Convergence Columbus and Austin, Texas

On Monday night, Andrew Miller hosted a group of people at the Columbus Metropolitan Library to discuss his idea tentatively called Convergence Columbus. I mentioned my interest in such an event a few weeks ago. The objective is to make Columbus the site of a major art, literature, technology, and community building festival with national and international recognition and reverence. The most logical parallel for the idea is South by Southwest (SXSW) and the effect it had on bringing Austin, Texas to the forefront of 21st Century cities. And why couldn’t Columbus emulate SXSW and Austin?

The cities are about the same populations (about 750,000), we both are state capitals, have major universities, have significant music and arts scenes, and are important bases for technology and entrepreneurship.

To not be completely biased, however, I want to be realistic about what Austin has that Columbus does not. For one, Austin has nice weather year round and SXSW takes place in March when Cbus can still be buried in snow. For two, the music scene is much more established in Austin than in Columbus; we’ve all heard the mantra that Austin is the “Live Music Capital of the World” (true, of the places I’ve been, with the possible exception of New Orleans). In Austin, the 6th Street bars blow away the collection of live music bars we have in Columbus in size, number, and musical diversity on a given night. Most are complete with at least one live band nightly and beautiful rooftops open year round which oftentimes host a second band (or mechanical bull, of course). Per research and personal observation, the population is younger, fitter, and more active.

There are more accessible outdoor activities including mountain bike trails, a “town lake,” several 'swimable' springs and streams running through downtown, and a gorgeous hill country located just outside of town which hosts Lake Travis. Austin is rated at or near the top of urban centers in public green space and environmental friendliness depending on the study. It is the home to many celebrities including Lance Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Andy Roddick, the Dixie Chicks, etc. Business headquarters include Dell, Whole Foods, and Apple (#2 location). Of personal interest, Austin has been rated the number 1 singles city in the nation for years by several publications that rate that type of thing. Lastly, don’t forget about the whole Texan, Southern, hippie, business, urban, laid back, Republican, Democrat feel that Austin uniquely permeates. I know I am not citing any of this (c’mon it’s just my blog), but I’ve done enough research to be confident in these statements. I love Austin and I have seriously contemplated moving there. But despite all of Austin’s unique attributes, I think the similarities between the two cities are what attracted me to a concept like Convergence Columbus.

Wouldn’t it be great to leverage our own strengths into a world class “idea” type event? A couple of thoughts that come to mind with very little research:

· The initial thought was that this be chronologically linked to Comfest. However, because Comfest and other events that weekend brings the Short North/Arena/Convention area to capacity already, it is unlikely this would be the best weekend for Convergence.

· In order to seize some existing momentum in the first few years, I think it will be important to piggyback off of a different existing event that doesn’t yet bring that area to capacity. Memorial Tournament? Arts Fest? Experience Columbus Days? Independent’s Day? Something really cool I don’t even know about?

· If the event is held in the fall, on a Buckeye football away weekend, students will be in school—which significantly adds to the population of potential attendees and lecturers.

· Not that anyone is, but we should not solely be thinking about OSU students. As a liberal arts grad myself (Denison University, thank you very much), I can say that this would get incredible support from the liberal arts colleges around Central Ohio. In fact, Kenyon is one of the most renowned literature and creative writing schools in the WORLD and it is barely an hour outside of town. See the Kenyon Review if you want more information. Other schools in the region, a few of which Andrew mentioned are Denison, Capital, Columbus State, Otterbein, CCAD, Franklin, Wittenberg, Dayton and the list goes on depending on the radius you want to use.

· Other than Louisville’s Idea Festival, there is not a major festival like this in the surrounding region. Andrew mentioned that 2/3 of the nation’s population is within a day’s drive of Columbus. But, what about an easy drive? There is still a very significant population around Columbus including Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Louisville, and Detroit: all easy drives to Cbus.

· Our technology base may not include Dell and Apple, but it does include Battelle, Sterling Commerce, something called the 315 Research and Technology Corridor listed on Wikipedia, a fantastic organization I learned about recently called Tech Columbus, and the 8th ranked population for social media types in the United States.

