“Seriously?  I hardly  know what I’m doing next week.”

“Over the last 2 weeks I’ve been thinking about that business idea you mentioned the other month… a lot… and you’re working Terra’s website anyways– why don’t I buy you a 1 way ticket, come stay with us, and if you want to get back, you have to finish the project, and get some sales!”

“Well, damn! For story-telling purposes alone, I have to say yes!”

And thus, I agreed to come visit Craig Allen and Terra Rose Ganem in Hawaii…. Hawaii is one of those places where “You’re supposed to go” — like “You’re supposed to go to college” — it’s the poster-child for vacations.  I’ve always wanted to go, but I never bothered planning.

It was always too overwhelming…. if I would go, what would I do there?  Which Island would I go to?  Where will I stay?  How long should I go for? It’s probably really expensive.  So I never bothered planning it out, or researching it.

Yet, one phone call from a friend, and all those things were cast aside.

I’ve been meaning to write to you about this for the last 3 weeks, ’cause that’s all the notice I had… but there’s been too much reality, and thousands of miles to cover.

“It’s hard to know with you… but are you by any chance going to drive through Dallas on Friday?”  Kathryn asked me.

“No!  I’m driving to Des Moines”

“Dallas is on the way to Des Moines”

“Then, yes, I’m going to drive through Dallas on Friday…. can we make it Thursday then?”

and thus I had a passenger.  My car is generally messy, but lately it’s been more so.  You see, on my drive from South Florida to Austin, to speak at SXSW this March, my trunk decided to stop working.

I have not fixed this issue yet.

Now, instead of everything being scattered across my whole car, it’s all scattered in my front and back seats… which doesn’t make my car very passenger friendly (in all honesty, this happens even when my trunk does work).  Space would have to be cleared out.

While couch surfing with David Gonzalez — I actually just popped in for the evening, because I had my shoes shipped to his house…. I had forgotten 2 pairs in Costa Rica, and Brendan (whom I stayed with in Costa Rica) had agreed to send them — I started emptying out my car, so I can reorganize it and make room for Kathryn.

I was listening to an audio book (Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality – I highly recommend it!), and doing my car-emptying thing, when all of a sudden two cop cars show up, and block me in. Step 1: Pause the audio book.

“Hi there.  How can I help you?”

“I don’t know…. we had one of the neighbors call in.  They think you may be living out of your car.”

“Well…. in their defense, I kind of am.  You see, for the last 5 years, I’ve been traveling around, completely based on ‘Who’s couch am I crashing on next?’  and it’s granted me many awesome adventures– staying with UFC cage fighters, staying at an all girls’ college, finding mentors, meeting heads of industries… and I have all my stuff in my car…. So, you could say that I’m living out of my car.  However… I’m staying right there (point to David’s house), and am about to go on this amazing road trip, but I promised someone I’d give them a ride to Dallas, and since my trunk stopped working, I have to empty stuff out in order to make room for this passenger!”

By the time David came out of his house, waving his arms and shouting “it’s ok! He’s staying with me!”, the cops were already engaged in my story, and were just asking questions about “What are you doing in Hawaii?”  ”What are you speaking on in Iowa?” “So then what happened?”

One lesson that I’ve learned is to be cool to cops… they’re just people. Most people attack them with fear and anger… humor, and dignity are really nice to receive sometime.  Story telling is a wonderful distraction, and I tell them the stories as I would tell them to my best friends.  I entertain, and engage… and you know what?  I’ve been pulled over speeding in construction zones, while speaking on the phone, and the car being a little hazy.

Before leaving Austin, I stopped by Craig’s storage unit, and got his BCD (Scuba diving equipment).  Then I got Kathryn, then dropped her off, then camped out in Fort Worth for 2 days working on projects, then I hauled ass to Kansas.

It was a long drive, and I did need to nap on the side of the road for 30 minutes. I arrived at 1:30am, but Deb, the event organizer, said I could couch surf with her, but not to wake her up if I get there as late as 12:30.

I slept in my car.  Woke up early, changed clothes in the parking lot, and befriended the guy the maintenance guy for the parking facility. I actually was in a hurry, ’cause I was speaking that day, and I still needed to write my presentation…. But I love story telling, and I love helping someone get excited about their passions, and open up new possibilities for them.  So… I spent an hour talking to this guy.

The event was the 140Conf.  I am a big fan of the 140Conf, because it attracts an amazing crowd, and Jeff Pulver is just amazing…. Google him, interact with him, whatever… the guy is amazing.  He’s the reason that you can make VOIP calls for free, and he has a heart the size of the United States. I’ve spoken at numerous 140Conf events. In fact, one of the ones I spoke at was the 140Conf Small Town, in Hutchinson Kansas.

At this point in this blog post, I would like to remind you that the title of the book I’m writing is “Creating Serendipity”… and now back to what happened-

When I spoke at the 140Conf small town, I met Joe Cheray. When Joe saw that I was speaking at the 140Conf in Iowa, she asked if I think she should pitch a submission to the 140Conf in Iowa.  She seemed a little nervous, which of course made me say “Absolutely!”

Why would I say absolutely if someone is nervous? Because it’s a chance to confront a fear, and grow! We should all do the things that make us grow (unless it’s things that create Thyroid issues… ’cause that kind of growth is bad, and I was referring to personal growth, not physical growth)

I offered to help out if she needs to bounce ideas, convert her story to a presentation, practice on someone….   She said she may take me up on that.  She had asked me to review a few notes.  But they were her notes.. I didn’t get the entire story until I saw Joe present.

Joe’s story, in a nutshell:  She was in an abusive relationship, her child has cerebral palsy, and is two years slow.  Her man was abusive to her and their son.  She left him.  She and her son were even homeless for a bit.  Her ex’s cat bit her one time, also, breaking her finger, causing nerve damage…. she had to learn how to type using her non-dominant hand.

Joe had asked me and the organizers if I could sit in the front row, center while she spoke.  I agreed, and made it happen, and was there with a smile, and helpful body language.

After Joe’s speech, during lunch, I told her that she needs to speak.  Professionally, and to more people.  That many more people can benefit from watching her present.

Joe started telling me about her schedule, and some other things.  I interrupted and said that there’s two things she should know.  The first one is that I’m always right, thus, I’m right that she should speak more.  The second thing is that I’ve studied a lot about people, and I can tell from her vocalization and body language that she is just making excuses as to why she can’t… she should focus on why she can.

That night, I couchsurfed with Deb, who organized the event.  In the morning, we were speaking about the event, and I asked about what kind of feedback it got.  Deb told me that it went great, but the most touching thing was that as soon as lunch time, 3 people had already said that Joe’s story made them cry.

I told her of my conversation with Joe the previous day.  We tried to figure out what we can do to make Joe want to be a speaker, and to help her be a better speaker.  Deb suggested we connect Joe with Gigi Belcmonico, who teaches The Bombshell Factor… She teaches women how to have more presence, and carry themselves better.

I thought it was a great idea.  I had seen Gigi present at the 140Conf smalltown, but my schedule was so jam packed, that I wanted to say “Great… good idea… good luck with that… but I gotta deal with my own stuff, so, let me know how it goes.”  I didn’t.

I had never actually had a full conversation with Gigi.  We are friends on Facebook and Twitter… but we’ve never had a conversation.

Now, my conversation with Deb was in person, mind you, not over the phone or skype, or social media.  When we finished that part of the talk, I looked at my laptop, and nothing exciting was new.  I looked up at the TV, which had an all day marathon on Nostradamus, which was quite fascinating.

I glimpsed back down at my laptop, and there was something new.  That small red circle with a white 1 in the center of it.  The notification of a new Facebook message.

“Uhhh… Deb?”

“Yeah?”

“I got a new Facebook message”

“Yeah, so?  You always get new Facebook messages.”

“Yeah…. but this one is from Gigi Belmonico”

Silence.  We just look at each other in shocked disbelief, and I continued.

“I don’t even know what it says.  Just thought it was very strange that we just mentioned her LESS than one minute ago, and I’ve never had a conversation with her, and I have a message from her.”

I clicked on Gigi’s avatar to see “Hello Ori !Nice job!!
Ori are you coming through KC today?
It would be so fun to break bread with you! XOXOGigi”

I replied that it wasn’t on my original plans, but sounds fun.

It was a 4 hour drive, and it was not on my way.  I looked at the map, and decided that since I was heading to San Diego before Hawaii, LA would be a good target, and half way seemed to be Colorado.  I figured I would find a couch while driving to Colorado…. but I now had a detour, because how could I turn away such a unique coincidence?

Before leaving town, I had lunch with Deb and Ben. Ben had reached out after seeing my presentation – he was watching the live stream – and loved my message, and antics. So, we met up. Even more awesomeness was that he gave me a tour of his office, which was on the 15th or 20th floor of this building, so had a wonderful view of Des Moines. It was a real treat!

I couldn’t stay too long though, because as far as I was concerned, I was given a sign. I was supposed to go to Kansas City , to meet Gigi Belconico, and convince her to help Joe.

The drive was lovely, and I even got tons of Facebook comments from this lovely photo I shot with my phone:

Have I mentioned that my new phone that I got in March is an Android Phone (Samsung Epic — pretty good… I should probably root it to make it work better), has a camera, wifi, and Facebook?  This has been a blast, because I can share photos and videos from my life as they happen… unlike my old Palm Treo 700.

So, I’m driving South to Kansas City, and I decide this might be a good time to figure out where I’ll stay tonight.

The usual text to Ping.Fm (a site that pushes my text out to twitter, facebook, and linkedin) was sent, but I didn’t actually check to see if people were replying…. instead, I texted my little brother.

In March, he had texted me and said that he had a couch for me for when I made it out to Colorado. My 1st thoughts, when he told me, were “Whatever… I have a huge network all over the globe.  Plus when the heck do I go to Colorado?”

Now I was going to Colorado though… why not get some new blood?  Someone who doesn’t know me from the world of Internet Marketing, or from my antics.

Itay (my “little” (6’2 245 lbs of solid muscle) brother) texted me back a name and a number.  I asked for more details, and he just texted back that she’s a psychologist, and liked my story.

That’s good enough for me.  I called Michele, and left a voicemail. When we spoke, she agreed that I could crash there… even when I told her I probably won’t arrive until 6AM, since a serendipitous pit stop just came up.

I met Gigi for Gate’s BBQ — which is reputed as being some of the best BBQ in Kansas City. We feasted on Burnt Ends.

Pleasantries were exchanged, and I proceeded to tell Gigi about Joe.  Gigi had watched the live stream of the presentations – and thus saw mine – but had not seen Joe’s.  When I told her of the strange timing of her communication to me, and all that preceded that, she agreed to sponsor Joe with some coaching– should they be compatible.

We chatted about other things, and I gave her all sorts of resources that she could use for some of her own goals… we chatted for over 2 hours, and then I recalled that I had to get on the road.

It was a lengthy drive, another 13 hours on top of the 4 I had driven that morning.  That gave me time though to finally finish the audio book that I had started in Austin before getting on this road trip.

