It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I had the pleasure of trying a "Harry & David Royal Riviera Pear" over the Christmas break, and they could almost be described as life-changing. Seriously. If you're a pear fan, you need to immediately order some of these for yourself. They're ridiculous. I ordered a box for my parents and grandparents for Christmas because anything else I could have gotten them would pale in comparison.

Christmas was incredible. Great family time. Way too much good food. Fun games. Friends. It's just all around awesome. I thought I was going to have to work for some of the break, but I actually got all the days I asked off, so that was incredible! Though Jonesboro, GA is not too thrilling, my parents are wonderful, and I loved spending time with them. Watching my niece and nephew open gifts and experience Christmas was probably the best part. Everything was so new and exciting to them, which I love. Plus... they're just about the coolest kids you'll ever meet, so that helps (my parents are incredible, too).



I may or may not have spent 50% of my time at home curled up on the floor like a cat in front of the fire.



Also, there was also a fairly glorious sunset one day which I so perfectly present in the picture below.



I got some Sour Patch Watermelon chewy candy, too, so thats always nice. And my brothers-in-law and sisters are incredible (yes... I'm the last single child left. No pressure. And how do I always end up looking like I'm superimposed onto pictures? This is not the first time a picture has looked like this. I promise I really was there! So weird).



Alright. Thats about it.

Happy New Year!
Robby

Mr. Stone

During my time in Huntsville, I've had the opportunity to substitute teach at a couple of high schools around the city. I began doing this because I wanted to see if teaching would be a good career path for me. If the education system wasn't so screwed up and teachers didn't have their hands constantly tied with paperwork, regulations, red tape, and inadequate discipline measures I might actually consider doing it. Sadly, the public education system is a disaster, and teachers can hardly do their jobs much less make it enjoyable. Alright. I'm done with my speech.

I really do love working with students and attempting to make school and learning fun for them. Unfortunately, so many kids don't want to learn and think it's unimportant, but I'm not gonna get on the subject of the current generation either because it's also depressing. Some kids are great. Some kids you want to kill. Thats it for now.

Here's the fun stuff... I filled in at Lee High School earlier this semester for boys P.E., and it was by far the most frustrating but hilarious experience with subbing that I've had. Imagine 12-25 high school guys who range from thug to awkward white kid (mostly semi-thugs) and a substitute teacher who has, over the course of 6 or so days, become lovingly referred to as simply "Coach." What did I coach? Nothing. How awesome is it that they called me "Coach?" Extremely. My main job ended up being to keep the guys who were actually in P.E. to stay in the gym and those who were just skipping class to stay out of the gym. It was pretty much like herding cats all day.

We were supposed to play basketball which usually turned into dodgeball using basketballs. Really safe. I probably should have stopped it, but honestly it was too hilarious to stop. I just prayed for the bell to hurry up and ring when those games began. The main story I'm trying to get to involves the 7th period class I covered with two other teachers (one being an asian) called "Lock Out" where students who are late to class are sent. It's supposed to be a sort of detention where students are forbid to talk and must silently work on school work. Yeah right. Cause thats gonna happen with high schoolers. And why are we sending the troubled kids who need to be in class the most to some room where no learning takes place? I don't get it.

One day a large group of people were sent to Lock Out, and I watched as they all poured into the room. I can't describe everything that went on, but there was this one guy who was continually talking and was called out by the asian teacher I mentioned. They fought back and forth about something and at one point he says "what? What are you saying? I can't understand you! I can't understand you, Sesame Chicken!" Yes. Thats right. He called her "Sesame Chicken." Now, I'm a substitute and am therefore not exactly allowed to burst out laughing with all the other students at this horribly offensive comment. What makes matters worse is that I was sitting in the front of the room facing all the students, and I had to fight back even a smile. It was torture. I'm not nearly far enough removed from the high school days to not think the situation is hilarious.

I have no doubt that there are plenty of stories like this out there from various teachers, but I'm just so glad I got to experience it first-hand. It really is always exciting in the public school system. I just wish it weren't made such a disaster by the government and central office.

