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“So what is it exactly that you do?”

That is the question I get asked most often.  Not because it is standard, but because people look at my odd business card, and find out that I’ve been couchsurfing for over 3.5 years.  ”And you make money by couchsurfing?”

I have not really shared what exactly I do, until now! Read on! You may be surprised how I can help you, the people I have helped and how I have helped them, and WHY I am sharing this with you now! (In that order) Read the rest of this entry »

After a long while of connecting with people, and traveling to random things, I got decent at figuring out how things happened… i.e. what happened that made me meet whom, and what happened because of that.

So, I’m writing this from Los Angeles.  If I wasn’t here this weekend, I’d be in Alabama, driving a stock car at 200mph with Matt Bacak and his top affiliates.  I wanted to go, but funds are tight, and many amazing projects came up. This morning’s breakfast conversation led to a trip to Baja, Mexico this Monday.  Dinner’s conversation led to us searching for places we  can try to either ride an Ostrich, or… I’d also be willing to wear Kevlar vest, and a helmet, and piss one off… I hear those things are brutal, but that sounds like it’d make a fun video.

Back to LA though– I’m staying with this girl Espree.  She’s gorgeous, loves to smile, has a snowboard and 4 skateboards of different types right by the door.  I met her last week when watching Jason Moffatt perform his first stand up comedy routine at the Comedy Store.  He was awesome.  Jason was couchsurfing with Espree at the time, and Espree is also a friend of Rob & Kathi’s — whom I was couchsurfing with for the last week, and whom I’m going to Baja with, and trying to ride an ostritch with.

I’m also working on marketing some of Kathi’s projects, and Rob and I have been helping each other solve all of our business problems.  It’s been really sweet.  Additionally, this drive to LA has been the first time I’ve ever used a garment bag! Kathi is a professional organizer, and an image consultant/stylist.  I’m documenting the process.  She pre-shopped for me, then I went to Macys, had my own private dressing room (the size of a large conference room), tried all this amazing stuff on… and then took various things for alterations.  I have a whole new wardrobe, and a new haircut— yea… I know… you want pics… next week–  I’m working with Rob to do a photoshoot.

So, Rob knows Espree, but I was talking about Serendipity…. so… what’s the deal with that?

Ok.. I’ll break it down for you:

In May  I went on that road trip with the girl.  I had all that yummy but horrible Taco Bell, which led me to feel awful, which led me to go back on raw food and a 30 day cleanse, which led me to detox and bring up all sorts of emotions, which made me pretty depressed for a few days, which made it pretty damn easy to say “YES!” to Moffatt’s random text about if I wanted to watch his surf spot & dog in La Jolla for 6 weeks while he RVs with his girl, which led Rob Burns to reach out because he saw that I was watching JMo’s dog…. and because I was in La Jolla, I worked on my book a bunch, met some more awesome people, and now Espree….

Espree I find ultra inspiring.  I hope she’s not pissed at me for writing this, but I really wish more people followed in her example.  Why? ’cause more people would be happy and  successful.  She has a vision board– but more specifically, she has her goals broken down by amounts, dates, etc… very specific.  Do you know what YOU want?  Only 3 percent of Americans set goals.  Do you?  If you could do anything what would you do?  How would you do it?

Read, network, mastermind, engage, learn, take action, learn from your mistakes, take further action.

She seemed surprised at the conclusions I inferred so quickly.  Over the years I’ve just learned to trust my gut feeling, and listen to it.  Proof that  it’s working?  I haven’t had a gun pulled on me since 2001!  Must be doing something right, right?

Since I’ve couch surfed, I’ve learned a lot about people.  I spend an awful lot about them, and I study many books on psychology, marketing, and people in general… biographies and quote books rock.

My point is that she told me that she’s just lucky.  I say people make their own luck, and having studied (and couchsurfed with) many successful people, she’s taking all the right steps.

Anyways- back to serendipity-   I’m definitely going to Baja on Monday… that’s why I drive with my Passport… “Just in case” something incredible happens that requires me to leave the country.  It would not surprise me if someone said “Hey, let’s go to Thailand, and stay on this island there for 6 months” – and I’d say “Sounds great!” (in fact, that’s kind of on my agenda… if you’d like to get in on that, you can join me in Thailand where I’ll be renting a house on an island, and doing consulting from there).

