Oh Magoo, you've done it again!

Facebook vs. Twitter

2011-02-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

"A new report from eMarketer finds that most adult Americans with Internet access use Facebook at least once a month... Twitter‘s penetration rate was much lower, sitting at around 7% of the total population and 9% of the Internet-using population"

Read the full Mashable article

Facebook Marketing, Best Practices

2011-02-18T07:13:00.000-08:00

Great 30 minute video about marketing on Facebook and some best practices, particularly for nonprofits.

Facebook marketing strategies and best practices from Socialbrite

Upcoming Webinars

2011-02-15T05:55:00.001-08:00

Wild Apricot's blog has a list of upcoming free webinars, many related to nonprofit technology. Check the list out here.

California

2011-02-14T05:56:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the National Conference on Ending Family Homelessness. I will be sharing about the conference through The Stable Foundation's website, Twitter, and Facebook, but here's a link to the pictures I took during the trip.

Nonprofit Technology

2011-01-27T05:45:00.000-08:00

Here are the links and other resources related to the BCS Nonprofit Technology Training.

The Presentation
The Audio (mp3)

Techsoup
"Your Nonprofit Needs a Technology Plan"
Tech Soup: Technology Planning archive

Software
OpenOffice
Google Docs
GIMP (image editor)
Mozilla Firefox (web browser)
Google Chrome (web browser)
Microsoft Security Essentials (antivirus)

Web-based Applications/Services
Blogger (blog/website)
Wordpress (blog/website)
Squarespace (blog/website)
Flickr (photo sharing)
Youtube (video sharing)
Vimeo (video sharing)
Carbonite (backup)
CrashPlan (backup)
BackBlaze (backup)
Google Groups (mass email)
Vertical Response (mass email)
Constant Contact (mass email)
MailChimp (mass email)
Delivra (mass email)
mGive (text to donate)

Nonprofit Specific
Raiser's Edge (donor management)
eTapestry (donor management)
DonorPerfect (donor management)
GiftWorks (donor management)
Volgistics (volunteer management)
HandsOn (volunteer management)
Samaritan Technologies (volunteer management)
Wild Apricot (volunteer management)

Google Apps for Nonprofits

The Stable Foundation

2010-10-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

On June 1st of this year, I became the Executive Director of The Stable Foundation. I hope that you will read my recent letter sharing the story of TSF and how you can help.

Just today, I helped a family of six sign a lease to move into their own apartment. They had been living in a shelter for several weeks and had many obstacles to getting into their own place, obstacles most of us can't even imagine. If it wasn't for the generous support of local congregations, private foundations, and individuals like you, this family would still be without a place to call home.

One particular donor has agreed to match any money I raise personally up to $500. In other words, if one of you donates a dollar, they will also donate a dollar. This offer has a deadline, though, so please consider making a donation soon.

Thanks for all of your support.

UPDATE: You can join our Cause and donate through Facebook.

Collaboration

2010-04-05T06:11:00.000-07:00

If you have applied for a grant recently, you have probably come across this word: collaboration. Even before the current economic crisis, funding agencies were seeking ways for their grants to do more. Collaboration, getting nonprofit organizations to work together, was an obvious choice. Unfortunately, collaboration doesn't come easily for most nonprofits. Nonprofit leaders are often fiercely independent, but many are now seeing collaboration as beneficial, if not essential.

Some keys for establishing effective collaboration

Develop relationships with leaders in other organizations.
A strong personal relationship can be the conduit for organizations to work together. It may also be the glue that holds a partnership together when problems arise.

Get to know dissimilar organizations.
Recently, a student living in a local homeless shelter was able to participate in another organization's music camp on scholarship, which resulted in a huge emotional benefit for the student. If these organizations had not been familiar with each other and willing to work together, this opportunity would have been missed.

Take advantage of local community foundations and nonprofit resource centers.
These organizations typically have a wide view of their community's nonprofit landscape. Funding agencies know that if they are expecting collaboration, then they should be a resource for collaboration. The days of foundations simply being a checkbook are quickly disappearing. The Georgia Center for Nonprofits and Community Connection of Northeast Georgia can be great starting points for an organization seeking to develop collaborative relationships.

What will collaboration look like for your organization?
It could be as unique and creative as the organizations involved, but take a look at some local forms of collaboration. The United Way is a well-known fundraising collaboration for many local nonprofits such as the Girl Scouts, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, and the Salvation Army. HandsOn Northeast Georgia recruits volunteers for projects submitted by over 60 agency partners. Interfaith Hospitality Network uses church buildings as temporary housing for homeless families with church members serving as volunteers. Team United, a collaboration unique to the University of Georgia, has the FCA, Athletes in Action, and Georgia Athletes Outreach sharing office space, equipment, and administrative staff. Fiscal sponsorships are common for new or small organizations. Organizations also partner on specific programs, each taking the part of the program for which they are best equipped. Collaboration with for-profit and public organizations, beyond just fundraising, can also be effective.

Learn about nonprofits sharing office space

Whether pressured into collaboration by funding agencies or proactively choosing to pursue greater effectiveness and efficiency, all nonprofit leaders should recognize the benefits of working together. It will be difficult at times, but the organizations that will thrive in the years ahead will be those that work together.

the end...

2009-12-04T07:22:00.001-08:00

So my internship with Nuçi's Space ended this week. It has been a lot of fun, and I have learned a lot. I will be sharing about my internship at our colloquium on December17th. Part of my presentation will include an acoustic version of one of Nuçi's songs, "Only When the Right Side Glows." Since the presentation will be in one of UGA's recital halls, I had to take the opportunity to play and sing. I'm looking forward to it, but I have to focus on finals right now.

The next 7 days are going to be crazy. I have work, study sessions, a church event, music rehearsals, household duties, and a final that may kick my butt. After that, I'll be golden.

Flagpole article

2009-11-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

This week's Flagpole has a good account of the tax situation with an extensive response from Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood.

Article

CAAS finale

2009-11-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Some goods news in the Athens-Banner Herald.

