I've got a new plan - one that doesn't involve the Blob or his stupid mother.

This post is being written from the Sevierville, TN public library. My trip is about 1/3 of the way through, and I am already beginning to feel "I wish I was back home" syndrome creeping over me. It's been good to see my family, especially my brother Garret, his wife Rachel, and their daughter Emma, who I haven't seen in over a year. But I'm not the most social person, especially in close quarters where there's constant activity and no real means of escape. My parents try to be as accommodating of my weirdness as possible, but there are limits to what either of us can do.

My stop in Memphis to visit chezchuckles and asqmh was very fun (probably the funnest part of my trip so far) but all too short. Every time I do something like this, it just drives home to me the fact that I need to finish up the final stages of M.E.P.T.F.A.M.F.T.L.W.I.L. (the clever and easy to remember acronym for My Evil Plan To Force All My Friends To Live Where I Live). capt_blargh, how is your part of the arrangement coming?

Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg (which are butted up against each other in such a way that they might as well just be one small city instead of three large towns) are horrible monstrosities of neon, outlet malls, country music dinner shows, and horrifyingly bad "attractions." Think Branson without the fame and Silver Dollar City. Or if you're not familiar with Branson, think of Las Vegas if it were run by conservative Southern Baptists.

More random statements and reports from the Smokey Mountains to come. I want to check some friend journals before I run out of time on this comp. Cheers.