I haven’t been to the dentist in years… like…. mid 90′s or so.  I don’t like getting my teeth scraped.  I’ve busted a tooth in a wakeboarding accident.  When I drove to Austin from Atlanta, my tongue got cut up on one of my teeth— is my filling falling apart?  Is my tooth?  I don’t know, but US Dentistry rates are outrageous.  So, I hear the dentistry costs about 1/10th over there, and the Fish Tacos are amazing.  I’m going for some fish tacos, a donkey show, and a checkup.  Just kidding about the Donkey Show.  That sounds pretty gross.

After connecting with Dori Friend and being her poolboy for the weekend while her 8 friends from high school visited her, I got invited to her birthday bash on the 27-29th.  Lots of floating around on the lake, and having fun.  I’m totally down, Dori rocks!

I also found out last time I was in San Fran that my parents are coming out to visit my older bro — we went indoor skydiving, and I’m going to show up when my folks are visiting, and we’ll all do that together. I didn’t even know my folks were going to go visit before the other week!

What else?

Well… actually… it’s 1:30am, and I’m waking up at 6am to beat out the LA traffic, and get to Raymond Aaron’s event.   I’m getting coaching on my consulting.  Masters hire masters.

So… sweet dreams, good morning— whatever’s going on while you read this.  But the world keeps getting more and more exciting… are you taking advantage of that?

Lately, it seems I’m getting a multitude of careers (on top of marketing / design / photography / consulting) – House sitter, dog sitter, baby sitter, and sexy poolboy that can mix margaritas…. I’m actually on my way now to do that last one- serve 9 women for the weekend. Here’s what led up to that Read the rest of this entry »

I was supposed to be heading back from Seattle, dropping Webber off, and then going to Las Vegas with badass babe, Jaime Mintun.  However, things happen…

My friend Elizabeth’s daughter recently had a brain tumor.  I was there for her via phone and texting when she found out that she has to take Gracie to the ER, and it may be fatal.  I was there to cheer her up, and be a shoulder and ear.  But my other friends on her insider group did more.  They hijacked her business, and handled it for her.  Alison flew in from Canada to be ther ein person with EPW.  I’m proud of my cheering up skills, and that I’m a trusted friend, and that I could be there… but I wanted to do more.

Once it was established that Gracie was all right after her brain surgery, I figured what *I* could do other than being funny!  You see, when you hear your kid has to go to the ER, or die, you drop everything to make sure the kid stays alive.  Everything.  Thus, she was at the hospital for about 2 weeks, not taking care of anything else- business, or even the car that got broken into.

Since EPW was not going to have a summer to work on things, as Gracie was going to go to camp…. recovering from surgery had messed up her coordination to where she couldn’t go to camp.  She’s fine now, and better than she’s been in a really really long time.  But EPW has to try and catch up with 2 weeks of unplanned hospital time, and look after the kid… it’s a bit much.  My plan:  Cancel Vegas, Go to San Fran, be the babysitter, so EPW can catch up on her life!  That, and have some personal time.

As far as the race goes, I ended up not going ’cause Jared & Jen were going to pick me up, and their car had blown up on their road trip.  They offered to fly me out there, but last minute tickets seemed insane.  I’d rather go with my friends to Seattle, and spend longer than 3 days there, as I’ve never been before.   As far as races– there’ll be others.  Meanwhile, there’s talk about a Canoe race in Belize in March!

My audio book for today’s journey was “Freakonomics” – it’s fabulous!  Witty and brilliant insight into a great many things.  too many to list actually  But… I”ll have time to write now that I’m here to babysit.  Oh yeah… tonight I get to sleep in a pink room, with pink Princess Sheets!  That’s how you know you’re cool!

At Disc Golf Mastermind I was pretty goofy.  I climbed pretty high up in a tree to get a disc (not the one I lost, mind you, but the one I found… which was even better), I threw without aiming, I told lots of stupid jokes…. The guys were entertained, but I kept saying, “I’m way more entertaining when I bowl!”

Little did I know that 3 days later there would be bowling! Immediately following Mexican food (at El Callejon – which I gave a poor review to on Yelp: slow service, horrible parking, ok food, great chips)- which included Margaritas, since it was Steph’s birthday!  This was actually my first time meeting Steph, but I doubt she’ll forget me… ever (see video below)!   Read the rest of this entry »

The Ragnar – a 185 Mile Relay Race in Seattle-  12 people and a dog named Webber, riding in 2 smelly vans, and taking turns running 3 legs of the race in 24 hours!  How could that not sound fun?