The news said that it was starting to snow.  It was certainly cold, and rainy.  I took a nap, as to not smash into anything, and arrived at 7AM… now one hour farther back in time (Time Zones do trip me out sometimes– for example, right now it’s 1:15AM here in Maui, and in California, where I just was this morning, it’s 4:15AM, and in Austin, where I was a week or 2 prior, it’s 6:15AM).

Michele was cool.  Her home was quaint, and filled from wall to wall with keepsakes and memories from her world travels.  She had been to so many places, that I feel like a homebody!

We chatted for a bit, then I had to pass out. When I woke, I agreed that I’d help her upgrade her router, and fix her internet.  I definitely love to deliver value to those I stay with, and Michele was not a technophile.

Instant Karma — as soon as I finished doing the upgrade, there was all of a sudden an extra Cat5 (network cable) available, and I was able to use that to get on the internet.

I don’t think I told you yet, but my computer has been having issues for a long time.  In February, the fans sounded like wood chippers, and my WiFi was not working too well.

Not too well evolved into hardly ever.  I came up with a workaround, which was getting my new phone on the network, and tethering in that way.  After a while, that stopped working. I was running out of ways to get on the internet, and my computer was running very hot.  It would actually hurt to use it sometimes, and it would crash often (don’t believe all those people that tell you that Apple computers don’t crash).

One workaround that I came up with for the crashing thing, was to put ice trays on my computer, and manually cool it that way. Michele offered me ice-packs (you know.. those silver baggies that are filled with some gel, that you freeze, and they keep stuff cold.) and they seemed to work wonderfully.

What luck, right?  I got ice packs to deal with the over heating, and I got wired internet and an extra cable to get on the web with.  On top of that, I was told by everyone that I’m basically snowed in, and that it would be foolish to try and make it through the mountains.

Michele and I spent the evening discussing her business, and exchanging stories of travel and adventure. The next morning I was off to Las Vegas.

I quickly got a couch offer by my friends Larry & Oksana, whom I met at Burning Man, though I knew of them previously through Craig Allen & Caleb Jennings.  What was even cooler was that Jim Kwik was also staying with them while he was in town to speak at TedX.

Vegas was fun, as it always is.  I told countless jokes to Jim and Alex, and Larry and Oksana. Other than jokes, I got to impress with my eating skills at the all you can eat Sushi place (I can eat a lot more than most people would think I could).

I was considering catching the TedX talks, but I had to get my computer fixed. The matter was no longer acceptable. Even tethering was no longer working, and the computer was running on ice packs.  I would have to go to The Apple Store.

The “Genius” at the Apple Store ran diagnostics on my machine, and basically decreed that I was spot on– dead airport (Mac Wifi card), and a dead left fan. This was the 2nd Apple Store that I hit that morning, because the 1st one was too busy for anyone to see me.  This store did not have the parts, though the guy did write down the part numbers for me.

I called Frys and Best Buys, they were useless. I needed these parts ASAP, so I got on the road and drove to LA.

China, whom I met in Costa Rica, said that I can crash with her at her new home at the ledge of a cliff.  I’ve been wanting to see it, so I coordinated with her, and she texted me the address, and the phone number for the nearest Apple Store.

The Apple store people would not tell me if they had the parts, “A computer has to come in, be checked in by a technician, and be diagnosed before we can tell you about parts.”

After yet another confirmation, I was told that they too don’t have the parts.  One Apple store near by did have the airport card, but no one’s got the fans.

When I went there, they said that they can not sell me the part. They have to install it for me… except that my case was a tiny bit dinged up, so they wouldn’t work on it.

Get this… Apple won’t work on my computer, and they won’t sell me the parts to do my own work on my computer!  It took 4 Apple Stores to figure this out!   Angry? Yes!

I was told that I might have some luck with a 3rd party repair company… and one of my clients actually sells many OEM (generic) parts.  I thought I’d call him.

Once again, no luck… though he did recommend a store.. a store that I won’t name, because the guy I spoke to was really helpful.

He told me that it would be $104 an hour to work on the computer, and that they can’t sell me a part, they have to install it… and unlike the Apple Store, here I would be billed for the diagnostics.  Frustrated, I pleaded my case, “… and then they wouldn’t even work on my computer, but they won’t sell me the parts!  What the heck am I supposed to do?  I mean, I don’t care how the case turns out!  I’ve been building computers from scratch since 6th grade… I just want the damn part!”

“Well… I’m not telling you this as a representative of ___________ (company name), and this is not the company’s answer, nor would I tell you this if you walked in… but if you were my buddy, and we were speaking after work hours, and outside of the office, and you told me that this is what you’re going to do anyways, and you just needed to know where to get the parts… and I was not in the office… then this is what I would tell you.”

He proceeded to tell me a great idea… take the Apple part numbers, put them into Google, and press the Shopping button. I not only bought the 2 parts that I needed, but since I was going to have the computer taken apart, I also got myself a larger harddrive that spins at a faster speed…. thus, my computer should un faster.

My time with China was amazing… she’s also an intuitive reader, and gave me a reading. Between what she read from my energy, and what the cards told her, I was basically very intuitive, empathic, and smart… I have a lot of skills and knowledge, but I need to get grounded, and get past all the noise in my head, and all the other peoples’ energies that I pick up… meditation would help with this.

Additionally, the cards said I need to stop being so self-critical, and I need to trust my heart and intuition more.

When I left China’s place, I went to Hollywood, to SANG – the Speaker Author Networking Group.  I felt like such a mere mortal amongst the superstars that were there.  As Larry Benet, the event organizer, said “70 of the most influential people on the planet” – and invited me to stay for the day (they had more people than 70 during the event, but this was the last day, so some people had to travel back home).

I did not stay, because I had to get my ass to San Diego for the Internet Marketing Party San Diego inaugural event.  I had only dropped by to say hi, and to get Kate Buck Jr, who was in full attendance.

The party was well worth the drive. It was what I wish my 10 year high school reunion had been like.  Tons of talented people who are very business minded, positive, supportive, exciting, interesting, excited, motivated…… Frank Kern was the featured speaker, and I got to get on stage when David Gonzalez (the same one whose house I nearly got arrested in front of in Austin… He is the founder of Internet Marketing Party) gave acknowledgements for those that helped make the party a reality.

It was like a reunion… other than Craig, who was in Hawaii, so many of my friends, and former couches, were there.  I had a most wonderful evening. After a Peanut Butter Burger at 2AM, me and some friends went on the rooftop of a hotel… which was actually locked, but one of our group picked the lock, so we can have this incredible view.  Good times.

The next day, the fan arrived, and my computer no longer needed ice packs! Tethering was also working again.

2 days later, my airport came in, and I no longer needed to be wired in.

I was mostly in work mode, cranking out client projects.  I did not know what I would do with my car yet.  That’s a friggin story!

I thought I was going to lend the car to my buddy Russell… but my plates are expired, and the state of Georgia was being a bunch of pricks.  You see, you can’t get your tags renewed unless you get your emissions done.  If you’re not in town though, you can get an exemption…. or so I was told.

They only give you an exemption if you’re in the military, are a student, or… are on a very specific business trip.

Before heading to Costa Rica in late November, I mailed them everything they needed to give me my business exemption, and they still did not mail me my tags.

This time, I called to see what’s up…. it turns out that business exemption…. your business has to be located in Georgia.

My company is a Delaware company, and I run it from where ever I am.

They do not give exemptions for just traveling, and that since I’m not doing my business in Georgia, that they won’t help me. In fact, when I asked if perhaps I could take an emissions test in California, and mail them the results, I was specifically told that the only way they will renew my tags is if I drive my car to Atlanta, and get my emissions done there.

So.. where to store the car?

After asking, and having some people give replies, I decided that even if a friend wanted to give me their garage, it’s just not worth the hassle….

I looked up Car Storage, and found a place that will watch my car, disconnect the battery, turn on the engine every month….. all for $90 a month– way less than the cost of any inconvenience any friend would go through to watch the car.

Rob took me to drop off my car, and we then went to Lestat’s – my favorite coffee place.  We also brought with us Craig’s surfboard, which was being stored at Rob’s place.

I bought a surfboard case, and I filled it with the surfboard, and my clothes — for padding.  I will now have a surfboard to use in Hawaii– as will Craig and Terra.

The flight was uneventful, and I landed in Maui.  Craig and Terra found me quickly.  Craig lifted my hat off my head, and Terra put a Lei on me.  It was made of real flowers, and smelled incredible ( I am still sniffing it at the moment ).

So… got my bag, got the surfboard, got some lunch — the Mahi Mahi and Ahi here are fresh, so I had some blackened Ahi — yum!

We then went to the beach, since who the hell goes to Hawaii and doesn’t go to the beach, right?

Following that, was a small nap for me next to the saltwater pool, and then work.

Tomorrow morning I start training with Terra…. she says she can get me to a 7 minute mile!  Currently, I run 11.5 minute miles, and she’s been running since she was 12, so I believe her.

It’s just one more thing to be excited about.

So… here I am… in Hawaii, with no return ticket back to the mainland USA.  My plans are to get a lot of work done, get my run way faster, and learn to meditate.

An entire journey was started because a friend knew that I would go for it, because a 1 way ticket would make a great story.  By the way… a 1 way ticket to Hawaii on a Tuesday was only $240 + taxes (total $268).  So… don’t think that a Hawaiian vacation is out of your reach.  If you want to go somewhere, start by planning what you would do there if you could go… the rest will take care of itself.

Is there anywhere you’ve gone with a 1 way ticket?  Any place you’d want to go on a 1 way ticket?

While I speak at conferences, seminars, schools, and even lunches, one of my favorite events is the 140Conf. Perhaps I am just utterly fascinated by the founder, Jeff Pulver (A coFounder of Vonage, and the guy who went to fight for us regular people, so that Telecoms can’t charge us for calls made over VOIP), who is just so multi-faceted, and so caring.

The 140conf is an event with the slogan “Characters Wanted” — the format is 10 minutes per speaker. You are not supposed to rely on power points… generally it’s about people with cool stories that revolve around innovative use of technology that connects… Social Media is a de-facto technology of course.

I always meet such fascinating individuals at his events, but the interesting thing is not just the speakers… the audience that Jeff attracts tends to be extremely smart! Speaking to them is always a refreshing blast… that, and Jeff always throws a great cocktail mixer.

Get your tickets here.

Not only will you get to see many amazing speakers, and be inspired, and get to meet many people that are definitely worth meeting…. but since I am passionate about how Jeff Pulver is changing the world, I always make sure to answer all the questions that everyone has (no matter how long it takes) at the 140conf.  So… if you want access to this brain, I recommend you go to the 140 Conf Des Moines.