CAAS finale

SCL raises big money

2009-11-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

If you've never read Stuff Christians Like, you are missing out. Here's an AJC article about what happened when the blogger decided to raise money for an orphanage in Vietnam through Samaritan's Purse.

Tax case update 2

2009-11-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

Nuçi's Space to fight tax ruling

The organization should be releasing a press release soon.

Tax case

2009-11-06T07:27:00.001-08:00

I think everyone involved with a nonprofit organization (including churches) should take notice.

Nuçi's loses in tax case

Why we do it...

2009-11-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

Sarah Walpert (Team Jared)

By the numbers

2009-10-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

246 registered runners (up from 220 last year)
10 teams made up of 86 people (UGA Social Work, Sigma Alpha Iota, Team Jared, Team Hardman, One Hope Church, Delta Gamma, Joshua Paul Ledbetter, Team Clermont, Hillel, Nurses in Athens)
20+ volunteers over Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday supporting the anniversary party and race
100+ runners picked up race numbers on Friday (first year this was done)
187 runners timed by Swagger.us (the folks that do the Twilight event here in Athens)

Fundraising totals are not in yet, but support from sponsors was great both in cash donations and prizes for participants.

Race Pictures

2009-10-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

Athens-Banner Herald

Courtney's pics

Race Week!

2009-10-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that I will not remember everything worth noting that happened this past week, but I'll try.

My schedule was a little unusual due to the anniversary party and race. I was in Athens on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday mainly consisted of processing registrations, managing the logistics of race day, and keeping track of incoming items from sponsors. Our interns (Allie, Lindsey, and Tara) and Pam Taylor did an incredible job securing items for our race winners, fundraisers, and raffles.

Thursday, I picked up the race shirts from Leon Leathers at RubySue Graphics. Leon really went out of his way with these shirts, and they came out great. The Space also was getting a sprucing up from mega-volunteer Lesley Cobb and others.

Friday was a crazy day. The staff was here early setting up everything for the anniversary party that night. In the past, the anniversary party had been on Saturday evening AFTER the race. This was one of the main complaints about the weekend, so we decided to try moving the party to the night before. We all thought it was a good idea, but there was always the possibility that there was something we did think of when making that decision.

Another change we made this year was to strongly encourage runners to pick up their race bids (numbers) the day before the race. This, also, could have been a hit or a miss. There was a steady stream of runners picking up numbers throughout the day and even during the party. This was a great sign, but it also made the day a little more hectic. Overall, over half of the runners picked up their numbers on Friday, making the Saturday morning registration process much less hectic.

The anniversary party was very well attended, a concern with moving it to Friday night. The bands were great, including one of the Camp Amped bands that has stuck together since the summer. The mayor of Athens present Linda Phillips with a key to city, recognizing her contribution in creating this very "unique" organization and space. With Linda's upcoming move out of the state, this was a very fitting award. Throughout the party, runners were picking up their numbers and enjoying the festivities. We even had a few party-goers register for the race.

One of runners found me and asked me about Rutherford Street. I had no clue what he meant. Rutherford is one of roads on the UGA-designated race route, and I was about to discover that it was almost non-existent. Apparently, the construction around the track facilities and baseball field had spilled over on the road that runs between them. Around 8pm, I left the party and drove over the Rutherford. In the dark and rain, I saw fencing and warning tape across the road. I drove back to the party and convened a meeting to figure out a solution. We had called UGA Public Safety about the road, and even they were unaware it was closed. Around 10pm, we went back for a closer look. Fortunately, a narrow path of sidewalk was open through the construction. The runners would have to use that. Since it was roughly the halfway point of the race, we expected the crowd to be stretched out enough for it not to be a huge concern.

After some cleaning up and organizing for the race, I left the Space around 10:30pm to go crash at some friends in town. Despite their hospitality, I didn't get much sleep. I have troubling sleeping anyway, so the anxiety over the race was not helping. I finally checked the time around 5:30am and decided to get up. I arrived at the Space around 6am started getting ready for a crazy morning.

We started taking stuff over to the campus around 6:30am. Set up went relatively quickly with the registration table ready to go before 8am when our first day-of runner registered. My primary task for the morning to to enter the day-of runners into the database so that results could be calculated immediately. With around 40 runners registering that morning, I had my work cut out for me. Having other staff and volunteers be responsible for other aspects of the race allowed me to be focused on that. Probably the biggest help came from hiring Swagger to do the race timing. It allowed us to have instant results for the awards.

Inside Memorial Hall, t-shirts and goodie bags were being set up and the building was being decorated for the awards ceremony. Several sponsors provided food and water for the post-race awards. Volunteers also hung banners and signs about the organization and various facts about suicide and depression. It's important to note that this event is not solely a fundraiser but also raises awareness about the organization and its mission. The race started at 9am. The top finisher finished in less than 17 minutes, but the average is around 30 minutes. The awards ceremony started at 10am. After raffle winners and race winners were announced, we gave away a donated Owl Scooter. Unfortunately, the winner was not there, but she definitely freaked out when she was called later that morning.

After all the awards were handed out, we packed up and unloaded everything at the Space. We were all pretty tired and the relief of not having a party that night was incredible. Overall, I think everything went very smoothly. We have yet to have a post-race meeting, but I think the general response to the changes we made will be positive. Mostly, I'm glad it's over.

Internship week 21

2009-10-14T13:50:00.001-07:00

I just witnessed my first large check ceremony. The folks at Mule Train Records are awesome.

The race is less than a week away. I'm not freaking out yet, but it could happen. Cool stuff is rolling in for prizes and goodie bags. The assembly process starts tomorrow. Percentage night at Panera went well, I think. One of our interns, Allie, was there holding down the fort all evening. We'll see what the totals are soon, I hope.

Bob's SPACE Race post

more SPACE Race pub

2009-10-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

Great note on UGA's #1 football blog.

