How much time do you have?

With my recent new surroundings and unfamiliar interactions I've been forced to, for the first time in my life, introduce myself to others in a completely alien atmosphere . No matter what number the visit, I always remain infatuated with the idea of two individuals that happened to be waiting for the bathroom between mile 5 and 7 on the Savannah Highway in South Carolina at this particular moment. I continually feel as though first impressions, as 'impressionable' as they may be, lack so much.... for lack of better word, umph.

I'm sure Ms. Allen is a great girl, maybe she winters in Charleston, summers in Raleigh. Hell, with a first name like Ann Gregory I'm sure she's got a boatload of stories of Southern culture. Family trees, heirlooms, I could interrogate all night really. But once again, at first introduction a first name holds just that. To the girl from Isle of Palms, I'm a Geoff, a few letters thrown together with a vowel somewhere in between to make it work. Most likely I'm a 'Jeff" in her eyes, God knows she didn't suspect that curveball coming her way.

To pick apart the baggage and meaning behind the names would take much more than another $2.00 16 ouncer. In fact, we may never leave. Need i elaborate more on why the middle name question is merely a segway to "you should come see my new place" and ultimately, '"so, should i drop you off at your car or at your apartment".

I always find it amusing that we seem to start off with such a packed question. I mean, if you really want to know who I am how much time do you have? I was blessed to have been nominated by my peers to speak at the Hartwick College Baccalaureate ceremony about my experience at Hartwick. Although I eventually gathered my words with time running out, it would ultimately serve more as a reminder to myself seeing as I never turned the speech in. Nonetheless, my thesis focused on how as alumni, for the first time in our lives we would have to create our own identity. In a broader sense, we are no longer High School Students, Athletes, Political Science Majors, or Seniors. We are merely another ant in the march trying to find our own step.

In creating my identity it has become more and more evident that I am ultimately a piece of everything I have been. This is another reason I keep tattoos for every piece of my life. There hidden, so it's not for anyone else to see, it's for me. The Chinese symbol for 'family' and 'courage' warped in to a runner, the state of New Hampshire on my left leg with a Clover where Bow is, the Fraternity letters, with the desciptiavely yet ambiguous phrase "I am my Brothers keeper" below it. The Roman numeral six for a good apartment filled with some great people. All of these pieces are major parts of who I am, and I am so blessed for that.

So, to answer your question, Ann Gregory....

I am extremely fortunate to be born to Laurie and Joe, hard working Rhode Islanders who made not just a home, but a comfortable retreat that will always serve as the landing pad to my travels. An upbringing with the most unbelievable ability to provide the means of building my wings and giving them room to fly. I'm an admirer of my mothers prospective and am continually amazed by my fathers outlook.

I'm four years in Upstate New York with experiences I wouldn't trade for anything. I'm a Political Science Major, African Concentration, Alpha Sig. I'm a friend from school visiting Scotia for the first time. I'm a 3 am drunk dial, 4 am pizza order, 5 am wake up call, and 6 am practice. I'm a hell of a talker, and a pretty damn good listener.

I'm on evening in Fanueil Hall and a late night on the Red Line. I'm a $20 cab ride from South Station to Dorchester. I'm fortunate enough to have lived with my best friends.

I'm a year under one of the largest and greatest Auto Dealership in New England, with a last name that carries significant weight in my day-to-day. I'm a Saturday night bar crawl from Fat Belly's to the Grill with some tremendous company.

I'm a new start on an Island off the old home of the Confederacy.

But just as there is not enough beer in the bar, there's also not enough letters in the alphabet. So I'll save my Middle name stories for another day. Tune in soon, more of what I am to come... just as soon as I figure it out as well.