One person you must meet is Deb Brown –  she specializes at social media strategies for businesses in small towns.  I met her at the 140Conf Small Town in Huthinson, KS, where we both spoke.  Since the theme of that particular 140conf was to help small towns, and we were both passionate about our topics, we got along.  She just has a great energy… makes you smile.   Serious about business.  A no BS person.  Check out her amazing story about volunteering (may make you change your mind about that you can’t make a difference)

I am speaking, but so are all of these amazing people:

Aaron Steinmann -Communication and Marketing Manager for Silos and Smokestacks. Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area is one of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. Through the development of a network of sites, programs and events, SSNHA’s mission is to interpret farm life, agribusiness and rural communities-past and present.

Alexander Grgurich -Alexander Grgurich is a young entrepreneur who is passionate about Des Moines. As a college student, Alexander was able to juggle studies and his small business while also getting elected to City Council his senior year. His passion for technology and politics has spurred him to develop a volunteer management application for political campaigns and advocacy groups.

Angela Maiers – Twitter has changed my life; and now I spend a portion of that life trying to help individuals and organization understand the power of this amazing platform. Even more importantly, the power of their voice and place in the world.  When I began my Twitter journey, the farthest thing from my mind was having a global voice. It was a nice place to connect with friends; nothing more or less. Never could I have imagined it would change my life in such profound and prolific ways.  I want to speak at this conference because we have world changing work to do; work that requires human being to do it. If we underestimate our gifts, talents, and contributions, this world can not change in the way we need to to.  If I can help those participating in the conference believe their voice matters, then I have become a part of the solution. I will do what ever needs to be done to make that happen!

Ben Stone -There is a gaping hole in the social media conversation. Nobody is talking about how social tools can be used INSIDE organizations to help organizations leverage the social capital of its members. I want to fill that gap. By 2014, half of our workforce will be Gen Y and they will not be leaving their social selves at the door. From Employee Engagement to Competitive Intelligence, social tools will be the difference makers in the new economy.

Bridget Wagoner – High quality educational systems are fundamental to our progress as a society. Flipping our educational system is an effort that requires collective will and widespread input and commitment. The diversity and progressive nature of audiences at #140 conferences make this an ideal forum in which to challenge fundamental beliefs about education and engender support for and committed action for educational transformation.

Cassie Boorn -Technology has opened up the ability to reach your customers in an entire new way. Small businesses are built on small budgets and limited resources and it is essential that they tap into the opportunities available to them. Cassie Boorn is a Social Media Coordinator at a mid-size PR firm based in New York and works on some of the largest brands in the world helping them reaching consumers online. Cassie currently lives in a small town in Illinois and has had a passion for small businesses, entrepreneurs and teaching people about the social web.

Claire Celsi – Claire Celsi is a public relations professional and Des Moines native. Her consulting firm, The Public Relations Project, assists businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, associations, and educational institutions in developing and implementing social media and public relations programs.  A Drake University alumna, she is a lecturer and adjunct professor at her alma mater, teaching PR and social media courses. Claire also serves on Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications National Advisory Board.

David Murray is Director of Social Web Communications for re:group, an Ann Arbor-based integrated marketing and communications firm. Murray helps clients communicate and navigate their brands through the digital landscape. He is the founder of the Social Media Club Detroit Chapter, he is a member of Detroit’s food blogging team, The Hungry Dudes, and also serves asDirector of Communications for the FutureMidwest Technology Knowledge Conference in Detroit, Michigan.

Aside from being involved in various projects, David is an advocate for education and best practices when it comes to digital and social web communications. He has presented and lead discussions at events across the country including Tedx Lansing, #unGeeked Chicago, SocialBiz World, Social Media Breakfast Toledo, #140Conf Detroit, Ignite events, and more.

David can be found blogging at The Way of theMurr. You can also connect with him on Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook. Currently he lives in Troy, MI with his wife Jenni, and their two cats, Bree and Boo.

Derek Balsey – Derek is the Marketing Specialist / Social Media Manager at Kreg Tool Company and a Board Member of the Des Moines Social Media Club.  Derek’s experience in marketing covers a wide gamut including new-product brand development, print-ad creative, web banner and search advertising, product packaging, point-of-purchase, direct marketing, in-package advertising, direct response TV, and of course social media. Derek has helped Kreg develop an impressive social media presence online including a monthly newsletter being received by over 100,000 Kreg Fans around the globe, a Ning Community with over 30,000 members, and a YouTube Channel with over 2 million views.

Derek is an enthusiastic advocate for integrated marketing plans designed to enrich the customer experience and social media platforms which add measurable value to a company’s bottom line.  You can find Derek tweeting @derekbalsley, on LinkedIn, or helping out his wife Jessica with technical/marketing support over at www.theartofed.com.

Deron Durflinger is the Secondary Principal at Van Meter Schools. This is his 7th year as a principal, and 2nd year at Van Meter.  He is author of the #Vanmeter- Leading the Educational Transformation Blog, and he started the #vanmeter hashtag for Van Meter Schools, which today has thousands of followers and users. Deron is an active member of School Administrators of Iowa, serving on various state level education committees including Iowa’s ARRA EdTech Grant and the Competency Based Learning Advisory Committee. He has spoken at various Iowa school districts and state and national conferences about using social media, in particular Twitter to connect, learn, and lead in the 21st century.

Drew McLellan - Drew McLellan’s a 25+ year marketing agency veteran who lives for creating “a ha” moments for his clients, clients’ customers, peers and audiences across the land. Sadly, for his daughter, he attempts to do the same thing at home. Drew’s favorite tools for creating these moments are vivid story telling, Italian heritage inspired hand gestures and the occasional tipping of a sacred cow. Over the years, Drew has lent his expertise to clients like Nabisco, IAMS pet foods, Kraft Foods, Meredith Publishing, John Deere, Iowa Health System, Make-A-Wish, and a wide array of others. Drew is also one of the world’s top marketing and branding bloggers. He’s written the book 99.3 Random Acts of Marketing, co-editing the Age of Conversation series of books and in 1995, he launched his own firm McLellan Marketing Group. Recently he has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Business Week and Fortune’s Small Business. The Wall Street Journal calls him one of 10 bloggers that every entrepreneur should read.

Grant Griffiths – n February of 2005 my first blog was born. This blog was used to market and promote my business. Soon blogging became my only form of written advertising because of its reach and effectiveness. What I also discovered was blogging is one of the most powerful marketing tools available for the small business, home business and professional service firm. In fact, I am so sold on the effectiveness of blogging, it is the reason I am co-founder of G2WebMedia.

Gus Wagner -@RocketGroup is my twitter handle and Improving Relationship, Graphic, and Communication Strategies for Clients in Business, Politics, and Government is what I do. In short, we create original, affordable and effective communication tools for the real world, print and web applications. My talk in Des Moines is going to focus on #AstroTurfNetRoots – the process of engaging your audience to the point you will be able to call them to real action when you need it. This is something we do in our government relations activities but the process can work  for business too. Our website is RocketGroupLLC.com and we are based in the capitol of Missouri: Jefferson City. I am really looking forward to returning to the #140Conf and Des Moines!

Jeff Caldwell – Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com at Meredith Corporation in Des Moines, Iowa. Responsible for mobile and social extensions of and outreach for our brand as well as our main website and its community. Enjoy cool music, good books and listening to my 3-year-old daughter yell “Rock and roll, dadda!” Life’s good.

Jeff Pulver is the Chairman and Founder of pulver.com, and one of the true pioneers of the VoIP industry and a leader in the emerging TV on the Net industry. Leveraging well over a decade of hands-on experience in Internet/IP communications and innovation, Mr. Pulver is a globally renowned thought leader, author and entrepreneur. His blog is well read within the IP Communications Industry and in high-tech communities around the world. He is the publisher of The Pulver Report and and creator of the industry standard Voice on the Net (VON) events. Additionally, Mr. Pulver is the founder of FWD, the VON Coalition, PrimeTimeRewind.TV, Vivox and is the co-founder of VoIP provider, Vonage.

Jessica O’Riley – Jessica O’Riley has been involved in the Iowa tourism industry for 14 years, starting with a marketing internship at the Iowa State Fair. After graduating from Iowa State University, she joined the Fair’s full-time staff as a Marketing Coordinator. Four years ago, Jessica joined the Iowa Tourism Office as Communications Manager. She works with travel writers, reporters and bloggers on Iowa-related stories by pitching ideas, fact checking and providing photos. She also coordinates the Tourism Office’s social media efforts including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and blog.

Jim Boyd -Is this not the first one in Iowa? Even if it is not, I am always one who looks for opportunities to speak about the message for not only my employer, WHO, but also the organization I feel passionate about, the Optimist Club.

Jody Halsted – Social media is the most powerful tool I use to share my travel stories and connect with destinations to partner with on upcoming adventures. I want to share the useful applications of social media in terms of travel. I think the results of my experiment will be exciting; I can’t wait to have the experience and share it!

Joe Gerstandt - am blessed to do work that I love and be surrounded by good people. I live in Omaha with my wife and our two beautiful and wise girls. My parents still live on the small farm next to the small town in Northwest Iowa and one of our favorite things to do is to visit the farm for a weekend (especially in the summer!). My sister and her beautiful family live in Sioux Falls, SD and we have great fun visiting them as well

Jo Cheray – Joe Cheray is a 39 year old single mom to an 11 year old son with special needs. She spends her time taking care of him, volunteering in the community and running her company Wildheart Social Media out of her home in Topeka Kansas. She caters to small business owners, home based business, and the solopreneur.

John Carver is Van Meter’s Superintendent of Schools and is committed to transforming education. By providing laptop computers to students in grades 6-12, and computer labs for students in K -5 learning now looks different at Van Meter.  John has shared Van Meter’s experiences at both the state and national level and with Twitter he has connected and learned with educators globally.  John is a member of the School Administrators of Iowa and is serves on the State Competency-based Education Design Team.

Jon Thompson - is the owner of Evolve, an IT Support company focused on the under-supported niche of Mac-based businesses in the Silicon Prairie. He arrived in the social media world in the fall of 2009 with his re-entry in entrepreneurship and, while he describes his social media skills as mediocre at best, has seen results.

Karen Smith is a recognized leader in social media at Verizon Wireless. In 2008 she received a mid-year leadership award from the Midwest Area for her initiatives in social media from Verizon Wireless. Karen works within the guidelines of a geographic corporate structure and looks for ways to build local and regional relationships using social media.   As PR manager for Verizon Wireless Great Plains region, Smith is responsible for media coverage about Verizon Wireless in traditional and non-traditional channels.  Smith has been instrumental in Verizon Wireless sponsoring social media communities including Social Media Breakfast Des Moines, iBlogger Conference, Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St. Paul, and Mobile March Twin Cities.

Karen is an Iowa native, from Waterloo and a letter winner in field hockey at the University of Iowa. She has been spotted on many occasion at Hawkeye football games with her mom who is 86.  Smith began her career with a passion for promoting women’s athletics first in sports information and than in marketing with positions at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and the University of Minnesota where she served as assistant athletics director for external relations.  She joined the wireless industry in 1998, first as marketing communications manager and than as public relations manager.  Her responsibilities also include employee communications and community relations around Verizon’s corporate cause of domestic violence awareness and prevention.