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/northwestpassage

We’re missing a runner or two….  We have 10 confirmed, plus the dog (not every team has the dog, we’re just cool).

So… help get the word out!  Our team needs one or two more people!  We CAN run as is, we’ll just run more miles per person.

Do you live in Seattle (Actually, the race says Baline to Langley) ? Near Seattle? Like to run?  Know someone that’s in or near that area and likes to run?   Join us! Contact me, and I’ll let the team know!

I will bring my camera, and you’ll get professional photos of you running, and have a blast with a bunch of goofballs!  Bad jokes and good photos are guaranteed!

My friend Robert had gone skydiving, so that was a conversation piece.  I asked Sheila “Have you gone skydiving? “Of course!” pause… “Have you?” “Umm of course!” as if it’s an insult that someone had to even ask!

The conversation then shifted to whether the skydiving was performed solo, or tandem.  If you haven’t gone, it’s really safe, part of that reason is because you go tandem, which means that there’s  an instructor strapped to your back, and they deal with the boring stuff… like landing, packing the parachute, and making sure it opens if you screw it up. If you want to jump on your own, it costs you about $1,800, and requires about 18 jumps and some tests.

Sheila, Robert, and I had all jumped tandem.

I added that I WILL get certified and go solo, because it is Read the rest of this entry »

Me with Adrianne Gonzalez and Kyler England of The Rescues - <3

Writing a book doesn’t have that much to do with writing a book.  It’s been more about organizing information, filtering through it, and learning about the publishing and self publishing industries.  So far, that’s the case.  I had a friend come into town, and she wanted to catch some live music on Friday.  I thought I’d be suave, and make happen what I had happen with my friend Joanna, while I was couchsurfing with John and Julia (whom I met at Burning Man)— we took out some ocean Kayaks, food, and booze, and saw Crosby Stills and Nash over at Humphreys.

Humphreys however had no one playing on Friday, which I found odd, ’cause they usually have quite the lineup .  I don’t mean to be spoiled… but watching a concert by Kayak is more fun than just going to a show.  I like things to be new and exciting, or at least unique. I don’t know any of the San Diego performance spaces, nor do I know who’s playing.  Sure… there’s Google for that, but Google can land you in an outletless coffee bar with no internet (such as Living Room in La Jolla). So, we just went for some good Mexican food.

The next night however I was as giddy as a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert!  I saw Kyler England post on Facebook that she’s recovering from a midnight milkshake, and that the band is on their way to San Diego for the last show of their tour

The band is “The Rescues”.  I’m a huge fan!  They are 4 members in size, and every single one of them Read the rest of this entry »

In this post, I actually give you a real set of stories from my travels… but I’m not 100% sure how to format my book.  I’d really love your feedback!

ARGH! Who knew a book was tough to write? Well, I guess everyone, ’cause not everyone does it… but once you get started, all these little details come up: Read the rest of this entry »

I signed up for a 185 mile relay race in Seattle that will take place in July.  I can bring Webber with me.  That dog likes to run, and I had asked JMo before I even came here if I can bring the dog on road trips, “Sure… if he’s safe, I’m cool!”  So why did I say yes to the race? It all started with Radio Shack! Read the rest of this entry »

Dear friend – yes you!

I have something really important to tell you. It’s very exciting, and very difficult for me all at once.

I’ve arrived here in La Jolla, CA where the weather is truly amazing, and I am house-sitting for the next 5-6 weeks.

On my drive here from Austin, TX I had a lot of time to think, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the best answers come from asking the right questions. My question that I chose was “How do I make the best use of house-sitting near the beach for 6 weeks?”

I came up with many ideas, but the ones that made the most sense are also the most difficult, and I’d like to share them with you.

I have completed 3.5 years of couchsurfing around the USA.  I’ve met the most incredible people that I could ever imagine.  I have had amazing adventures, where Read the rest of this entry »

This is a short post… I made it to Phoenix, AZ where I’m staying with some people I’ve never met before.  Funny enough, that’s exactly what happened last time I went to Phoenix.  But anyways, we’re off to Sedona, AZ.  I’m bringing the camera!  I was actually working on blogging yesterday’s 16 hours drive, but… we’re going, so I just wanted to let you know where I’m going   Adventure!