BULLDOGS BLOG

Thanks, David!

first Flagpole ad

2009-10-07T09:39:00.001-07:00

Check page 8 for the first S.P.A.C.E. Race ad.

http://flagpole.com/images/jpgs/2009/10/07/FP091007

Shared via AddThis

Internship weeks 19 & 20

2009-10-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Pieces are continuing to come together for the S.P.A.C.E. Race. Local businesses and organizations are coming through with sponsorships and prizes, many of which our interns and volunteers are securing. I plan to post all of the sponsors once they are secured, but plan on visiting Ben & Jerry's downtown the afternoon after the race, 10/24 between 1pm-5pm. They will be donating 10% of everything they sell during that time. Panera Bread will also be doing something to help us on Sunday, October 18th.

This week will bring some promotions to the UGA campus for the race, including a banner at the Tate Center and buscards on campus buses. I hope to snap a few photos to records the fruits of my labor.

In other news...
Are there too many charities?

Internship week 18

2009-09-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

Some things are moving a bit slower than I would like, but such is my life. I like having things done as early as possible, but it seems most things come together at the last minute. That stresses me out, but there isn't much I can do about it.

Runner registration and teams seem to be ahead of where they were last year. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come. The down economy will certainly have an effect on fundraising, but we can do our best to make sure the event itself is successful.

Internship week 17

2009-09-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

This week brought my first truly pleasant experience with a UGA department in preparing for the S.P.A.C.E. Race. I know better than to name names of people that are less than helpful, but I want to show some appreciation to Melanie Suarez at UGA's Print & Copy for being extremely helpful with our buscards. Good on ya!

Our interns and student organization have already secured some great items for race winners and participants from local businesses. Pam Taylor of PPT Promo is also doing great work with local businesses for the race.

Three teams have already formed for the race, and I expect more based on the efforts of the interns and student organization. My personal goal for the race is a record number of race participants. We'll see how that works out.

Georgia Theatre owner share some ideas about the fundraising and rebuilding process.

Internship week 16

2009-09-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

This week, I helped the Nuçi's Space Student Organization during the UGA Activities Fair. I believe I heard that over 200 organizations were represented with hundreds more wanting space at the Tate Center. We had a prime spot, and several students came to represent the student organization. We gave out t-shirts, stickers, buttons, and info while collecting almost 100 email addresses for the mailing list.

I also continued preparations for the S.P.A.C.E. Race. Registrations are going well, but most runners register much closer to the race date. The president of the student organization did some graphic design work to promote the race. This work will be seen on campus in the coming weeks. We also worked on sponsorships and collecting items for runners and fundraisers.

In an interview with the Athens music magazine Blur, Georgia Theatre (page 61) owner Wilmot Greene finally gave some of the info I personally have been looking for about their relationship with the nonprofit Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Wil said, "The trust is for saving the building, not the business."

Internship weeks 14 & 15

2009-09-02T09:12:00.001-07:00

It is somewhat amazing the complexity of putting on a fairly simple event such as a 5k. Last week, I met with the nice folks over at Flagpole to work on sponsorships for the S.P.A.C.E. Race. Then, it was back to the ordeal of dealing with multiple (I think I'm up to 5) university departments/offices to get approvals for the event. Then, like a floodgate, approvals started flowing...that is, as long as I filled out the right form...

I also got to meet our undergrad interns for the semester. All of them have interned here before, so it's great having folks that can hit the ground running. They will working primarily on the S.P.A.C.E. Race, so I'm sure we will get to know each other pretty well.

Registration for the S.P.A.C.E. Race is now open. This in itself is an accomplishment with some last minute changes to the registration form, web form, and fundraising incentives. Hopefully, all of the changes will be worth it with a record turnout for the event. Emails and Facebook event invites have gone out, and the organization's newsletter will include a registration form and info about the race. Five people have already registered, and dozens have indicated that they will attend via Facebook. Since most registrations come in just prior to the race, this is a very good start.

In other news, the Georgia Theatre has finally secured an agree with Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to accept tax-deductible donations. I know very little about historic preservation, so I am using this as motivation to learn more. I guess the primary question I want to answer is "where does preservation end and improvement begin in this particular case?". Maybe someone can answer that one for me.

Internship weeks 12 & 13

2009-08-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

These past two weeks have consisted primarily of dealing with the University to reserve the building and route for the S.P.A.C.E. Race. This has revealed certain offices' love for ALL CAPS with words like ' DECLINED' and 'DENIED' as email subject lines. That's why I'm here: to hammer against the bureaucracy until I get what I need. Maybe it is just training for a future job at the University...

I've also spent some time creating a new registration form and fundraising materials for the S.P.A.C.E. Race. I was able to bring a few things from my fundraising course into this, so that has been beneficial. There are some other details that have yet to be worked out, but I hope to resolve those very soon.

Internship week 11

2009-08-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

Last week is almost forgotten after the crazy weekend I had. At my internship, I worked to get a contract for the timing of the S.P.A.C.E. Race. I also worked to reserve a facility at UGA, which is not the easiest endeavor. I also solicited some bids for the t-shirt design from some graphic designers I have worked with in the past. Hopefully, all of these things will be nailed down this week.

Last weekend, I was in Asheboro, NC for the first ever WUWB Camp. It went pretty well, but I'm still recovering. The trip home was made a little longer by this wreck. I look forward to future camps and events that build off of what we learned this past weekend. Look for pics soon on Facebook and WUWB's Flickr page.

Internship week 10

2009-08-03T06:47:00.001-07:00

This past week was pretty busy. It was the last week of the semester, and preparations for the S.P.A.C.E. Race are in full swing. After much effort in creating a new route for the 5k, we met Friday afternoon with UGA's Public Safety, their police force. While they were quite nice, they were understandably unwilling to change the designated 5k route. I certainly see where they are coming from: if they change it for us, they have to change it for everybody. This has given me a new task that I will tackle first thing tomorrow. Necessity is the mother of invention...or innovation (that's for you, Dr. J.).

Though work and internship continue, I'm enjoying a bit of a break from classwork. The new semester doesn't start for a few more weeks. I have a WUWB event this weekend that will likely wipe me out. So much for taking a break.

