After being born in Athens, Ga (I LOVE ATHENS!), my parents decided to move to a small country town called Braselton, Ga when I was 12. I hated Braselton from the day I moved there and with only a few exceptions the people of Braselton hated me. The only good thing that I can take from living there for 9 long years is the fact that I eventually met my wife there. That more than makes up for the bad parts of this experience, but this past weekend on our yearly thanksgiving return home I was reminded of how I felt like a fish out of water at age 12. I spent the next 9 years trying to fit in and learning to be a "redneck". I actually did a better job than I would like to admit. There are a few pictures floating around where I have a pretty good mullet going. I've spent the next 15 years cleansing myself of that experience and the effects it had on my life and character.

The end result of all of this is that I'm not sure where I have ever fit in or if I ever will fit in. I'm still feel like I'm in between personalities. I am part redneck, part geek, part jock, part musician, part pothead, part preacher's kid, part adult, part conservative, part liberal, part libertarian. The truth is that I'm still like a fish flapping around on the ground looking for a nice little pool of water to fall into to.

Thank God my parents finally moved back to Athens and now going to visit them is much better. Unfortunately my in-laws still live in Braselton so the yearly journey back in time still goes on.

When I visit home I am always amazed how small everything seems. When I was a kid it all seemed so big.