I’m going back to Cali… Yeah, I do think so! My last 2 posts were kind of sad, so here’s a happy one:
“Open invite to surf by beach spot for 6 weeks from june 12th till mid/late july.  Must watch Webber though.  Trying to find someone.”

Ummmmm….  6 weeks, with a 1.5 week notice. Wait,  I’m already packed up!  I had cleared out everything (‘cept Read the rest of this entry »

This is one of those “Day in the life” that’s so typically random….

I needed to go capture 65 gallons of fresh spring water.  The water weights 40lbs per container, and I had 13 of them in the car, plus the weight of the glass 5-gallon jugs, so that’s about 600-700lbs.  I switched Craig cars, as his Subaru claims to handle 900 lbs, while mine claims to hndle 700lbs.– I’m taking Craig’s word for this, I’ve never actually looked.  That’s probably semi-dumb, as I often carry my whole life in that car.

Since my window had been broken last year as some asshole stole my GPS Read the rest of this entry »

I’m on day 5 of my cleanse.  I’ve lost 7 pounds already.  I’m going to be very much myself in this (and future posts), which means a little more crass humor, more puns, and more foul language.  Why?  Because I joke around, tell puns, and use (what some consider) offensive language in my daily communications.  I take on friends and clients that appreciate me for me, and since you’re reading my blog… we’re friend.  I guarantee you that the shit that I’m writing in THIS particular blog post is really awkward to tell a stranger (or even a friend), so… we’re friends, right?

Remember: I look for adventure, and I define adventure as “new experiences” -

Ok…. I mentioned a lot of this on my Monday night internet radio show (http://CouchSurfingRadio.com) – and maybe even in parts of my blog, but here’s the story: Read the rest of this entry »

I’m back in Austin, after a long trip. I wrote 15 pages so far describing it, but it’s way too personal.  Guess that’ll have to wait until my book comes out, when names are changed to protect people.

What’s the short version?

I left Austin on Tuesday the 4th with a passenger, whom is female, and prefers not to be written about.  We drove 19 hours to Read the rest of this entry »

If you want a quick dose of happiness, rent a roach suit.  I rented a roach suit! Then I wore it to go to the grocery store, and showed up at a few friends’ offices. Here’s my story (Pictures at the bottom)

It was a great day indeed– I refused to go to sleep until I finished this custom Twitter Background for someone, and when I woke up, it was to an e-mail saying how much the work rocked.  Then I got to see my buddy Tex… Well, actually, it’s Dave Bredesen, but I always called him Tex ’cause when I met him, I was living in Florida, and he was living in Austin.

He did always tell me that I’d love Austin, and boy, was he right!  Actually, how we met is entertaining.  It was at Read the rest of this entry »

Today is tax day.  Some post offices stay open till midnight.  I was going to e-file, like I always do.  TurboTax.  It did not work today- not sure why.  I did my organizing last night, so today should have been plug and play…. but that wasn’t the case.  It told me that I gotta print, and mail, not e-file.  So I went to the post office, which was closed.  So, I ended up filing electronically through Freefilefillableforms.com for free, for an extension…. until I figure out what’s going on (probably tomorrow) – - but now my taxes are not done… an incomplete loop, I got a few of those to close (that’s why I won’t sleep much today).

Anyways- that part was annoying, but other than that, it’s AWESOME out!  Check it:

Kathryn calls me up and reminds me that Mother’s Day is coming up. In fact, she reminded me so by telling me that their new technology can probably make my mom a pendant out a photo of my 2 brothers and I.  It sounded awesome- I like creative gifts, but mom doesn’t wear jewelry, so it would just sit there, appreciated, but not worn. I thought of what the next surprise be.

I know!  I’ll visit Mom!  My uncle from Israel is visiting them, I can get my little bro on the way…. and I’ve been tough on myself for not having a crazy enough adventure lately, so why not hit up some hang gliding in Chattanooga?  I’ve always wanth ted to do that.  So, I told Kathryn about it– said she can go if she wants…. “You can be her present!”  “Are you sure she’d be ok with you just showing up with some random stranger?”  “Are you kidding me?? If I show up with some girl, she’ll think it’s the best mother’s day ever.”

