Hot diggity! Being the social beast that I am, I have been asked to help set up a new festival in Atlanta. Going along with my “Think Small and Go Big” theme that I wrote about on Chia Town I don’t expect this to start out as a Coachella or Bonnaroo type event. However, I will say that it’s gonna rock.

So what is this all about? Jake’s Ice Cream is celebrating their 10 year anniversary this year and plan on having a bit to-do about it all. Why have some cheesy little “yay, we’re ten. Here’s a coupon” thing? Oh no…this can be so much bigger, and it will be! Since being tasked with being an event planner with my trusty partner in crime Heidi my phone has been going nuts sending texts, emails and making calls. Less than a day after our initial “hey, let’s do this” meeting we’ve already talked to five bands, a radio station, started working on some video ideas, working on getting the beer distributors there (nothing says summer like ice cream and beer!), a few vendors…oh yes…this is gonna be big.

I’ve never used the term “event planner” in my discussions with people when they ask what I do, yet I’ve come to realize that I’ve been planning events in one fashion or another for the past 15 or so years. Whoah! I must admit that I do enjoy doing it…the planning, the prepping, the promoting.

I shall keep you all informed as more details solidify. As of now we’re talking about the weekend of June 13th here in Atlanta. If you’d like to have a nice neighborhood summer festival, this will be one that you should keep tabs on.

Ta ta from one social beast to another!

Welcome back my fellow travelers in life,

I must apologize for my absence but alas, social duties prevail! I spent this past weekend up in Pittsburgh visiting a bunch (“bunch” in my definition is not five. Let’s lean more toward fifty or more) of friends up at Carnegie Mellon. CMU has an event each year called Carnival and yes, it truly is a carnival. Aside from the rides and games that are brought in, it is a time to catch up with many (and sometimes debauchery is involved) and enjoy both old and new friendships. This one lived up to that promise as I arrived Thursday evening, caught up with people I haven’t seen in a year, played some games and then continued on with the weekend. I was even lucky enough to be invited to a friend’s 10 year wedding anniversary gathering over the weekend (which is of course an honor for me to be invited to something as grand as that).

I won’t go through the weekend blow-by-blow rather I just want to mention that it was a weekend full of energy, activity, friends and fun. This whole weekend was done rather affordably too. Aside from the airline ticket (which was purchased rather cheaply nearly six months prior) the entire weekend cost less than $50. Yes, it IS possible. True, it would have been fun heading out and partaking in some of the off-campus activities but nonetheless I had a blast and was glowing (while also recovering) from a great weekend.

After I returned to Atlanta I met up with a good friend for lunch on Monday. We had a great meal at Radial Cafe on DeKalb Ave and used a 2-for1 coupon that was on the back of a grocery receipt. Next up was a quick trip to a CD store where he dropped off some CDs to sell and we perused the new music that was out and about. It was fun seeing some of my friend’s bands with their new releases out there and it reminded me that I need to go see more shows (usually another cheap activity for me…hurray!).

But wait! I think I WILL go to a show! Another one of my good friends is involved in a new gig – Prognosis …an industrial sounding project that has recently been signed and is getting ready for a big tour including a European tour. (He’s also the guitarist for Novocaine and Brass Knuckle Surfer) It was cool seeing him up there with new music (if you haven’t noticed I love hitting the local music scene and supporting the peeps) and also catching up with other friends (Dan, the drummer from Zoroaster was also there and it was cool as hell catching up with him again).

All in all it’s been a very busy time BUT it’s been a good busy. Some people assume that being social means you’ve got to spend loads of money to go to this bar and that restaurant. Such is not the case. You can live a social life and even run yourself into the ground (in a good way of course) by living on the cheap. Hurray!

To all the other social beasts out there, don’t let this economy bring you down. Go out, have fun, enjoy life and let’s show them who’s boss!

Awww yeah! For those of you that went to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), know someone that went there, went to Pitt (University of Pittsburgh), Carlisle, Chatham, lived/live in Pittsburgh, or just have heard stories from these people, Carnival is coming to Carnegie Mellon this coming up weekend.

For some, Carnival is a time to blow off steam. For others, it’s a time catch up with old friends. Here’s what it means to me, a CMU alumn and a Social Beast.

