Outlets From The Matrix
I'm Plugged in and the Ball is.... Rolling in Atlanta.
On Top of Crowders
Having been working in the matrix (what most people call the 'real world') for about 3 1/2 weeks now, I have done pretty well, yet I have searched and found outlets. Don't get me wrong: work is good, work is great, but outlets make it very much better. For those of you who have not already seen the movie classic, The Matrix, well, I guess you're just gonna have to see it.
Outlet # 1: You can call me the newest member of Atlanta Pipe Band! I came to practice on Thursday night, saw an incredible conglomerate of over 50 bagpipers and about 15 drummers at 3 different grade levels. They have competition pipe & drum bands in levels 3, 4, and 5, on a 1-5 scale where 1 is the highest. They put me in their grade 4 band and gave me a nice size stack of music to learn. It's been an enjoyable time "back to the drawing boards" so to speak with hard bagpipe practice on a daily basis. Thank God I have some awesome roommates that have yet to complain about all my playing.
An aside, right after bagpipe practice every Thursday night a good bit of the band members go to Mo's Pizza Tavern, not far from where the practice is. Of course, I went there last Thursday and had an incredible time hanging out with and getting to know some of the members. Just at my table alone was the Pipe Major, John Recknagel (an 'Open' status Piper, aka the best of the best), a 23 year-old piper from 78th Highlanders in Nova Scotia, a grade 1 player, and a student of P/M Recknagel's, who had won gold in competition after only a few years of playing the bagpipes. Two nights later I met the Canadian and one of the band's drummers (a Northern Irish American himself) out for my first real night on this hopping town called Atlanta. We had a great time in which we watched another drummer from the band play with his punk rock band and rock the house down. In this experience I also met a bunch of other people, but that's another story...
Outlet #2: The Roundtable Discussions. Let me tell you, my roommates and I have some hilarious conversations at "the roundtable" in the dining room of the house where I live. Most of the time we're laughing, but also a good bit of the time we're talking about all kinds of interesting topics that we never fail to get deeply into discussing, with no boundaries. It is a place where independent thinkers go and sharpen the minds of those around them, all-the-while sharpening his own and decompressing after a long day's work.
Outlet #3: Lake Berkeley Chapel. This is my new-found place where I get to go to church and worship the Lord. It is located right on a beautiful lake about 10-15 minutes from where I live. I saw it while I was searching for a place to live a few weeks ago and had to go back. As soon as I get pictures of it I will post them.
Outlet #4: Adventures... with a camera. Yep, I got a very nice used digital camera on Craigslist for $15 bucks and I've finally got some photos for you!!! They are from my journey to Charlotte 2 weekends ago, when I climbed Crowder's Mountain on the way back. I stayed with Julie Sawyer and her kids for a night (I bought the kids some sparklers to burn at the local fireworks store) and with David Johnson, the author/photographer of 'Voices of Sudan' the next night. (Every last one of you should click on there and buy his book. It will save lives.)
That's enough outlets for now.
Unplugging,
~ Nate
On Top of Crowders
Having been working in the matrix (what most people call the 'real world') for about 3 1/2 weeks now, I have done pretty well, yet I have searched and found outlets. Don't get me wrong: work is good, work is great, but outlets make it very much better. For those of you who have not already seen the movie classic, The Matrix, well, I guess you're just gonna have to see it.
Outlet # 1: You can call me the newest member of Atlanta Pipe Band! I came to practice on Thursday night, saw an incredible conglomerate of over 50 bagpipers and about 15 drummers at 3 different grade levels. They have competition pipe & drum bands in levels 3, 4, and 5, on a 1-5 scale where 1 is the highest. They put me in their grade 4 band and gave me a nice size stack of music to learn. It's been an enjoyable time "back to the drawing boards" so to speak with hard bagpipe practice on a daily basis. Thank God I have some awesome roommates that have yet to complain about all my playing.
An aside, right after bagpipe practice every Thursday night a good bit of the band members go to Mo's Pizza Tavern, not far from where the practice is. Of course, I went there last Thursday and had an incredible time hanging out with and getting to know some of the members. Just at my table alone was the Pipe Major, John Recknagel (an 'Open' status Piper, aka the best of the best), a 23 year-old piper from 78th Highlanders in Nova Scotia, a grade 1 player, and a student of P/M Recknagel's, who had won gold in competition after only a few years of playing the bagpipes. Two nights later I met the Canadian and one of the band's drummers (a Northern Irish American himself) out for my first real night on this hopping town called Atlanta. We had a great time in which we watched another drummer from the band play with his punk rock band and rock the house down. In this experience I also met a bunch of other people, but that's another story...
Outlet #2: The Roundtable Discussions. Let me tell you, my roommates and I have some hilarious conversations at "the roundtable" in the dining room of the house where I live. Most of the time we're laughing, but also a good bit of the time we're talking about all kinds of interesting topics that we never fail to get deeply into discussing, with no boundaries. It is a place where independent thinkers go and sharpen the minds of those around them, all-the-while sharpening his own and decompressing after a long day's work.
Outlet #3: Lake Berkeley Chapel. This is my new-found place where I get to go to church and worship the Lord. It is located right on a beautiful lake about 10-15 minutes from where I live. I saw it while I was searching for a place to live a few weeks ago and had to go back. As soon as I get pictures of it I will post them.
Outlet #4: Adventures... with a camera. Yep, I got a very nice used digital camera on Craigslist for $15 bucks and I've finally got some photos for you!!! They are from my journey to Charlotte 2 weekends ago, when I climbed Crowder's Mountain on the way back. I stayed with Julie Sawyer and her kids for a night (I bought the kids some sparklers to burn at the local fireworks store) and with David Johnson, the author/photographer of 'Voices of Sudan' the next night. (Every last one of you should click on there and buy his book. It will save lives.)
That's enough outlets for now.
Unplugging,
~ Nate
posted by Nate | 11:33 PM
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