"I’ve looked at my relatives this Thankgiving break–the aunts, uncles, cousins, and parents I’ve grown up with. They are flawed people like the rest of us who work hard to keep each other happy, succeeding much of the time."
Slowing Me Down
I’m in Iceland just now and my trip is moving slower than I’d like. But that’s because I move faster than I’d like.
I don’t think I’m going to ever find the elusive and ever-glorified balance, but surrounding myself with other perspectives (less hurried ones) helps to kick me in the knees, which of course slows my running, at least temporarily.
Through photos and a clip, I offer you slowing down, Iceland style.
A carefree 8-year old Noi. And when you don’t speak the same language, curiosity is that much more apparent.
Is Perspective Possible in this Insanely Digital World?
I’m working on a trip that may turn into a month of foreign travel. As much as I’m excited to explore, perhaps it’s more that I just feel stale here. My life is in front of a computer screen and I need to see things that aren’t measured in pixels. There are people at the other end of the data, but something gets lost in the binary translation. That something may be my perspective.
I listened to an NPR piece the other day discussing how 20% of Americans don’t use the internet at all. I’d gamble that fewer than half of those who do sign on are regular readers of blogs. Right now the common wisdom online is that it’s fewer than 1% of a site’s visitors who participate in the conversation. Well, that fewer than 1% has become my friends of late–and let me just tell you, that’s not the real world.
It’s actually the fake world. (more…)
Highlights and Hopes
Every year I look back and say, “wow, so much happened…but now I’m poised for this big thing.” Well that’s once again the case (this time it’s AwayFind). 2007 was a fun and busy year both with friends and work, and 2008 will be even more packed with trips and new people. But to look forward, it’s often best to look back…and that’s what I’m writing about here with some highlights and hopes. Do you have any interesting resolutions for the new year?
Highlights:
In no particular order, these are the things that a few years from now when I look back I’ll want to remember. All of them were things that in some way shaped who I was this year. If one of these relates to you, thank you for being a part of that memory.
- AwayFind - building a web application
- Book Clubs - learning so much, even more from the people
- Crested Butte - Galt’s Gulch, and the start of a tradition for me
- DC Tech Community - like-minded geeks and entrepreneurs
- Dinner Parties - company from my different circles, at the house
- Dover MA - a good place to be from
- Four Hour Workweek - I should shut up about it, but this book changed me
- Surrogate Girlfriend - Having a best friend and good company
Hopes
Every year my hope is some cross between balance and ambition–running more, entertaining more, saving, developing a more routine schedule, etc. But over the course of the year reasons that I can’t predict tend to change my focus. Still, as of now here are some things I hope for:
For my sanity and social life: (more…)