If you’d have asked me last year how I felt about the idea of having a routine, you probably would have received a profanity-laced tirade of epic proportions. Last year my routine was so dull that I get bored just thinking back on it. I’d wake up, drive to work, sit at my desk for 9 hours, maybe do a happy hour, but then come back and hang out on the couch for the rest of the night. Rinse and Repeat. This went on month after month and eventually it takes its toll on you. One person can only handle so much monotony. It’s a slippery slope too. Getting out of habits such as that, are much, much more difficult
Continue Reading > 10 Comments posted: July 30th, 2010
After nearly seven months that went by way quicker than I’d even realized, I find myself back in Portland, Oregon. In the five days I’ve been here I’ve found that the weather is even more beautiful than I’d hoped, the beer is even better than I remember, and having a flexible lifestyle in the States is going to be even more enjoyable than I’d imagined. Over the past three days I’ve done something that I haven’t done in, well, I can’t remember how long. I’ve been completely shut off from the internet and my computer. I’ve been spending time with friends that I haven’t seen since I returned and going to events that I’ve been looking forward to for months.
Continue Reading > 14 Comments posted: July 26th, 2010
I am probably 37,000 feet up by the time you read this, so I will approve any comments and respond as soon as I land! Over the past 9 or so months I’ve been incredibly selfish. Now, I’m not saying I’ve done anything wrong, or that looking back I should have done anything differently, but the fact of the matter is that I’ve been focused only for what is best for me, with little regard for those around me. That said, just about everyone around me has been incredibly supportive of everything I’ve been doing. Even my family and close friends who have been affected the most by me quitting my job and moving to a foreign country for half
Continue Reading > 11 Comments posted: July 20th, 2010
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to scuba dive. When I was younger I used to get incredibly jealous when my dad and uncle would leave on dive trips, and I’d have to stay at home and do fun things like go to school. Exotic places like Cozumel, Roatan and Thailand became implanted in my brain as these holy grail destinations – perhaps that’s what led me down my current path. For years, I considered the prospect of getting certified, but there were numerous road blocks that always got in my way. First off, is the proximity factor. While the Willamette Valley is a mere hour drive from the Oregon coast, the diving conditions you would find
Continue Reading > 12 Comments posted: July 17th, 2010
I feel like I’ve been doing more traveling over the last month than I had in the previous six months combined. Although I guess when I think back, I’ve been a lot of places and seen a LOT of cool stuff. Currently I’m writing from a nice bakery on the Thai island of Ko Tao. Ko Tao is without a doubt one of my favorite islands that I’ve been to thus far. A far cry from the insanity that is Koh Phi Phi, as soon as you get off the boat you can tell that this place is much more tranquil. Ko Tao is one of the dive capitals of Thailand, and I think we are probably the only people
Continue Reading > 19 Comments posted: July 12th, 2010
The other morning I spent a few hours doing errands, answering emails, and preparing myself for an afternoon of doing nothing but working on one specific project. This particular project is one that I’ve been putting off for days now, not because I don’t want to do it, but because it was something that was going to take a significant amount of focus and creativity. As we all know, getting into that mode can prove difficult from time to time. So after I spent the morning getting stuff done and organizing my day around this work session, I was ready to work. I ate a good lunch, prepared to sit down at my desk, and you know what happened next?
Continue Reading > 20 Comments posted: July 7th, 2010
First off, sorry to everyone for being somewhat unresponsive over the last week! I’ve been in Bali and my free time at a computer has been pretty limited. Although, I’m sure you guys can understand my desire to have a bunch of experiences, rather than spend all of my time writing about them. Also, if you haven’t seen it, check out my recent guest post at Unclutterer. When I was younger I used to always dream of the day when I could take a lavish vacation to some place truly exotic. Places like Tahiti, Bora Bora and Bali all seemed like these far away, astronomically expensive destinations that I wouldn’t get to experience until I was of retirement age. Well,
Continue Reading > 24 Comments posted: July 1st, 2010
