Blogging rule #1A: never acknowledge how long it’s been since you’ve last posted.

Man has it been a long time since I’ve last posted!  So many things have happened.  Barack Obama was elected as our first black president, dick pics become easier than ever, and the government took a two week siesta.

What’s that?  Literally none of that is new? 

So, what did we miss?

I guess there were some pretty epic boops.  And as it turns out, the NSA is listening to and reading everything we say.  Let’s go with the boops.

But, believe it or not, this PSA is not about boops.

This is a hybrid apology / life update / boop PSA.

Apology

As a blog-father (blogdaddy?), I have failed you.  I said I would give you the road map to perfect health.  I didn’t.  I said I would give you the second half of a story that involves getting chased by bulls through the narrow streets of quaint Spanish cities.  I didn’t.

Not that the reason is important, but I have taken away some lessons from my previous woods-life, with the primary one being that after 40-60 hours per week spent on my computer, the last thing I want to do is spend one single fucking minute more on my computer.  For those keeping score at home, the first thing was drop kick my computer into the throat-hole of a dragon.  Dracarys.

What I’m trying to say is that I’ve been spending a lot of time on my computer again, and when given the opportunity to not do that, I take it.

But, this is about to change because…

Life Update

…I quit.

My job.  At Tech Cocktail.

It has been a sincere pleasure serving as Tech Cocktail’s director of marketing for the past two years. I’ve met incredible people (that I otherwise wouldn’t have), been granted incredible opportunities (serving on media panels, being the subject of interviews and presentations, emceeing events, and interviewing people I greatly admire – all separate links), and been to amazing events (SXSW, CES, and a slew of Tech Cocktail branded events around the country).

On paper, I’m fucking up in a very real way.  Tech Cocktail is a rocket ship racing toward success. I’m walking away from an amazing opportunity to be a central component of said rocket ship (funded by Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh).

But beyond this self-inflicted career calamity, I’m walking away from a company lead by two incredible people.  Frank Gruber and Jen Consalvo are not only two of the hardest working, smartest, most passionate people I have ever met, but they’re also unreasonably nice (especially in an industry where success and friendliness tend to inversely correlate).  To double up on the Game of Thrones references, I’m walking away the Stark family (if you don’t watch Game of Thrones, stop reading this now- and go watch Game of Thrones).  I will be cheerleading Tech Cocktail’s success for the remainder of time.

But, what exists on paper isn’t what matters.  It’s what’s in your heart.  And my heart is telling me that the tech startup world is a round hole, and I’m an octagon peg (squares are boring; also I’m red and easily confused for a stop sign).

My last day at Tech Cocktail is this Friday.

What’s next

This is where one would expect me to outline my next plan.  That plan isn’t 100% ready to go public as of yet.

I will say that part of it involves the Appalachian Trail.  If you’ve been following the action over at Appalachian Trials, you’ve probably already noticed the increased activity (and flashy new website – thanks to Tim Speciale for the incredible work).  My goal is simply to give more aspiring (and former) thru-hikers a platform to showcase their extraordinary stories.  The community that has been forming is special, and I feel that familiar yet inexplicable magnetic tug to continue fostering this growth.  If you’re into the Appalachian Trail (and/or backpacking and/or adventure) in any capacity, I strongly encourage you to check out the fun at AppalachianTrials.com.

If you want to support the cause, please consider getting a signed book for a loved one.  Or even a liked one.  I’ll even sign books for “meh” ones.  But no Lannisters!  

I will also be heading to the AT this year for some spontaneous trail magic and other super saucy surprises.  If we’re being real, this should be classified under vacation more so than “life plan”.  I do hope to reconnect with familiar faces and meet new friends along the way.  If you want to stay abreast, the best place to do so is through the Appalachian Trials newsletter.

But the above is merely a slice of the plan pie.  If you want more, track me down and feed me beer.

The point of this post was really to say one thing – and in typical fashion it took me 800 words to say what could have been summed up in five:

the Good Badger is back.