Keri Holmes and Judy Wrolson – Judy started with a home business and transitioned into a store several years later.  Not sure what she wanted to do with social media, she started with baby steps.  Keri Holmes is her designer, gifted sales person and right hand girl.  Together they are utilizing the power of community, years in retail experience and a commitment to keep it fun!

Lindsey Smith – Lindsey is a freelance exhibit developer and curator at Exhibitsmith, specializing in content development and collections management. In addition to her consulting work, Lindsey is the archivist at Des Moines University and the collections manager at the Iowa Jewish Historical Society. Lindsey is co-chair of the Iowa Museum Association Exhibits and Collections Committee and is a TAN advisor for the State Historical Society of Iowa’s Historical Research Development Program (HRDP). She also leads preservation and exhibit development workshops for professional and community organizations, and manages the blog Museum Minute.   Lindsey received a BA in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MA in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University, focusing on collections care and management, material culture, and local history. She is currently pursuing a Certificate of Advanced Study in Archives & Records Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Lyz Lenz – I’d love the chance to share how Twitter is connecting Iowa to the greater media landscape and I want to encourage Iowans and the internet to embrace technology in one long awkward smooch.

Melynda DeCarlo – The Meyvn Group is committed to growing individuals, teams and organizations. Persoanlly? My goal is to inspire, learn, share and grow.

Michael Libbie - is the president of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications a full service advertising agency with clients in the United States and Europe.  Insight advertising goes beyond creating great print ads, websites, television and radio commercials…we help our clients better understand consumer trends and then create products and services that match the public demand.  Much of that is done by merging traditional and new media.  Our job is to not only be creative but to listen to buyers, consumers and the market.  In addition to the advertising agency Michael is responsible for the Insight on Business News Hour with Michael Libbie seen Monday – Thursday at Noon Central on the Webcast One LIVE Network.

Ori Bengal -Ori Bengal is an author, an award winning photographer and a business consultant.  While seeing the world from various couches, seeking the next adventure, he encounters amazing people and tells “groaner” jokes to all those he meets.  He has trained with UFC fighters, jumped out of airplanes, played bull poker and met many of his own heroes!! Amidst all of his adventures, he has made great friends, helped change lives and consulted with top business leaders.

Patrick Palmer - Owner and Technician at “The Computer Guy” in downtown Hampton, Iowa.  Since the age of 14, Pat has been working with computers, until starting his own small business in 1995 in his basement.  In 2009 he moved from the basement to a retail location.  Pat’s special brand of humor will gently poke fun at his wife Becky for her 2004 “That’ll Never Work” approach to Social Media — but now admits she may have been a been a bit mistaken.  Pat will also give examples of how he has taken ownership of the computer repair market in North Iowa via Social Media and why his wife still won’t let him use the “F” word in front of his mother-in-law.

Rebecca Grunewald – Twitter offered me the opportunity to branch out on my own, outside of my husband’s shadow and beyond my roles of wife and mother. Twitter has been a godsend to me. I have met so many great people, some in real life.   Twitter is great for so many things from opining directly to politicians or journalists, getting breaking news alerts at lightning speed to getting movie and music reviews from your Twitter family to of course, building your own brand through the magic of the Twitterverse. I hope to inspire others to do the same

Ryan Johnson – As info-markers pollute the world of social media with claims of “Twitter Riches” they’ve done a tremendous job misconstruing what Twitter’s real value is in the minds of business owners.  Those of us who really “get” Twitter take it for granted, but the reality is that traditional small business owners don’t need a whole lot to fall into a catatonic state of confusion.  In a tale of two twitter accounts (one a big fat juicy failure) under two drastically different approaches I will illustrate how I came to identify the most undeniable fundamental truth about social media.

Sam Schill – Everyday: Sam currently works in downtown Ames for Innova Ideas and Services , which is one of the three Sigler Companies based in Ames.   Play: Since recently becoming a Dad his hobbies have changed a bit, but when time allows he enjoys golfing, fishing, Cyclones athletics, singing, reading, and grilling in the backyard.   What are you reading?: Thinker Toys by Michael Michalko  What are you listening to?: Flogging Molly

Sandy Renshaw – Social media has changed my life. I think it must be similar to how people felt when the printing press was invented and the average person finally had access to books. I can fully see the impact use of social media has to help people find and grow a network. When I started blogging, Facebook andTwitter were new. Every year my appreciation and understanding of these powerful communication tools grows. It’s been exciting to see how technology that was new and different – and touted by only the early adopters – has evolved, and now has been embraced by so many. I want to share my experience with others so they can understand ways that Facebook and Twitter can help them connect with other business people they would never meet without these tools. It can have an impact on their bottom line. It’s not just for socializing.

Sara Broers – I want to let people know that it is possible to enjoy social media and even get paid while partaking in the experience. You CAN find a job on twitter.  Growing up in Iowa is an adventure that many people never get to experience. A two time cancer survivor, and having to learn how to walk again at the age of 40, Sara’s story is an inspiration for anyone that has struggled in their life. Iowa is where her feet were planted at a young age and remain there today. Through her faith, family, and friends she has learned to pull up those bootstraps and move on!

Shannon Latham – Shannon earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Ag Journalism/Public Service and Administration in Agriculture from Iowa State University, as well as an MBA from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids, Shannon owned and operated her own communications business. She also worked as an account executive and public relations specialist for The Meyocks Group in West Des Moines, Iowa, and served as president of the Iowa Chapter of National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA).

Shannon McClintock Miller is the district teacher librarian and technology specialist at Van Meter Community School in Van Meter, Iowa.  Shannon is the author of the award winning Van Meter Library Voice blog and enjoys writing for ISTE’s Leading & Learning journal, various blogs, and in other forums. She has had the opportunity to speak in Iowa and around the country about advocacy, technology, social networking, and making a difference in education and the lives of others. She is a member of ISTE, SIGMS, ALA, AASL, and ILA (Iowa Library Association). Shannon serves as the advocacy chair on the Iowa Association of School Librarians and on the Iowa Center for the Book Advisory Council as the public school students and libraries representation. In 2010, she was also chosen to be part of the Cengage Learning/School Library Journal New Leaders Program

Shawn Mullen - I’m a relative newbie to this Web 2.0, Social Media gig. But at 50 years of age, I’ll be darned if I’m gonna miss getting with this program. I’ll admit it…I’m just getting started and am not as widely “linked”, “faced” “blogged” or “tweeted” as others, but I can share my beginner’s experiences in a fast paced, clear and concise presentation. I can also share why, from a business perspective, leveraging LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter is a no-brainer.I’m certainly no expert on the technologies, but I am an expert on my experiences.

Tara Litzenberger – Tara Saylor Litzenberger has always believed in knowing the rules before you try to break them. As part of the communications team for a Great Big Company, she gets a unique view of the concerns and opportunities of using Social Media on an global scale. Tara shares a behind-the-scenes look at company life on her blog, AdventuresInAg.com. She regularly spends time in 3 different states and still brags about the “Best Bale” award she won at company training.

While I was in Costa Rica, I decided that  I’d like to go spend some quality time with my parents.  None of us are getting any younger, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen them. When I called them up and asked if they’re cool with it, they were thrilled.  So, 2-3 weeks in February was what we decided on, and then I also lucked out and ended up having a 13 hour layover on my flight back to the United States, so, I got to have dinner with them in January, before hitting Dallas.

I love Austin, but the only reasons I stayed until February were that David Gonzaelz was holding another Internet Marketing Party (and he gets irate when I leave town right before the event, and don’t make it), and my good buddy Rob Burns was coming into town for that event as well. I hadn’t seen Rob in a while, and I missed him, so it was worth staying. We had an epic day of hanging out, followed by an epic night of hanging out.  Internet Marketing Party was a blast.  I ran into another really close friend I hadn’t seen in a while (Jesse Jameson), and now have an invite to go snowmobile and ski in Breckenridge, CO in March.

Since Rob was flying out Wednesday at 6pm, I was going to leave town about that same time, then drive to Dallas for four hours, hang out with friends, and leave for Gainesville, FL in the morning. However, at 3AM, while losing my voice from telling so many jokes at the Thai place , Jonathan Herberts informs us that the weather will literally be freezing by noon.  This was not cool. Wrecking to black ice once is enough.  Change of plans. As I curled up to bed at 5AM with my laptop, I skyped Brandie to see if she can figure out where the storm is going to be, and where I can go to avoid it.

I got up, packed up, and punched in Gainesville into my new phone (Oh yeah… I’m finally done with my Palm Treo!  I got an LG Optimus S, which was cool.. but had some glitches that pissed me off… so I just traded it in on Tuesday for a Samsung Epic… NOW I’m happy.  Geez, the things I can do with that phone (That’s what she said)). ‘s GPS, and it concurred with Brandie’s route that I should get on I10, and not go up to Dallas, to I-20.  I got on the road at 1:15PM, and hauled ass.  It was 28 degrees out, and I had seen a few snow flakes fly by. Tweets from Dallas were telling me that Dallas would be 18 degrees by morning. I was also informed that I’m about to drive into a storm and freezing weather, so watch out.

I was cold, and the heater didn’t help much because it made me sleepy.  I would use it when my windows fogged up.

Icicles on signs made me nervous…. but the road seemed dry.  The weather slowly warmed to 30 degrees, then I hit the rain.  My car slid around a tiny bit, but I think that was more from the force of the wind than the rain.  It wasn’t enough to spin me around.  The gloomy weather was not fun though… I like my daytime driving to be blue.  It was only once the temperature rose to 36 degrees that my hands eased up on the wheel.

Once I had driven for 5 hours, the temperature rose to 41 degrees, and stayed at that level until I arrived in Gainesville at 8am.  It hadn’t stopped raining at all.

I had used the wrong cable with my phone, so I was not able to transfer audio books onto it.  This was quite frustrating, as I had to do music and news the whole way.  It’s nice to hear that both Katy Perry and Pink have songs out with a positive message (Fireworks, and F’ing Perfect). But damn… everything gets overplayed…. especially on an 18 hour drive.  I did switch between radio and Pandora. By the way, if you want to do your own version of the Fireworks video, I suggest playing with a program called Particle Illusion.

I barely stopped for bathroom breaks.  I only stopped for gas.  For food, I had home made Kale chips that I made with my buddy Perry’s dehydrator using this tasty recipe for Kale Chips. I also had a few boxes of Wheat Thins sent to me by the Wheat Thins team, since I praised them on their awesome marketing campaign “The Crunch is Calling”.  Oh yeah… and I got 3 $0.99 McChicken sandwiches with no lettuce.  I’m not sure why some places have them spicy, and others have them non-spicy.  I prefer the non-spicy version.

My pun that evening was that pumping gas is so cool.  Yeah… it was 41 degrees out for a long long time.

I got to my little brother’s new place in Gainesville around 8am.  His dog, Nugget, remembered me.  He wouldn’t leave me alone.  He didn’t let Itay take him on a walk, he didn’t even want to sleep in Itay’s room.  He just wanted to hang around me.  That was so sweet… Nugget’s getting a little old now, but he’s still so adorable… and his tail still stings like a barb!