Now, rewind a few posts, and Kathryn saw me speaking at a social media event in Dallas, then was the one who showed up to my rescue when I ran out of gas at SXSW.  How we spoke for the first time, was that she had posted a link to her 1st blog post…. and tweeted me that she’d love to see what I thought about it.  You can read my comment on there. Now I went and spent Easter over there, saw her neighborhood’s Easter Parade, and got to watch how Jewelry is made with Cad/Cam (design it on the computer, and the machine makes a physical model).

Back to the present- Mom won’t wear a pendant, but Kathryn didn’t freak out at a semi-joke, when I mentioned Hanggliding– this is fun! Taking a shy/quiet person, and taking them hang gliding?  She kept swearing that she’d never jump out of a plane, and I always said “You say that, now“  – so I actually brought Hang gliding up as “Well, it’s not skydiving” — personally, I think Hang gliding is more fun…. you can be up in the air longer, with more control, you can ride thermals up, etc… Cheaper too– you don’t need a parachute, and all that gasoline.

The details started filling in…. I had asked Craig recently what he thought of going hang gliding, and he said he’d be interested… so I started scheming– planning it on a weekend, so Craig can make it out with us.

Katie was telling me about a rough day yesterday, but not much about it.. just that it was, but today she decided that it was gonna be a great day, so it was… I said I agree, and told her that Kathryn agreed to go hang gliding. Katie lit up like Times Square…. “Hang gliding?  I wanna go!  I love hang gliding (followed in a later conversation by “I’ve been towed by planes, taken off a boat, jumped off the side of a mountain!”  – that’s awesome!  So… Katie’s going, Kathryn’s going… oh yeah… Katie hasn’t visited her cousin – who lives in Tennessee.

I forgot to mention that her cousin works in a White Water Rafting company…. screw it!  We’re adding White Water Rafting to our trip!

The funny thing is that earlier I was telling her that going Hang gliding will be life changing for her… ’cause if you never think of doing stuff like that, there’s a reason why…. and when you push your comfort zone to do something that you’ve never done before… so much so that you never even bothered imagining yourself doing that…. well, you’re gonna have quite the adrenaline rush, and I predict a nice juicy bite in the ass by the adventure bug!

“Well… how hard can this client meeting be, I mean.. I jumped off a friggin mountain!”

“So, after you go hang gliding, you can go on a milder adventure, and take your dad– like whitewater rafting”- and sure enough, later in the day whitewater rafting gets added.

I started calling, texting, and tweeting people– “Wanna join us for some hang gliding?”

Well… I kept adding— since I have until the 10th to kill.  So, drive to Tennessee on the 29th, by way of Dallas, to get Kathryn.  Be there by the 30th- hang glide for 3 days, then go white water rafting…. then go to Georgia, go to the Georgia Aquarium (which is mind blowingly awesome), and even sleep there… they have a thing where you can camp out there, and watch the whale sharks all night long.  I’m so down!  Then, go kayaking on the French Broad.

What luck!  Neither Kathryn nor Katie have ever been kayaking, and now Katie was saying she may ride along for the whole trip— ’cause she went to school down there, and has friends down there.   So…. get to Gainesville, FL on the 5th or 6th, get Itay and Nugget, and surprise the crap out of mom in South Florida.  Haven’t thought of the details… Maybe send Kathryn in to the house with my fake (but very real looking) gun?  Nah… poor girl, and my parents… they’d all be traumatized.   I suppose the machette is out too, and I lent out my rocket launcher to a friend of mine for a tv show they’re doing….

Maybe I’ll send Itay in, so Mom and Dad think he’s being sweet and showing up for Mother’s Day… I have him leave the door open (I do have a key), and then I Sneak in, and surprise them.  Or… maybe I’ll send Itay in with Kathryn, and see if they recognize her… ’cause I just did a shoot with Kathryn, and I sent the folks a copy of the picture.  That may be the way to go….  Confusion’s a fun one.

Once in South Florida, Kayaking in the mangroves, rent Jet-skis, water ski at the Ski Rixen , and ride an airboat through the Everglades.

Make mom some awesome brunch for mother’s day- maybe catch a musical performance somewhere, or dinner theatre, and then head back on the 10th– dropping Itay and Nugget off, making a pit stop in Atlanta, and then… having an extra day before Kathryn has to be back at the office, we’ll actually find some cool adventure between Atlanta, GA, and Dallas, TX.  Any suggestions?

We’ll probably ride in 2 cars.  Craig’s probably bringing Bentley, and Katie’s probably bringing Bentley- is that weird? They both have dogs named Bentley.