· Surely we have plenty of other advantages that I haven’t even considered. And surely this would be in the interest of far more businesses and organizations than were represented in the room on Monday night.


Lastly, I want to mention that logistical concerns were heavily weighed in the meeting Monday night. To this I say “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” And I also say that logistical concerns will work themselves out. These are obviously very important considerations, but with a great idea, a tremendous team, and a plan of action, this event would be well worth the logistical cost to the City of Columbus.

If you would like to get involved, please contact Andrew Miller via his website. I think this is a great idea. I want to help, and most importantly at this point, I want to keep the conversation going.

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Living in Columbus, Ohio in the Summertime

I LOVE summertime in Columbus. And considering the fact that I can be pretty critical of places I live, my contentment with Christopher’s namesake metropolis from May to September has been well earned. With this is mind, I have put together a Top 10 list on why I love living Columbus, Ohio in the summertime. This list is not to be confused with the post I am contemplating tentatively called “Top 10 Reasons There’s Nothing to do but Drink and Blog in the Winter in Columbus, Ohio.”

10. Jeni’s Ice Cream: The Short North shop is just a hop skip and jump up the street from me and, as an ice cream connoisseur, in what I’ve seen billed as the “Ice Cream Capital of the World,” I think that Jeni’s takes the cake.

9. Cabrewing: How’s this for an idea: lets rent some people a canoe and three tubes for 50 bucks, let them bring enough beer to sink the canoe, and set them afloat down the mighty Darby Creek. And such activity was how I spent this past Saturday with five friends. It was a great time that I highly recommend.

8. The LC Pavilion: A ton of great shows all summer long, I was happy to catch Government Mule and Tea Leaf Green a couple weeks ago. I hope to make it out to this venue again before the outdoor season is up. An outdoor concert is a tough thing to beat.

7. Bono Pizza: Although it just opened, I am proclaiming it as my favorite pizza…EVER. Maybe I am biased because it is on my street, and I really like the people that own it, but their product is top notch. Fresh ingredients, a great dough recipe, and quick service contribute to my proclamation of love. Their concept is simple, almost like getting food at a neighbor’s. I call and place my order, take over a plate about five to ten minutes later, hand over eight dollars (they don’t even have a cash register), and they put a delicious pizza on my plate. Don’t worry, they have boxes too if you need it to stay hot for a while. But if you want the neighborhood feel, let me know and you can just grab a plate from my place if you're in the hood. I am considering this unique to summer because this place just opened in June, and they've got some tables for folks to sit outside on Russell. Sometimes they even play bongos on the street in the evening--but I am afraid a neighbor has called because I haven't heard them for a few weeks.

6. Gallery Hop: Although this goes on year round, the summer months’ Hops draw a much larger crowd, a lot of street musicians and performers, and packed bars and restaurants. Recently, I have also seen Columbus billed as the “Indie Art Capital of the World,” on Columbus Underground and I have seen some great exhibits up and down High Street that are unique to any museum or exhibit that I have attended elsewhere. The sideways Mona Lisa, blown up Starry Night, and other building art make the Short North an ideal setting for Indie Art (not that I really know what that means). Nice weather and later gallery closing times provide the perfect excuse for strolling around town and grabbing dinner and drinks while checking out some of Columbus’ great artists.Take my own artists' license for what it's worth in the pics below.

5. The bike path: This is a beautiful path running North-South for 15 miles along the Olentangy River. A little sunshine on a Saturday and you will find quite a few of us out there.

4. Goodale Park: The home to summer festivals, jogging paths, more dogs than people, and great photo ops, I try to spend as much time in my neighborhood park as possible. Suspect nighttime activities aside, Goodale is one of my favorite urban parks that I’ve been to in any city.

3. Riding my bike to work: Although I am known to ride my bike to work year round unless it is icy or rainy, this feat is certainly easier and more comfortable in the summertime. Columbus’ flat landscape is perfect for such commutes. Now we just need more bike lanes!

