A Life in Line

Here are a few pictures from downtown Knoxville taken from my cell phone camera (so excuse the quality).

This is a view of South Gay Street looking north. South Gay Street is the main street going through downtown Knoxville. It’s where all the shopping stores are located.

This is South Gay Street looking south.

This is Market Square. It’s a pedestrian-access only area of Market Street between Union Avenue and Wall Avenue. There are shops and restaurants, and on Saturdays, an open-air farmer’s market.

There are at least seven independent coffee shops here in Knoxville that I’m aware of. I’m not talking about the dozens of McStarbucks there are, but the independent ones. The ones that have one or two locations. I’m on a quest to find my favorite coffee shop in Knoxville. I’m interested in one that will be a place I want to linger and spend the afternoon, not just a place to swing by to get coffee. Espresso Lane on the court square in Newnan was one of those types of places. I loved to bring a book, get a cup of coffee, and spend a few hours there reading and just enjoying the atmosphere.

The ones I’m aware of are:

1. Blackbird Coffeehouse
It’s apparently owned by a young couple in their early 20s. The lady working there was very friendly. However, the store was very small. There was only two very small tables and a loveseat. It wasn’t a place I would feel comfortable sitting in for very long. It lacked a key ingredient in a great coffeehouse – atmosphere. I bought my latte and left. I would probably visit it again, but the latte was too heavy on the milk.

2. Time Warp Tea Room
I walked in and felt like I had walked into an 1800s-era saloon, except with bikers instead of cowboys. The atmosphere of the place was…well…old would be the best way I could describe it. It had a old booths and tin tile ceiling, and it had an antique motorcycle motif. There were very old motorcycles everywhere. And there were bikers sitting in the back watching a big screen TV. It wasn’t a very inviting place either, since I’m not a biker. I bought my latte and moved on.

3. The Gourmet’s Market
First, I want to commend them for using the word “gourmet” correctly. The word is a noun, not an adjective. It’s defined as “a connoisseur of food and drink.” This is a market for gourmets. There is a store full of hard to find kitchen and food items. Then there is the coffee shop in the back. It’s ok, but it still wasn’t a place I would want to spend the afternoon. And on top of that, it was expensive. I had a BLT sandwich and a latte and it came to $8.76. That’s too expensive.

4. The Downtown Grind
This one is on South Gay Street, which is the main drag through downtown Knoxville. The downtown atmosphere is really cool and there are tons of renovations of old buildings going on, so the atmosphere is sure to improve. Inside the coffee shop, the atmosphere is modern and clean. It’s very small with only three small tables inside to sit. Outside, there are three more tables. I liked the latte I got there, but it still isn’t a place I would want to stay for a long time.

5. Java Old City
This one is located on South Central Street in downtown in the older, more eclectic and artsy part of town called Old City. It reminds me of a mix between Little Five Points and Virginia Highlands in Atlanta. I walked by it today while I was downtown and thought about going in, but I felt like I would be out of place. The people I saw walking in and those I could see through the windows sitting inside were the type of people one would see in Little Five in Atlanta. I knew that area of town reminded me of Little Five, and I was right. I didn’t even go in today. I’m not giving up on it however, but I believe I would prefer to have someone with me when I go.

6. Coffee and Chocolate
This one is right by Market Square – an open, pedestrian access only area of downtown. I’ve walked by it a few times when headed to Market Square, but haven’t stopped in yet. It looks small, but they have a display case of all kinds of scrumptuous looking desserts. I’ve read online somewhere that the baristi can be snooty, but I’ll have to see for myself. It’s also very small, from what I can see from the outside.

7. Remedy Coffeehouse
Supposedly, this one will be operated by the Knox Life Church, which meets on Sunday mornings in the Regal Riviera Cinema on South Gay Street downtown. It’s also located in the Old City just around the corner from Java Old City. Unfortunately, it’s not open yet, but I peaked in the windows. It looks like it will be a nice place from what I can tell. I’ve read on their blog that they are intending to play the UT games on a big creen in the back. I hope it doesn’t give it a sports bar feel.

So far, I’ve been inside and ordered something from four of the seven coffee shops. I’ve walked by the others and either didn’t feel like going in, as was the case with Java Old City, or it wasn’t open, as was the case with Remedy Coffeehouse. So far, I haven’t found my favorite coffee shop, but I’m not giving up. There has to be more coffee shops around that I haven’t located yet.

The name of this blog – A Life in Line – is a reference to getting my life in line with the life I want. This will take many forms: my career, my relationships, my spiritual life, my finances, and my health. This post deals with my spiritual life.

