Take two...

Well, my first blog attempt was a failure. In the time since my last blog I have lived 5 different places and encountered many life changing people/events. A brief recap of this, with more to follow when it lends itself to the topic of the day.

While awaiting the end of my non-compete agreement in Albany, NY, I had encounters with several girls. Some were horrible, some were good. I worked at Diamond 8 Billiards, where I tended bar, repaired cues, and manned the front counter. Good times. I was told that I was WAY overqualified for the job. I agreed, but told the owner that it would be more for amusement and a supplemental income than as a career. So that went really well. Lots of drunken karaoke.

I managed to do some projects that were based out of Washington, D.C. that took me out of the country.

I am now living in Franklin, TN. Being just outside Nashville is not what I envisioned for myself, but it was a good offer. Jack Barnett invited me to join him at American Bank Note Company. It is a large security printing company and also happens to own the world's largest plastic card manufacturer. I really like the work. My first big project was managing the production of the credentials for the Democratic National Convention. That project went really well. They invited me out to the convention in Denver.

I started living in the area between Brentwood and Antioch, TN. This was a less than desirable location, living with two losers in their late 30's. After a month, I moved to Franklin. I was living with Daniel(21) and Nick(19). They were OK, but not great to live with. I may not be much past that age, but those few years have made a huge difference in maturity and hygiene. Two and a half months later, Barbara, Daniel's mother told me that I had to leave. She got kicked out of her house by her husband of 5 months and had no money and nowhere to live. She moved in with us, which is against the lease that we had signed. Then I had two weeks to find a place to live. I moved in with my friends Jeremy and Jessica a few doors down for the month of July.

Barbara, known amongst my circle as CB, manages to destroy or discard $300 worth of my property during the process of me moving out. She gave me my security deposit back, but refuses to compensate me for any of the rest of my stuff. She also refuses to talk to me about it because she claims that she cannot have any stress in her life due to having had cancer. Typical CB BS. The chemotherapy got the cancer, so she doesn't have it anymore. Plus, she uses that as an excuse for EVERYTHING. "I can't provide you with a copy of the utility bills because I have cancer." Seriously? Whatever. She is one of those people who always has to be the victim and has come off as a worse person for dealing with her hardship. After seeing so many people face cancer head-on and become such better people, it is a shame to see someone like her who uses it as a crutch, an excuse, and as a trump card when she doesn't have a reasonable explanation for her horrible behavior. Needless to say, I am taking her to small claims court.

Now I live with my wonderful friend Melissa DeWitt! She totally rocks. We still live in Franklin. She went to culinary arts school, so she can relate to the foodie in me and help me take that appreciation to new levels. I am reciprocating by teaching her about tea! She is 6 months younger than me and we can really relate to each other. It is so surreal having a good roommate. I'm not going to complain about it though, I just plan to enjoy every minute of it!