2. Sitting on my patio: For whatever reason, reading a book, listening to music, having a conversation, or writing (as I am now), is always a good bit sweeter when performed on a patio. While you may argue that you can sit on a patio in any city, there is no way that I would be able to afford a condo with such a nice patio in a bigger city. And from what I’ve seen, patios are pretty staple in the newer condo developments around town.

1. Comfest: I will say it again, as I did above, but it is very difficult to beat a great outdoor concert. Throw in a couple good friends and the sweet smell of, uh…freshly showered and sober hippies, of course, and it feels like I think the 60s would have. But Comfest is three days long, it’s FREE, and provides some of the best people watching anywhere.

Customary Friday Afternoon Post

This just put me in such a good mood I thought it was worth sharing. Have a great weekend!

Sailing, Adventure, Office Space, Frogs

This time of year, I always get this feeling that I am about to board a plane to Europe. I believe it is related to the fact that this is the time of year when I started my semester in Spain five—shit 5!—years ago. And although it is not likely that I will be going back this fall :(, it is with this desire for adventure that I have been vicariously following Zac Sunderland on his journey around the world!

Zac is attempting to become the youngest person to sail around the world single-handedly. He is only 16 years old but he has grown up on the water and seems to have the sailing knowledge of a veteran. He writes about squalls, mechanical failures, islands he visits, and tons more cool stuff about which I can only dream today.

I enjoy this because, one summer in college, in fact, I worked on a sailboat in the Chesapeake Bay called the Lady Patty. And, per the link, I just found out that the Lady Patty, too, has embraced this Web 2.0/social media/blogging culture. Unfortunately, they haven’t yet written any posts! Chris was always more of the drawing/painting type anyways! Here’s a cool picture of the boat.

The Lady Patty was built in 1935 and, with mostly teak above deck, her upkeep and renovation is forever ongoing. My summer was spent varnishing and re-varnishing this beautiful teak, polishing the compass, vents, bells, and other bronze, and hosting charter guests for at least six hours a day. It was a great summer job, and I recommend checking it out for a cruise if you find yourself on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in St. Michaels or Tilghman Island. Some of my greatest memories—as cliché as this sounds—were grabbing some beers and Chris’s guitar and just sitting around at the dock after a long day. The dock was in front of a classy little restaurant. So sometimes the folks we took sailing would hang out later into the night. We’d play Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, and anything cliché, mellow, and fun. There was a fishing captain that docked next to us who—I shit you not—was named Bill Fish. I just tried to Google him for proof but unfortunately a Billfish is a type of fish that inhabits the Chesapeake Bay, so I can’t get any unique keywords! Anyway, he would usually filet us some fish a few times a week for dinner or we would get some extras from the restaurant or the B&B that the boat owners also owned. I’m kind of rambling, but, point is, it was a great summer.

So, with all these great adventures to think about, here I sit in my cubicle. There are frogs on my tie if you can zoom in that much. And it is after 6:00pm so this is totally legal!




But with bated breath I wait because a prototype for an entrepreneurial endeavor of mine is due to arrive next week. My fingers are forcefully crossed in anticipation of a good product that may one day free me from the insanity of my lightless, cold in the summer, hot in the winter, Office Space movie set.

Japanese Steakhouses, the Olympics, and Lacrosse-Spectacular Stories of Triumph and Defeat

There are a lot of definitions of “in shape.” And although I have been running and drinking about 2-3 days per week in each case, this level of preparation fell far short of the requirement for the weekend from which I just emerged.

With the 2008 Summer Olympics fully underway, ironically, I found myself with many former college lacrosse teammates in the town of the 1980 Winter Olympics: Lake Placid, New York. We were playing in the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament. And although we knew the competition would be tough, hangovers would be a handicap, and some of us hadn’t played in several years, Lake Placid was the site of the one and only famed Olympic triumph, Miracle on Ice.

In other words, we knew that anything could happen in this magical little town.

Our team, Team Denison for our alma mater, won only one game out of four against some of the toughest summer competition that lacrosse has to offer. Even though dreams of our own Miracle were quickly thwarted, the weekend resulted in many fond memories. Not the least of which was a short and skinny Japanese man whom was affectionately nicknamed Mu Huang, after a banned substance from our NCAA days. Here's a picture of Huang imitating Mike Eruzione's celebration from the 1980 Placid Games.

