Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Update from Florida

Hello, and greetings from sunny southern Florida! I only have a minute or two to spare, but I'll share with you what I've told my friends back home about my journey so far. So far I have:

- had an entire pitcher of sangria
- gone on a winery tour
- posed with baby Jesus in a manger scene
- gotten kicked out of a wedding

And that's just the start of the fun I've had! Once I get home, though, I won't have a chance to relax as the very next day I get to drive up to Knoxville for a day, then it's off to Eastern Africa for a few weeks with my new friend Christen! When I get some spare time I'll post pictures from Florida so you can see all the crazy times I have had down here.

Anyway, time to get off the computer. See you soon!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Google map is up!


I just got done going through all the photos of my travels up until this point in time and have uploaded them to Google Maps - check out the link in the toolbar to the right (under "Where Have I Been?"), it's pretty nifty! It even has the places I plan on going to in the near future, so you can see what to keep an eye out for.

Now it's time to hit the road for Florida with my friends Matt and Cristina. Talk to you all soon!

Requirements

In order to get me back and forth between my home and wherever you are, my cheapest form of travel will be hiding in shipping boxes and letting USPS, UPS, or FedEx bring me to you. I can pay for myself to get put in the box, but I can't bring any money with me so I might need to borrow a few dollars so you can ship me back home (I promise this is the only time I'll need to borrow money!) But when you do ship me, I don't want to break any bones, so do make sure to pack me up nice and tight so I get home in one piece!

When I arrive, you'll find that I will be accompanied by a journal filled with stories of my journeys. I am not a very good writer, so if there are any particular memories you want me to remember from my trip, please write them down in there and send them back with me! I'm so forgetful that if I don't have it written down, when I get home I won't remember any of the stories to tell my friends.

Also, I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me home with some pictures from my trip. Actual photos, pictures on a CD, any way works - but what's the point of going on a trip if you don't have something to remember it by?

And finally, I feel most comfortable when traveling with other people from Clemson (imagine how much we have in common!), but I try my best to not be closed-minded in choosing who I travel with. That being said, please only invite me on your trip if you intend to return me in my original condition - I have many friends back home who would be broken-hearted if they did not see me again.

As a short checklist:
- Be willing to pay to ship me back in a well-padded box.
- Feel free to write entries in my travel journal.
- Take lots of pictures and send them back with me.
- Don't break my friends' hearts by not returning me or holding onto me for too long.

If you are still willing to take me on your trip after reading all that, please send me an email to clemsongnomeproject@gmail.com with:
- where you are traveling
- when you are traveling
- where to mail me (an address)
- some background of yourself (so I don't feel scared by being mailed to a stranger)

I look forward to hearing from you!

The Beginning

Greetings, all! This is my first blog, and since I'm not much of a talker I'll give you a very short explanation of who I am and what this blog is all about.

My name is GNOME (guh-nome), and I'm from Clemson, South Carolina. I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia and very much enjoy traveling. I am 7 months old, and have already gone on some exciting adventures! I've been to Chicago, Seattle, Milwaukee, Nashville, and even the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in such a short span of time! I will soon be traveling with some friends to the beaches of Miami, Florida and can not wait to finally get one of these "tans" everyone keeps telling me about.

While I have thoroughly enjoyed my travels, I can not help but feel as though there is so much more left for me to see. I want to find out not only what is out there, but also who is out in the world for me to share my adventures with (surely I can't be the only person who likes to travel). This is where you, my friend, come in.

With the current state of the economy, there are not many jobs out there for gnomes to take. This puts me in an awful situation as it leaves me unable to travel on my own. I have found over time, however, that if a friend goes with me and stores me in their baggage, I can drive or fly anywhere for free! But once I get to my detination, I still need someone to show me around town and take my picture. Which is why I need your help - I need a travel companion!

So the next time you are planning a trip, please keep me in mind. I'd love to travel with you, and I assure you that I will not make a sound on the trip - I'll be so quiet, you won't even know I was there! I promise that I am fun to hang out with - just give me a chance!

I am going to create a separate post for contacting information and the requirements needed for me to travel with you. Please make sure to read over it!