Tornadoes in my Neighborhood

The building shook, the customers panicked, it was an interesting evening at my job. Last Friday night, tornadoes ripped through downtown Atlanta, then careened up I-20 to strike near enough to my place of employment that the windows in the condos above my job exploded, sending terrified residents into Vickery's with tears streaming from their eyes.

Then it travelled up the hill to my neighborhood, an aging East Atlanta neighborhood, one where the houses are small, and built on the cheap, with trees towering over them, their large branches looming low above the rooftops.



Thankfully, my house was spared. Many were not. I did not discover this until the next day, as there were massive power outs all over the city as well as reports of more storms heading our way. I did not think it would be in my best interests to brave the elements that night.



There were even rumors of looters in my East Atlanta neighborhood, although I am skeptical as to the validity of these statements. There are a lot of people who think any roaming band of teenagers are out looting, when there is a legitimate case to be made for the idea that people were simply curious to investigate the damage that had been caused bu the storm.



The neighborhood is still in shambles, but we have power which is more than I can say for some of my friends, who are not expected to have power for several more days. All in all, the city has returned to normal, and the clean up process is moving along very quickly.



I still haven't been to the Cotton Mill Lofts, a huge loft complex close to my home that sustained a direct hit by the tornado.

It is amazing that no-one was killed that night. Especially in the lofts, or by the Dome, which was reportedly still full of fans who would have otherwise been piling out of the building at the time of the storm had it not been for the fact that one of the games had gone into overtime.

Back to School

It is time for me to do the unthinkable. I am actually returning to school. For the greater portion of my two year, unsuccessful job hunt, i had been staunchly against the idea of going back to school. I was positive that a B.A. in journalism would be enough to procure a nice job for myself.

Maybe it would have been, maybe my interview skills aren't that good. I know i have progressed by leaps and bounds since i started my job hunt. Ultimately however, i have found myself constantly applying and subsequently being rejected from jobs i am not even honestly interested in working. This kind of experience causes a man to start thinking about the future again.

I need to learn a trade, and i have chosen one. To be honest i always wanted to be a teacher, before i decided i should toss my hat into the journalism ring.

Hopefully I can get into the GSU school of education. I don't think it should be that difficult for me, it will just take some hard work, and that is exactly what I plan to give.

I found a lot of inspiration while watching my room-mates journey through the Emory college of medicine in order to become a nurse. There is a shortage of nurses, and he should basically walk onto a nice career once he is graduated. He is going to see an immediate return on all of his hard work.

I am very excited to be entering this new phase of my life. It is one that I think will work out very well for me in several different ways. The simple mental stimulation that one acquires in school has become attractive to me again.

I think going to get an advanced degree is the kind of thing a person must be truly inspired to do. I intend to take out student loans as opposed to working a job, granted the thought of massive debt is not the most attractive to me, but I think I will allow me a much more concise experience in graduate school. I want to glean every morsel of knowledge and expertise that can be offered to a person with an advanced degree.

This time I am really going to to this correctly.