Nashville again

So I stayed in Florida a bit shorter than originally anticipated, but I made it to Nashville, Tennessee alright. Oleg picked me up at the Greyhound station.
By the way, Gremlin is adorable. And very soft.

My Little Miracle: The Night-Walker of Western Tennessee

So I found out the reason for my prolonged stay in Tennessee.
After bringing me back to the house Oleg went for a walk to make himself feel more tired, and along the way, as he was walking down the sidewalk he was pounced on my a ferocious ball of fluff. This adorable little kitten then came home with him and slept in my hand while he went out to get food and litter for it.

It looks really young and really neglected. I think Oleg has a new owner.
If my flight hadn't been canceled, Oleg wouldn't have been outside, and this rambunctious ball of cute would have gone unfed and unloved.

We named it Gremlin.

American Airlines makes babies and puppies cry

Or, rather, they make me cry. They canceled my flight and there isn't another till tomorrow. This means I won't get to see NYC this time around. I'll have to head back this way again after my birthday. It just sucks because this time I had a place to stay and everything worked out.
I guess as Irwin says, that's the nature of winging it.

Thunder Storms and Studying

So today I stayed in and studied. I'm trying to finish work for my sociology class today.
Outside the clash and roll of thunder can be heard at intervals. It's been going on since early this morning.
I met Oleg's friends Matt and Tiffany today. I like them, they're really friendly with a great sense of humor. It really makes the study breaks fly by.
Tomorrow I should be going to the Museums in Nashville before getting on the airplane to New York. I'm excited.

A Robot Sighting in Knoxville Tennessee

Ennis emailed me a robot he saw in Knoxville Tennessee! I'm loving this. If anyone else wants to contribute a water-tower robot or a traveling story/picture or question (I've gotten a few) feel free to post comments or email me!

Ennis' sighting and message:
Hi Sparrow,
I thought you might enjoy this. I spotted another one of Irwin's robots in Knoxville, TN. This one looks a little more futuristic than the ones we saw on the prairie. Apparently this was left over from a previous year's World's Fair that was held in Knoxville. It sort of stands out from the rest of the town, but an interesting if not iconic object all by itself.
E

Trigger Finger

So today I got to shoot and be shot. And of course by being shot I mean with a camera. Though I got to shoot a few guns. I don't usually do this, being from California and all. But it was actually pretty fun. And a little jarring at first since it was my first time handling machine guns. If I didn't have really good teachers I'd have been scared out of my wits at being handed one of those things. But luckily Oleg and Frank are excellent when it comes to making sure you know what you're doing.
I mentioned before that Oleg's photography site is how I met him in the first place. It may seem odd then that this is the first time I've actually done anything studio with him, since I've known him now for more than four years. (here's a link to his older pictures of me, and soon probably some of the ones taken tonight as well.) But I finally relaxed enough to let the lens point my way. And I actually like some of the images that came out.

A Picture For My Mother

She'll know what it means.
Mom, I took this one just for you.

The Mississippi and the Gateway to the West

Today I went up to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. It was incredible. Even just standing next to the towering stainless steel monument inspires awe and a bit of sun-blindedness. The simple design and the way it reflects the sun makes it the perfect symbolic gateway to the land believed to be the answer to everyone's dreams... It's a monument to Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, though I don't know how many people actually know that.
The arch stands in the middle of a grassy park, but I saw the pictures. They tore down many of the old brick buildings along the waterfront (which were probably the original city) to make way for this glamorous silver tower. It's sad to me because of all the history that was lost. All they saved of the area was a church and the old courthouse from the 1800s where they tried the Dred Scott case. Don't get me wrong, the arch is amazing, and it was loads of fun to get into those little pods that make up the tram to the top and watch the spiral staircases out the tiny windows that let you see the interior structure. And the view from both sides of the observation deck are amazing. The land is so flat you can see forever in either direction. On one side you have the Mississippi River and on the opposite bank is Illinois. On the other side, behind the turquoise dome of the Old Courthouse, St. Louis stretches out into the horizon. It really is a big city. Or rather, several clusters of sky scrapers linked together by corridors of low end housing. 630 feet at the apex allows for some pretty breath-taking views.

After we left the gateway behind we drove through Kentucky to Nashville, Tennessee. While passing a lake in Kentucky I noticed some trees along the banks that looked like they were wrapped in cotton candy... Then I realized that the gauzy substance was spider-web. Being arachnophobic, this did not sit well at all and I proceeded to be very glad I was in a moving car.

At any rate, I got to Nashville without being eaten by giant bird-catching spiders, and am now enjoying the company of my friend Oleg who I first met on my first jaunt around this country in a similar manner to this. Though I'd actually known him online for a while before meeting him in person. I met him because I commented on his website.
So now I am here and have plans to run around Nashville tomorrow, looking at some museums and apparently learning to shoot (not just guns, but infrared cameras as well).

On a side note, the pictures in the Adventures of the Water Tower Robot post are in reverse order to how I meant them. But I'm too lazy to change the order now, so look at them in whatever order you like.