We all know how terrible I am at publishing here on a consistent basis (I still have so much to write about from August) but this just needed to be posted.
Yesterday, Steve Jobs passed away. He was an amazing technologist, a visionary, an inspiration, and someone I am heartbroken I will never have the opportunity to have a conversation with. Steve’s life’s work, Apple Computers, have had more impact on our lives than I can even begin to describe.
My first reaction to this was pure sadness. But then, I saw something flit across my screen – a tweet, with a quote: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” So today, I’m smiling. I’m remembering Steve’s passionate keynotes and speeches, I’m mindful of the everyday impact Apple technology has on my personal life and my business, and I am hoping that younger generations, ten or twenty years from now and beyond, never have to ask or wonder, “Who the heck was Steve Jobs?”
In his 2005 graduation commencement speech at Stanford University, Steve Jobs said, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” I will, Steve, I will. Thank you for everything.
So here’s the thing. The past couple of months? Busy as hell. But there was simply SO MUCH AWESOME that I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to put words to paperscreen and share.
I’m sitting at South Station in Boston, waiting for the next train home to Providence. Yes, that’s right: home to Providence. On September 1, I left Boston and moved home to Rhode Island to save money and be close to my family in between my crazy travel adventures. So what have I been up to since the last time I actually took the time to write? Bullet points, here we come!
First, there was Philadelphia, and oh, was it ever glorious! I got to spend some quality time with Tara and Madeline, who both rock my world oh so very hard. Much delicious food was consumed – from sandwiches at Paesano’s to beef jerky from the Amish at Reading Terminal Marketing to drinks at… hell, I can’t even remember. Tara and Madeline were amazing hostesses and I hope someday that I’ll get to return their hospitality should they ever visit New England.
Then, there was Asheville. I joked with Cat (who, by the way, is all sorts of awesome) that if you drove 30 minutes in either direction, you’re smack dab in the middle of some Deliverance kind of shit, but the truth is this: Asheville, North Carolina is a gem of a town. I had, for the first time ever, Southern Comfort ice cream (with fresh bourbon-soaked peaches.) I had the best steak I’ve ever had at Bouchon. I got to experience real North Carolina barbeque, even if my drunk ass did try (and tweet) a single-bite-combination of bacon jalapeño barbeque sauce-soaked pulled pork, sweet potato fries and chocolate pudding. Sure, it looked disgusting, but it was nothing short of delicious. I was also introduced to the wonderful variety of local beers that are abundant in Asheville, got to meet awesomesauce locals like Wendy Lou and experienced the biggest music festival in the Southeast, Bele Chere, which is really too amazing for words.
Upon returning home, I was SO excited to have two whole weeks to enjoy some time “at home,” and enjoy Boston. What ended up happening instead was a string of horrifying and surreal dates that, each on their own merits, would make Tucker Max blush. I’m not sure if I’ll ever share those particular stories beyond my closest friends, but if I do, you can be sure they’ll have entire chapters dedicated to them in that book. Yes, book.
Which brings us to the latter half of August, which saw me get sick, fly to Chicago and back for the 20-Something Bloggers Summit, spend a week post-conference half-deaf from the resulting ear infection, pack my entire life up into boxes and move back to Rhode Island. Those, however, are stories for another blog post, which will hopefully not take me another month to write.
I wanted to write this long, thoughtful post about all the little moments in our lives, these perfect little moments in our lives that make everything worth it but are often overlooked. Instead, I’ll just let the picture speak for itself. Photo credit: John Exley .gplus #___plusone_0, .gplus #___plusone_1,.gplus #___plusone_2, .gplus #___plusone_3, .gplus #___plusone_4, .gplus [...]
Sitting at a bar in Union City, New Jersey, just a few blocks from the Hudson River, I find myself contemplating (and now writing) this blog, and realize it’s been more than a month since my last post. Boy, what a month it’s been. What was supposed to be a one-week trip to New York [...]
In approximately 7 hours, I’m heading to New York City. Specifically, I’ll be spending the majority of the next week in Manhattan and just over the Hudson in New Jersey. This will be my second week-long trip to the heart of the Empire State in the past few months, and the tenth or twelfth in [...]
I’ve had a couple of people ask me privately what the hell this “sneaky snake” business is all about. Last sunday, while sitting at In-n-Out Burger in Las Vegas with Mikael, Jenn, Maxie, and myself, Terra shared the story about how she heard this ridiculous damn song on the radio and it just wouldn’t make [...]
[Note: The first incarnation of this post was originally published on June 26, 2008. I felt an updated version would serve as a great addition to the newly reborn damnthebox.com.] Do you remember when you were a kid? If your parents told you to shut up, you’d probably talk more. If they told you to [...]
Well, when you’re hanging out with bloggers, what happens in Vegas is blogged about, filmed, and plastered all over the Internet! I can’t believe I forgot to include this in my last post. Big props to Almie for doing such a killer job putting it together. Bloggers in Sin City from Almie Rose on Vimeo. [...]
Settling into my seat on US Airways Flight something-or-other at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, I overhear the girl behind me say, “Four days in Vegas is just too much.” After the weekend I’d just spent at Bloggers in Sin City, I couldn’t help but turn around and respond, “Four day in Vegas is not [...]
I don't particularly believe in self-censorship around here, so you may notice the frequent lack of a filter. If this bothers you, that's fine by me, just don't let the door hit you on the way out.
We all know how terrible I am at publishing here on a consistent basis (I still have so much to write about from August) but this just needed to be posted. 
