“My friends from high school married their high school boyfriends.
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes where their parents live.
But I, I could never follow…No I, I could never follow” –Long Way Around, The Dixie Chicks

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“Hey, girl, what’reyupto these days?” is not an uncommon thing (question?) for me to hear. Especially now that I’m back on the East Coast, running in to a few folks that knew me back when.

People are forever trying to pin me down on two major life things. One, they want to know, where are you “from” / where do you “live.” (Usually they come together like that, in a double-whammy set). The other is, “what are you up to?” And if I make some blanket statement about how I start things, people eyeball me like I’m acting aloof. But, I’m not. I’m trying to keep you from getting bored with the details. I know and you know that you’re probably asking because you want me to ask you back. So, why don’t we just talk about you.

But seriously, I try, sometimes to explain to my non-tech friends what a podcast is and how it works. I had a conversation like this recently.

Me: “So, one thing I do is create podcasts. They air weekly. Do you know about podcasting?”

Them: “Well, it’s sort of like the radio only you have more choices.”

Me: “Right! And you get to talk about whatever you want.”

Them: “What do you talk about?!”

Me: [Stares at floor. Looks at sky.] Well, you know what Buddhism is, right…?

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So, that takes care of one part of the equation. I have been podcasting in one form or another since December 2006. Back when it was something I didn’t understand. I still don’t totally understand how one is to make a living off of podcasting.

It’s not my main gig at the moment. I’m really project-oriented, and I’ll talk more about that in a second…

(But first, this is where what I do intersects with where I live)

After talking with Irene McGee (like me, she lived through a fire–2 months before me– and lived to tell the tale, but her podcast, like mine, suffered from her subsequent move and the upheaval that came with the loss of most everything she owned), I knew I must continue with most of my projects, even after disaster “struck.” Most of my immediate friends and certainly my family were understanding, patient and loving through it all.

I tried to stay in Boulder. I love Boulder. I had some choices. To live alone in a hovel and pay double the rent I had been or live with a new set of strangers, right after I had gotten comfortable with the five I had lived with in Maxwell House. I took what was behind door three. I slept on people’s couches and made myself a general nuisance (the lowest point being when I actually purchased a tent and pretended like I was going to do some “Nylon Condo” living–we see how well that went). Three months of that and I was ready for a place to call my own. One contact I made at Blogher blossomed into a friendship. And now I live with her! The world is…you know. Mysterious.

That Brings Us to the Now

The now finds me doing exactly, and I mean to the letter, what I love. I’m living in my former university town, spending days sitting in on grad classes and petting pint-sized dogs at the local cafe. I travel the country and world helping organize one of the most important events I have ever been involved with, Startup Weekend. We meet on Friday and by Sunday we’ve launched a full-fledged company, incorporated and all. Each weekend is completely different from the one that came before it.

From the point of view of an “outsider” I can certainly see why some might think the weekend is offbeat. To those I respond, “there’s nothing I can say to convince you about how awesome Startup Weekend is…try it and see.”

Startup Weekend is a social experiment, in a way. To me, it’s a combination of all the things I love. Rather than re-define it (it’s been done very well) let me show you how it’s like things that you’re already familiar with.

School–There were deadlines to be met in school and Startup Weekend is the same. The desks are set up in such a way that you can see (and learn from) what everyone else around you is doing (as opposed to a cubicle setting where you have no idea who your neighbor really is, let alone what they’re doing).

A Newspaper–When you walk into a newspaper room, it’s humming with energy. SW is the same. Everyone has an idea of what they can do to offer something to the “paper” or final product. I love that there’s a self-organization to the weekend.

Team Sports–Without the competition. It’s a completely non-competitive environment, so in a way it’s like team sports with just the good parts if you’re a pacifist.

Karaoke–You have to get into the rotation to get a song. To get into the rotation you have to do something. Then you report during the seven minute meeting we have once an hour. If we like you, we clap. If we think you should get of the stage, we’re nice to you anyway. Everyone wins.

Blogging Convention–Your photo will probably show up on Flickr. We live-blog the entire weekend. You may see yourself on Ustream or YouTube even. This scene is for digital kids. Transparency is more than lip service for us.

Well, there it is kids, now you know what I’m up to. Come along to a weekend and find out for yourself. If you can’t make it, follow along on the blog or twitter. I guarantee you’ll learn something. And maybe even make a few new friends!

So that, in a nutshell, is what I’m up to.