If anyone would like to send mail to me this summer, which would be greatly appreciated, you can send it to this address. Please make sure it says exactly this. It will be forwarded from Winshape’s home office to our location. Thank you so much. Check back for camp updates soon. The first day was today and let’s just say it was awesome.
Cody Fortune
C3 Green
P.O. Box 490009
Mount Berry, GA 30149
Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6
And with that, I will be traveling 5,698 miles over the course of 10 weeks to 9 different churches in 5 different states over two time zones never being closer than Tifton, GA to my home with 23 people I’ve never met in my life, including one who’s last name is also Fortune. Tomorrow…well today is day one of this Odyssey. As I tearfully leave my home, my mom states half-jokingly, “You don’t have to go,” while all along I know I do and I will, because I’ve been called by something greater. I’m scared to death, and there’s no way of eloquently saying that. I’m a neophyte, a beginner in this arena. There will be long days full of screaming kids and little freedom, but I can’t wait. I’m excited to meet new people from different backgrounds. Even kids from UGAg, Auburn, and Climpsun. I’m being taught how to be tolerant I suppose…haha. I’ve never been West of Alabama, so I’ll finally see if things really are bigger in Texas. I look forward to meeting great new people, but most definitely will be filled with thoughts of those I’m leaving here in the Peach State. In the coming weeks and days, I’ll update with information on how to send mail, which would be so greatly appreciated. I’ll also drop random posts about how life on the road is and crazy stories that the kids will create. I will not have computer access or my phone over the course of training, so surprise me with something for when I get them back.
I remember October, maybe November of 2008, sitting at Junior’s Grill for breakfast under the shadows of Tech Tower, with my good friend Will Marshall and he said, “you should do camp.” I knew of this camp because my bgf Abbie did it last Summer and it changed her’s and others’ lives, but I felt inadequate. I had just picked up a Bible for the first time and now I’m being asked to teach kids about Jesus. I knew though at that moment, that yes, no matter what I tried to tell myself and whatever excuses I tried to make up, I would be working for Chick Fil A’s Winshape camp this summer. I love kids, and I always have whether it be the younger siblings of my sister’s teammates, like Mr. Brady Scott or my younger cousins. There’s just something pure about kids that we can learn from. This summer I will be teaching Wacky Science to the campers. It’s quite intimidating. I will also be a part of the Safari village which consists of 3rd and 4th graders and is the foundation of the weekly Bible study. Ironically, Safari means that I will be wearing red, which I’ve never done in my life. The new experiences are coming from all over.
There is so much more that I could say, but I just don’t have the time or effort left to do so. Keep checking this blog please or subscribe so that you can be notified when it’s updated. I love you all so so much and please keep myself, the others working camp this summer, and the people I’m leaving at home in your thoughts and prayers. Here are a few pictures of the trunk I’ll be living out of this summer. I had to personalize it a bit. Talk to you when training ends.
“Preciate the support Cody, and keep the Swarm strong and supportive like you always do, thanks for the love bud.”
Text message I received from Gani Lawal after the 76-74 win Saturday.
He was named Co-ACC Player of the Week today.
Apparently this kid just got out of the dentist’s office and was still a bit woozy from the sedative.
All,
A week from now, my 8 year old brother Benjamin will be having a major surgery called a spinal fusion to straighten his spine. His scoliosis has become so severe that the doctors will have to insert steel rods into his spine in order to straighten it. He will be in the hospital for at least a week, given there are no complications, but there are usually complications with Ben. He cannot tell us when he is in pain, hungry, or tired. He also has a host of other medical issues that could prove problematic. When he leaves the hospital, he will remain in a full body cast for several months in order to let his spine heal properly.
Ben was born with an inoperable benign brain tumor that has weakened his body, thrown off his hormones, and rendered him developmentally delayed. However, last Autumn our family received a blessing when Ben started walking, despite what countless medical professionals have told us over the years. He has made such progress over the last year, not only in mobility, but also with his personality and communication. He even got to participate in the Special Olympics. Unfortunately, this surgery will set some of that progress back, but hopefully it will eventually make things better and easier for Ben in his future.
My friend Molly and her siblings.
For those of you lucky enough to know Ben, you know how truly special he is. For those of you who don’t, Ben is a wonderful child: he is my angel and my inspiration. He is the most loving person you will ever meet, and I couldn’t ask for a better brother.
I ask that you please keep our family (my mom, stepfather, other brothers Roby and Wyatt, myself, and especially Benjamin) in your thoughts and prayers during this trying time. Hopefully, things will be better for all of us when this passes and Ben is healthy again.