Basically, a 2 week roadtrip that evolved fully in one day.  It definitely fills up my adventure hole in my heart.  There’s many people to meet along the way.

So, yeah.. .I’m pretty excited.  Now… here’s some info, in case you want to go – either now, or later.

http://hangglide.com/ has the Weekend Package which is $399, for training, and 20 jumps off the short (65 foot hills- as compared to being thrown off a 1,500 foot cliff right away) hills, and 2 aero-tow lifts (get towed behind a small plane/glider  – so you do get the 2,000 foot experience).  I am actually signing up for the Mountain Package at $699 – which gets you ready for Level 1 & Level 2 certification- meaning you can fly solo (non-tandem) off a mountain afterwards.

One of my friends/couches is Derek, whom I just found out works for Thrill Planet, so he told me what their price is on hanggliding- or what rate he can get me as the couchsurfer (I crashed with him for a month in 2007) discount… but Hangglide.com has the same rate for tandem jums.  The thing that surprised me was that I was told the price.. I had actually asked for what would be a bulk rate, since I’m bringing a bunch of people… so I was given the rate, then I asked what I get for it- and I was told 30-40 minutes in the air on a tandem jump.  Well, $399 is a tiny bit more than double the price I was given… but it seemed absurd- why take one measly flight, when for a little more, I can get 20 jumps + 2 tows, and hang out there for 3 days– oh yeah.. forgot to mention, we’re camping!

We’re totally bringing the helmet cam!

Yeah… I’m on a health kick… but I don’t turn down opportunities for adventure (new experiences).  I got to Dallas, TX last night to couchsurf with Kathryn – who is the one who rescued me when I was out of gas during South By.  She asked if I”m down for going to Oklahoma to where Fried Pie was born, and having some… so, that’s what’s up for today.  I slept in– haven’t done that in forever…  Now we’re just getting ready.  The weather is gorgeous, so we’re taking the convertible.

That’s it!  A short blog post! I knew I could write one!

This is one of those brief blog posts (they all start like that).   I don’t need to go into every detail, but I feel like 2 different people… and each has its strength and weakness.

In December/January, I was reaching the cusp of a period of period of distraction.  I was uber-creative, more than usual… but also hlongad a bitch of a time focusing and implementing.  I’d get stuff done… it was just getting started.  My bank account felt it.  That’s some of the stuff I haven’t been posting.  It really sucks when you get hit with an overdraft, get funds again, and keep racing the credit cards.  Not a good feeling.

Then, out of the blue, I just get hit with all these projects.  Some public speaking (which I truly enjoy – let me know if you need a speaker for your company/event/conference), some graphics, some photography, some scriptwriting/filming/editing (my favorite kind too!), and some consulting.  It seems there’s no time to sleep… the other day I blew off a midnight party when I woke up at midnight with indigestion… but I was a happy camper, ’cause when I went to sleep at 5pm, we had just celebrated getting our week’s worth of sleep-sacrifice out at FedEx at 3:57, when 4pm was the absolute deadline.  What a rush!

So, there’s hippy Ori, and yuppie Ori. Craig says I shouldn’t say “Workaholic”, as it has a negative connotation… try “really motivated” instead.  So… I’m back in my “really motivated” state now, and I don’t know if I’ve changed lives, saved a kitten, or waht… but each gig is getting cooler and cooler.  Check this out for example:

The other day, my buddy Caleb Jennings catches me on Skype.  Caleb is working with David Wolfe, and they are throwing Longevity Conference.  Caleb invited me to be their VIP Guest… but as you recall, my funds situation was not the best… I was not sure about Travel Funds, as I was busting ass to get caught up.

I’d love to see my friends, and learn new things, but is that the responsible thing to do?  “Do you guys need a photographer?”  “I don’t know… you’d have to ask Larry.”

The next day I get a call “you’re not going to believe this-  I woke up at noon, had a skype on my screen ‘Can Ori shoot the event for us, and how much?” He hadn’t spoken to Larry… it just so happened that I partied with Larry at Burning Man, and he got to see my badass photo skills, so had me in mind.  What luck?!

So, I worked all day.  I worked all night.  I worked the same the previous day, etc… I took a break to go running.  I’m in “really motivated” mode, so I’m listening to more audio books again, and exercising is easier.

