Georgia Magazine - October 2010 - (Page 5)

www.georgiamagazine.org (800) 544-4362, in Georgia; (770) 270-6950 Crossroads of life BY PAUL WOOD President/CEO, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation GEORGIA Magazine, the largest-circulation monthly magazine in the state, is published by Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (GEMC), the trade association for Georgia’s 42 consumer-owned electric utilities. On average, more than 500,000 members welcome the magazine into their homes each month. Georgia’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives provide reliable, safe and affordable electric service to more than 73 percent of the state’s land area serving 4.5 million residents. For more information, visit www.georgiaemc.com. EDITOR Ann Orowski, CCC MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Hewett, CCC ASSOCIATE EDITOR Victoria Scharf DeCastro PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Steve Jacobs ASSISTANT EDITOR Kevin Braun ASSISTANT EDITOR Jim Jess EDITORIAL INTERN Sarah Bakhtiari CONTRIBUTING WRITERS L Lynn Coulter, Deborah Geering, Jackie Kennedy, Rick Lavender, Gary Miller, Judith S. Railey, Kathleen Walls CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Don Brooks, Andrew Hughes, Steve Jacobs, Jordan Lavender, Robert Mester, David Nash, Michael O’Leary, Ann Orowski, Reggie Stowers ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Laurel George, (404) 541-0628; Laine Kirby Wood, (770) 289-5700 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE National Country Market, (800) 626-1181 DESIGNERS Trudie Thibodeaux, Kerstin Weis Mary Wellman, (770) 270-6981 SUBSCRIPTIONS Christy Chewning, Jeffrey Ferguson, Stacey Fields, Tony Griffin, Johnnie B. Hall, Pamela Keene, Doyle Medders, Jeff Pierce, Donnie Prince, Steve Rawl, Brandon Reese, Romeo Reyes, Tony Sinclair, Jere Thorne 2010 ADVISORY BOARD GEORGIA EMC OFFICERS CHAIRMAN Neal Talton, Flint Energies VICE CHAIRMAN Alice Mallory, Coweta-Fayette SEC.-TREASURER Randy Crenshaw, Irwin PRESIDENT/CEO, GEMC A. Paul Wood EMC EMC georgia Magazine (USPS-473120, ISSN 10615822) is published monthly by Georgia Electric Membership Corp., P.O. Box 1707, 2100 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30085. Periodicals postage paid at Thomaston, GA, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GEORGIA Magazine, P.O. Box 1707, Tucker, GA 30085. Printed in Georgia by Quad/Graphics. Acceptance of advertising by GEORGIA Magazine does not imply endorsement by the publisher or Georgia’s electric membership corporations of the product or services advertised. GEORGIA Magazine’s LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN, OR OMISSIONS OF, ADVERTISEMENTS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES TO THE ADVERTISER’S BUSINESS, SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF CHARGES FOR THE ADVERTISEMENT THAT WAS OMITTED OR IN WHICH THE ERROR OCCURRED. ike most of us, I have a favorite coffee shop where I stop regularly for a good cup of coffee. In addition to great coffee, this little place offers every customer an open ear on the world. Customers have only to tune it in. This morning, a lady in line behind me was on her cell phone: “I just want one reason to wake up in the morning and not feel like a loser,” she told her phone mate. Two college-age girls chatted in front of me: “You didn’t? No! Does your mother know?” I did not want to hear anymore. Two women were deep in conversation off to one side. One appeared to be unloading her soul to the other. The second just nodded understandingly and patted the first on the hand, then her arm and shoulder. Clearly the first was having problems in her personal life. I heard only “… but I don’t think he loves me anymore.” The “regulars” were easy to spot. Each time I come in, the same lady sits against the wall near the shop’s only electrical outlet writing a novel. She’s been there every day for several years. I still don’t know the plot, but if it is a good one, she is certain to make this coffee shop famous. I recognized three elderly men in the back corner. Friends for a very long time, they drive to this coffee shop once a month—one from as far away as 30 miles—to share memories of good times enjoyed long ago, and sometimes they just work on solving the world’s great problems. I More online at www.georgiamagazine.org wondered if President Barack Obama has their phone numbers. Among other regulars was a mixed-gender Bible study group. At least, I think it was Bible study; their conversation was entirely in Korean. The counter was in sight when a departing customer approached me. “Have you tried their homemade breakfast muffins?” she asked. “They are glorious.” “No,” I said, “I just come for the coffee.” She gave me an incredulous look. “Black coffee? Whoever heard of such?” About that time, her cell phone rang, and she was soon engrossed in a new conversation. The last thing I heard her say as she walked out, “Well, I have this life coach who talks to me every day. He has the answers to all my problems.” What is a life coach anyway? As I approached the counter, one of the baristas came out of the back with a 9-pound bucket of something that looked like wallpaper paste. Written on its side were the words: Frozen Gourmet Muffin Batter. I love homemade breakfast muffins, don’t you? Forget Facebook and LinkedIn, I have found the best social networking site around—an old-fashioned crossroads where people actually enjoy face-to-face conversation. My little coffee shop, with its limitless opportunity for personal interactivity, reflects a real sense of community the Internet will never be able to offer. And the coffee’s not bad either. 5 October 2010 http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiaemc.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - October 2010

Georgia Magazine - October 2010
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar
Currents
Special Energy Report
Branching Out
Unforgettable Alabama!
Restoring Warplanes and Honoring Veterans
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Cookbook of the Month
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - October 2010