Cause I love real sesame chicken, not "Sesame Chicken,"
Robby

BONES

Remember that time I told you I played the part of a heroine addict in a movie called "Bones?" No... alright. Check this out, and then watch the trailer ( http://rightthenleft.blogspot.com/2009/05/heroine-yes-please.html ). It's actually going to be a movie!



Now, I don't know if they'll leave my scene in there or not, cause I'm honestly not sure that it wasn't total crap. However, I watched them film the part in this trailer where the girl falls back onto the bed the same day I filmed my scene, so there's a chance they left it in! I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Hilarious still. Oh, my random life.

Robby

It's SNOWING!!!

Yep. Thats right. It is currently snowing in Huntsville, AL right now, and I am so pumped. I've had a slight obsession with snow my entire life, and this surprise little snowfall is pretty incredible. I realize it's not a big snow, but it's still frozen precipitation falling from the sky, so I'll take it. I just wish I wasn't so tired, and I'd stay up and just watch it. Maybe it'll still be here tomorrow! I hope so... minus the fact that I'm supposed to drive to B'ham for a wedding. Hmmm. Mom will not be excited about that if it does stick. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess!

Alright. I'm gonna go watch it a little more, then it's time for bed.

Robby

Wow

I really did disappear for 3 entire months. Thats bad. I'm sorry.

Things you missed (I literally just pulled up my calender to see if anything worth mentioning happened):
*September:
- Laura Vandal and Caleb Chancey got married, and I had the honor to sing in the wedding. It was honestly the most epic wedding ever if judged on music. I'm serious. Unreal. And not because of me AT ALL. I felt like an amateur.
- My obsession with the show "Glee" began. I really think they had a meeting to decide a show that I would love more than anything and then created "Glee." It's amazing (currently listening to the 22 songs I've downloaded from the show thus far).
- Yeah. Thats about it for September.
*October:
- I went to Nashville one day to audition for some song writers to see if they wanted to use me to do some demo work for them. They were very complimentary and encouraging. I have yet to hear back from them. Thanks.
- I substitute taught boys P.E. at a fairly ghetto high school here in Huntsville (Lee High School) for a week. That experience is probably worthy of its own post. Yeah. It is. I'll do that soon.
- I started singing some at the church I go to up here in Huntsville (Life's Journey), and I love it! It's been such a huge blessing to have an outlet to lead worship with other believers. I still miss Brook Hills, but Life's Journey really is incredible... and I get to sing with my sister which is awesome.
- I got to spend Halloween with my sister, her husband, and my nephew Luke! It was so much fun. Luke was Batman, Rebecca was a pretty witch, Lance was a homeless clown, and I was a makeshift tiger. A picture is necessary...





*November:
- I turned 25! Yep. On November 1st, 2009, I became a quarter of a century old. Weird. My grandmom made me buttermilk pie (pretty much the same thing as chess pie... trust me... it's amazing), so I was happy. Honestly, turning 25 wasn't that big a deal for me. Some people hate it. Actually... as I'm writing this I'm beginning to hate it. I'm stopping now.
- I filmed a little short film about cats (kind of) with some of my roommates. Oh yeah! I haven't mentioned my roommates. That is worthy of a post, too. Wow. Maybe I have had a life these past few months! I've yet to see the previously mentioned movie, but it's apparently hilarious. I'll post a link to it whenever it makes it's online debut.
- I missed the meteor shower due to cloud coverage. Still mad about that one. Lord... why does that always happen? I even prayed that it wouldn't, but I guess You allowed it for some reason.
- I made pineapple cheese casserole for a church function. People thought it was weird. I still love it and ate what they wouldn't. Uncultured taste, I say.
- THANKSGIVING!!! This has sneakily become my favorite holiday. I don't know when it happened, but it did. I love it. I think it's because it's all about realizing how blessed we are and forgetting crap that doesn't really matter. And because it's during fall, which I've realized is my favorite season. And we all met at our lake house for it and had fires and my mom's amazing cooking. It's really not fair for all the other holidays to be compared to it.

Alright. That should give you the highlights. Looking forward to posting about my substitute teaching experience and my roommates. It feels good to be back.