Internship week 9

2009-07-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Next week is officially the last week of the semester, but that doesn't mean that my internship is over. In fact, I have decided to continue my internship at Nuçi's Space through the Fall semester!

It would have been nice if this week could have been a complete recovery time after Camp Amped, but that was not the case. Clients are still being served daily, preparation and promotion for the after school program is underway, and administrative tasks like audit and board meeting preparation are ongoing.

On top of all of that, I have been given primary responsibility for the 2009 S.P.A.C.E. Race set for October. It is a 5k Run/Walk to raise funds for Nuçi's Space. The exact details have to be nailed down, but there are going to be some significant changes over last year. Through this, I get to work with the county/city and the University, as well as runners, donors, sponsors, musicians, supporters, etc. I hope that this will be a success even int he tough times everyone is going through.

In other news, the saga of the Georgia Theatre is continuing. Let's just say that there is a lot to be learned from this.

Internship Week 8

2009-07-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

This was one of those crazy weeks that really bring home how fragmented my life can be. The last session of Camp Amped was wrapping up, so there was a lot going on. Tuesday, Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers) and friends did a concert for the camp kids. Did I mention that Patterson is a great guy? He came early to sit in on Survival Skills with the kids. His family also came to the show. Rock stars are people, too! Well, the cool ones, at least.

Thursday was studio day for the kids. I dropped in at John Keane's Studio and Chase Park Transduction to take some pics of the kids recording. Other studios in town also donated their services to the camp.

Saturday night was the finale. All the bands were great. The highlight of the night was all of the campers singing the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." I also noticed Jason Thrasher mentoring a camper on photography, even letting her use his very expensive camera. Yeah, another one of the incredibly cool folks in Athens.

Nuçi's Space also officially announced Camp Amped After School at the finale. I have played a very small part in developing this program, so I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Classes begin in less than a month.

Internship week 7

2009-07-08T07:18:00.001-07:00

I missed posting last week, but it was a pretty quiet week at Nuçi's Space. The bands from the first session of Camp Amped did a great job at AthFest. The week that followed was basically preparation for the second session, which started this week. This group of kids is completely different that the first but equally talented. It will be great to hear them next week. Pride Parade did a master class concert for them yesterday. Again, another group of great guys willing to rock it for a group of young musicians.

Nuçi's Space is making news this week for another issue. Athens-Clarke County has sued to collect property tax from the Space even though it is a nonprofit organization exempt from property taxes. You can read the most recent story here. The local court denied the suit, but the county has appealed to the state court. The appeal is being heard tomorrow in Atlanta. While it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this publicly, those of you that know me probably know where I stand. Let's hope the court in Atlanta agrees.

Internship week 5

2009-06-25T06:43:00.000-07:00

This week, I had a good meeting to work on upcoming stuff at Nuçi's Space, including the S.P.A.C.E. Race in October. I also worked on something that I'm not sure has been publicly announced yet, so I'll keep my mouth shut on that (at least online).

The Camp Amped Finale for session 1 was awesome. There was a big crowd, and the kids did great. You can get the wrap-up here. AthFest starts tomorrow, but the music awards are tonight. I'm still not sure how much of the festival I will see, but I should at least be there Sunday to hear the Camp Amped kids play.

The client database I created has gone into use, but I'll still be tweaking it over the coming weeks. Looking forward to working on some other projects throughout the summer.

The Whigs

In kinda related news, a couple of friends will be playing in Athens next week at the Rye Bar, Thursday, July 2nd at 8pm. If at all possible, you should come check them out.

Rye Bar
Colorful Quiet
Phillip Mitchell

Internship week 4

2009-06-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

Interning at Nuçi's Space puts me right in the midst of the Athens music scene. A big part of that music scene is the Georgia Theatre. This morning, the Georgia Theatre caught fire, and it seems that the interior is a complete loss. This is a huge tragedy for the Athens music scene and its history. It does have me thinking, though. Will there be a nonprofit response to rebuilding the theatre?

As best I can tell, the venue is a for profit business. Even with insurance, though, I can imagine that it may be close to impossible to rebuild, especially in this economy. Could the number of successful musicians that have played at the theatre, including many who still live in Athens, come together and raised the funds needed to return the theatre to the glory it had just 24 hours ago? This will be an interesting story to follow.

Update: interview with owner

In internship news, the week brings about the conclusion of the first session of Camp Amped. The finale show is Saturday night, and a few of the bands get to play at Athfest the following weeks. Pretty big stage for a bunch of teenagers.

I'm learning even more about Nuçi's Space. There is a never-ending cast of characters that come through, especially during something like Camp Amped. I'm realizing that I need to get to know a few of them better. This place has a story, and knowing more of that story will allow me to help out even more.

Until then, I'm hopefully about to finish my first project for them. I expect next week to have a few meetings to get up to speed on a few other projects I hope to work on.

Internship week 3

2009-06-10T11:01:00.001-07:00

Camp Amped at Nuçi's Space is going on this week (click here for photos that I and others have taken). There are 20 high school students here each day receiving instruction on their instrument of choice (drums, keys, guitar, voice, etc.) from some great musicians here in Athens. Yesterday's highlight was a private concert by The Dumps. Don't let their looks or sound fool you...they are really nice guys. Today, they are hearing from a professional PR person in the indie music industry.

At their age in my musical journey, I was in school band at a very small public high school. Fortunately, I had a very cool band director who exposed us to rock and jazz. Since I was a drummer, a lot was transferable. I still missed a lot of cool music, but I'm slowly catching up.

I have been using my time this week to document camp activities, primarily through photography (not my best skill). I am also trying to observe everything so I can offer unbiased feedback, ideas, and thoughts on what to include in upcoming camps and other programs targeting this age group.

Camp Amped lasts two weeks, so they will still be going next week when I get back. I'm sure the kids will have progressed greatly, so I'm looking forward to hearing them. There will also be another session with all new students in July.

