Athens Farmers Market

It's one of my favorite events of the week in Athens. On Wednesday afternoons, the Farmers Market sets up at City Hall and offers visitors of all walks of life a chance to buy some delicious, delicious food. I find it so much sweeter and more personal than a supermarket. I get to meet the guy that picked the blueberries and cut the flowers from the vine that morning. The things I bought were too pretty not to share.

"The Comerian" Sourdough Bread at the Market.

The sandwiches I've made with the bread are out of this world.

Cooked these at 400F for 35 minutes with EVOO, Rosemary, S&P.

I may never buy blueberries from the grocery store again.

The flowers were an impulse buy, definitely unnecessary but I sure love looking at them when I walk in the kitchen. My time in Athens is coming to an end and I've been holding on to every little moment, like the Market and the great bands at Athfest I saw this weekend. Taking the time to look around and smell the flowers isn't just an option, it's the only option in a town like Athens, Georgia.

Finale

"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them."

It may have been the most poignant line Cornell grad Andy Bernard ever spoke. The Office ended this month after nine seasons on NBC and while the Dunder-Mifflin staff will forever live on in cable syndication, it's hard not to call it the end of an era. To me, it's perfect that television finales often fall at the end of a school year. If the show follows high school or college students, graduation is the best way to end a season. It's all about celebration, looking back at where we've come from and dreaming about the future. Maybe there will be a couple moving to different states for jobs or school and many people anxious about where the next years will take them. When the next season started, things would be different but all the beautiful people would be tanned from the summer.

On May 10th, I graduated from the University of Georgia. Bam. I mean, about 5,200 other guys and gals were there with me, dressed in our black robes, caps tilted by heavy tassels causing hat hair (it happens yall.. be prepared), waving and smiling at people that we'll probably never see again. That guy in your public speaking class or some girls on your hall from freshman year or maybe some you think you'll see again. It's like, throughout college your path makes a road and bends and turns and for the most part, I was really happy with the way that all went. Then at the end, you turn around and it's like WHOA. The little things matter. The decision to do this and not that, to go abroad or not go abroad, to go to a concert or not go to a concert... not knowing you'd meet a boy who'd change your life... I digress. Then you sigh and turn back around and hopefully smile at the beauty of it all.

The festivities continued over two days and wish it could have lasted longer! Everything was so much fun, so perfect. It couldn't have been better. I'll be spending the next few weeks in Athens and traveling to Hilton Head and planning a pretty special Mediterranean trip with my sister. So much to look forward to!

"Pink Lemonade"

Here it is, folks! The premiere of my Advanced Production short film "Pink Lemonade".

While some groups focused on special effects, we decided to try and tell the best story possible. Hearing my voice in the first 10 seconds makes me cringe but that's why I write and not act. Honestly, who does like the sound of their own voice? We filmed the whole production at my house, which I loved because I love my house.

I'm proud of the way it turned out. Enjoy! 

Hoop Girls: End of An Era

Whole group after the Kentucky game!

I remember walking into my Hoop Girls interview at Stegeman Coliseum in late August of 2009. Some older girls at chapter stood up and talked about it; I figured, "Why not?". Starting college was super overwhelming and the idea of being involved with a basketball team felt comfortable after being the Sports Editor for The Catalyst and Wheeler's 2009 AAAAA State Championship. Good times.

Hoop Girls became one of my favorite parts of college. We were the marketing and support team for Men's Basketball; we sold tickets, handed out programs, worked Hospitality rooms, promoted philanthropy events and shared news from the Athletic Association to the student body. There were a lot of great things happening for the program my freshman year. UGA just hired a new coach, Mark Fox, and expectations were high around campus. 

A 2010 game

Throughout the last four years, I've met some of my best friends, enjoyed some delightful wins and devastating heartbreaks, and a beautiful facility renovation to Stegeman. Every step of the way, our advisor, John Bateman, was there for whatever we needed. It was so assuring to have such a great teacher, mentor and friend during my time at UGA. 

Seniors!

On Thursday, we ended the (regular) season with a win over Kentucky at home. I couldn't think of a better way to end the season and my four years as a Hoop Girl. I'm excited to see what the future holds for Coach Fox's program and the girls in our group, including a Homecoming Queen, future doctors, media rock stars and spectacular leaders. We'll split different ways in a few months, but we'll always be welcomed back to Stegeman. Once a HG, always an HG... Right JB?

Seniors after the UK game with Coach Richt!

Museum Mix at the Georgia Museum of Art

I originally wrote this post for my internship at Visit Athens, GA, but wanted to share it here, too! Follow the blog for more of my writing!

Wednesday night October 24, The Georgia Museum of Art hosted Museum Mix, a spectacular event designed to celebrate the arts in a casual setting. From 8 to midnight, guests danced, mingled, and explored the exhibits currently featured in the galleries.

One of my closest friends is a volunteer docent at the Museum and I always enjoy attending their events. The University and Athens are lucky to have such a widely respected institution to celebrate and enjoy!

Guests were welcomed with complimentary beverages and hors d’ouvres from Earth Fare. The dips were a hit! Outside, people danced surrounded by the Defiant Beauty: The Work of Chakaia Booker sculptures created from recycled materials.  It was unlike any event I’d ever attended. The idea of laughing and dancing at a museum may seem strange, but art is about enjoying life in all its forms! GMOA definitely understands that idea.

