Loft Photos

The main room.

Loft Photos

Before & After painting.

Loft Photos

Loft Photos

The view of Denver from my balcony.

Last Post

I live in Denver now.  I'll be taking down the blog soon.  Email me at thomas.jackson@gmail.com

Denver

It looks like I'll be staying in Denver.  It's too perfect here.  Got a job interview lined up, an apartment that I want, it's all coming together nicely.  Now I just have to get back to New York and get my stuff.

Denver

I've been in Denver for a few days now, and I have to say it's really awesome.  It has everything I'm looking for in a city.  I got a place here for two weeks, to investigate the job and housing market.  It's definitely a possibility that this trip will be cut short, and I'll stay here.  I'll keep you updated.

Oklahoma City

Here's something interesting: I plan on driving to Denver today from Austin, so last night I check the weather forecast.  Clear skies expected, except there's a little stuff on the radar around Austin, some light showers.  So it's a go.  I leave really early this morning, drive about 5 hours into Oklahoma, and BAM! there's a torrential downpour, and the landscape starts to resemble an ice field.  So, instead of heading all the way to Denver, I'm taking a break from driving and am holed up in a Ramada Inn here in Oklahoma City.  I check the weather again, and instead of some scattered showers over southern Texas, a big patch of color is covering the state of Oklahoma.  It looks like I'll be here today, and will continue the drive tomorrow.

Austin

The Good:  Erin has been very accommodating.  The nightlife is great with lots of live music, no cover charges, and cheap drinks.  I already know some people here in Austin, and the new people I've met have all been really nice.  The cost of living here is low.

The Bad:  The heat.  It's February and I've had a few days where I'm sweating bullets.  Even today, it's nice and cloudy (my favorite weather), but it's humid enough where I'm sweating.  I can't imagine what it's like in July.

New Orleans & Baton Rouge

Chris and I were in New Orleans for the beginning of Mardi Gras.  The city this time of year wasn't as crazy or as crowded as I thought it would be, which is a good thing.  We had a really great time, and I still consider N.O. to be one of my favorite vacation destinations.  Our hotel was right in the French Quarter, with easy access to everything we wanted to do.  We had tickets to a balcony party where we got free food, an open bar, and about 20 pounds of beads to throw to (or throw AT) party-goers on the street below.  I will not be moving there, but would definitely go back to visit again soon.

After dropping Chris off at the airport, it was a quick ride to the next city on the agenda: Baton Rouge.  Watching the Giants win the Super Bowl was great, and the next day we took Staci's daughter to the Baton Rouge Zoo: the most ghetto zoo in the country.  Although they did have a white tiger.  Speaking of tigers, we also visited LSU's campus and saw Mike, the school's mascot.  I'm here for a few more days then it's off to Austin, TX.

Atlanta to New Orleans

So, after another seven hours in the car, I'm here in New Orleans.  Nothing exciting to report just yet, but it's Mardi Gras and the French Quarter is all set up for the nightly parades.  Chris is joining me here in a few minutes, and he got us a free hotel room right in the thick of things, so it'll be a short stumble back to the hotel tonight.  I wish I had more to say, but I'm discovering that this blogging thing isn't my forte.

More Atlanta

So I'm still in Atlanta, with nothing to report except that Chris is flying down to New Orleans next week, and we'll stay there a few days before I head to Baton Rouge to visit Staci.  Besides for that, everything is still on track.

Atlanta

So I've been in Atlanta a few days now, and all is well.  The drive here was uneventful, although South Carolina is rife with Christian rock radio stations.  Now I've made my way down most of the east coast, and next I start the actual cross-country drive.

Rachel's house is very comfortable, and I've settled in, claiming a chair as my own.  Her dogs are used to me being here, and they're learning to leave me alone and not bark.  The first night I was here, she had to pick up some frozen rabbits to feed her dogs.  They came in a box labeled "medium smooth sliced carrots," which is incredibly funny.  Since I'll be here a few weeks, I joined a gym for 30 days; now I'll have more to do during the day.

My phone broke, for some unknown reason.  Don't buy the LG Chocolate.  I lost all the phone numbers in it, so if you read this, email me with your number (and address and birthday... for my address book).  I got a new phone, which I've dubbed my "Zoolander phone."  Beth is gonna love it.

Durham & Raleigh

First off, Raleigh-Durham is not a city, it's an airport.  Raleigh & Durham are two separate cities.  I know this confuses some people.  Especially since Winston-Salem is one city.

It was good to be back in Durham, visiting the old stomping grounds.  Some things haven't changed: James Joyce, Satisfactions, and Cosmic Cantina are all still there and still awesome.  Duke's campus has changed a lot since I've last been there: the BC walkway is no longer industrial-looking, there's some huge building behind Perkins now, and the Physics & Bio-sci buildings have somehow merged.  And the hospital just keeps on growing, making Erwin Road unrecognizable.  I know this is terribly boring for non-Duke people.

Downtown Raleigh is starting to become a cool place, finally.  There's all these new condos going up, and more cool bars and restaurants around.  I randomly ran into an old friend while visiting the club where I used to bartend, and he showed me some of the new places around town.

All in all it was good to be back in North Carolina.  But I won't be moving back there.  Now it's off to Atlanta!

New York to Atlantic City to North Carolina

By popular demand, I'm writing about my cross-country trip on this here blog.  I'll try to keep everyone updated on where I am, and where I will most likely end up.

I left home on New Year's Eve, with the first stop being Atlantic City.  Ringing in 2008 at the Borgata was a blast, although I had my butt parked at a poker table for the entire night.  I didn't win any money, but I managed to make $100 last two whole days.  I left Atlantic City on January 2nd, and drove the 7 hours to Durham, NC.  The time flew by.  It's a good sign that I didn't get restless at all during the trip down here, especially since I've got a lot more driving to do before this whole trip is all over.  The GPS system I got for Christmas (thanks Mom & Dad) turned out to be extremely useful.  It showed me a quicker way to get around D.C., and helped me find my way back to the highway when I stopped for lunch.  Some interesting sights on the way down here: a Jeep with the Jolly Roger on the wheel cover, and a license plate that read, "AARRR," as well as an old couple driving with a cardboard box caught in their car's grill.  The Starbuck's gift card I got from Sharon & Michael helped keep me alert, and Margarita's gas card kept the car running.  I'm here at Carla & Hadley's, and will be here until sometime next week.  I'll post again soon.