Some friends of mine from SonRise, Shane and Lisa Hale, put me in contact with some of their family who lived in Knoxville. Their names are Ron and Temple Ann Duncan. I was in correspondence with them prior to arriving in Knoxville, and when I arrived, I accompanied them to their church here called Faith Promise Church. It’s a very contemporary, upbeat church that reminded me alot of SonRise. The church service was great. The music was great, the sermon was great, and the people were very friendly. Before the service, Ron was explaining to me how the church put a high priority on getting its members involved in a ministry in some way or another. Little did he know the sermon was about that very thing – serving others in the church. The sermon reference from the passage in John 13:12-15 where Jesus explains why he washed the disciples’ feet:

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

He asked if anyone here have had their feet washed this evening. Confused, most people said no. He said everyone of you have had your feet washed this evening. The people in the parking lot directing traffic were washing your feet. The people who were registering your children in the nursery were washing your feet. These musicians on stage leading us in worship were washing our feet. The people running the sound are washing your feet. Everyone who is serving here is washing your feet. And since Jesus said that we should follow his example, we should all serve in some way and wash someone else’s feet. It was great sermon. He then asked us to fill out a little card and put it in the box on the way out if we would like to be involved in a ministry at Faith Promise. I decided to fill one out and see about participating in the band. There was a dinner and informational session this evening at the church for people wanting to serve. They called it Volunteer Link (Clever, huh? You can’t get away from references to University of Tennessee here.). I attended and again, I felt God reaffirming to me that Faith Promise is where I need to be. Every time I told someone I played the keyboard and wanted to be in the band, they would reply with something like “Great! We’ve been looking for someone like you!” They said they have 60,000 guitarists, but no keyboardists. It was just what I needed to hear to know that’s where I am supposed to be. I am excited about the possibilities. There will be try-outs in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait to get started.

The name of this blog – A Life in Line – is a reference to getting my life in line with the life I want. This will take many forms: my career, my relationships, my spiritual life, my finances, and my health. This post deals with my health.

I’ve been working out at the Parthenon for almost a week now. So far, it’s been enjoyable, but boy am I sore! And stiff! It hurts to brush my teeth, get dressed, comb my hair, and put my shoes on. I knew this was going to happen, so it’s not like I was caught off guard. I guess it’s part of the reason it took so long for me to get back in the gym. This is a huge hurdle and I just didn’t want to try to get over it. There are two parts to this hurdle:

1. The Mental Hurdle
This is the hurdle that is the hardest to get over, in my opinion. I compare it with Newton’s First Law of Motion:

Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.

Of course my uniform state of motion before going to the gym was being stationary. So unless some force acted upon me, I would remain stationary indefinitely. So I finally made up my mind that I would force myself to get into motion. I’ve been through this enough times to know that once I am in motion and I get in the routine of working out, it’s easy to remain in motion. But just like a physical object that will eventually stop moving, I will eventually stop moving if I don’t continue to exert force upon myself to keep going.

2. The Physical Hurdle
There is a definite physical hurdle one must cross when beginning any exercise routine. In this case, it’s called pain, soreness, and stiffness. I remember the degree of pain that accompanies a beginning resistance training routine and it’s not fun. Every movement is met with pain. This can also be compared with a Newtonian Law of Motion, namely, the Third Law:

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In this case, the equal and opposite reaction to my putting my muscles through all this extra stress is my body fighting back with soreness. Now, I know that something beneficial is occurring within my muscles, but my body wants me to think I am hurting it and should stop. But I know better than that. Again, I’ve been through this enough to know the immense degree of soreness I am experiencing right now will subside. There will always be soreness, but it will be a good soreness, not accompanied with so much pain and stiffness.

Once I overcome these two hurdles, it will be smoother sailing from then on.

I am on a quest to find my favorite coffee shop in Knoxville. I want one where I will want to linger and spend the afternoon. It has to be a destination, not merely a place to swing by and grab a cup of coffee. So far, I have not found that place in Knoxville. There are still some places I need to visit, so I may find it or I may not find it. I surely hope I do. Lately, I’ve been thinking, “What makes a coffee shop great?” So this post is about that. What do you think makes a coffee shop great?

Creative Latte Art

Picture yourself sitting in the ideal coffee shop.

What do you see?
What do you smell?
What do you hear?
What does the furniture look like?
What does the music sound like?
What do the people look like?
Where is it located?
What’s on the menu, besides coffee?
How do the people working there treat you?
Do they know your name?
Do they offer anything else besides coffee, like food, books, music, etc?
Do they offer live music?
Do they offer open mic nights?
Do they offer anything else cool?