I completed a small project before going to sleep… I had promised that I’d have it on Thursday, and it was thursday morning… so I got it done.  Fell asleep.  Woke up, went to Brunch with Itay, then got on the road to Orlando. I was going to meet up with some people in Gainesville, but I also hadn’t planned on sleeping in until 2:45pm.

I gave Itay a big hug, and got on my way again.  The rain had of course picked back up again.  Now I was heading to Orlando, to grab some coffee with some friends there.  That too didn’t quite happen.

Apparently, the whole “You get 30 miles to drive once your gas light comes on” is more of an urban legend… and definitely does not apply when your car is filled to the brim with belongings to weigh it down.  The light came on, I didn’t keep an exact tally of the mileage, and next thing I know, the motor sputters… but roars back to life, then sputters…. it was clearly gasping for air (gas).  Like Irony?  I do!

I ran out of gas, and let my car glide as far as it would go… which was 1/2 a mile from the next exit, and 10 feet after the “Gas at this exit” sign.  So… there’s the sign for gas stations ahead, with my car out of gas in front of it.  Lovely.

More irony you crave? Well… ok.. I have more.  So, less than a week ago, I get to Kate Buck Jr’s house to hang out for Superbowl weekend. She’s telling me the tale of how her gas light came on, and she was freaking out, and barely made it to a gas station.  What do I say? “Oh… I wouldn’t worry about it.  You see, when that gas light comes on, you still have 30 miles to go.”  See the irony here?

So.. I’m on the side of the Florida Turnpike with all my worldly belongings (except the 2 remaining boxes at Kate’s Garage– down from 5 boxes.  A computer that Craig has in storage, some photo lights at Rob’s house, and a few of my old paintings at my parents’ house). My buddy Johnny Diggz just happened to have a gas canister in his car, and was willing to come get me…. but Orlando is a bitch to navigate… you have to go through all sorts of tolls, and lots of lengthy bits of road to get between sections of the turnpike.  I told Johnny not to worry about it, as I got AAA.

I called them up, they call me back and say it’ll be within the hour.  Really? It takes an hour to get a truck to me when I’m on a major road?  Oh well.  I had my wheat thins, water, internet on my phone… I was good to go.  I actually fell asleep while waiting.  When I woke up because there was the AAA guy knocking on my window, I realized that I had run out of battery while waiting.  Maybe I left my lights on.  I’m not sure, but it was good that it was AAA, they can fix everything.

So, Chris Hughes now had to cancel on our meeting, ’cause it was almost 10PM now.  Joel Lepp said he’d still come out, and Johnny Diggz and I were going to hang out regardless of the time.  Now, instead of coffee, I went to Johnny’s house, and from there to his Dueling Piano Bar (it’s pretty fun to have a friend that owns a dueling piano bar. We got a lot of attention from the cute waitresses, and the band members kept coming to hang out with us, and it was 3 for 1 drinks), Baby Grands.

Joel met us there.  The thing that sucked was that I ordered 20 wings, so he could join in…. but when he got there I learned that he is a vegetarian.  I know Joel from ENTP.org– a site I visited for a bit when I found out that I am an ENTP on the Myers Briggs scale.  I was on a hunt for others like me. Joel seems more mild mannered than me, but when he jumped the rail and went on the dance floor impersonating the really drunk guy, his wild streak was pretty evident.  I was highly amused.  And then, he had to go.

Johnny and I spent our time there brain storming.  His company Tropo does incredible things– they have an API that lets you add voice, text, sms, fax, email, IM, and much more to any of your web applications.  That’s actually how I met Johnny Diggz!  I was speaking at the 140Conf on Creating Serendipity… Johnny was also speaking about Geeks Without Bounds.

Watch Johnny’s presentation, it’s mind blowing what they are doing to change the world with their technology.
There’s not much more to the story.  I ended up brainstorming with Johnny on some cool new ways they can grow the company some more. It’s always flattering to put my skills to good use with such impressive companies.  He gave me a tour of their downtown Orlando office… quite cool.  Then it was off to Johnny’s house, where we kept brainstorming, then watched a lecture by Rushkoff… interesting fellow!

It was time for sleep.  But I gotta say Johnny has the coolest couch of all the couches I’ve been on.  I slept in a bed, but that couch is friggin awesome!  I’m going to have him send me a photo of it.  His lights are all motion sensor activated / deactivated as well!  Totally rad.

Today I woke up, had coffee with Chris Hughes, since I didn’t get to see him last night.  I can’t help but business consulting!  It’s what I”m wired for… so that was our 1st meeting.  We know each other through Facebook and the internet marketing community.

I made a pit stop in Wellington, to meet a new client, and tour their facility.  Then I finally made it home.  Let the quality time begin.

Home made food (Mushroom Blintz) for dinner, along with a cup of tea.  Then mom and dad asked me if I want to watch a movie with them. We watched “The Resident” and it sucks.  There is no point to that movie except to make people feel creeped out, and women feel freaked out about moving in to a place, ’cause their landlord may be raping them in their sleep.  I will say that Hillary Swank looks uber-hot in it.

Since that movie sucked, dad apologized, and said “Let’s watch another” -so we watched yet another movie, which also wasn’t anything to write home about.  So…. now I’m writing late at night.

What do the next two weeks hold? Working on my book and projects, and then doing the things that mom and dad like- so… I’ll be playing card games, board games, watching movies, and I think we’ll even go to the beach.   Wish me luck.  Too much loving drives me bonkers.  Tonight it was”Would you like to sit here?” “No… I’m fine. I’m already being productive” “Here, I cleared off space for you” “Really, I’m fine. Since you’re standing next to the power strip though, could you plug my laptop in?” “But I plugged the light in, don’t you want light?” “No mom, I don’t need light. I need electricity, thank you.” “Are you sure you don’t want to sit here?” (I’m sitting there now by the way).

My parents are adorable.  I love them. I can endure two to three weeks of being loved. Their happiness is worth a 23 hour drive through crap weather.

“Wake up”

“Huh?”

The small Australian five year old child moved his flashlight which was on, and leaning against my left eyeball to my right eyeball which was still closed.

“Wake up. It’s almost light out, you can see some of the clouds.”

Groan. Grumble. Explitive… no… he’s five years old, let’s not teach him new words, and let’s not throw him across the room. I slowly fell backwards, through the couch, and into dreamland. I have no idea how much time passed, but shortly after that, Fin, the young Australian child, was at it again, this time using good copywriting skills…. the art of ‘reason why advertising’ –”You have to get up!”

“No I don’t!”

“You have to get up and see this, or else….” I can’t actually recall what the reason was. I used a firmer tone to explain that I am in fact not getting up, and that I am going back to sleep, and staying there.

Yup. I was back in Austin all right, but things were different. The Levys were here from Australia, and couchsurfing at the Siegwalt’s place. My final alarm clock was the non-stop wailing of their 17 month old. Despite my brain being slow from the previous night’s use of Tito’s Vodka, and the lack of sleep, I quickly realized what a great piece of serendipity it was that I thought to stop by Perry’s yesterday!

Now I only get enough flashlights to my eyeball, and screaming infants to make for a funny story…. after breakfast, I’m going to Perry Belcher’s house, and getting to house-sit for a week. Let me rewind. There’s some serendipity at play again.

I just spent 5 weeks in Costa Rica, but right before leaving I said to Brandie over Skype “I’d like to spend some quality time with my parents.”

“I’ve already scheduled some time for you to visit them during February, before the roadtrip to South By South West.”

“Oh, you’re good! Let me let them know.” I called them up, and they said “It’s your house, you don’t need permission!” and they said they’d be thrilled to see me.

The next day I’m packing up for my flight, and decide it may finally be time to check out my flight information. I email mom and dad, “What are you doing for dinner tonight?”

It turns out that I had a 13 hour layover in Miami! I had no clue about this, and found it fascinating that I discover this right after saying I want more quality time with my folks. I landed at Miami International, took the bus to the Tri-Rail, and rode that to Deerfield Beach, where my parents had arrived at exactly the same time that I did.

On the Tri-Rail I befriended this guy on the train. He was fascinated with my story, and wanted to know how I travel AND make money.  I told him the different ways, and asked him what he does. He told me that he’s done sales, customer service, and much more… but he didn’t sound particularly excited ahout them. I kept probing, asking what makes the time go by, “What is it that when you do it, the entire day goes by and you didn’t even notice?” (Ask yourself that question too).

I stopped him when he said writing.  I informed him that he can make money doing that, and I Explained blogs, and the power of copywriting, and what Ghostwriting is, and I told him about Scribd.com, and that he can do all of this on a $200 netbook.  I gave him my card of course, if he’d like to know how to do some of this stuff, get resources, etc…  I hope he gets into it… anyone can live their dreams, but most people just talk the talk, and don’t want to actually do the work.  We’ll see.  If you want to print cash on demand, study copywriting.  It is the ultimate skill.  You can improve your communications, win more arguments, ,be persuasive, sell anything, make your websites or advertising convert better…. It’s all about good copywriting.

In the emails back and forth, dad said they’ll get me, and we can go to the Tokyo House. I had said that it sounds great, but please, no buffet. Dad said no problem. They picked me up, and sure enough, went to the buffet! It was a massive buffet, with all sorts of Chinese food, and Sushi, and a massive deserts section. I had 3 massive plates full, and a plate of desert. Argggh! I said no buffet!

Over dinner we had chatted about Costa Rica, and the usual subjects: When are you settling down (Which has become “Are you even interested in ever starting a family”)? What are you working on now? They said “We saw Lisa’s testimonial, and we thought, who is that guy that she’s talking about?” and then Dad said “You are living like a beggar.”

“No, I am not.  I am living like a millionaire, I just don’t keep my bank account as full as they do.  How long did you spend in Costa Rica last year?  A week? I just did 5 weeks, and got to experience a lot more of the country than you did.  I live what I consider to be the perfect life!  I’m surrounded by good friends, I hang out with people that are intelectually stimulating, and I get to learn from.  I get to travel, I get to have all these crazy adventures, and I don’t actually have to wait until I’m 60 or 70 to do it.”

We went home when food was oozing out of our eyeballs.  Waddling to the car, I realized that I was indeed back in America. Yes, I could’ve gorged myself in Costa, but that’s not so typical there. I chatted with my folks a bit more about my business, their business, family, and friends.  Then my dad asked “So what’s going on with your friends? You know… the cute couple that just got married?”

“Oh crap! I totally forgot that Johnny and Sarah live right next to you!” My buddy Johnny, who designed the CouchSurfingOri.com Logo in collaboration with me now lived 3 miles from my parents! I borrowed my folks’ car, and went over there to hang out until about 2:30AM. Right before I left, Johnny gave me a gift, a “Blade Runner tribute umbrella” – it’s an Umbrella that is made of a clear plastic, and it lights up.  I got home, and was feeling very creative, and then I passed out just in time to get up  again, and go to the airport. A tiny coincidence, the night I was back in Austin (technically the same day, since Johnny gave me the umbrella after midnight), there was a torrential downpour, but I stayed dry, having an umbrella.