Although he couldn’t speak a lick of English, this evening manager at a Japanese Steakhouse in Lake Placid, New York, not only poured us glass after glass of something that should be illegal called a Scorpion Bowl, but he consumed his weight in said beverage several times over.

Having come across Huang’s restaurant this first night of the tournament, we were excited to have the opportunity to return the next two nights for the official Huang three-peat. His smile welcomed our company, his drinking ability amazed us, and the food was delicious. Huang needed no cash register to charge us—he either had super human memory or our nightly bill was purely arbitrary. Although it may be easier for most people to accept the latter, most people have not had the privilege of meeting one Mu Huang: this man is a special person. And, I’ve got an inclination that he may be related to John Chang:

As we started to drive home on Sunday night passed the site of the 1980 Olympic torch, we caught wind of the US Mens 400 Meter Freestyle Relay victory—a miracle in its own rite. This incredible race, marked by determination, focus, and sheer will, birthed a powerful moment of reflection among us. The swimmers, the 1980 hockey players, our competition in the tournament, and, most importantly, Mu Huang’s veracity behind the bar, had severely dwarfed any accomplishments of our own. In the strange vortex existing between the Olympic torch’s resting places, it was clear that the world had passed us by: our best athletic and drinking days were far behind us.

And God willing, we will be back next year to visit our favorite Lake Placid restauranteur, drink some Scorpion Bowls, and be one step slower out on the field of life.

Columbus Social Media Café and Columbus Marketing Campaign

Well it turns out that Startup Weekend did more for me than just get me on the news. It has actually seemed to open up a community focused on progressing Columbus to new levels of ‘city-dom’ through online social media. Not exactly what I had in mind when I signed up, but a great experience nonetheless.

On Tuesday, for instance, I found myself in the Columbus Metropolitan Library with the Columbus Social Media Café talking about how we can leverage local social media for the benefit of Central Ohio communities. One topic that interested me, specifically, is tentatively called Convergence Columbus, our version on SXSW. This event could be heavily planned and marketed through the social media outlets. Although I didn’t really even know what social media meant a few months ago, I think this is a cool group that I will be in touch with as long as I stick around Columbus. If nothing else, the room was full of people interested in making great things happen—and I need all the positive energy I can get these days.

Additionally, last night I had the privilege of attending a presentation about Experience Columbus’ (ExC) new marketing campaign for the city. It was pretty cool that in only a couple short months of scribing, some Columbus marketers stumbled across my blog and extended me an invite to this event. Their goal was to get local bloggers focused on this new campaign and spread the word through social media. And with this post, I intend to do just that (although with only my Mom and boss looking over my shoulder as readers, my success may be limited).

Their new campaign is called Not In Columbus. To my surprise, a good buddy of mine actually worked on putting it together. The concept seeks to poke fun at the stereotypes the city has—boring-ness and ordinary-ness—while selling the idea that there is, in actuality, plenty to do here. Not only do we have everything one would need to put on a weekend getaway, business meeting, or convention, but we also have plenty of fun and unique stuff that other cities don’t have (gallery hop, Comfest, and Easton, for example). I thought they used some pretty creative ideas to accomplish this. For instance, I love this video/commercial about the English Channel not being in Columbus.



In my opinion, it demonstrates that the people at the helm of this ship (ship as in Columbus, not the ship from which the commercial was taped), get the Columbus stereotypes, but are still confident that this will be a very cool place to come visit, host a meeting, or go shopping. The campaign relates to the intelligent audience we want to attract to Columbus. My only suggestion for this type of thing is that they throw in a bit more of Columbus’ selling points. E.g., “You can’t ride the Tour de France in Columbus (insert picture of huge crash here), but we do have ______ miles of bike trails…etc.” with a link to both the ExC website and this website or the website for another specific business or activity. If you simply direct traffic to http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/, I think that you are primarily promoting ExC—not directly promoting the city. To truly make the campaign take on a life of its own—‘viral’ seems to be the buzz word thrown around in social media marketing—don’t simply drive traffic to http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/ and expect people to use the information at their fingertips. Direct it to Columbus businesses and features—both bricks and sticks and online—and let them sell themselves. I think the campaign’s concept and potential are there, and I hope they are leveraged in ways that allow it to, for lack of a better word, go ‘viral.’ I think it will prove to be very popular.