Internship week 2

2009-06-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

We were on vacation last week, so this has been my second week of internship. I've spent most of my time developing a demo database that could potentially handle client information for Nuçi's Space. I think I finally have something to show them. Hopefully, I can make some tweaks and help them out with implementing the database. They are already getting used to a new reservation system for the rehearsal rooms, so we'll need to take our time introducing another new system.

I've also had some meetings to get a better understanding of what is going on here on a lot of fronts, so I think I will be able to help out in some beneficial ways over the coming months. Nuçi's Space is certainly unique, so a good understanding of its programs, components, and people is necessary before doing too much.

The first session of Camp Amped starts next Monday. This is the first year that there have been two sessions of Camp Amped, and both are booked up. This will be a busy and exciting time at the Space, so I'm looking forward to helping out with it.

Internship week 1

2009-05-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

I worked at Nuçi's Space yesterday and today. It's was great getting to know the folks that work there and getting a feel for this unique place. One of the coolest volunteers was there Tuesday, and she is awesome. The place really starts getting interesting in the afternoon when bands start showing up to use the rehearsal rooms. It's strangely comforting to have drums and bass bleeding over into the office area.

I spent most of the the two days working through some old data that will be used for program evaluation. Though most may find digging through Excel files and accounting data tedious, it's not much different from the work I have done for years. I kind of enjoy it. I may potentially be able to design and create a database to handle this info more effectively, but I want to spend a little more time getting to know the organization and their needs before I do too much on that front.

I won't be back at Nuçi's Space until June due to other plans. I expect that I'll really be able to jump into some new things then.

In the mean time, here are some links to check out:
Widespread Panic
Perpetual Grove
Nana Dread

Back to blogging

2009-05-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

So after a few months away, I'm getting back to blogging. I had a good excuse for being away, primarily a semester of grad school at the University of Georgia. Well, the semester is over, and I have a few weeks before classes start again. In other words, a perfect time to get back into the swing of things.

First of all, I will start what I think will be a really cool internship in a few weeks. I will be interning with Nuçi's Space in Athens. As part of my internship, I have to keep a personal diary of sorts of the experience. I figured a blog would do just fine, so I will be posting about my internship experience. Obviously, no confidential or sensitive stuff will be posted, but I think I will be able to share the experience pretty well without getting myself into any trouble.

Second, WUWB.com is getting ready to host its first ever gaming camp near the end of the summer. Details will be posted soon, but I'm pretty excited about this. If you can get to Asheboro, NC in August, you should check it out.

Also, we'll be doing a bit of traveling over the upcoming weeks, so I'll be sure to share some stories about those trips.

Lastly, we're in a bit of a church transition right now. I hope to share more soon, but I'm excited about the community we are getting to know in Athens.

Christmas roadtrip playlist

2008-12-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

Every year, we do some significant driving over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since Thanksgiving, I have been working on the playlist that will hopefully make the 700+ miles more bearable, if not somewhat informational and entertaining. Here's what we will be listening to for the next 4 days:

Podcasts
The Bored-Again Christian
Catalyst
Major Nelson
Neue
NPR's All Songs Considered "Best Albums of 2008"
Sermon Jams
TWiT

Music
Alabama "Christmas"
Third Day "Christmas Offerings"
City on a Hill "It's Christmas Time"
Kevin Max "Holy Night"
Elvis "It's Christmas Time"
Jars of Clay "Drummer Boy"
Steven Curtis Chapman "The Music of Christmas"
Have a Blah Christmas playlist
Plus other Christmas tunes from Sufjan Stevens, Stryper, Shane & Shane, and Rush of Fools.

Here we go again

2008-11-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I found out this week that my job will become part-time starting the 15th of this month. That means that my paycheck will be cut by at least 50%. Yeah, bummer. With everything going on, I have been expecting something to happen, but it is still a punch in the gut. The next day, my car needed $2,000 worth of work. I settled for the $1,100 amount of work it would take to get me to and front work safely. "Left-right to the chin..."

It does again remind me to be thankful for my awesome wife. She manages the finances of our household and was prepared for something like this to happen. I think Proverbs 31 talks about a woman making good financial decisions and preparing her family for hard times. Well, that's her, and I am so blessed to be with her. I still will need to find additional income soon, but there is not the panic in our house as there is in so many other homes when news like this comes.

So after the 15th, my schedule will be a good bit more open... I'll also be working from home some, which hopefully will give my car a few more months of usability.

I'd appreciate your prayers. The next few weeks and months are going to be interesting.

WhoUWannaBe?

2008-08-25T18:51:00.001-07:00

Well, it's official. I am the new (very part-time) Content Editor for www.wuwb.com. WUWB is a video game site run by Christians. I know, that sounds weird, but it's really not. Check out the site and the forums, and you'll see.

Let me know what you think!

What Happened to Bob & Larry?

2008-07-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

We were/are all VeggieTales fans, but even the most casual observer will know that something went terribly wrong with our favorite animated vegetables. To read the story from the man himself, check out his blog.
Phil Vischer: What Happened to Big Idea?

