L., but we only ever talk over e-mail anyway.
• Who was the best new person you met?
Oh, hell. I’m probably missing something obvious here, but so much of my time has been spent focusing on people I already knew this year that I didn’t have much time to focus on those I didn’t know yet.
• Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Sometimes, it’s good to take on the unknown, forget about being comfortable, and just do something new, no matter how many people tell you you’re insane.
• Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Oh, screw that; I’ll give you stanzas.
Well I got that green light baby
I got to keep movin’ on
Well I got that green light baby
I got to keep movin’ on
Well I might go out to California
Might go down to Georgia
I don’t know

Well, I dig you Georgia peaches
Makes me feel right at home
Well now, I dig you Georgia peaches
Makes me feel right at home
But I don’t love me no one, woman
So I can’t stay in Georgia long

Well now, they call me the breeze
I keep blowin’ down the road
Well now, they call me the breeze
I keep blowin’ down the road
I ain’t got me nobody
I don’t carry me no load
Oh, Mister Breeze
- Lynyrd Skynyrd

HOOAH. Good evening, unfaithful readers. Or, good night, depending on your time zone. Still have to get used to that. Know why I suck at calling everyone back? I don’t think about it until 8-9 out here, at which point I figure you don’t want to hear from me while you’re trying to go to sleep. Apologies.

As for me, things are swell. The weather went from scorching to absolutely beautiful in the span of just a couple of days. Think of a crisp, mild, unhumid fall day if you’re from the south, and that’s what it’s like most of the time now. I hope it continues, and the natives assure me it’s the case. Half of them blame me for “bringing my weather with me” as it is, so now I get to prove that despite my powers, I still can’t control the weather. I’m getting out a little bit more, with my roommate from Georgia and myself finding a place near UCLA that shows the Dawgs game every Saturday. For the South Carolina game, there were a good 100 people or so, a lot of them having just moved out from the wonderful city of Athens, Georgia. I miss it, and Saturdays feel a little bit closer to home. After the game on Saturday (which, by the way, are far too early out here) we ended up hitting Westwood and Santa Monica. Fun place, a far cry from the suburbia I live in around in Woodland Hills. I might just have to make a place like that my next locale staying out here. Despite it all, everything you’d want to do is only 20-30 minutes away, from Hollywood to Santa Monica to Malibu to where my office is. I’m in a good location, methinks.

I miss Cracker Barrel, Athens streets, Cutters, and everyone, but I’m still happy about the move. It’s been a good change for me. Now all I need is for everyone to come visit.

Over and out,

cb

P.S….I bought a pool table. Bwahahaha.

It’s been about a month now, I suppose. And still nothing huge to report. It’s crunch time at work, and I came out here to work, so work is the name of the game. Although it’s freaking hot here. Not humid-hot, thank God, but just desert-hot. Which is bad in itself.

At least the Dawgs game is this weekend. Yay ESPN2!

What, exactly, do people feed the service workers out here? I’ve never met nicer people than the workers at grocery stores and restaurants. It’s almost creepy.

Another day, another 700 miles. I woke up this morning at 6:15 or so local time and was on the road fifteen minutes later. Everything before today was nice, with rolling countryside. But I’d seen most of that before. Not like today.

Texas was flatter than Oklahoma, at least on I-40, and for the first time I could see into the horizon in all directions. It’s a gorgeous state, and I hope to go back and explore further someday. New Mexico and Arizona seem like they belong in another world. I’d seen pictures but never figured I’d see the landscape up-close, but today was incredible for driving. I snapped about 200 pictures from my car on the drive, almost killing myself a half-dozen times gawking at the sights while doing 90 down the freeway (hey, the speed limit’s 75!). The road was flat and straight, and I got some good music-listenin’ time in. I even saw a dust devil…but only a small one, not a storm-produced one.
Albuquerque was the only bad part of the drive because of the road conditions; like yesterday, my car type proved to be an amusement ride in itself. I’m going through the city, doing 80 like everyone else, and I see three warning signs one after another:

• CAUTION: SEVERE CROSSWINDS
• WARNING: STEEP DOWNGRADES AND SHARP TURNS, NEXT SIX MILES
• GROOVED ROADS, USE CAUTION

Oh, wonderful. So thus starts another ten-minute rollercoaster ride down the other side of the mountain, all the while surrounded by semis. I about got pushed off the road from the crosswinds, plus the grooves tried to pull my car in unexpected directions anytime my wheels caught. And the lane was really worn down in the path most cars take: you know the kiddie go-kart rides where there’s a steel beam in between the wheels to keep them going off-course? It’s like that, only that it’s not a reliable guide. That plus the grooves nearly made that stretch of road turn into Bumper Cars.

I only made it to Winslow, Arizona today. Name ring a bell? Look at the title of this post. If that still doesn’t click for you, go here.

Anyway. I was trying to push for Flagstaff, especially after Ken’s suggestion of the observatory. But! Did you know there’s a North American monsoon season? Well, I’m smack-dab in the middle of it, both time-wise and location-wise. I could see the weather for what seemed like hundreds of miles ahead, and lemme tell ya, I wasn’t about to fark around with that after yesterday’s harrowing driving-in-the-rain experience. Somewhere around Chambers I just decided to gun it and see how far I could get; a quick lookup on the BlackBerry showed a flash flood warning in effect for Flagstaff, and the clouds looked like it, so I just stopped. It’ll probably work out better this way, because…

…tomorrow’s my last day of driving! I hope. I’m going to get up early and check out Meteor Crater as soon as they open between here and Flagstaff, and then head up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon immediately afterwards. From there I’ll haul ass back to I-40 and get to Kingman, where I’ll check the weather and decide if I want to head north and check out the Hoover Dam or just plow through straight to my new home.