Thanks,
Molly
"I don't stand for the black man's side. I don't stand for the white man's side. I stand for God's side." -Bob Marley
Bob Marley is mythical, iconic, polarizing. He’s also one of my favorite musicians. The Wailers, his legendary group, will be performing at the Variety Playhouse in Five Points on March 25th. I will hopefully be attending. When I heard the news, I started listening to one of my favorite albums I have, Gold, which is a compilation of tracks from the legendary group Bob Marley and The Wailers. I thought I’d write a review and share my opinion of the album. If anyone is interested in the album, please let me know.
Review:
Upon its release in 1984, the Bob Marley compilation, Legend, served as an ideal introductory course to one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century. Having sold over 10 million copies to date, it is the best selling reggae album of all time. However, over the course of twenty-four years since its release, interest in the music of a man as mythical as Marley has increased with a new generation of listeners. Since the time of Legend‘s release, there have been many reincarnations of Bob Marley’s greatest hits in compilation after compilation. In 2005, Gold was released in what would have been Marley’s 60th birthday year. Not since Legend had work from the Marley library been compiled so successfully as a glimpse, almost a tease, of the man’s music. While Legend successfully introduces the iconic Marley, Gold may be the updated compilation that supplants itself as the essential collection for any reggae or Marley neophyte.
Gold is a two-disc set encompassing thirty-four gems from Marley’s extensive recordings. Among the album are thirteen of the fourteen tracks from Legend, including classics such as “Jamming,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” and “Buffalo Soldier”. As “No Woman, No Cry” eloquently states, “In this bright future, you can’t forget your past,” not one of Marley’s major album releases are left out of the Gold collection. Where Gold builds on Legend‘s success is in the variety of songs on the album. Gold contains many songs not nearly as famous as the likes of “One Love/People Get Ready” or “Get Up, Stand Up”. Such unknown highlights include “Sun is Shining” and the politically charged “Natural Mystic”. The chronological order of songs based on their release is also very important in showing how Marley changed over the course of his brilliant career, starting with the classic feel good tune “Stir it Up” on disc one and closing with the self reflective acoustic version of “Redemption Song” and the posthumously released “Iron Lion Zion” on disc two. The inclusion of live tracks from Marley’s career also helps Gold set itself apart from other compilations. Having the four live tracks allows a glimpse of what a Marley concert experience was like without dragging down the album for those that do not care for live music. One of the live tracks distances itself from the others. The live performance of “Trenchtown Rock,” an ode to Marley’s home in Jamaica, opens with the line, “One good thing about music, when it hits you feel you no pain,” and establishes Marley’s view of music as an escape from the effects of someone’s impoverished surroundings. As these words echo from the rustic sound equipment, they filter through the loud screams of approval from the crowd. The emotion seeps through Marley’s voice in his live performances of “No Woman, No Cry” and the lesser known, but equally memorable “Kinky Reggae” from the album Babylon by Bus. While every song on Gold is important in creating the legend that is Bob Marley, the apex comes with a track from his album Kaya. “Is This Love” has the aspects that make not only a great reggae record, but an amazing song for any genre. The rhythm notes from Marley’s Gibson Les Paul flow beautifully throughout and mesh well with the percussion and lead guitar. Marley explains throughout the song many times, “I wanna love you and treat you right.” The song chronicles the courting of presumably a woman and he makes several cries to allow him to take care of her. However, it remains unclear whom the woman is. “Is This Love” includes Marley at his finest.
Gold in no way achieves the unattainable perfection of the art of a compilation album; it does however come very close. The exclusion of Marley’s classic “Three Little Birds” creates the only obvious flaw in Gold. Nevertheless, the other tracks overshadow this omission. The numerous allusions to politics, religion, love, and Jamaica in Gold successfully builds Marley up from the poor child of Trenchtown, to the Legend at the time of his death, to the mythical status he holds posthumously. Gold is now the quintessential introductory course for anyone with the slightest interest in the icon that is Bob Marley
"There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you." -Z.N. Hurston
After thinking about a blog for some time, I realized that for me, this is the closest thing I can have to an artist’s canvas or a musician’s instrument. Engineering with Words is the mentality I hope to use going forward on here. Words are my way of expressing feelings or thoughts, of which I’m full. Being a student at Georgia Tech, and a non-engineer at that, often times because my work is not something you can physically see or use, it is overlooked. Engineering with words is something that I hope becomes a platform for me as I continue my way through school, because with my words, I can design, create, or build thoughts in others. I hope I am engineering a way of thinking. I really don’t have any set direction for this and we’ll see where it goes. I imagine that I will discuss at length Tech, sports, music, politics, and my ever-changing journey with God. I plan on making my first post soon. Again, thank you for your interest and God bless.
