Day 101 through 105: Finished up Atlanta, swinging by Knoxville, stopping in Nashville; 10,912 miles
The remainder of my days in Atlanta were a lot of fun. I got to hang out with friends, see a few sites and sit in Starbucks to chat online and upload photos from my trip. I had such a great time in Atlanta. It was a bit of a shock, but it just seemed to feel right. I made a lot of friends quickly. I was honestly sad to leave. If I didn't have this whole opera career thing, I could see myself moving there, which is odd. Of all the places I want to live, Atlanta is up there on the list. Though, the people have a lot to do with that.
My final night, a group of the new friends had a dinner get together at their house. It was nice to see them all before I left. The next morning we went to breakfast at Waffle House and another friend got to join us. I got on the road and headed to Knoxville. I didn't plan on staying long, just one night to visit with old friends and see my ex. He still had some belongings of mine that for one reason or another, hadn't mailed to me.
That night, I stayed with my old college friend Jamie and his wife Becky. It was great catching up with him. I'm glad that we have reconnected, though it makes me miss gaming even more than Atlanta now. I went to the mall in my free time and just stood in a gaming shop for a while. I truly miss is. Anyway, it was great seeing him.
The next day, I departed their house and waited for my ex to call me. I went and hung out at McKays, the local used book/cd/dvd/anything superstore of Knoxville. I ended up buying a recommended book series, The Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. Finally, my ex called and I was able to meet up with him to get my things.
I felt anxious about meeting him and I'm still not completely sure why. A friend posed a question to me early in the summer, "If he was so bad to me, why did I stay with him for so long? What was it that he gave to me that kept me there?" I have pondered this for a while and I don't know if I have the answer, but I think I have figured it out. He doesn't know how unhappy I was through everything. I never told him.
So, I got my stuff and left Knoxville, on the road to Nashville. My friend Chris was at work when I arrived, so his neighbor gave me the key to get in. I grabbed some dinner and chilled at his place. I'm tired for some reason. I think I'm also getting focused on Milwaukee and am not as interested in siteseeing as much. But I'm going to make the best of it while here.