Robby

Apologies

Dear Blog-

I offer my sincerest apologies for my absence. I realize that because of my disappearance you have become boring and not worth checking. I imagine that the lack of hits you've experienced has had devastating effects on your self-confidence, so I hope to be more frequent in my posting in order to draw your followers back to you and raise you up out of your pit of shame and embarrassment. Take comfort in the fact that there was absolutely nothing that you could do to fix the aforementioned problem, and I claim all responsibility (although, Jeremiah should claim some too considering he is co-owner of you). Please accept this apology, and know that the recent lapse of time in posting is not due to you but due to my fairly uninteresting life. Hopefully that will change soon.

Your co-creator (small "c" because we know who the big "C" belongs to... Jesus),
Robby



Dear Followers-

It is with the greatest remorse that I offer my apologies for my lack of posting in the past couple months. I have been informed that some of you have missed my wise words as ridiculous as they often are, so I am making an effort to bring this blog to the prestige and punctuality that it once maintained. I had no idea that anyone read this blog or would actually miss it if it slowly drifted away into the dark corner of the internet never to return again (just kidding... you know I wouldn't let that happen... for too long, at least). With that said, I pray you will accept this apology and support me as I attempt to bring a little life back to the "Right. Then Left." blog. I look forward to bringing you along on the journey ahead. More to come soon.

You're all pretty amazing (especially my Moe's crew... who I will never forget, Amy),
Robby

Reality And The Weird

Life is not as it seems. And life definitely does not always go as planned. Coming face to face with the reality of the world we live in is not easy, and there are times I've felt like I'm drowning in the depravity here.

If you had told me not long ago that I would be living in Huntsville for an indefinite amount of time working at a restaurant, I would have been pissed you had even thought that. Oh, how funny and humbling life can be sometimes. To say that the past couple months have been all that I've dreamed they would be is a hilariously ridiculous statement. However... is it exactly what I need for the Lord to continue to grow me? I'm still deciding, but I have a feeling the Lord knows thats a huge "YES." The situations I've been put in, and the challenges to my faith and ways of living and thinking about this life have forced me to really dig into myself and learn some difficult lessons (many lessons I'm still working through right now).

Lesson One: I'm Weird (Thank the Lord)

If you are a Christian, and you've never worked in the restaurant business, I encourage you to try it. Not because it's fun and an easy way to make money, but because it's extremely difficult physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This job has been one of the most trying, humbling and frustrating experiences of my life, but I'm so thankful that Christ has allowed me to go through it. My initial challenges were the usual fears of inadequacy and inexperience with the job of serving itself, but those were quickly replaced by the struggle of dealing with the reality and pain of this life through stories of the lives of my coworkers and by looking introspectively at my own life.

Most days I feel like some alien from another planet that has no idea how to communicate or form relationships with those around me. Gathering bits and pieces of the life experiences of those I work with, I began to realize how vastly different my story is from nearly everyone there. There is so much pain, deception, betrayal, and sin wrapped up in the lives of these individuals, and they don't even see the bonds that are choking the life out of them. At first I felt as though something was wrong with me that makes my experiences thus far in life so different from there's. However, I've realized that I am EXACTLY like every single one of them, and the only explanation I have for the difference is Christ. It is the saving grace of Jesus that makes my life weird to the world.

I'm sickened by the sin that has so fooled this world, but I think I'm disgusted most by how much of that sin is in me. It has been incredibly difficult to see how sin has taken so much from people, but the hardest thing is seeing that same sin in my own life everyday. I know that if I were to reject Christ and give into my human nature there is no doubt that I would fall into the snares laid out for all of us, and that fact terrifies me. However, I must remind myself that as Christians we cannot allow sin to reign over us. I think the key to conquering this fear of sin is realizing how great our God is and growing in our understanding of Him. It is a daily walk that will keep our heads above the waters of deceit and sin that can so quickly rise and sweep us away.

And there are definitely times when I feel as if the world we live in is a lost cause and sin is too great, but thats when I must remind myself of how much greater Jesus Christ is than sin, death, and anything this world contains. And when Satan tells me I'm sinful and weak, I will fully agree. It is the LORD in me that makes me who I am.

- Robby

Where did July go?