And a pretty cool week it has been. I’m thankful to live in a community that so many people care about growing and developing. And tomorrow I will be taking advantage of some of the best that Cbus has to offer. Golf at Pinnacle, dinner at Mitchells, and then out in the Arena District. Happy weekend everybody!

Slight Name Change...

Forgive me for changing the name of my blog, but I would rather get it the way I want it now before I am getting a few million readers a day (hey, it could happen).

For the past couple weeks, I have come to the realization that “Tangled Up In Cbus” sounds more like a Dear Abby alias than the title of a blog. For example:

Dear Abby,

I can’t seem to move on from the Buckeyes losses in the last two national championship games. And, to make matters worse, my girlfriend met Chad Henne at a party last week and dumped me. What am I to do?

Sincerely,
Tangled Up In Cbus

Additionally, it’s clear that most of my readers are from Columbus. And as such, I see no reason to specifically mention Columbus in my blog title.

Thirdly, “Tangled Up In Cbus” alludes to negativity towards Columbus. And I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to think I am bashing this great city.

Lastly, I like Bob Dylan’s song Tangled Up In Blue so much that I might as well use the name verbatim. For the reasons stated in my first post, I think this is a very appropriate name. But now, “Blue” in the title offers a broader representation than just the city in which I live. It is about life, attitude, ideas, and everything else I write about.

A Day in the Life of a Wannabe Hipster

So I’m out at the bar last night sippin on some bronsons and conversating with this chipper. Then, this frado slides in to chat it up. I can’t help but catch the midtown vibe hanging around this cronkite. So as he is trying to pry this tassel right out from under me I turn my back to him and throw out the frigidaire. The dude whips out his piece and dials up this jerry who comes over to cause some barney. So get this! I grab the little betty’s hand, cruise on over to the hardwood, and bust a moby right like the juicer I am!

If you ain’t deck enough then get on the clothesline and study up!

That was a complete joke, but I thought it was worthy of a Friday afternoon post. Have a great weekend whether you are starting a company or not, and keep up the good fight!

A Couple Thoughts about Gossip-A Theory of Gossip You Might Say

We all know not to gossip. Some believe that gossip sticks to the storyteller more powerfully than the character in the story. Some believe that gossip will cause you bad Karma. And some believe that gossip is simply immoral. While I can relate to all of the above, there is another reason not to gossip about which I have been thinking lately.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good story about a ridiculous person just as much of the next guy. But lately, I have been trying to limit my gossip production and consumption a bit for this reason: it enforces a negative self-perception. The best frame of reference that we have in judging others is ourselves. Because of this, we tend to think that others are similar to us until they do something stupid. We assess bad decisions of others by asking ourselves the question, “Would I ever do that?” And we convince ourselves that the answer is “no.” If we vocalize our differences from such idiocy, [we think that] the world is less likely to believe that we would make the same decision under the same circumstances. It is a decent defense mechanism for the short term.

However, because we tend to think of others as similar to ourselves, the more we gossip, the more we believe that others gossip. And in those circumstances when we do make poor decisions, we believe that everyone is gossiping about us! And because gossiping is a big part of our lives, we think that such banter really matters. The good news though, I believe, is that gossip really doesn’t matter—the whole “sticks and stones” saying. And we will realize that it doesn’t matter if we don’t place an importance of it in our lives. And, if we don’t gossip ourselves, we are less likely to believe that others are gossiping about us!

So don’t gossip, you are only setting yourself for the harsh realization that all critics are hypocrites. I would elaborate further, but I just remembered I have to go make fun of some people!

Some Theories

I am always coming up with random theories. I have been like this for as long as I remember. For instance, when I was 16 and started driving, I proposed to my best friend, “I think that old people go blind because they have to stare at the headlights of cars when they are driving at night. I have had good vision my whole childhood, and now I am faced with this!” That same friend still gives me shit about that as I well deserve.