My folks dropped me off, I put up with the usual airport  bullshit, and I got on the flight where I slept instantly. My row-mates complemented me on my ability to zonk out before the flight even took off, and without the use of drugs. The guy two seats away just got in from Uruguay, and I spoke to him, and gave him a lecture on camera getting, lens buying, etc… since he expressed wanting to get a new camera.  The cool thing is, his name was Johnny! Then it was my turn into the baggage claim.

Now, here’s another cool thing… my buddy Steve Siegwalt, was getting me from the airport… The Dallas airport, despite that he’s coming from Austin.  He was the one who dropped me off at the Greyhound station when I went to Costa Rica.  He was the one who watched my car (and all my belongings) for me when I was in Costa Rica.  So, when I was at dinner with my folks at the Tokyo House on my 13 hour layover, I told them that Steve is driving 3 hours to get me, and 3 hours back (and yes, I tried to dissuade him , but he said he likes road trips) to get me, so I don’t have to take the bus again… Dad said “Wow, you meet the nicer half of humanity.”

This led to a discussion about manifestation and beliefs.  I believe that people are not out to screw me, and that people are inherently nice, and friendly, and incredible.  Dad sort of raised me that people are out to screw me (in the bad way), so to be careful with whom I trust ,etc… When I said that if you believe that people will screw you, they will, and if you believe they won’t, they won’t, he said “What about that guy that used all your credit cards back when you were 19, and forced you to do a bankruptcy?” –  I said “That’s true… back back when I was 19, I believed you that people were out to screw me.”

So, yes, I do meet the nicer half of humanity. I have had the time to reflect on who I am, to grow, to discover who I am, and to let the world know. So now that people know I’m about help and growth and bad humor and adventure, I find like-minded people… and life rocks.

On our way back, we were almost to Steve’s ranch, when I realized we were near Perry Belcher’s place.  I said we should swing by.  ”Should you call first?”  ”Nah!”

I knock at Perry’s door, and he was happy to see me (as always.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Perry not be happy).  I walked in, and he says “I was just thinking about you the other day… I just can’t remember what it was about….”

He told me what he’s working on these days, and we chit-chatted, and then as I was about to leave he says “Oh yeah! I remember what it was about!  You’ve stayed here before, you get along with Beefy…  I’m taking off, April’s taking off. We were gonna take him to the pound, but he’ll be happier at home.  Wanna house sit for a week?”

And thus, when a flashlight using five year old Australian woke me up, I knew that after my farm-fresh chili-eggs, and after the resurrection of the bon-fire, I’d have a place with peace and quiet, and a jaccuzzi, to keep working and writing.

So, yes, many people might notice that they have a 13 hour layover and get upset, I saw it as a gift, and it was!  It was a mini-vacation. In less than one day I got to see some wonderful friends, see my parents, and even party a little bit.

I almost forgot  to tell you…. this is huge… While Steve, Andrew, and I were heading back from Dallas to Austin, my parents called me.  Dad said “Your mother and I are sitting outside in the backyard, drinking our coffee, enjoying the perfect weather, and reading our books…” he paused “I looked at your mother and said ‘Honey, we’re millionaires.’”

Wow.

Who writes their happy new year post on January 7th?  I do! I’m on Tico Time ? Yeah… things in Costa Rica are pretty relaxed.  But.. it’s my last day! I leave today at 1PM, and I wanted to start my new year of blogging from another country. This blog post is very important to me.

Last year I started of writing about that new year’s resolutions are bullshit. I still think that.  Most people don’t even last 1 week! I do have a few declarations to make to you and the universe, but before I get into those, let me tell you something I’m really proud about.

January 1st was the anniversary of my Couchsurfing journeys starting!  I started on New Year’s day on 2007, which means I am now in my 5th year of couchsurfing! That’s also the reason that I wanted to send my blog post from here in Costa Rica… because that’s been a goal of mine which I finally accomplished: to couchsurf in another country.  I’ve been here for 5 weeks now on seven different beds.

As a kid I wanted to be an adventurer.  As a grown up (yeah, I know.. it’s debatable), I have “Adventurer” on my business card, and I’m actually doing it.  Here I am in a country where I don’t know the language, I did a shitty job preparing for the journey, the hotel room I got for the evening ($11) near the airport has what I think are bedbugs… so I helped myself to another room which seems to be bug free… we’ll see.  You might say “ugggh!” but.. it’s an adventure!

Adventure… new experiences.  While I was here I got up on some waves, I saw a dead guy, I stayed in a tree house 90 feet above the ground, I tried new foods, I pierced my foot with a branch… I took busses to get around.  I walked around a city where everything is vandalized and covered in razor wire, and security locks.

Know what?  It was a blast! The weather was great, the people were nice, I stayed optimistic, and I had friends along the way to help me make sure I wasn’t being too stupid.

Adventure.

I also got a lot farther on my book while I was here…. Which is a major step on my biggest adventure so far… getting a book out.  This is the hardest thing I’ve had to do to this day.  I enjoy the challenge, but it’s taken a lot of mental discipline. The book is coming out this year, and that’s a promise.

Speaking of this year, what else does 2011 hold?  Well, here’s those declarations to you and the Universe:

This year I am learning to pilot a small airplane to the point where I can take off, pilot it, and land.  I don’t really care about a pilot’s license… I just want to be able to do so.

This year I will do at least 10 public speeches in front of crowds of more than 300 people. I really enjoy being on stage, and I really love the feedback from people that the presentations helped them.

This year I am moving from consulting to coaching.  Rather than just taking on whatever projects come at me, I am taking on a select group of clients and working with them on a consistent basis for at minimum 6 months to make sure that their business grows, and they have more fun running their business.

In fact, I just started this recently, and here’s what’s being said already:

That’s Lisa from WorkingNaked.com – feel free to contact her and ask her about her experience.

This year I am sharing the vast knowledge that I’ve gained over the years from books, from consulting, from conferences, from couchsurfing with various experts on various topics, from everything…. I am extremely passionate about this.  I actually blew off partying in Jaco, Costa Rica for New Year’s just so I can launch http://IdeasOnRetainer.com on January 1st.  I wanted to start the year with this.  10 years from now, that site will still continue to offer incredibly useful interviews, and the best of all the resources that I know, and lessons that I’ve learned.

This year I will learn at least one song on the piano, and one song on the guitar well enough to play and sing them at a party or where ever… hopefully that means I’ll learn voice well enough to Karaoke those songs without peeing my pants or shattering nearby glass.

This is the year where I will listen more.  I will interrupt less.

The way I see it 2011 is the year of commitment.  These are not some bullshit resolutions, but are very specific goals that I am committed to, and am seeking help in staying the course.

I suspect that this will be the year of unbelievable serendipity. Just two days ago I said to Kathryn “I want to spend more  quality time with my parents”- so I called them up, and checked if they would be cool with a 2-3 week visit in February.  They said they’d be thrilled, and I never need permission.

The very next day I finally took the time to check out my flight schedule back to the USA – something I hadn’t done , not when I bought it, and not during my trip – and noticed that I land at 5PM in Miami, and fly from Miami to Dallas at 8AM the next day.  I am now going to visit my parents, today (a mere two days after saying I wanted to spend some quality time with them)!

Back to that whole five year of travels…. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said

“You are the same today that you are going to be in five years from now except for two things: the people with whom you associate and the books you read.”

Well.. it’s been five years, and I’ve read a LOT of books!  I’ve met a lot of people, and I am beyond proud of the ones I associate with now.  I’m not the same person that I was five years ago.  I have had countless people mention this to me.

My writing style has changed. My priorities have changed. My life seems more meaningful.  I’ve become extremely helpful and positive, and life just seems to get better and better, and I keep whittling my belongings down to fewer and fewer.

I’m not perfect,, and crazy shit still happens.  There have been months where everything seemed to be going to shit, and I thought it was game over, and who cares…. But you know what, people do care, and that’s what pulled me through.  That, and I’ve become a firm believer in “Well, that sucked, but… it will make for a great blog post!”

I know that everything will turn out great, and I think that people see that in me… because on those days I doubt myself,, I now have close friends that believe in me more than I do.

Five years of driving is a lifetime…. In my travels I’ve had more experiences in such a little time, and so much time to reflect.  I’ve really had an opportunity to discover myself., and I’m still discovering…. Every day.

This is the year of gratitude.  2010 was incredible, and I think it was so incredible because I’ve become a lot more thankful for what I have, rather than thinking of what I don’t…  this year that trend will continue to grow.

I am truly grateful that you’ve taken your valuable time to visit my humble site, and share my experiences.  I am grateful that you’ve read this.

I’ve learned that everyone is incredible, once you get to know them., and discover their story, and what they are about.

Tell me yours!  I’d love to know who you are, and what you’re passionate about. You can leave it in a comment, or use the contact form, or find me on Facebook, or Twitter.

Either way, thank you… for everything.

Oh yeah!  December 31st, I was working on my new site, and was dragged away at 11:40 to watch the fireworks. It was a 10 foot walk to the beach, ’cause Billy lives on the beach. Me, Kathryn, and Billy watched from the beach as people launched fireworks from every direction for about an hour. It was pretty mindblowing.  I was – and still am- grateful to be starting the year off with such a crazy display of fireworks, friends, and being on the beach in another country.

Kathryn asked me a few months ago if I can make it to Costa Rica on the 18th for my birthday surprise.  Serendipity struck, and I made it, so she took me.  She got a 4×4 which I had to drive since she doesn’t know how to drive stick.  We drove all day, I had a digestive issue which kept me puking all day and night, and I was afraid that it was going to hospitalize me (again)… finally I was able to nap it off, hooray!

Kathryn missed 127KM of navigation, so we got there later than we wanted, and it was dark… so, despite being there, I still had no idea where we were.

We were given a cabin, which had a (very welcome) hot shower, no electricity, and a few candles that in the full moon almost felt useless.

The next morning Jef made us breakfast, and he and I had a joke-off until he finally admitted that he bows to the master.  It was during breakfast that I found out that I was at a tree-house community.

This, for the record, is the short version… I will probably post a long version with lots of photos and videos… but I am finally making massive headway with my book, so I’m keeping this short.

There were many mosquitoes, strange bird sounds, lots of rain and humidity… in fact, after my camera was having condensation issues we bought a ZorbPack (really powerful silica gel pack that sucks out humidity) for our electronics.

We did a lot of hiking, hiked up a river to get to the waterfalls, hiked through trails to get breathtaking views.  We read, napped, wrote, hiked.  Slow pace, lots of fun. Also, zip lining, which was a blast, since it was a good many feet off the ground , went over waterfalls and rivers, etc.

I saw bats. Big bats, that flew in the dark, and would fly right up to my face, then fly away.  Without our head lamps we wouldn’t've seen or heard them.