For me, Carnival is a mix of many things. Back in the day it was a “yeah! Let’s drink!” event (isn’t that what everyone does at college? Oh my poor mother…the stories I told her). As I got older, I mellowed out a bit and truly enjoyed seeing my friends, both old and new. More people come back to CMU for Carnival than they do for Homecoming…it’s THAT big. I’ve been back every year since I graduated and let me tell ya, it’s something that I look forward to every year. Over the years I’ve found myself being the pin that links undergrads and alumni. This is something I don’t take lightly. I remember when I was an undergrad and I’d be saying “sheesh, look at those alumni, telling us what to do. Who do they think they are?” Now I’m one of the alumni and I obviously hear the opinions of my fellow alumn. However, having befriended many of the younger guys there I also know what they are currently going through and it is easy for me to say to the alumn “hey, chill out. Do you even know what they did this year?” or tell the undergrads “dudes, you guys gotta step it up a bit. This is how you’re being perceived”.

Ah…such is the task of a social beast. I love it. I love keeping up with my newer friends and what keeps them going and I love catching up with the older guys. It’s a great way to stay current on social trends, to network, and to just enjoy yourself.

Hopefully everyone out there has some sort of event where you are able to do the same. Maybe a family reunion, homecoming, some other annual event…who knows. If it’s an organized event, do it. If there isn’t one, organize your own (another group of friends of mine have a yearly event where we meet each other somewhere different around the US and spend a long weekend together. It’s possible to do your own thing).

For my fellow CMU people reading this, I hope to see you this weekend! I get in on Thursday…look me up.

Chia

So there I was this morning sending out a “Happy Friday!” to some of my friends. One of them happens to be an old coworker at a company I had left back in December and he ended up switching to the department I was in. It was my quick note to him that reminded me of one of the worst positions I ever had…doing support for a tech company. This job had me starting work at 11pm and ending at either 7am or 11am the next day. Not only that, work started on Thursday and went to Tuesday morning. No more weekend activities for me!

Worst. Job. Evar.

I couldn’t stand it. I was tired. I was cranky. My friends and family were concerned about me. My health was clearly affected. Terrible. Terrible I say.

I had another job offer in October that started in January. I stuck with the crap job to December and was then going to take some time off for the holidays to spend with family and friends but ended up leaving that job a week earlier as I had caught a rather nasty cold and couldn’t fathom staying up all night again and again. So I left and never looked back. My health immediately improved, my happiness returned and life was good. I started my new job in January and then they laid off my entire team three weeks later. Ayeee!

I’ve been working on a few side projects since then. Some personal, some professional with the hope that something will catch and we’ll come up with the next big thing. There are some smart and driven people out there despite all the doom and gloom you see on the news.

So what’s the point of this ramble? It’s not a full business ramble you’d see in in ChiaTown.com or a pure life rambling you’d find in WaxPorhetoric.com but rather something that mixes it all…something that the Social Beast is…a mix of many things. My point to this morning babble is that I’m off on my own again and I’m ok with it. It gives me the opportunity to explore new options. Thinking about that old job just gives me the shakes and made me wonder “is it ok to take any crap job to survive in this economy?” Honestly, I don’t think so. Yes, we all need to survive but good lord, when your very soul and core are destroyed from someone else’s schedule it’s just not worth it. We weren’t put on this planet to be mindless drones. We’re here to interact with others (family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, etc) and hopefully have a positive influence on their lives. Don’t take whatever you can get if it’s going to run you into the ground and negatively affect your health and your relationships.

That’s my ramble for now. Happy Friday to you all. Enjoy it, enjoy your friends and family and get ready for a good weekend.

Life has been interesting for me. I’ve always been a social fellow and always enjoyed being around people. I’ve enjoyed talking with people from all walks of life. I am in fact, a social beast. Sometimes it spreads my time rather thin but ya know what, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel as if life is wasting away and passing me by if I sit at home. My home time is basically to recharge.

So here I am, starting a new site, putting it out to the world that hey, I’m here, I’m social, I want to interact with you. I want to interact on a personal level (let’s go play some soccer or let’s compare notes from what life is like here in the United States as it is in Nicaragua) and I want to interact on a professional level (who’s up for coming up with the “next big thing”? I am).

More ramblings shall follow. For now I am just getting the site up and running. And run I shall!