Nevertheless, I’m still coming up with such theories. In fact, my coworkers actually started keeping a list of the most ridiculous theories that I have come up with. I have known about this list, but I kind of forgot about it until stumbling upon it on the server again today. I thought it was worth sharing.

JC’s Theories

-The internet slows down on the first humid day of the year due to increased electricity in the air.
-Apple will reach $250 by 12/31/2008
-The ‘bad guy’ in No Country for Old Men, may be a ghost
-The word ‘analyst’ is derived from the same Latin root as the work ‘anal.’ If it isn’t, it should be.
-Though he swears he has never eaten there, JC tells people he works for White Castle Pollard.

Personally, I think that numbers 2, 3, and 4 are totally legit. In fact, I re-bought Apple stock today after they announced that Steve Jobs is in good health. If you don’t understand the No Country reference, then watch the movie again and pay particular attention to one of the last scenes when Tommy Lee Jones comes into the hotel room and no one is there. And lastly, although I realize the root words of ‘anal’ and ‘analyst’ have nothing to do with each other, every dedicated analyst I have ever met (I am excluded because I am not dedicated), is pretty damn anal. Number 1 was a joke, and number 5 was the company for which someone thought I worked when I was cold calling a New Orleans apartment complex. God bless that city!

This is kept on the server folder with Chuck Norris finance sayings such as “The Sovereign Nation of Chuck Norris carries a ‘AAAA’ credit rating,” and “Chuck Norris’ paper just priced 50 bps below MMD.” To be in the same place as Chuck Norris…I am honored.

So thanks for reading my blog. In a way, my posts are just extrapolations of thoughts not unlike the above. Fun stuff indeed!

Startup Weekend Columbus Post Game Report

I don’t really know where to start. It was like a 54 hour summer camp on steroids, coffee, and beer for tech and startup junkies who can Tweet in ways Twitter never intended. Ideas were born, groups were formed, and chaos ensued. Software developers, marketing people, and business development all came together. There were Twits, Tweets, Retweets, and Twats (I couldn’t resist) as the buzz of the weekend developed. You could really learn a lot just by reading our SWC tracking page!

Our group came together to form http://www.upropel.us/. The idea is for students to create a profile with a video about themselves requesting funding for education. Students can set up these profiles for a small fee. We believe it can be successful if we can facilitate a steady flow of grassroots charitable donations to students with interesting stories or unique abilities. Although it is currently in the prototype phase, when completed, the website will set up an account for each student on Paypal that will be paid directly to his or her institution upon proof of enrollment. Great concept, right!

One of the really interesting parts of it all was the group dynamic. It would have been nice to have had a couple more developers, but Ketul and Michael freaking rocked out…I really wish I knew more about ‘web!’ The rest of us kind of deliberated around the concept, the brand, and the business model. On Sunday afternoon, as the project really came together, I tried to take on the responsibility of generating the website content and press release while listening to my noise-blocking headphones. I figured this would rid me of all responsibility in our presentation at 6pm to about 200 people. But somehow I was handed the microphone and within hours I am watching myself explain our concept on NBC4!



Lastly, and MOST importantly, I met some of the most incredible people. This weekend has further opened my eyes to the bubble under which my business experience has encapsulated me. I am excited to be part of a new network of creative, motivated, talented, and fun people and look forward to future adventures!

Startup Weekend Columbus--Pre Game Blog

Well, in a couple hours I am heading over to Startup Weekend Columbus. I actually called in sick today because I need to get my life in order for this intensive 54 hours ahead of me.

At first, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into (I'm still not sure). I thought it would be a bunch of people like me who read The 4-Hour Work Week, and now are pumped to start a company but don't know shit about technology.

I think I am right about The 4-Hour Work Week thing, but I was wrong with my assumption that there are not that many tech savvy folks in Cbus! Since I signed up, I have had access to a wiki that has allowed me to browse around at the people attending, the ideas that everyone has, and more information about the weekend. There appear to be a some great ideas and motivated, intelligent folks from a bunch of different backgrounds! I threw a couple ideas that came to me on the "Idea" wiki but I haven't developed them too much, so we'll see if they are pursued this weekend.