Here is a look at the jungle, and some sounds of the Jungle:

Here is some rain… maybe why they call it a rain forest?

After zip lining we drove until we were dead tired, and got a crappy hotel… I took photos of that too, ’cause “it’s got character”.

We really didn’t feel like having the “Where to next?” conversation for some reason… we just said we should maybe head towards Billy’s place… or maybe go to Panama….. Here’s an awesome sunset once we got to Billy’s, and a cute explanation of how we did our planning:

Billy’s house is in Jaco, is right on the beach, has 3 dogs, a treehouse. There are iguanas everywhere, and some weird red squirrels, and lots of cutter ants- which are incredibly fascinating to watch at work:

The little dog is “Trashy” – as he was rescued from a garbage can.

The largest wall has massive windows through which we can watch the sunsets, listen to the ocean all day, and feel this incredible cool breeze off the ocean (as I’m doing right now). The window also lets in other things though, such as mosquitoes, moths, and even bats! I got to play with my 1st bat (I’ve always thought they were adorable)!

There are lots of coconut trees on the beach, and we have a saw that’s tied to a large bamboo stick “The Pippa Rippa” — we use this to hack coconuts off the trees, and then we bring them home and slide them with the machete… the only problem is that these things are dull as all heck!

In the jungle, Mateo let me use his machete, and that sucker was sharp! It cut through everything as if there was nothing in its way! My (horrible) joke was: Want to play Rwandan Rebels? I’ll be the rebel, you be the refugee!

I’m told by many that Jaco is the armpit of Costa Rica. We’ve seen lots of hookers, and a few trannies. The ocean breeze and view is what we got though, so the rest of town doesn’t bother us. It is the place that has a Pizza Hut, Subway, KFC, and Quiznos. My favorite pizza place by far is Pizza Pata- this small shack that makes incredible (and affordable) pizza, while having a lot of fun. They sing and dance, and interact with their audience. If you’re in Jaco, I recommend it!

So… that’s it. Wi-fi sucks, so I haven’t written you much, or even been on Facebook/Twitter much… and I kind of like it. I haven’t had my cell phone on for a whole month now!

I’m relaxed, I’m getting a lot of writing done in my book. I’ve got a little over a week left.

By the way– Coka Cola tastes better here, and is better for you, because they use Cane Sugar to make it, rather than that horrible High Fructose Corn Syrup that they use in the states. I’m sure they have less cases of diabetes here (proportional to the population, of course).

Pura Vida!

Celebrating 34 with friend and Patron

The brakes don’t work!  We were gliding forward, and I was certain that this is it…. I was going to run over my 1st person ever! Why were they riding their bicycle right there?  It was a good 34 years of being free.

To start off, I don’t know what my birthday surprise is, so don’t let the title fool you. It’s the night before we leave Tamarindo, and I’m in a writy mood (apparently, Writy is not a word, but it’s how I feel– so… screw you red-underliny thing (underliny is also not a word)). I have a funny story, and a good life lesson. If this gets too lengthy for you, at least scroll to the bottom to view my favorite birthday video that I received.

Let’s start with yesterday… my actual birthday. I did not learn to surf (I did that today)… I worked (even though it was by the pool, in the sun, to good techno music, it is called work… just remember that if what you do for work is what you do for play, then you’ll never actually work a day in your life ), then Kathryn came over, then I was given a birthday beer, then Brendan, his dad, Kathryn, and I walked to Witch’s Rock Surf Camp. Which was the farthest I’ve had to walk in Tamarindo so far.

Joe Walsh (not the singer from The Eagles) was written about as having the 2nd coolest job in the world. He just surfs all day.  I met Joe while at Awesomeness Fest, after he spoke about his business, and passion. “I’m not a speaker, I’m just a guy that really likes to surf!” He drove down to Costa Rica in a converted school bus with some friends and family to start a surf-school, and it’s been doing really well since.  Now he surfs all day, and also has a restaurant.  It’s a good life.  One of my favorite parts of his story is that so many people thought it was a terrible idea, but he did it anyways, and now he’s uber-happy.

It was happy hour, so we ordered happy hour food and drinks- I started with “The Witch’s Tit” and Bean Dip, and Wings (I haven’t had wings in quite a while!). We were to have company soon, Rebekah, Kevin, and Yogi were coming, and I also invited Chase.  These are all people (and a pug) that I met at Awesomeness Fest… some of them were still here in Costa Rica. They all have incredible stories, yes, even the pug.

Rebekah has already agreed to be one of my interviews for my business interviews site. She works with one of the best photographers in the world, David La Chapelle. More importantly though, she took an idea of hers to start a business up with no cost, and her idea now makes over $2,000 a day– not including internet sales, and supports over 30 local families, plus is 100% sustainable.

Brendan’s Dad bought us all shots of Tequila. Rebekah had a bottle of Whiskey from her travels. We got Sushi. Chase showed up. I was surprised with cake:

I was amongst good friends (even though I just met Brendan’s dad that day– we get along really really well! He, like me, is uber-fast with the puns, and makes jokes about everything! Gives me something to look forward to), I was in paradise, and I was happy.

Kevin agreed to drive us to where Kathryn was staying at Playa Grande Surf Camp.  He had also told me about The Fiesta in Villa Real, where I can try to do some Bull Riding… since I’ve already played Bull Poker, this seemed like the next evolution. Additionally, I got to pick his brain as to how he made Yogi The Pug into a worldwide phenomenon. I was blissful, as I love to hear success stories.  Additionally, Kevin also agreed to be one of my interviews for my business interviews site.

I know it might seem like I interview everyone I know, but that’s not the case. I interview people whose stories inspire, and tactics can be learned from.  The very 1st interview is Jason Harty from Pretzel Crisps. If you remember, they sent me a huge Pretzel Crisps gift bag, and so I had to know how they were able to pull it off. Jason was kind enough to share an hour of pure business-secrets gold!

Interviews aside, it was a great time- including the drive home (funny how every few nights, “home” is a different place).

I woke up late today, and took a surf lesson (Age 34, day 1: surf lesson– cool start), and it was a blast! I was able to stand up properly and ride my very 1st try!  In surfing, this is a good thing.  In day trading, this is a bad thing.  A bit of success from the start made me feel as if I can do this, and it’s not so difficult.  In day-trading, it’s a bad thing, because it makes you feel as if you’re good at it… and then you’re not as cautious, or you don’t listen to others… er… so I hear

My surf instructor was this tall, skinny, underwear-model looking guy with decent English. It gave me hope that if I get into surfing, I too can have a 6-packs, and that kind of a physique. I suspect I would have to surf more often than an hour every 34 years though.

Last time I tried surfing was with Jason Moffatt - the day immediately after my 1st ever 30 day raw diet… Jason had taken me out to Benihana’s the night before for some fried food, and beers, and the next morning – right before surfing – his girl made us eggs and spicy fried potatoes… I had indigestion from hell, and puked all over myself… twice.  In my defense, Jason likes to point out that I kept on riding the waves… or trying.

This time it was much easier.  No wet suit was needed, as it is tropical and warm here.  The waves break right at the shore, so I could literally walk the board out to a good distance, then jump on it, paddle, and ride the wave.  The only thing I had to be careful of is stingrays.  They like the warm weather, so you have to drag your feet instead of just stepping… that way, you won’t step on them… as Gerry, the Surf Camp owner did the other day.

All right– so… I promised a life lesson in this post, here it is:

Sometimes it’s better to buy something than to wait on it.

I’ll explain:

Jason Moffatt had introduced me to Billy when I was house-sitting in La Jolla, and said that Billy would teach me to surf… but I was training for a relay race, so never took him up on it. I’ll be visiting Billy shortly. I’ve been excited about Costa Rica, as Brendan and Billy both told me they would teach me to surf while I’m here.  I then injured my foot, so couldn’t even walk to the beach.

Then Brendan was going to teach me, but his family came into town, the laundry people took their time, and … to top it off, by the time the tide was good, there were no waves.

So… I’ve been saying I want to learn to surf while I’m in Costa Rica.  I have opportunities for friends to teach me, but… it was faster and easier to just pay someone to do it right here, right now.

How many times have you used “that hookup” as an excuse to keep waiting on something? I bet there’d been a time when you put off learning or doing something that you really wanted to, because a friend was going to do it for you.

Since one of my services is web design, I hear this often “Well.. my buddy’s going to do this for me… he/she is a designer…” — meanwhile their existing site looks like shit, and is hurting business.

In business we call this opportunity cost… and it’s something that applies to your life as well— you may take that really great paying job, but the opportunity cost may be your free time, or sanity.

So, yes, it may cost you a few dollars to do something, that you could’ve gotten for free… but how much is the time you spend not doing it costing you?  Having a website that is an eyesore and doesn’t use any marketing concepts in the design may cost you a lot more than what someone is going to charge for it.

Last night, when I realized that I’m not going to surf, I was slightly bummed… so I decided I would just pay.  How much did it cost me? $40, well spent.  I’ve spent a lot more for much less satisfaction.  Now I have the next 3 weeks to improve my surfing, and I’m likely going to visit Billy soon.

“How much pain they have cost us, the evils which have never happened.” – Thomas Jefferson

You’re probably wondering whatever the heck I was talking about at the start of this post, about brakes not working, and running someone over.  That was from today.

Kathryn and I went to rent a car for whatever surprise it is that she has lined up for me.  We have a 6 hour drive to get to the Panamanian border. So, after I dried off from surfing, we walked along the beach, took the boat across the river, grabbed a chocolate banana smoothie, and went to Alamo Rent-a-car.

I forgot to mention that my foot was really acting up during surfing, and I was in a lot of pain by this point.  My toe had swollen back up again, and I was having to focus really hard to ignore it.  This was taking a lot of energy out of me.

I passed out in a chair while we waited for our turn at Alamo.  I was awoken to being asked if I had a copy of my passport, since Kathryn doesn’t have her license with her… so I’m the one that’s driving.

Ummmm… no…

Well, we need it.  Where is it?  We can give you a ride.

This girl gave us a ride to Brendan’s, and I noticed that this is the first time I’ve seen someone wearing a seat belt in in Costa Rica.

Thankfully, Brendan was home. He just got back from surfing with his dad and sister, and they were all resting on the couch and relaxing.

I got my passport from the upstairs vault, and went back to the place. I slept again until it was time to sign documents. I did not think I’d be driving in Costa Rica… the roads are not what I’m used to in the USA with asphalt… they are gravel and dirt roads, and we’re going to be driving through mountains and other terrain.Whee! Adventure!

We get in our Toyota Rav 4, I turn the key, release the parking brake, and…. the car starts gliding forward.  Right towards some guy crossing on a bicycle.  I pumped and slammed the brake, and no luck!  This guy was going to get it…

“Hey, maybe this car is stick-shift?” I said, and looked down, and sure enough…. there were 3 pedals! We stopped real quickly as I slammed the middle pedal, which is the brake, unlike it’s neighbor, the clutch. *phew* disaster averted.

“Good thing I sort of know how to drive stick, eh?”