My favorite exhibit on display were the polyester resin sculptures in the De Wain Valentine: Human Scale. These huge rounded pieces were an incredible feat of artistic creation; some measured eight feet tall! I just stood in the gallery for about fifteen minutes in awe.The next Museum Mix is scheduled for April 25, but do yourself a favor and visit GMOA soon! 

Check out our website for more information about the Georgia Museum of Art, including event listings and visiting hours. 

Work, Play, Intern.

I'm interning for Visit Athens, GA this semester! My job consists primarily of maintaining the Facebook & Twitter pages, sending out a weekly newsletter and maintaining their blog.

Luckily I have some practice with that. So, I'm going to try very, very hard to keep up with LT&C but life is crazy busy. If I write posts that feel personal enough, I'll repeat them here. Sound good?

UGA Football in 5 days & I can hardly wait.

Also, if yall could like/tweet/follow whatever the social network requires for those sites, I'd reallyyyyy love you.

AUR

Three weeks into class, I can definitely say that they have defied all of my expectations. I go to a small school. Faces are getting familiar. My professors know my name and I most certainly can't sit passively and listen to a boring professor without getting noticed by said professor for not being actively engaged in class.

I've been in some classes at UGA that have been small, but this is different somehow, and I like it!

In my "Mediterranean World" class on Thursday, we sat on the 6th floor terrace and overlooked Rome while talking about Mediterranean politics. Pinch me.

In my Feature Writing Class, we've read & discussed articles about Istanbul, Callista Gingrich, and Muslim leaders in Brooklyn.

In my Film Genres class, we have watched some INCREDIBLE movies that I may have otherwise never seen. I'll start with the shock.. I'd never seen The Matrix. Cue the Gasp. I don't know why, it just never happened but we watched it to analyze the western & action-adventure genre.

We've also watched Touch of Evil, a film noir by Orson Welles. I usually don't choose to watch black and white movies, but I enjoyed this SO much! I will definitely be watching more Orson Welles films when I get back to the States.

Today was the best. We began our unit on musicals and watched Top Hat, a film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Beautiful clothes, beautiful dancing. I had heard about the duo's talents as a part of American Culture, and now I understand how they were so iconic. In the picture below, Rogers is wearing this lovely ostrich feather dress that made the dancing look even more graceful.

Look how beautiful!!

Later in the Semester, we'll watch Moulin Rouge, 42nd St and a bunch of horror films. I could go without the horror, but maybe if I learn the iconology behind them, I won't be so scared. All of this at 9 AM on Mondays. Rage.

We're spending the weekend in Rome and I'm very excited to see the city with few other responsibilities or things to get done.

Hope you have a great weekend!!

Welcome to the World's Largest Cocktail Party

A guy in one of my Mass Media Art's classes made this video of the chaos on the beach and the excitement at the game. He didn't expect it to spread as fast as it has! A few incredibly popular blogs picked it up, since Wednesday night, it's gotten over 60,000 views!!! Don't let it lessen your opinion of UGA students. We rock.

Face of Opportunity Entry: GoThere connects cool hosts with fun travelers!

This is a group from my New Media Class. Does anyone read this? I'm kinda doubting it, but vote anyway!

Face of Opportunity Entry: GoThere connects cool hosts with fun travelers!

Athens- The 8th Wonder of the World

Athens, GA has to be one of the greatest towns in America. I feel sorry for people that don't get to experience college here, but Athens is so much more than a college town. it's a hidden treasure, a melting pot of innovation, creativity and tradition.

I'm just going to list reasons i love athens. Tomorrow, there may be different reasons but I don't know what those reasons will be so here:

1. The local businesses create a community. My favorites? Oh goodness. This is going to be longer than I expected.

The Grit, Schoolkid's Records, Your Pie, Agora, Jittery Joe's, Yoguri, The Hub, Masada, 2 Story Coffeehouse, The Grill,

It's kinda like this, in high school when I wanted to study somewhere other than my house, I'd go to Borders, Panera, Starbucks. All of which are fine. When my family went out to eat: Chili's, Longhorn & the like. All big franchises with a big scale mentality. Locally owned and operated places are just... better.

2. Saturdays in the fall, when the Bulldogs play at home.

Ok forget truthfully devestating season we've suffered through so far. Maybe it will get better, I have faith in the potential of shame and the sheer terror Mark Richt is probably feeling at this moment. He's going to make it right. But there's nothing more exciting than seeing the campus & surrounding areas turn into an all out party. The babies sporting UGA onesies, the 70 year old men in suits using a cane to make their way to Sanford Stadium... it's a great thing.

3. It's close enough to everything you'd need in a big city, yet far enough away to feel far enough away. Does that make sense?

In less than 20 hours, I can be in... Marietta hangin with the fam, Downtown Atlanta, the Blue Ridge Mountains, Macon, Greenville, SC, on a plane out of Hartsfield-Jackson to anywhere in the world. Pretty cool right?

4. The history is everywhere you look.

The oldest state chartered university in the country, Civil War memorial, old homes & buildings built so beautifully, the urban legends, and the people behind those legends.

I see why people come to college here, go out to explore the world & end up right back where they started. I don't think that's a weakness or a fault, I think it shows a deep connection and for many, that connection to Athens is real.