Please help me to describe the perfect coffee shop. I’ve read that some people say that coffee “shops” are merely places where you buy coffee, but coffee “houses” are places you like to sit and stay a while. Do you agree or is it merely semantics?

This blog is called “A Life in Line.” It’s a reference to getting my life in line with the life I want. This will take many forms: my career, my relationships, my spiritual life, my finances, and my health. This is a wide-ranging blog, but I anticipate that certain principals that I learn in one area of my life will be applicable to other areas, so it may not be so broad after all. You may be asking yourself, “Self, what exactly is he shooting for in these areas of his life?” That would be a good question, and that’s what this series of posts is about. In this series, I will attempt to outline the vision I have for the various areas of my life. Today’s topic is my career.

I have been a civil engineer for going on 6-1/2 years. There was a time earlier in my career when I really hated it. In fact, I despised it. I didn’t care what I did, as long as it wasn’t engineering. Lately, however, I have become more content with my career. I still have a desire to do other things, but I am not at all dissatisfied with engineering.

Generally (not specifically to engineering) there are a few things, that I would like to work on.

1. Increase Competency in Engineering
I would like to learn more. This may take the form of reading on my own, attending seminars, or classes, or it may take the form of attending graduate school. My new company does not currently have a tuition reimbursement program, but I’m told they are working on implementing it. Once it is in place, I intend to enroll in graduate school in the environmental engineering program at the University of Tennessee.

2. Get Organized
I would like to become more organized at work. There are a few ways that I intend to do this. I need to learn how to become more focused at work. There are courses that help you learn to be more focused on the task at hand. There are also little things one can do to be more organized and focused. For example, only check email twice a day. This will allow you to no be so distracted constantly during the day when emails are coming in. If you can manage to do this, it will greatly increase your focused time at work.

3. Pursue Other Interests
I would also like to take classes at UT in their Urban Design program. This is an area that I have become very interested in. I doubt it would qualify for my company’s tuition reimbursement program, but I can still take classes. I am most interested in learning how to make cities more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. The term for this in urban design lingo is to make a city “livable.” One of the most livable cities in America is Portland, OR. It is full of bicycle lanes, commuter rail lines, and pedestrian friendly features throughout the downtown area. Knoxville is lacking on its livability rating. I have a far-fetched dream that I might one day have a consulting firm that would help make Knoxville more livable.

4. Seminary
Lastly, I would like to take seminary classes in marriage and family counseling. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has an extension campus at Broadway Baptist Church in Maryville, TN, which is only about 15 minutes from my house and my workplace. I will probably enroll in classes there next Fall.

By implementing these items above in my career, I will become more focused and efficient. I will also be able to follow other interests I have right alongside my engineering career.

I joined a gym last week called National Fitness Center. So far, I’ve been four times. I am following a routine I developed for myself. It’s a 6-day routine that is broken up into two 3-day modules. Each module hits each body part with three different exercises. So, in other words, I do legs twice a week, but the three exercises on the first leg day aer different from the three on the second leg day. That way, the muscles don’t get used to it as fast.

The gym is great. In fact, it’s the best one I’ve been a member of. It’s huge. It’s so big, there is never a wait for the equipment. I think it looks like the Parthenon. Check out the pictures below, and you’ll see what I mean.

My Gym

The Parthenon

Since I find myself in a new city, I figured a good topic would be about how best to become acquainted with a new city. I’ve been here going on a week and a half now, and by no means do I feel like I am acquainted with Knoxville. However, I am learning my way around. There are several ways that I have employed to get to know my new city. There are also some things I have considered doing, but have not done yet.

1. Get a Map
Get a hard copy of a city map, and keep it in your car. You will undoubtedly get lost a time or two and will need to find your way back home. It’s also a good way to just explore. If you don’t look at a map, you might be taking the long way around to wherever it is you are headed.

2. Get Internet Access
This is one of the first things I did when I moved in. I signed up for Verizon’s wireless internet service that allows me to get online wherever there is Verizon phone signal, which is pretty much everywhere. It’s not as fast as some of the ultra-fast DSL or cable internet services, but it’s fast enough. I use this for finding things around my area. For example, I needed to know where a Home Depot was. I had seen one before, but I couldn’t remember where it was. So I hopped online at homedepot.com and located a store that was very close to my house. I also needed to find a credit union here that would take deposits for my credit union in Georgia. So I hopped online to my credit union’s website and found one about two miles away.

3. Get the Local Paper
This is something I have not done yet, but I plan to. What better way to familiarize yourself with a new place than to read the local paper. I believe I will just get the Sunday paper, but it will still contain great information about my new city, not to mention all the great coupons that will be in the Sunday edition.

