Finalizations and Celebrations
Well, yall, 'tis the end of my Atlanta adventure. I have had two solid months' worth of learning and leadership, service and sightseeing. The bittersweet end of both of my internships was compounded by the fact that it was my birthday this past Friday. An unfortunate epiphany presented itself: the older I become, the more goodbyes I have to say. What a bummer. However, this summer the Lord has taught me a great deal about myself and the limits/freedoms of independence; the importance of exploration and "forging ahead"* (see note at bottom); and numerous other omnibus lessons. My birthday was just wonderful--a time to reunite with many, be thankful for another year and look ahead to the next.In fine, I thank all of you who read this (even if no one did, I sure had a fine time figuring out a pinch of CSS to format this baby as well as composing each blurb) and wish you the best. Take care and God bless!Read one more important lesson from Idiot's Guide as well as some helpful travelin' rules.
Upcoming Publicity on CNN!
Everyone should check out Anderson Cooper's "Giving 360" on CNN on August 10th! Cafe 458, the nonprofit restaurant aiding homeless people to achieve self-sufficiency, is featured as well as an interview with my boss, head chef Sara!
And who knows...I may snag some screen-time while serving!Behind the scenes
Public Domain--think about it
This morning I reported to the Southeastern Council of Foundations to finish up some percentage charts (bah, the math was rough, but interesting statistics in terms of regional foundational asset growth). My coworkers were gone for the majority of last week to attend a symposium in Portland, Oregon. They returned to tell me that MY BLOG -- the one you are currently reading, people! -- was featured in the conference!!Unbelievable. But no, it wasn't a practical joke.Apparently the lady in charge of the regional association of grantmakers' conference was instructing on various ways to publicize one's organization. She was also making the point that the associations need to make themselves aware of exactly what is being said about their organizations not only in newspapers, magazines, TV and conventional multimedia, but also on the Internet and in the blogosphere.In her PowerPoint presentation, she used a number of interesting points and exemplars, one of which was mine! She executed a blog-search engine to find mention of regional associations, and little "Idiot's Guide to Atlanta" popped up as one of the more relevant! My coworkers recognized my office's mismatched furniture and the words "Atlanta, Georgia." They nudged one another and stage-whispered "That's our intern!"Good thing I didn't say anything derogatory, eh? ;) (They're probably reading this right now--haha!)Anyhow--made my day to know that folks over in Oregon have the care to read amateur blogs such as my own. Hope yall continue to enjoy it!
Two Roads Diverged in a Green Wood...and my brother and I took the one to the sketchy secret society hangout
An elegant, fancy, somewhat expensive...SPORTS restaurant?
After picking up my incredibly cool (though at the time, sunburnt, sleepy and grumpy) brother from a tennis camp, I took him and his roommate to the ESPNZone restaurant. We explored fancy food + sports!
Pictures from a Quirky City
2nd Robertson Essay--an encounter on the street
Wrote this as part of my Robertson requirement--I would appreciate comments, should you have any--I still think about this event quite frequently and wonder if I handled it correctly.Read and reviewTake care and God bless, everyone!
MegaFest!
Three thousand people linking arms, singing, some crying. I have rarely seen something so moving as the gigantic Georgia Dome filled with thousands of strangers calling one another "brother" and "sister," praying for the unknown struggles in each other's lives and admitting their failings. Welcome to MegaFest 2006, an annual symposium of Christians from all over in Atlanta.
Excitement
GUESS WHAT--one of my mentors in the Southeastern Council of Foundations informed me that she would miss me, namely the work I've been doing, very much when my summer experience here finalizes. She's looking to hire an administrative/communications/PR assistant, and I connected her with a local friend and UNC alumna currently job-hunting! How exciting is that?? She's interviewing with my mentor right now--cross your fingers for Emily! :)Other news of note:Tonight I head with my coworkers to MegaFest, Atlanta's annual Christian revival festival featuring many renowned pastors and performers. We will be attending the general service preached by Reverend TD Jakes in the Georgia Dome. I'll let yall know how it all turns out. :)Tomorrow night: Chetan and I volunteer with the Emory Autism Center as they host a sci-fi (primarily Star Wars and Star Trek)-themed event for young adult clients living with autism and Asperger's. We're prepared with bona fide lightsabers and...um...we'll have to be creative with the rest of the costume. :)~~Pics to come~~
Race and Legacy: Conversation between Jimmy Carter's Grandson and Nelson Mandela's Granddaughter
Hit or Miss
Alright, much as I hate to say it, not everything in Atlanta makes for a fantastic outing for everyone.Miss: Chetan and I decided to partake of "Improv at the Park," the successor to "Screen on the Green" in Piedmont Park. We were happy to experience what Atlanta natives enjoy, but left rather quickly to find nice shots of the nighttime city skyline.
Hit: One day after work I toured a bit of the Coca-Cola factory along with Underground Atlanta.
Hit or Miss? Find out here. 
Soccer and Shakespeare
My jaw dropped nearly to the table when I and my Cafe 458 coworkers witnessed Zidane's astonishing headbutt into an opposing Italian player's chest. The man fell back heavily in response to the French team captain's attack, and we immediately shouted "WHAT?!" in unison disbelief. What a crazy thing for a team captain and professional to do!
...Afterwards I met up with fellow Robertsons Nandini, Kevin, Chetan and Samson to check out the Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street. The tavern boasted nightly performances of all Shakespeare's works as well as tasty food from that period (well, not food prepared in that time-period, as we joked, just prepared the same way!). 
What'd I learn and enjoy? Click here!
Officially the Best Taco Buffet EVER!
Hi gang--I realize I have been quite slack in the blogging department as of late. Things have become very busy, as you rapidly discover when working six days a week as the lackey willing to do the built-up grunt work the regular employees avoid.
However, there is still time yet for fun! Here are some photos from Officially the Best Taco Buffet EVER. And yes, I'm licensed to say so because we dubbed it officially the best and lamented the fact that some of our fellow hard workers were working too hard to join in our taco festivities. Enjoy it vicariously here!
