Land of Organic Snow Cones

Asheville is both an amazing and very interesting city. There is always something to do. This weekend my roommates and I went to "Downtown After 5" which consists of live music in the streets of downtown. There are tents set up with food and drinks (all organic mind you) run completely by volunteers. A huge solar panel was set up beside the stage which was supplying the power even though it was pretty cloudy. Early Saturday morning I went to a "street fest" on Montford which is only one street over from my house. There was more food and more drinks and even vendors selling all sorts of stuff. This is where we encountered the organic snow cones. There were hula-hoopers, funnel cakes, lemonade, face painters, and some guy had an enormous parrot who was chilling in his yard. I played golf on Sunday with my roommate at a really nice public course. We saw a ton of wildlife: a snake, a turkey, an otter, and either a fox or a racoon (it was a long ways away). Yesterday I played basketball in the park near our house. One goal was regulation and the other was 8 feet or so, which made for an interesting game. I'm trying to blend in with the culture more so I lit a candle in my room, but my roommate pointed out that it was a Glade which is obviously a huge corporation and probably not organic. One of my roommates just started getting dreadlocks so I'm thinking that's an option too (once my hair gets a little longer). I don't think I'm going to get a tatoo but I don't want to be close-minded...

Work has been good. We finished packing bikes the other day so now I'm working on a Wikipedia page for the company. It's tougher than I thought it would be but I feel a break through coming soon. My first attempt was deleted literally within 2 minutes of posting because there was too much advertising. Later in the week I'll have to contact all the retailers that sell our products and make sure they are editing their websites correctly. If not, then I'll have to be more forceful to make them comply. I recently received the nickname "The Hammer" although I would have preferred "The Enforcer."

First Day

My first day at Rightline Gear was smooth and stress free. I am working with one other Wake Forest student, Jeff Young, and 5 other employees that have been very welcoming. We got a tour of the facilities and a run down of all their operations. Rightline Gear is a small, independent distributor of camping supplies. Their main products are Truck Tents (which are tents that hook up to the truck bed), car top carriers (which store whatever you feel like storing), and other accessories. The owner of Rightline also owns Melon Bicycles which are really cool folding bikes. So far my responsibilities have been contacting retailers that buy our products. I have to make sure that they are in compliance with Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) and that their pictures and information about our products are up to date. I have been told that down the line I will be shooting videos of Rightline products and be working in the social media world.

Stay tuned for more...