4. Just Get Out and Ride
I have done this a few times. I’ve just gotten in my car (with my map handy) and just driven around. I’ve gotten lost a few times and have had to consult the map, but I guarantee you I knew the area better. I just like exploring anyway. It’s like an adventure to me. Knoxville still has lots of places that I haven’t explored, but this is a great way to learn about a place.

5. Visit the Coffee Shops
I am a big fan of coffee shops – local coffee shops to be specific, not Starbucks. I believe you can really get the sense of a place from sitting in the local coffee shops and just soaking it all in. There are six that I am aware of so far, and I’ve visited three of them. So far, I have not found the one that really struck me and made me want to spend the afternoon there, but I’m still looking. I’m spoiled, because I had become a frequent customer at Espresso Lane in downtown Newnan. They knew me by name and knew exactly what I wanted when I walked in. It was a great place. I’m trying not to compare everything to that one, but it’s difficult.

6. Find a Good Church
It is important to me that I find a good church to be involved in. I attended a church last Saturday night called Faith Promise. It was a very contemporary church, even more so than SonRise. I really enjoyed the music and the preaching. In fact, the sermon was about serving others. They really emphasize serving in some way in the church. So, I put in my information to talk to them about playing in the band. There is a dinner on Thursday night for volunteering in a ministry, so I will be attending that. The church also has a great small group ministry that I plan to get involved with as soon as possible.

The preceding are some ways I’ve found to get to know a new city. Keep in mind, it will take time to fully get acquainted with a new place. There are many intricacies that you will not discover until you have really been immersed in a place for some time. I see it as an adventure, and I’m excited for what’s in store in my new home.

I just recently moved to a new city – Knoxville, TN. I moved from the Atlanta area for a new job. Knoxville is really a small, big city, if that makes any sense. Until I first visited here, I thought it was much larger than it is. I was actually very surprised to find out how small it really is. You can ride from one side of the city to the other in about 15 minutes. Interstate 640, which is the “bypass,” is only about 10 miles long. Compare that to Atlanta’s bypass, which is about 65 miles long, and it gives you a pretty good idea of the comparative sizes of the two cities. Population of Knox County overall is only about 400,000. That’s less than the population of just the City of Atlanta, not counting the entire metro area.

Overall, Knoxville a beautiful city, nestled right alongside the lazy Tennessee river. Only about an hour away one will find the majestic Smokey Mountains. It’s only about an hour’s drive to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. The University of Tennessee is also located here.

I’ve been here going on a week and a half now, and I’ve made some observations about it:

1. I’ve found that the sweet tea here is better than in Georgia. In Georgia, I typically ordered half sweet tea and half unsweet tea at restaurants, because the tea was too sweet. It was syrupy sweet. Here, I haven’t had to do that.

2. I knew I would see a lot of Tennessee orange, but boy was I in for a surprise. These people love UT. On game days, of which last Saturday was one, downtown is a sea of orange. I don’t think I will ever get used to that color.

3. The accent is different from Georgia, and is sometimes hard to understand if you are speaking to a native.

4. There are these weird “four-way” intersections where three of the four roads have stop signs and the fourth does not. I’ve almost been in a wreck a few times thinking these were four-way stops.

5. Apparently, red-light timing hasn’t caught on here yet.

6. Everyone I’ve met so far has been incredibly nice and friendly.

Overall, I like it here. I miss my family and friends, but I know I will meet new friends here.

So you’ve stumbled upon my blog as you were roaming aimlessly around the internet. Well, I’m glad you’re here. This is a brand new blog. What does that mean? Well it means a few things.

1. Content May Vary Initially
Since I’m not really sure yet what my focus will be on this blog, the content will be changing until I hone in on my particular topic of choice. So initially, the topics will vary, but I will still try my best to make them interesting.

2. Blog Title May Change
My initial thoughts on titling this blog “A Life in Line” is that I might chronicle my ups and downs as I try to bring my life in line with the life I want. That includes my health, my career, my spiritual life, my relationships, etc. However, like I said in No. 1, it may change, but maybe not. That’s reason enough to stick around.

3. I May Be Blogging To No One
I am quite aware that a new blog isn’t going to get much traffic. So, I understand that, even though I may be writing as though I am speaking to “the readers” or “the subscribers,” I may just be talking to myself. (This item is mainly for me, since I know I don’t have any readers right now.)

In the end, I hope to at least make someone’s life a little easier in some way by providing quality information and content on this blog. I’m new to it all, so I’m still learning. It will be an exciting journey.