Nashville - 08/31/2010: CMHOF & Downtown

Country Music Hall of Fame

Met up with some friends and took a drive into downtown Nashville.  First stop, the Country Music Hall of Fame.  This was my first visit and I really enjoyed it.

After the hall of fame we walked to The Wildhorse to meet a couple more friends and get something to eat.

Nashville - 08/30/2010: Getting to town

Spent the day on Sunday on the road to TN.  Made it to Roanoke, VA before we pulled off for the night.  Got up early to get back on the road.

We got into Nashville, TN in the early afternoon.  Got a hotel over by The Palace and Opryland.  Opry Mills was still closed from the flooding in May, but they are working hard to fix it up and re-open for business.  The Wax Museum next door to The Palace was also still closed.

Had dinner and drinks at the Nashville Palace in the evening.  Watched "Nashville Writers Nights" hosted by James Breedwell.

Term of the Day

nature-nurture issue: the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors.  Today’s science sees traits and behaviors arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.

The Semester Begins...

I last took college courses in 2005.  Since then I've talked about going back, but never took the plunge.  It is finally time for me to test the waters.  I'm enrolled in two courses this semester.  One is a programming class that focuses on C++.  The other is a psychology class.  Officially the semester begins Thursday, but I took advantage of buying my books early and have already started reading and working on my study notes.

Term of the day:
humanistic psychology: historically significant perspective that emphasized the growth potential of healthy people and the individual's potential for personal growth

Relaxing on a Saturday

I spent Saturday afternoon at my Aunt's house.  She cooked an Indonesian Chicken Peanut soup for a late lunch and invited me to come by and try some.  After lunch she gave me a pedicure, so my toes look very pretty this week.  Her neighbors started lighting off a few fireworks while I was there so I snapped a couple of photos:

Photography - Random

Brooks & Dunn Mansfield, MA

The first of my last three Brooks & Dunn concerts before they go their separate ways.  I didn't plan on going to this show originally, but my cousin Joe was planning to attend and suggested I pick up a general admission ticket.  I met Joe, Chrissy, JP and Eric in the parking lot to relax before the show.  It was a lot of fun just hanging out and I ran into a friend of mine as well.

I didn't see Sara Evans open the show.  I was waiting in line for my Meet and Greet with Brooks and Dunn.  I was lucky enough to win one from the fanclub.

For the first time in quite a few years I watched the show from the back of the venue. I love sitting up close at a show, but it was pretty cool to take everything in and see the crowds reaction too. I went with Joe to his first Brooks and Dunn concert in New Hampshire a few years back and it was really cool to get to see them with him one more time before the end.

Camping - Day 3

Camping - Day 2

Camping - Day 1

Fortune Cookie

"A true friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

Greeneville School

I attended Greeneville Elementary school growing up.  It was one of the best schools I went to.  Everything about the school was just a lot of fun.  Twenty years later a lot of the friends I made there are still in my life.  It was at Greeneville that I met some of the people who would shape the path that my life has taken.  Mrs. Moretti, Mrs. Sweeney, Mrs. Sawicki, Mrs. Bilda and Mrs. Clark were just a few of the teachers who made an impact on me as a student...

Sadly, the city of Norwich decided that the 2009/2010 school year would be Greeneville's last.  It was built in 1956 and needed a lot of work to get it up to code (work = money).  The city, facing quite the budget crisis, had to make cuts and Greeneville topped the list.

The news of Greeneville's closing made me incredibly sad.  Most of my favorite childhood memories center around the school and the community that was created within it's walls.