And on the 7th day, I returned...

Last Friday, November 11, I sent myself on a social media hiatus. I’d been thinking about doing it for a while but just hadn’t found the motivation or willpower to make it happen. When a friend announced he was going to take some time away from social media I decided to follow suit.

I’m not sure why I decided that Friday would be the day I shut myself off from the social media world but it seemed like a good time since I was headed out of town for four days. I thought getting on a plane and being forced to be out of touch for a few hours would be a good start and I was mostly right about that.

It was the two hours between saying goodbye to Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr and the plane actually taking off that were hard. Those little icons on my phone were very inviting but I resisted. I turned off all the notifications so I wouldn’t be able to see if anyone posted something on my wall or sent me a personal tweet. That definitely helped. It also helped that my wireless connection once I got to my mom’s house was pretty weak.

I spent my weekend in Colorado seeing my mom and her husband, my dad and his wife and my grandparents (91 and 92 years of age!). I had to laugh when my mom asked me if I saw something on Facebook and again when my dad asked if I saw his post on Facebook. Normally I probably would have been the first to comment on either of their posts but I missed them completely.

I took several pictures while I was there and it was weird to not immediately post them for all the world to see. One of my favorite things about social media is the ability to share my pictures and see the pictures of my friends, especially those friends I don’t get to see very often. I feel more connected and like that we can share our lives even though we’re not in the same room, city, state or even country sometimes.

Staying away became harder once I got home on Monday afternoon and had all kinds of free time on my hands. And yet, I resisted. And it felt good. I hadn’t made any plans as to how long I’d stay away. I figured I’d know when the time was right to go back, and as I write this, I know that tomorrow is the day. I will have been away six days by then and for whatever reason, that seems like enough.

But I had another reason to step away from the silliness that social media so often is. After returning Monday from Colorado I flew out Tuesday night to San Diego so I could attend a funeral.

My dear friend Robyn’s husband Brian passed away 10 days ago after a short battle with brain cancer and I guess that’s really what started to put everything into perspective for me. When you get that sort of news, that someone not even 45 years old is gone, you realize that nothing else really matters; nothing that is except friends and family and while I connect with all my friends and most of my family via Twitter and/or Facebook on a regular basis, it just seemed like the time to step back and really focus on life for a minute.

Death is something we know is coming for each of us, but we assume it will come when we’re 80 years old or older. We assume those that will go first are grandparents, older relatives and even our parents. We don’t think we’re going to lose someone in the prime of his or her life but it happens every single day and basically, it sucks.

I lost my aunt when she was in her early 50s, and that was completely unexpected and horrible and yes, it sucked. It still sucks because she should still be here with us. Brian was my age and had a wife and a nearly-4-year-old son and wow does it ever suck. I’ve been crying off and on for the last week and a half and can’t help but wonder how much longer I have to walk on this earth. I can't even imagine what Robyn is going through.

I’ve also been thinking about what’s really important and how I should be spending my time. And yes I’m going back to my social media outlets because I think connecting with people is incredibly important and I realized today that what I missed most about Twitter and Facebook was the interaction I have with people all over the country, some that I know personally and some that I’ve never met; some that I’m related to and some that I count as my closest friends.

So while I haven’t completely figured out everything in my life, I think I least get this part, and I hope I never take anyone in my life for granted. Life is too precious and our time together is too short. Never was that more evident to me than right now.

Happy Birthday Mr. Hawkins

In April of this year, when I was visiting my dear friend Tasha in Chicago, I got into a conversation with another friend, Mr. Hawkins, about my lack of passport ownership. Mr. Hawkins, being an actual world traveler couldn't believe I didn't have one and began his campaign to make me get one. I laughed. Ha ha. Very funny. Aren't you cute? Here's what happened next:

Ha ha. Very funny. Then:

Sucking Tasha into the campaign was just plain dirty. 

Uh huh. Okay. As Tasha's wedding celebration approached, I got this little gem:

Then it just went all crazy (read from the bottom of this one up):

So now there's the birthday threat...

and the throwing of the "go to London" gauntlet.

DIRTY POOL MY FRIENDS!!! 

And finally, in response to me saying something nice about Coldplay:

So.

Without further ado.

And just for you Mr. Hawkins.

On the day before your birthday.

And a little for you Ms. Alexander.

Here's what happened this afternoon:

I took something from here:

And something from here:

Completed this:

Signed my name in front of a witness...wrote a check...and got this confirmation:

And, in 4-6 weeks, I should get this:

Happy now?

If only every Tuesday could be Todd Carey Tuesday...

Tonight I got to meet an amazing musician who I've been dying to see live for about two years. This was his first time playing San Francisco, and I am SO glad I was able to go. Believe me when I say, Todd Carey completely and totally ROCKS. If you have not heard his music, go listen now!!

I first met Todd via Facebook about two years ago. He saw that I was a fan of Matt Nathanson (no surprise to regular readers of this blog!) and thought I might like his music so he sent me a friend request...and after listening to about 8 seconds of one song, I accepted his request and bought his first album - Watching Waiting. I fell in love with his voice, his lyrics, his music...all of it. And I wore those songs out! And then I watched. And I waited. Hoping he would come to the Bay Area to share his music in person. But alas, my hopes were never realized.

Earlier this spring, Todd put out an EP, and started promoting a lot of live shows. I bought the EP as soon as it was available and fell in love once again. The new stuff was just as good, if not better, than the first, and I was really getting cranky that I hadn't yet seen him live. When he started posting shows online, I got excited...thinking that maybe, just maybe, he'd make an appearance in the Bay Area. And once again I watched...and I waited...