And on the same note that "I didn't know what I was getting myself into," I just saw THIS on CNBC! Apparently this is a bigger deal than I have anticipated!

Post game report to follow next week! Have a great weekend!

Let It Be

For the most beautiful and powerful rendition of Let It Be that you have ever heard, please watch and listen to the following video. This is from the movie Across the Universe. I do recommend the movie in its entirety, but there are a couple songs from the movie, like this one, that will just blow you away. What an incredible representation of the song. Rock on John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The Fortune Card

Yesterday, I was reading this blog post from Michael Hyatt about how to create a Life Plan. One of the things he mentions in this post is a reason that he follows Christianity. Specifically, he states "I want my life to be built on transcendent values that have stood the test of time." And you know what? I think that makes a lot of sense.

So I have decided to start a fortune card. After all, what set of "transcendent values" have stood a longer test than the teachings of the fortune cookie? After a hefty helping of Hunan Chicken, I always used to put the good fortunes in my wallet, but they would get all damaged and illegible after a week or so. Then I got to thinking, "hmmm, the dead sea scrolls survived for thousands of years, I need to figure out how to make the wise teachings of these fortunes a bit more durable." So I made the card. It's a note card that I cut out to the size of a credit card, and I have been scotch taping all my fortunes onto it. It keeps the fortunes in tact and legible! Whenever I need a some morals, inspiration, or insight, I check in with the great teachers at Golden Fortune Cookie, Inc., by simply pulling the card out of my wallet. You can have your Bible, Koran, or Magic 8 Ball; I've got my Fortune Card. It's lighter and more portable than all three of the above books combined!

Oh, and I am playing around with the template of this blog. While I will probably eventually get someone to design something for me (or learn how to do it myself), you may find the template changing a bit in the near future. Please let me know if something really strikes your fancy! But I think I like the current format more than the previous orange letterhead, etc.

Missed Flight

I had a 5:45am flight this morning!!! I missed it!!! I don't know if I have ever said this before or if I ever will again, but I am thankful for the good airline people at US Airways. They rebooked me on the 7:27 and I get into Myrtle Beach at 10:20. For being a complete dumbass and missing my flight because I slept through my alarm, this has worked out pretty well--assuming I get there of course.

So why did I sleep through my alarm? I went out late last night, like an idiot. Here's a picture of me from the airport that I just took. Do I look as hung over as I feel? I dunno. Maybe I'm just still drunk.

What a Horribly Ridiculous and Stupid Article

What's next, Tiger should start a country? What in the world is this writer thinking when he says that Tiger should start his own tour? He compares the good this would do for the poor PGA players to the charity work of Bill Gates!?!

HORRIBLE ARTICLE HERE

This is like one of those articles you read and wonder how the hell this guy still has a job offering opinions to us. This is how stupid rumors are started and unrealistic expectations are set.

He tries to connect Earl Woods' quote that "He's the bridge between the East and the West...I don't know yet exactly what form this will take. But he is the Chosen One. He'll have the power to impact nations. Not people. Nations. The world is just getting a taste of his power," with Tiger's own tour. Hey Eric (dude with a job of which I am very envious), what are you thinking? Earl Woods was talking about something way more important than a new tour. He is talking about education, and poverty, and goodwill among nations. Economic, political, and cultural understanding. He was talking about influence and power outside the realm of the golf world. Whether this was just "fatherly hubris" or not remains to be seen. But I can assure you he wasn't talking about golf. And I can assure you the PGA Tour isn't moving anywhere anytime soon for Tiger's Tour.

Even if a new tour opened doors around the world, it's still golf. It's a sport, a game, a social outing. It's not the cure for any of the things that Earl Woods meant to represent. This is something you should reserve for your blog, not an article for which you are paid. Just read some of my stuff. It can still be ridiculous...but then again, I don't have millions of readers yet...hahaha.

But thank you for reading.