10 Years

2008-06-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since I got married. Harder even to think that she and I have known each other and been together many years longer. So much has happened. Four colleges, five college degrees, five apartments, one house, at least seven different jobs, countless used up automobiles and repairs...
I've attended many weddings in my life, several this year alone. Not to brag, but mine was the best. We were halfway through college (at least, I was halfway through). The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were just that, rehearsal. I wore shorts and a bright yellow and black (think Stryper) "True Love Waits" t-shirt, because my wait was almost over! The entire wedding party (including musicians) was family and friends. No one on that platform was someone we had known less than two years. Some, I had known since I was five. The church was where I was baptized not too many years before. I first led worship on that platform as a teenager on Sunday nights (if you don't count the time I tried to play the organ when I was about five). It was in Marbury, Alabama, less than a mile from the school I had started kindergarten in and eventually graduated high school from. It's also where we met, but that's another story for another time.
Louis Kathman, the pianist, forgot his music. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but he was accompanying our former band director, Ted Mann, on some pieces, so Louis' great improvisational skills would do little good, especially on "Trumpet Voluntary." Mike Puskar, an old hippy and terrific guitar player, was ready to go, even though I had asked him to play the song in F. After playing guitar for a few years, I realize now how hard that probably was. Sorry, Mike. Dean Delfosse, my best man, had just graduated from our college. He stayed in town an extra month just for the wedding.
The rehearsal went well, and our lavish rehearsal dinner consisted of a sandwich bar, if I remember correctly. After that, my 'wild' bachelor party consisted of hanging out with Hugh Brothers and watching old wrestling videos from the '80's. I can't tell you how many Saturday nights Hugh, his brother Allen, and I stayed up late to watch the WWF Main Event. I think it was a cultural experience for Dean.
The next morning started with breakfast at home with many of the guys at my Mom's kitchen table. After getting dressed and making our way to the church, the craziness began. We were taking pictures and such when I realized that my Dad had not arrived. My Dad is usually very punctual, so this was unusual. He arrived a little late looking a little flustered. As we got ready to take our picture together, he told me that when he arrived to pick up my aunt and uncle, their motor home caught on fire (no, they don't live in a motor home, it was parked next to the house being worked on). My Dad, in his wedding suit, rushed into the motor home, extinguisher in hand. Needless to say, he was already excited by the time he made it to the church.
After that, the wedding went off without a hitch, mostly. During the vows, I started repeating Courtney's vows. I had done such a good job on mine that I thought I'd do her's, as well. I sang a song to her, no tears! It didn't help that I saw her Dad just over her shoulder as I sang. All the musicians did great. After the pronouncement, we started to leave when I heard a slight tearing noise and felt a tug on my arm. Courtney's dress had got caught on the lid of the microphone box that usually is under the pulpit. It wasn't a big deal, but it did mean a few seconds of terror. We quickly ran out, took a couple of photos with the cake, took a bunch of photos with EVERYBODY, then went to our reception in the fellowship hall.
This small church was well designed, and the fellowship hall was perfect for the reception. We were good Baptist's, so there would be NO DANCING at this wedding (actually, we just don't dance). The catering was done by...our family and friends! I know, this is radically strange, but we were poor. You wouldn't believe how much we DIDN'T spend on this wedding (compared to most). My Mom's best friend had been doing wedding cakes for a few years, so our cakes were every bit as professional as anyone else's. Peggy also considers me her third son, so it was her gift to us. One of my old girlfriends even showed up, but it was cool. We were still friends. After Dean shared a brief word of encouragement, we were headed north to the mountains.
No, our honeymoon location has never been mentioned in a Beach Boys song. It didn't involve airplanes, cruise ships, or passports. We were not waited on, except at maybe one or two restaurants. We stayed in a state park cabin near Fort Payne, Alabama. We cooked many of our meals in the cabin, went hiking, rode horses, visited Chattanooga, 'Saw Rock City', and just had a great time unwinding from the stress of the wedding.
I won't lie and say that everything since then has been wonderful. There have definitely been hard times. We were pretty broke for the first four years or so, but it taught us how to be good stewards of our money without having to take a Dave Ramsey class. We've experienced some things that many of our childhood classmates have never experienced. But there have been very painful times, as well. Through it all, though, I knew we could count on each other.

We have never had a huge fight in all the years we've been together. Don't get me wrong, two intensely opinionated people like us certainly have disagreed about a lot of things, but I don't think there has ever been a time that I have really been angry with her or her with me for an extended period of time (unless I am completely oblivious, which is entirely possible). For me, it just comes down to this: most things are just not worth arguing over. We agree on the most important things, and the rest are negotiable. And if two intelligent people (who love each other) can't figure out a compromise on an issue, then they should have never married each other. Fortunately, we had plenty of chances to argue before we got married!

Well, I'm not writing a book here, so I'll wrap it up. The past 10 years, and all the ones that led up to them, have been incredible. When I actually stop and think about everything that has happened, I'm amazed. I don't know what the future holds, but I know we'll face it together with God. Everything else is secondary.

I love you.
.

This Is Your Life

2008-06-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

After my fairly depressed post of yesterday, I got some cool news last night. I'm not sure what I can share when, but I'll post it here when I can. Nothing too major, just a opportunity to try something new with some friends.

I'll keep you posted.

7 Circles

2008-06-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm a complicated guy. I realize that more every day. I move in many different circles, feeling at home in none. Let me give you a few examples.

Here are some examples of the podcasts that are on my mp3 player: TWiT, Major Nelson, Catalyst, Bored-Again Christian, and the Bungie podcast.

Then there's the music: the CFG, David Crowder Band, U2, Jon Foreman, Whiskeytown, Dierks Bentley, The Colorful Quiet, Drum Corps, Kevin Max, Lord of the Rings soundtrack, "Once More, With Feeling" (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), Red, and Alabama.

In the same week, I have attended the opera, a NASCAR race, and a church service. I enjoyed all three.

On one Sunday, I have attended a worship service with a new church plant in a elementary school cafeteria in the morning, and then hung out with a very different church in a coffee house in L5P in Atlanta that night. I can fit in at both.

On a Saturday morning, I have done some reading about a new church hymnal and played Halo 3 on my XBOX. I like hymnals and video games.

My website bookmarks include Digg, WUWB, Stuff Christians Like, Rick and Bubba, Patrol Magazine, XKCD, and the social networking standards like MySpace and Facebook.

I grew up in Alabama but am told regularly that I don't sound like it. I'm not sure what that means. Did I used to sound like I was from Alabama? Did four years of vocal training remove the wad of tobacco from my lip (don't worry, I've never used tobacco)? Do I sound like a Yankee? I long to go back to Alabama, thinking that someone there might understand me as they did when I was a kid, but I don't think that would happen. I different now, and no one really understood me anyway.

So why am I rambling on about this? Maybe hitting 30 hurt a little more than I expected. More of an ache than a sharp pain. Maybe my lack of real connections in this super-connected world has left me feeling lonely. Maybe the frustrations of my calling/career (or lack thereof) have left me aimless. Maybe the physical ailments of my family have made me realize that my genes won't allow me to grow old gracefully.