And I had a moment of excitement when he posted a show in Chicago, only to realize it was the day BEFORE I was scheduled to arrive for a friend's wedding festivities. I posted a note on his Facebook page saying how bummed I was to miss it and he kindly suggested I just change my ticket. Funny. But, I did look into it...too much money. Foiled. Then, I missed him by just a few days when I was in New York earlier this year. Not pleased.

BUT...

After I lamented via Facebook and Twitter about missing him in Chicago and New York (and about missing out on the super secret summer single, which, omg, I just realized I STILL didn't get!!), he messaged me that he would inDEED be coming to San Francisco later in the year, so I checked his list of dates and made a plan.

Cafe du Nord - August 31. YES.

I was kinda bummed when I realized he was the opener for two other artists because I knew that meant he wouldn't be playing a long set, but I didn't care. I was going to go no matter what. So, I asked a good friend to go with me, he agreed and off we went.

It's always nice for me to have an event in San Francisco after work because I get to leave early. That's just never a bad thing. I faced the evil San Mateo bridge, picked up my friend, and we made our way north where we began our evening with an excellent dinner at Chow. YUM-MY!! We then headed to the venue and waited for the doors to open. We were a little disappointed that the doorman didn't even look at our IDs and just slapped on the over 21 bracelet things, but we moved on, found a place to sit while we waited, watched and got ready for the event. At 8pm, pretty much on the nose, Todd came on stage and wow. He did not disappoint! I wanted more-more-MORE! Seriously.

So Stinking Good.

He played about six songs and had a great stage presence and good interaction with the audience. Cafe du Nord is one of the coolest places to see a live show because it's a very small venue and no matter where you stand you can see the stage - even if you're short like me! The only other time I was there I saw Train, and it really does spoil you from seeing shows in bigger venues. I really think every one I like should play there at least once so I can have the up close and personal experience with all of them too. Just a suggestion...

Anyway...my friend and I made our way to the merchandise table after Todd finished his set and waited for him to come back to greet fans. I'd read over and over how nice he was and didn't ever doubt that based on our online chatting. Let me just say that Todd scored HUGE points for recognizing me and knowing my name. Wow. I mean, the man has thousands of Facebook friends and thousands of people following him on Twitter. I was very impressed. We had a lovely chat and I can honestly say he is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

I truly hope he makes it back out this way soon for a headlining tour so we can see and hear more of him because he was absolutely outstanding. And as you all know, I do get to my fair share of of concerts, so I know of which I speak. We listened to the second act for a bit, but honestly, it was a bit of a letdown after Todd's set so we headed home after saying a final goodbye and wishing him well on the rest of his California tour.

Hands down one of the best nights I've had in a while: dinner with a great friend, a great evening of music and great conversation with a rising star. Todd Carey...so happy to finally see you play live and meet you in person. You were, in a word, AWESOME. Please come back soon!!!

PS: Videos being posted...find them on YouTube soon...

Say what you need to say...

What are you doing?

What's on your mind?

I'll Facebook you...friend me...follow me...send me a tweet...check out my latest blog...IM me...email me...call me...meet me for dinner...

What does it all mean?

We all communicate in different ways, and many of us are now using new technology to communicate with each other and reach out to communicate with those we don't even know.

As most of you know, I Twitter, I Facebook, I obviously blog...but hey, I also might send a friend an email. I might even call some of them. And yes, I might actually meet with some in person. Crazy, right?

Is one way right or wrong? Is one way superior to another? I think not. And I think most of you would agree with me. And frankly, whether you do or don't is really of no consequence to me. I think the way you communicate varies depending on the person and the reason you need to communicate.

There are some friends I literally never talk to on the phone...it's just not something we do. But they are no less my friends than those I do talk to on the phone. And it's impossible to get together in person with some friends because they have the nerve to live in other towns and/or states. However, because of all the technology available to us, I don't feel any less close to them either. We're able to keep in touch in a variety of ways.

Finally, there are new friends I've met, at least virtually, through Twitter and Facebook. I may never meet some of these folks in person, and that's okay. Our friendship may never require that. I do wonder though, if we were to ever meet in person, if we would be able to sustain the conversation we have started online.

The dynamic of conversation does seem to depend on how the relationship started. For people we meet in person, conversing online in some fashion is fairly simple...it's a continuation of what we started in the real world. However, for those we met online, and have possibly never met in person, we may hold back in our conversation. We may choose to only share certain aspects of ourselves. There's also the opportunity to be someone we're not...maybe someone we'd like to be...someone we wish we were.

I read various tweets and am amazed at the level of depth some people aspire to. Then I wonder...are they kidding me? Are they really that deep? Or are they just searching for attention? Wondering how far they can take something?

My tweets and status updates are pretty basic...although sometimes I do go on a lyric frenzy. Some say it's boring to share where you are throughout your day...that they don't really care that you are on your way to lunch/just had lunch/having a nap/heading to bed. I don't know if it's boring, but I know that 100+ people follow me on Twitter and almost 400 are my friends on Facebook, and there's no way I know that many people in real life...so there must be something interesting about what I say.

Anyhow...I guess that's enough conversing about conversing for one night. I'd be curious to hear what you think about some of this stuff.

Oh...and answers to the April 18 lyric quiz:

#1 - Matt Nathanson/Come on Get Higher

#2 - Lifehouse/The Joke

#3 - Thirty Seconds to Mars/From Yesterday

#4 - Kelly Clarkson/I Do Not Hook Up

#5 - Jars of Clay/Closer

How'd you do?