Seriously. Where is it? How is it already the 20th? This is ridiculous. I've been back in the south for a little over a month now, and life has been pretty interesting. Definitely interesting in a different way than the previous 4 months, but interesting none-the-less.

I've really enjoyed my time in Huntsville and think it's been good for me to be a bit removed from friends and Birmingham so I can think without distraction. Of course I would love to move back to Birmingham to work and be close to all the people I love down there, but I'm just not sure it's time to return. I feel like there's more for me to pursue and obviously more for me to learn. That'll never change. Until I figure out where the Lord is leading I'm just gonna wait patiently here in Huntsville. At this point I still don't have enough money to move anywhere anyway, so that makes my decision easier.

I got a job at Bonefish Grill as a server, and I'm pretty excited/terrified about it. My previous "serving experience" includes the short stint I had with "The Kitchen" in Los Angeles (you know... that catering company), but I've always wanted to try out the whole server thing and feel this is the perfect time. I think I'll love the outgoing personality aspect of being a server, but I'm not sure how I'll do with the fast-paced, multi-tasking side of it. Things could get interesting to say the least. I'll be the first to admit that I'm pretty one track minded, so the idea of having to multi-task scares me a bit Hopefully I won't be miserable and I'll make a little money to save up! I guess we'll see.

I'll be training all this week, and then I think I'll be on my own after that! Crazy. I'm just glad it's a nice restaurant like Bonefish and the people working there seem pretty cool and helpful so far. Other than that I'm not sure what I'll be doing. Thank goodness I have a few friends left in this town to hang out with, or I might have gone crazy. My sister, nephew and her fiancee have been incredible, too. I've loved getting to spend time with them and pray they're not getting completely tired of me being around all the time. It's such a blessing to have this place to stay, and I'm unbelievably thankful.

I wish I had some funny stories, but I don't. Wait. Yes... yes I do. I was fortunate enough to be picked to dress as Maggie of Maggie Moos Ice Creamery (I love how I call it an "ice creamery" and thats not at all what they call it) this weekend for a charity event raising funds for a little girl with cancer. Great event and cause, but this is what I looked like:



Unfortunately (or fortunately), thats not a picture of me, but it's some other poor soul who had to be "Maggie" for a day. A picture of me in the costume would probably show me doing some heel click, swinging on a swing, or interacting with the petting zoo. Yeah. Apparently all you need these days to start a petting zoo are 3 kittens, some sickly bunnies, a goat, a chicken, and some ducks all packed into a kidnapper van. It was lovely. I was just thanking the Lord that it happened to be one of the coolest days of the summer, so I wasn't dying in that hot costume.

Alright. Time for bed. Glad I could update you on my thrilling life. Come see me at Bonefish Grill or Maggie Moos if you're in Huntsville!

Robby

The Waiting Game

I'm glad to announce that today I completed my 3rd day as a cake decorator/ ice cream server at Maggie Moos Ice Creamery, and it really has been a lot of fun. Sadly, I'm not sure how long I'll continue with this ice cream adventure considering I'm only getting paid $7/hour and working around 16 hours a week. My calculations show that even though I'm not currently paying for rent or utilities that amount of money still wouldn't be enough to cover my other bills. Being an adult is crap.

I really am thankful to my friend Andrea for giving me some sort of job, though, and it's been hilarious to work with her and the other incredible Maggie Moo employees. I'm planning to submit an application at a few restaurants to try and get a server job. Hopefully that will work out, or I'm not sure what I'll do. Trying to find a job is hard enough as it is right now, but it's even more difficult because I have no idea where I want to end up at this point. Nashville is still a very good possibility, but I've also been thinking about Birmingham, too. For right now I'll just wait right here in the middle of the two (in Huntsville) and pray that the Lord will guide me.

This past weekend all of my family met up at our lakehouse on Smith Lake, and it's got to be one of my favorite places on earth. Plus, it was the first time I'd gotten the chance to see my entire family together since I've been back from LA, and I loved being with all of them. Sadly, I was slightly under the weather all weekend long (still am), and I couldn't enjoy all the delicious food! Oh well.

Oh! Hilarious story. The day before I left for the lake I did something extremely random and never expected anything to come of it. Well... something has, and we'll just have to wait and see how far things go because of it! Let me explain...