Maybe I didn't take my Saint John's Wort today.

I'm Bored Again

2008-06-05T07:00:00.001-07:00

Have I told you that I love "The Bored-Again Christian"? I hope so. It's a great podcast of Christian music for people 'who are tired of Christian music.' It focuses mostly on indie bands, so Third Day will NOT be making an appearance. If you check out the "Listener Wall of Fame", you might see some familiar faces.

Child of the 80's

2008-06-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine co-wrote this song. If you grew up in the 80's you'll love it.

Nashville Pictures

2008-05-27T06:23:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Nashville.

Stay Down on the Farm
Country Music Hall of Fame
Ryman Auditorium
Nashville Public Library
Riverfront Park
Wildhorse Saloon
Tattoo Shop
Vanderbilt University
Bluebird Cafe
Sewanee: The University of the South
B.B. King's Club
Bicentennial Park
Centennial Park

Steven Curtis Chapman

2008-05-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

This past week, singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman lost one of his daughters in a terrible accident. Steven has a special place in my heart musically. His music was part of the soundtrack of my life when I was a teenager and was called to ministry. I've sung his songs in worship services, weddings, and privately for encouragement and to worship. When you listen to someone's music so much, you feel like you know them. I can't imagine their pain. Please pray for this wonderful family.
SCC website

I am a TWIT

2008-05-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

No this isn't me...

Is IKEA the world's largest charity?

2008-05-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've finally figured out how to start my own business, pay virtually no taxes, and help people at the same time. Brilliant!

Is IKEA the world's largest charity?

Nashville recap

2008-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

We spent last week on vacation in the Nashville area of Tennessee. I thought I'd share our experience with you in case you ever wanted to visit Nashville or just go there vicariously through us. We ate some good food, heard some great music, visited some historic places, and generally got away from our normal lives.

Stay Down on the Farm
We stayed outside of the city purposely. I usually can't relax in a hotel, and we like nature. We often stay in a state park cabin, but this place was even better. It was a 3 bedroom farmhouse on 100 acres of land. The house is less than a year old, so everything was new and beautiful. The owners were great Christian folks that called me after I made the reservation to see if I had any special requests. He even prayed with us before we left! It was very affordable and perfect for this trip. I can't recommend this place highly enough.

Saturday
We arrived in the late afternoon. After settling in, we headed out to eat at the Hollywood Grill & Fun Center in White House. At this wonderfully eclectic place, you could get your Chinese or American food, play an arcade game, get some ice cream, and watch the baseball game. What else can I say?

Sunday
We spent most of the day Sunday at the house, walking through the woods, resting, reading, etc. That evening, we hooked up with some friends we knew from Troy University, Claire & Shay Watson. We ate at the Calypso Cafe and finished up at Fido in Hillsboro Village. We hadn't seen Shay and Claire since their wedding, so it was great to see them. They are one of the few couples I feel that we can really relate to, so I hate that we live so far apart. On our way out, we drove through Music Row

Monday
We headed into downtown Nashville to see the sights. We ate a quick lunch at Jack's and headed off to the Country Music Hall of Fame. This museum walks you through the history of country music. It also includes one of Elvis's cars and many instruments and outfits used by country music's greats over the years. There are tons of video exhibits, including one on the biggest country music moments on TV (Hee Haw, anyone?). The center of the museum is the archives, visible to the public through glass walls. These archives contains thousands of recordings and artifacts, including costumes and instruments. You can even watch archivists work on restoring pieces. You can also see the racks of equipment running the many video screens and speakers throughout the museum. Large walls are covered with gold records by country's biggest stars. The actual hall of fame is an atrium with plaques for the inductees, the centerpiece of which is the old broadcast antennae from WSM radio.

We also took a tour of the historic RCA Studio B. This is where Elvis and many others recorded tons of great songs. This was followed a tour of the Ryman Auditorium, former and seasonal home of the Grand Ole Opry. Originally built to host religious revivals, this building is considered second only to the Mormon Tabernacle for musical acoustics. After much history and renovation, it now hosts the biggest names of all styles of music.

We breezed through the beautiful main branch of the Nashville Public Library (my wife's a librarian). This wouldn't be the last library of the trip, but it is very cool.

After a walk through Riverfront Park, we headed over to the Wildhorse Saloon for dinner and a concert. The concert was a preview of the Music Builds tour. When the opening band is Jars of Clay, you know you're in for a good concert. They were followed by Switchfoot (who I really came to see) and Third Day. The concert started really late, so it was a very late night for us. Add in the lost hour from Eastern to Central, and we were exhausted after this one. With the combination of the Wildhorse's great atmosphere and food with the great music, it was an incredible evening.

Tuesday
We headed towards Vanderbilt University (more on that tomorrow) to eat at Davinci's Gourmet Pizza. It's in this old house near the campus and hospital. The pizza was good, but the service was very slow. They only had one server for the whole place, and she didn't seem to be in a hurry. If you're not in a hurry, feel free to try it.

We then headed over to Centennial Park to see the Parthenon. It is a full-size replica of the one in Athens, Greece. Impressive. The park is also nice. It seemed to be a great place for college students to loaf around and for parents to take their kids.

Bicentennial Park, across from the state capital, is really cool. It features a timeline of Tennessee history, war memorials, a huge stone map of Tennessee, an amphitheater, and a waterway monument. There is also a train tressel that runs right through it, so you can stand under a train as it passes overhead. The coolest thing, though, was the 95 bell carillon. It plays regularly on the hour, and standing in the middle of the plaza is quite the spacial music experience. The control room is visible through glass. It appears to run off of a custom midi controller, but it can also be played live. I'd like to see that. There is also a great farmer's market next to the park.

We had dinner at Neely's BBQ, of Food Network fame. Most of their locations are in Memphis, but they have one in Nashville. It was great BBQ and nice people, no doubt.

