Background: For those of you who don't really know how this whole thing got started, allow me to fill you in (those of you who know can jump to 'The Move'). My good and long-time friend Alex Renfro and his family were, as usual, in town over Christmas / New Years. And as a tradition we usually have some kind of New Years Bash with the Renfro's and the Brandon's. The Brandon's were the Renfro's neighbors back in the '90s. And as complementary as torn jeans were to flannel shirts at the time, so too were the Renfro's to the Brandon's and vice versa. And even though the Renfro's moved to New Jersey and the Brandon's moved neighborhoods, the two families are still very much friends.
So this year, I was over at the Brandon's house playing cards or eating or what-not when I was asked by one of the two Brandon girls what I wanted to do now that I had graduated from UT (that's Tennessee, Knoxville, the real UT, go Vols!). I said I wanted to start as a writer, maybe for a small-town newspaper. Then the younger Brandon daughter, Jennifer, asked if I wanted to be a sports writer. And, of course, that's what I had thought from Freshman year that I would have the most fun writing about (I mean, watching sports for free, what more could you want?). As it turns out, she happened to know someone looking specifically for a sports writer. She had spent the last year in Memphis and had made some friends within the Redbirds organization. I told her I'd be interested in pursuing this opening and then a few interviews later...I was in. It goes to show you how big networking is when it comes to finding jobs.
The Move: So two weeks ago my mom, Wes (my friend of 17 years) and I packed everything in a trailer and proceeded to my new home:
2000 N. Avalon Street
Apt #93
West Memphis, AR 72310
Apt #93
West Memphis, AR 72310
Feel free to send any greeting / birthday cards to this address. For those of you who want to get real crazy and send a care-package full of junior mints, hot tamales and any other fun or yummy item, please send that to my work address. (A) It's safer. (B) My co-workers will wish they had one. I'll give that address later.
The move went alright, but the big surprise was the item that packed itself. We had to stop shortly after we got on the road to buy a mattress for me at Sam's Club. We reopened the trailer to find the extra item...it was Dot (one of our three cats).
He had apparently climbed in the trailer when we were inside gathering more items to load. He was crying for help and sweating, for some of the trailer contents had shifted and it must have frightened him. Our cats are easily scarred, often running far away when a car engine is started, so being trapped in a moving vehicle must have been quite an experience for our little bonus item. We moved him to the actual truck that was pulling the trailer where he quietly hid under the back-seat until safely back at home. He went all the way to Memphis and back to help me move. He wasn't much help...but I doubt he will request to do it again. A special thanks to Wes (for packing me) and my Uncle Stanton (who helped move me and drive mom home).
The Livings:
My apartment is paid for by the Redbirds and when I first drove up to it, it looked a little shady. West Memphis doesn't quite have the nice paved roads or nice shops that Williamson county does. The closest Borders (my former workplace) is about 30 minutes away. Blah. But really, my place isn't so bad.
Here is my trustworthy B3000 right outside our gate, which houses a little patio area if we ever wanted to grill out. Notice the Mid-Continent sign poking out above our roof. The Mid-Continent, a run-down ex-hotel?...no one really knows what it used to be, is a great landmark for anyone trying to get to our place.
My apartment has a living area with the dining room area and kitchen and half-bath to the left and the living room and stairs to the right. The A.I. jersey visible in both pics.
These are the stairs. It has one UT sign. We may put up some maps through here.
Upstairs there is a full bathroom right when you reach the top and two bedrooms to the left, one for me and one for my roommate.
My bedroom is directly to the left of the bathroom door. Both bedrooms have a window looking out to the front of the apartment.
My roommate's name is Mark (picture below). I did not know him at all and only talked to him a few times for essential planning and driving directions. He is twenty, the youngest of all of our intern class, and goes to school at Southeast Missouri State University ('Semo' to the locals). He likes to cook.
Closing / Preview: I'll be back with details about work and what I found when I got to Memphis in a few days. For I enter Week Four on the job this week and am trying to catch everyone up. I plan on using more pictures, because I have found it helps keep people interested when my writing fails to do so. So get excited! My work address will be included in the next post as well.