Friends are great, the weather’s great, and I’m spending some time thinking forward.  Expect some interesting changes soon….

Anyways, it’s 2:10.  I haven’t packed.  At 2am I got a text confirming I have a place to stay.  It was actually Aron telling me that his friend Angel will text me.

Angel heard about my photography, and she lives right next to where the conference is.  She’s meeting me at thae airport. She sounds really cool… I don’t know much about her though, as I only asked at 10:20pm

last minute couchsurfing shoutout

In 4 hours, someone got a hold of me, and I already know that since she’s friends of Aron, she must be interesting and fun.

I feel I haven’t blogged in a while…. maybe that’s why I’m blogging at 2:30am, while my bag is unpacked.

Oh yeah, clothes.  I bought a bunc of new ones over the last few days.  Mock me if you must, but I’m looking schnazzy, and I did so very affordably at Ross. I love my new Kenneth Cole belt.  Anything Kenneth Cole looks amazing on me.  I don’t know how or why that is.  If Kenneth reads this, and wants to sponsor my journey, I will wear Kenneth Cole all day, all night (but not ALL of every night… if you know what I mean.)

So, yeah… feel I haven’t blogged in a while.  I’ve certainly been swamped with work.  So, now I’m making up for it.

Ok, seriously- gotta go pack! Stop reading!  I mean it, I gotta go!  Well… ok… I’ll just write more from Cali– it’s bound to be interesting!  Check out where I’m going.

I think I may do more event photography- it’s a fun way to travel, and I like events.  Give me a few days, I’ll organize an album.

What better way to break in a new office on the 22nd floor downtown than to bring up some babes on a skateboard and whip out the Starwars costumes?

After enough Margaritas I started hoolahooping in the middle of a bar.  In case you’re thinking that it’s unprofessional to go out for Margaritas the day before the project is due, know that my client insisted on it, and bought the first few rounds.  Got the project done, and on time.  Worked till the very last minute… got it to FedEx with a whole 3 minutes left!  Hooray teamwork!

What the heck is a Groupon?  It’s a way of leveraging group buys– check it out, they probably have something in your city. These people are clearly smart, as competitions are a great way to gain PR, traffic (eyeballs), and eventually new clients and business growth.  Their competition is called Live Off Groupon.

What you are supposed to do is live for a whole year off of nothing but groupons.  Be resourceful, figure out how to survive, and of course blog the whole time.  Sounds easy enough!  You start with nothing… like, no clothes even.  You wear a suit made of paper groupons!  I’d turn that into a whole photoshoot!

The audition requires you to make a 90 second video of why they should choose you. Because I only found out about this 3 days before the deadline, I had to shoot this to spec– as compared to adding graphics, editing ummms and uhhs out, etc…. No flashiness, just a video that could be uploaded.

I finished filming it (thanks Craig Allen for all your help!) at 11:20pm, with 40 minutes left to upload it, as well as write a 300-500 word essay on my experience with a Groupon vendor, which I had to videotape, and write a blog post about…. and a 400-500 word essay about why I should be chosen. I was typing it up at 11:58.  This felt like highschool again!  Doing the big project the day it’s due!

I was dancing for joy at 11:59pm when I received a confirmation e-mail saying my application was received!  I made it!

I think this would be a wonderful extension of everything I’ve been doing.  I truly believe these groupon things are a great business model for the participating businesses, and a wonderful deal for consumers who buy it.  Having infinite groupons sounds like fun, as does $100k, but the challenge of being constantly on the move… that’s exciting!

Wish me luck!

To learn more about the contest, check out the Live Off Groupon contest page.

The Couchsurfing Radio Host- Couch Surfing Ori

Everyone wants to know how Mardi Gras was…. Find out on the podcast!

Check out the Couchcast

Download the episode for home/car/plane/etc.. listening.

I also talk about some killer ways to save money based on group buying, and how to use that for your own advertising and marketing.  What the heck a hackintosh is, and how that’s going.  And of course, the latest trouble I’m looking to get into

The Couchsurfing Radio Host- Couch Surfing Ori

My first broadcast from a cell phone, and the longest I’ve been on an iphone. I recorded this on the drive to Mardi Gras with Jason Moffatt and Randy Primm.

Check out the Couchcast

Download the episode for home/car/plane/etc.. listening.

The themes are collaboration, networking and… well, you should listen and find out!  Some decent marketing ideas in there too, so take notes