We then headed back into downtown. We were planning to go hear Kevin Max at Fuel. Again, this was GMA week, so I knew this was a GMA related event. There were only one or two other bands listed on the website, so we were there to hear Kevin. Anything else was a bonus. Well, we get there to find out that the doors would be opening an hour late due to some sound system issue, so we went on a walk up Broadway for some free internet time at the previously-mentioned awesome Nashville Public Library.

As we walked up Broadway, I noticed a tattoo shop in an old bank building, which was cool by itself. What drew my attention was a young lady with two adorable little girls sitting on the steps. We went on our way not thinking much about it. After about an hour, we made it back to Fuel to find the same lady and two little girls sitting in front of Fuel. There were a bunch of folks hanging around waiting to get in, and I overheard them saying that their Daddy was singing tonight. Their daddy, a cool looking guy I didn't recognize, came out to say good-bye to them. He was super nice, and other folks there seemed to know who he was. I gave up on keeping up with what musicians looked like a long time ago.

So we finally get in. The night was actually an APA showcase for new and established artists. As we found a place against the wall (as usual) to sit down, I noticed Geoff Moore eating a sandwich next to me. I also saw Brad Stine walking around wearing an Expelled t-shirt. Kevin was also roaming around the place. This is a small venue, so you see everyone. The first band was Story Side B, who I really liked. I talked with the lead singer, Lu, and he seemed to be a great guy. I may try to book them next year. The next band was Day of Fire, who I was more familiar with. They hit the stage, then out walks the guy from the tattoo shop, the one with the lady and girls. He's the lead singer. He also apparently works at Billy Joe's Christian Tattoo shop. Too weird. By the way, Day of Fire has a ton of pictures from this event on their MySpace page.

Anyway, after that strange occurrence, The Wedding hit the stage. Not bad, just not my thing. Kevin Max came up with an acoustic set, just him and his guitarist Erick Cole, also a really nice guy I met. Kevin's voice is simply stunning. What else can I say? I got up close to get a few good pics, which should be posted soon. After his set, I noticed a guy carrying a trumpet. I was originally intent on leaving after Kevin, not knowing who was next, but the trumpet intrigued me. I do love me some brass.

Then Salvadore hit the stage. Wow! Latin pop/rock with horns and great percussion. You can't go wrong, so we stayed until it was over. I did notice Kevin leaving with a motorcycle helmet. Who knew he was a biker?

Brad Stine had the terrible job of trying to crack jokes while the bands/crew were flipping the stage behind him. It almost worked, but they had his mic just a bit too low for him to be heard over the crowd noise. He gave up after the first few bands. Oh well, we love Brad anyway.

Wednesday
As I begin Wednesday's review, let me just tell you that the interstates in and around Nashville make no sense. Three different interstates weave through Nashville in no particular order. I live in Atlanta and am no stranger to traffic, but at least the interstates here make sense! In Nashville, not so much. With that in mind, we had a bit of a crazy morning dealing with traffic and maps, further convincing me to buy a GPS unit before our next vacation.

After making our way towards the Vanderbilt campus, we were looking for a particular place to eat that was listed in a travel guide we had checked out from the library. For future reference, if you are looking for a place called Houston's in Nashville, you won't find it. It's now a Walgreen's. Also, don't use four year old travel guides. We finally ate at the Taco Company. It was OK. Crazy college atmosphere, but good food. Try the fajitas!

After lunch, we crossed over to the campus of Vanderbilt University to visit a colleague of my wife's. We took a tour of two of libraries (numbers 2 & 3 of this vacation). It's a beautiful campus, and they were preparing for graduation. Nothing like the excitement of the end of the semester...

After the campus tour, we walked down to Hillsboro Village and peeked in a couple of the stores. Of particular interest was the used bookstore BookMan BookWoman. We had some time before our evening plans, so we took a scenic drive out to Leipers Fork, an old-timey village with antique shops and such. We didn't have time to stop, but the drive was incredible. The land and homes were beautiful. There are also several farms along the way. I'm sure we passed somebody's famous house, but they don't exactly have "country star" on the mailbox.

Wednesday evening was spent at the famous Bluebird Cafe, which is actually more in the suburbs of Nashville than downtown. You'll definitely miss it if you don't know where to look. This is a songwriters' venue, so the performers are practically sitting at your table as they sing and talk about the songs they have written. Most of the folks that play here have had their songs recorded by major artists. The performers this night were Diana Dewitt, Mark Stacy, Rick Beresford, and Deanna Walker. Rick and Deanna are songwriting professors at Belmont and Vanderbilt respectively. They also had two of their students sing songs they had written, including Jaclyn North. Who knows if they may be the next big thing? Oh yeah, the food is also good there. Nothing fancy, but you're there for the music anyway.

Thursday
We headed down to Sewanee to visit another friend at Sewanee: the University of the South. Stunningly beautiful campus, especially if you like Gothic architecture up in the mountains. If you are ever passing through the area, make sure you see the chapels and the cross that overlooks an awesome mountain view. We had a light lunch at Stirling's Coffeehouse on campus. Best poppy-seed chicken I have had in a while. We also toured the library (number 4) and archives, which were in an old fraternity house. Let's just say it isn't like any fraternity house I have ever been in. The rugs cost more than my car.

We got to Nashville in time to make another stop by Bicentennial Park and snap a few more pictures. We then headed over to BB King's Club for dinner and music. If you are going to visit BB's, make sure it is on a night that the BB King All Stars are playing, if you like the blues and brassy R&B.

Friday
Friday morning was time for us to head back south. After a stop in Chattanooga at Tennessee Temple University to say hello to a few folks and tour the campus, including the library (number 5), we headed to Atlanta just in time to fight rush hour traffic. Welcome home...

We never made it to Opryland. I guess we'll have to save it for next time. I remember when it was an amusement park. Man, I'm getting old.

Resources
Here are some great resources I used to plan our trip:
Nashville on Wikipedia
Official Nashville Visitor and Tourism Website
Tasty Travel: Nashville

So leave a comment and let me know if there was any other places we missed or share you own stories from Nashville. Once we get the tons of photos organized and posted, and post the links.