“Yeah! Real good thing, ’cause I don’t know how to drive stick at all!”

It’s been forever since I’ve driven stick, but I did well enough to get us to Brendan’s, followed by a 40 minute drive to Playa Grande. While at Brendan’s we had a discussion about whether or not leaving my passport in his safe is a good idea or not.  I thought so, because it is safe there (no pun intended).

Kathryn and Brendan mentioned that there were stories of federal officers trying to extort money from people for not carrying legal identification (passport) on them at all times.

Ok… screw it.  I’ll take it with me. If that’s the case, I might as well take my suitcase with me, as we have a nice big car, and Kathryn’s checking out of Playa Grande Surf Camp, and taking all her stuff.

Now I was out of my comfort zone…. adventure!

I’m driving stick  - which I am very unused to – through a country with roads unlike what I’m used to, and terrain unlike I’m used to, I am carrying my passport with me, and all my belongings.  There is no safety blanket… you know.. that feeling of “well… at least if the car blows up, I’ll still have my stuff over at Brendan’s, and can get out of the country with no problem.”

But, that’s what I want.  That’s what I thrive on.  Being out of my comfort zone is how I grow.  If I wanted security, I wouldn’t be couchsurfing for 5 years.

“You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.” – Joseph Campbell

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

“The man who never makes mistakes loses a great many chances to learn something.” ~ Thomas Edison

“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing” ~Aristotle

So… screw knowing that my bag is somewhere. In the morning I will be leaving on a 6 hour drive to something amazing with a good friend.  I’m probably going to be off line until the 23rd. I think I’ll be working on my book some as well, but I can’t say, since I don’t know where I’m going, or what I’m doing there.

Brendan’s dad pointed something out… I’m slightly flustered because I need to give up control.  I have a hard time giving it up, and someone else telling me where to go, without me knowing… that’s a loss of control. Reflect upon that in your life. Are you just fine with someone else being in control, or does that drive you nuts as well?

Well… it’s 1:30AM, and we’re leaving in 6 hours, so.. I should get some sleep.  But, I did promise you a funny story (no, it wasn’t one of the ones told so far)-

How did I learn to drive stick shift in the first place?

It was during 11th grade! I was 16 years old, and working at a movie theatre.  There was a new guy that started going to our school. Chris and I got along, though he quickly became one of the cool kids.  His sister, Rachel, started working at the theatre with me. She was hot! Despite that our theatre uniforms were very unflattering, her smile could always brighten my day.

She knew I liked her, but she had started dating Jordan… who was kind of a prick. Jordan always acted high-and-mighty, as if his shit didn’t stink… but, he had to wear those hideous uniforms like the rest of us: black pants, white-plaid shirt, maroon vest, and I think we had bow-ties too.. I can’t remember.

We’d all party together, the whole theatre crew. We’d close up the theatre around midnight-1am, and then go drinking. Sometimes at someone’s house, sometimes at a hotel.  *shrug* there’s a lot of stories about this time of my life, but this one is about driving stick.

Rachel knew I wanted to drive stick.. I don’t remember how.  Maybe I was talking about getting a sports car?  Who knows… anyways, one night she forces Jordan to teach me to drive stick… using his car!

This was awesome.  I could feel his anxiety as his precious car was being driven by a complete amateur.  And yet, if he wanted to get any action afterwards, he had to play nice.

My goal was not to destroy his car… I really did just want to learn, and I did.  But watching your arch nemesis squirm is always fun.  Having someone be nice to you, even if they are forced to, is also nice.

I thought that it brought us (Jordan and I) a bit closer together, as now he had afforded me some trust that he wouldn’t've otherwise offered.

I did stall out a few times, but I’m also a fast learner.

I kind of wish that I could find Rachel, and reminisce about this story, but I can’t remember her last name.  Oh well.

So… there’s the story, there’s the life lesson, there’s some quotes… good stuff!  So, I’m off to adventure-  I”ll let you know what it is that I’m doing when I get on the web next!

On a separate note- I had over 200 birthday wishes on my facebook wall.  It was nice, and beat out last year’s 140.  Last year it took me 3 days to personally respond to each and every one, and send a personal note.  This year, I just pressed the “like” button on each one.  However, there was one video that was so great, I have to share it with you:

Celebrating my 34th b-day
By Couch Surfing Ori - Couch Surfer, Adventurer, Marketer, Photographer, & Fun  |  View on Facebook

1st, since you’re curious as to how I’m celebrating, I am going to learn to surf waves, not just couches.  I would’ve done it sooner, but I injured my foot when jogging barefoot on the beach.

A large branch pierced my foot almost all the way through.  I was going to title that blog post “Getting High and Popping Pills” because while I made a horrendous squeal/roar bizarre sound as I stepped on the branch, I made it home, then the next morning, decided to go jogging (which became more of walking) for an hour and a half, followed by a very tall hike.  The hike ended up with a tiny bit of trespassing to get to the Cell Phone tower, which is at the highest point (thus, “getting high”) and has an amazing view.

Actually, this is the first post where I try a new plugin that allows me to share albums from Facebook – so… the pictures from that hike are included below.  Here is a quick video from the top:

So, we get back after this hike — oh, since it’s my birthday today, and Brendan is younger than me, I have to point out that he is the one who kept having to pause from the exertion of the hike… despite that I am the one with a wounded foot, am older, and had to carry my camera.  The pointing out of this is even more important, as (until he saw that my foot was massively swollen, and my 2nd toe was 3 times the size of the other one, he was making old man jokes as I hobbled / limped around —  back to the house, and my foot is not feeling so good.  In fact, it was hurting like hell.

I was limping around, in pain.  For the next few days I was a bit drained of energy as my body healed itself. My 2nd toe was huge!  In fact, just 2 days ago I freaked out as I woke up and inspected it.  What happened was that I felt it, and there was a bump I didn’t recognize.  A really firm bump!  Oh no!  I hope it’s not some kind of a growth or something!  It turns out that it was just a knuckle… I just haven’t been able to feel it in a few days, as my toe was so swollen

As always, things became better when I listened to Brandie.  I limped over to the store, got Naproxen (the pill part of “Getting High and Popping Pills”, tried to stay off my foot, and I kept putting ice packs on it.  So… now I can walk, hooray! I guess the limp can be a metaphor, because usually when there’s a problem, and I listen to Brandie, things improve. Make sure to check out her blog.

My foot still hurts in the spot of the puncture, but who cares. I can walk without limping, and I’m going to surf today!

I couchsurfed with my friend Kathryn while here.  You can see her and her cool little triangular hut that’s 100 feet from the beach, in the photos below.  If you don’t recall, I met Kathryn in Austin– despite that she saw me speaking in Dallas.  She’s the one who rescued me  It’s entertaining because when I met her, she claimed to be shy and quiet.  Since then she’s sold all her belongings and now travels the world full time.  Make sure to read her blog, as she is traveling, is a great writer, and the reason we met was because her very first blog post was bashing me as an emcee and speaker who asked the panel “What would you tell a shy quiet person to do to embrace social media?” (even though as Emcee, that was my job) — and then I left a comment with solutions… go read… it’s entertaining.  And then she brought me a cake when she came to my rescue (see above link).

In fact, she invited me to Costa Rica before I even knew I was going!  Who knew?  Well, I guess she did.  But, serendipity wins again!  She invited me for a birthday surprise on the 18th-21st.  Then I ended up getting a ticket to Costa Rica for other reasons, and staying till January, and so now I get my birthday surprise.  I’d tell you what it is, but I have no clue.  Brandie knows, Brendan knows, but I don’t know.

I’ve made friends with the neighbors, which is fun and entertaining.  In one day I met 3 different people in different parts of town, then came home and there they all were, drinking rum in the gazebo that’s 20 feet in front of Brendan’s front door.  Serendipity much?  It was funny ’cause I met Dyrk by the pool.  I met Ryan when I tried to reset the neighborhood’s internet router because internet was down (turns out that someone was downloading pirated movies from Paramount Pictures, so ICE shut down the neighborhood Wi-fi), then since WiFi was down, Brendan and I went to this BBQ place that has WiFi.  We had dinner, and did our work on our laptops.  I was on Skype with Brandie when someone says out loud “Who wants to be my friend?”

I don’t think the statement was intended for me…. it was to her group of friends… but I turn around say “You mean, on Facebook?”  - she said yes, and I came over and taught her how to add friends on Facebook.   I then went back to my table, and she saw that I had left a video call to help her out.  I said that it’s ok.  Helping people is fun like that. 10 minutes later, I pop onto Facebook, and see I have a friend request, and her name is Brandie.  So… I introduced Brandie to Brandie.  One is named after the song, one named after the drink.

I closed the place out, since I needed wifi.  When I got back, there they were…. Brandie, Dyrk, Ryan, and a few other characters I’ve gotten to know.  Small world indeed.  So… we stayed up till about 3am drinking rum and telling offensive jokes.  Good times.

Since the internet was down, it was really useful to know Dyrk, since he has his own wifi network, and gave me the password.  The irritating thing is that that network doesn’t reach inside Brendan’s house– just outside of it.  So, I spent the whole evening walking from one side of the complex to the other (not far at all- we’re talking 60 feet maybe) and sitting outside of Dyrk’s getting eaten by mosquitoes.  I finally wised up and put on a long-sleeve hoodie that I brought, as Kathryn’s surprise is supposed to take me to the mountains, where it’s colder.

Speaking of long sleeves…. while I’m watching as the USA is covered in Snow, and my parents are telling me that Florida is at 40 degrees… it’s always paradise here!  I don’t wear shirts.  There’s no need!  You don’t even need them when you go into the grocery store, or to restaurants!  I gotta say, that’s kind of fun.

So, I gotta go and do some writing.  I’m completely redoing my coaching/consulting site– that will be another blog post – I’m thrilled with the new look and feel that I’ve created, alongside the very fancy technical backend functionality… just need to finish the writing.

So… enjoy these pictures.  I’ll post more later from surfing.  Thanks for all the Facebook birthday wishes (It’s not even noon, and there’s already over 120 birthday comments).

Oh yeah!  I almost forgot! My family has this tradition where we all call each other as soon as the calendar changes to our birthdate… so… midnight generally.  The whole time zone difference sometimes makes it challenging, but it’s always fun, and we’re a bit competitive over who gets the call in right at midnight.  Since my phone is off (apparently, Barak, my older brother got the first call in, AND he left his first ever comment on my facebook fanpage), I called my parents on Skype, we 3-wayed Barak, and to stay in Tradition, Barak sang me happy birthday in Hebrew. It’s cheesy, and I generally groan… and yet this year, I requested it, and I had a smile on so big that I felt my cheeks flush with warmth.  How lucky we are!  We can be somewhere else in the world, and still connect with those near and dear to us, as if they are right there with us! Years ago it would have been a strategically mailed postcard. So… here is Barak singing:

And here’s those pics I promised:

Costa Rica
By Couch Surfing Ori - Couch Surfer, Adventurer, Marketer, Photographer, & Fun  |  View on Facebook