Hi everyone, and greetings from Santa Barbara! Yep, I’m still here, although once in a while I still threaten to leave in order to travel around the world. Some day…
Anyway, there’s not too much to tell if you’ve spoken to me in the past few months. Still here, still working, still hoping to get more travel stuff written and out there. And I’m still unclear how Facebook works. Really, I tried to hug someone and I ended up offering a tequila shot to my friend’s 17-year-old daughter. (Of course, these are merely “cyber actions,” but still…) Does that make me old when I can’t understand the trendy stuff? Well, at least I can program a VCR clock.
Whataya mean no one uses VCRs anymore? What the…? Where’s the love?!
OK, so part of the purpose of these blogs is to inform people I might not have spoken to for a while on what I’ve been up to, right? So here goes:
The blogs—I finally decided to start a few blogs for several reasons. First of all, I wanted to come up with a way to put more pressure on myself to write regularly. Blogging gives me a pseudo-deadline (a minimum of 3 posts a week per blog, ideally) to write something—anything—even if it’s not necessarily a long article or a particularly good piece of material. I also wanted to find a way to generate some income, especially while traveling (more on that later). I also needed to find a way to get my name out there as a writer, travel authority, and (the new goal for this year) a foreign language authority. (I’m reluctant to use the term “expert” just yet.) So what better way than to start generating content on a regular basis?
Besides, everyone else has a blog nowadays. Despite the intense competition, I’m still able to eek out a little patch of cyberspace to call my own. I’ve only been live a month and I’ve only told a few friends and family members so far, but I’ve had a few hits from people in Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Japan. (By people I don’t even know, mind you!) Not too shabby!
The writing—So far I’ve been doing bits and pieces here and there. I’ve got several articles half-finished for these blogs and nigh-ready to post, but I’m also trying to balance what to post here vs. what to sell to other markets. I have a few other websites I’m planning to submit to and I’m also preparing material for a few magazines I'd like to see my work in. And I still have a few book ideas in the works, but those are on the back burner for now.
Speaking of writing for websites, I did get asked to write regularly for Indie Travel Podcast. This site is run by Craig and Linda Martin, a super-friendly New Zealand couple, and recently they asked me to provide a little content as they expand their site. Check them out if you get a chance. I’ll post a note on this blog when something of mine gets put up (tentatively the 2nd Monday of every month). I’m looking forward to the added exposure and to working with some people who seem as nice as they sound on their podcasts.
The travel—Apart from a trip to Europe last year, my travels have been depressingly few. I’m starting to visit San Francisco regularly again (love that place, want to move there), and I plan to be in Chicago a few times this summer for various weddings. Tentative plans to get to Austin, Nashville, Indianapolis, and Boston are being thrown around. I’m plotting a bigger trip by year’s end, which will include Australia and as many other countries I can afford. You can always view my travel plans if you’re voyeuristic or bored enough. I generally update them as my plans change.
The languages—I’ve started spending more quality time on studying languages. So far…so-so. Not too much progress, but I’m making myself study 10 new words a day while maintaining what I already know. It’s fun, but it’s a lot of work. Right now I’m re-learning all the German, French, Spanish and Italian I once new, and I’m delving into Hungarian, Turkish, Arabic, Chinese, and Thai. And, one day soon, Burmese, Armenian, and Georgian. Oh, and Haitian Creole too…
The music—I quit Dying Crooners mainly to work more on the writing, but I miss playing drums now and then. We plan to sneak in a few live gigs now and then. I’ve also been missing jazz guitar and jazz piano, but I’m refraining from investing any time into either for the same reasons.
Everything else is normal enough not to be worth writing about. I’ll fill you in if anything changes. In the meantime, I hope you all are doing well. Many apologies to everyone I haven’t talked to to the point of losing touch entirely. I promise to be a little better. And this is a start.
Love, laughter, and travel,
~dave
What? When did all this happen? I just saw you yesterday!
On an unrelated note, my daughter seems a little hungover...
Posted by: Queen Whackamole | May 04, 2008 at 08:50 PM
Planning on any trips to Phoenix anytime soon?
Posted by: Cutie! | September 15, 2008 at 10:51 PM