Some of you may know that I worked for a photography company called A Bryan Photo the 6 months or so prior to me moving to Los Angeles, and I absolutely loved everything about my time there. The guys who work there are incredibly talented (check out their work www.abryanphoto.com), and I always thought a reality show following the guys and their work could be hilariously entertaining. A few days ago I decided to write an email pitching my idea to the production company that does the show "Say Yes To The Dress" on TLC never imagining that anything would come of it. The next day I get a response email saying that they would love to call me with some questions about ABP because they're very interested in the idea. Yeah. I'm serious. I talked to someone from their company yesterday, and in the midst of my 45 minute convo I was told that my email came at a very good time because they were currently in the process of trying to develop a new wedding related reality show. Are you freakin' kidding me?! After talking with me, the lady said she would love to talk with Bryan Johnson (the owner of ABP) to discuss the idea further. They talked today, and I haven't heard how the conversation went yet, but can you believe this?!!! How crazy! All the guys at ABP are just cracking up that they're actually going to have to meet and discuss the idea of having a show based around them. Keep in mind that the typical reality show format would not work at a place like ABP. There is very little drama or disunity in the company and to try and make it appear that way would come across very forced. Plus... those always just turn out depressing and frustrating. The guys would only agree to do something if it had a more "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" feel. You know. Something that's entertaining because it's encouraging and tells a good story. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. The fact that anything is happening is hilarious, though!

So... I have a lot to think about and a lot of trusting to do. God is gonna work something out. Hope to have some more stories soon, and I'll try to keep you all updated on the whole show thing. Haha! So random.

Holding down the fort in H'ville,
Robby

Don't fear...

I'm not dead.

I apologize to all of you who were phoning in to Blogger and Rescue 911 to question them regarding my disappearance from this blog. It really does mean a lot. I want to assure you, however, that I am alive and well. The past few weeks have simply been filled with literally thousands of miles of driving, surprising friends, and trying to figure out where my life is heading, so I've therefore been unable to update as I should.

Some of you might have gathered that I'm no longer in Los Angeles, CA. You are absolutely right. It turns out that the city of dreams is also a city that likes to take all of your savings out of the bank and leave you with just enough to make it back to the security of your home. Yes, LA was a bit pricy for this guy, but no one can say that I didn't enjoy the short time I had in the smog city. Seriously... it was amazing. I hope one day I'll have enough money to actually go back there and continue to enjoy the craziness that LA has to offer. For now I must try to rebuild my savings here in the south and spend time with my incredible friends and family.

At this moment I'm sitting in my room at my sister's house in Huntsville, AL. This is where I'll be living for an indefinite amount of time until I figure out what the heck I'm doing with my life... or at least the next step to take. Best option right now is Nashville. Yes, we'll just pray that the Music City has better things in store professionally for me than good ole' Los Angeles had to offer. While I definitely miss LA and the friends I have there, it's good to be back in the south. It just feels like home... cause it is.

I've been bouncing around between Atlanta, Birmingham, and Huntsville so far, so it'll be interesting to see what the next couple months will hold for me. I applied to a job at Belmont University as an admissions assistant for the School of Occupational Therapy, so I'm excited to see if that goes anywhere (if you have some clout there... put in a good word for me). I've also got a potential job lined up here in Huntsville to be a cake decorator for Maggie Moos ice creamery. This is a pretty hilarious opportunity because...

1) One of my best friends since 2nd grade is the manager, and I can only imagine what it'd be like for us to work together. Here we are back in Huntsville a while ago (Andrea... great shot of you. Not that I have any room to talk):


2) These are some examples of the cakes I've made in the past:



Strange enough, Andrea knows exactly what she's getting herself into by allowing me to be her cake decorator. Should be interesting.

I'll try to do a better job of updating all my faithful blog checkers on my thrilling life, but I have a feeling the exciting stories might be fewer and further between. Something tells me living in Huntsville will be quite different than living in Los Angeles, but I'm sure there's good times to be had! Please do pray that the Lord will continue to guide me on His path and reveal the next step He desires me to take.

Cause I'm back in my hometown and the party is just getting started,
Robby