My journey with plant medicine started in 2010. After using cannabis the previous summer to alleviate nausea caused from painkiller use while I recovered from surgery to remove a pilonidal cyst (they scooped out nearly 3/4 of a racquetball’s worth of infection at the base on my tailbone, then had it stuffed with glaze 1-2 times per day for nine … Read More
Using cannabis to wean off Lexapro
Was prescribed 16 different medications to treat: clinical depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and clinical depression with anxiety. Cannabis worked better.
Massages should be covered by insurance
For either the seventh or eighth time in just 18 months, I hurt myself so badly that the back rub to fix it requires a recovery period. Multiple muscles hurt in all kinds of spots. My lower right back had two knots on top of each other, my middle back was stretched to the point that my masseuse said something … Read More
Wrong type of feedback
As a sometimes professional writer, it’s normal to receive feedback. I’ve been corrected on typos, misspelled words, incorrect assumptions, and, thankfully rarely, poorly-researched ideas. I do my best not to to take these personally. But when that “criticism” shifts form into statements like “as a writer, I think you should” (reference to me being a writer, not them), it crosses … Read More
Doctor Strange Is What White Supremacy Looks Like To People Who Don’t Know They’re Racist
I’ve now seen Doctor Strange twice, once in 3D IMAX and another time in 2D, both times with THCv blazing through my system. I cried twice during the first time, and three times during the second showing, as I made connections to my own past and current willful participation in a racist system. Always the smartest guy in the room, … Read More
Talking about Complex PTSD is really hard
It’s always been complex PTSD. It’s been a year since I stopped taking my daily psych meds. At the time, I was on Lexapro and had been for nearly seven years. Before that, for every single day since March 2000, I’d been prescribed lithium, zoloft, paxil, ritalin, adderall, concerta, effexor and a bunch of other names I’m still working on … Read More
PTSD and Me: Four Times In The Float Tank
In August 2014, I went to Float On four times. It helped me understand that I have PTSD.
42 days post psych meds
It’s been 42 days since I had my last daily dose of psych meds. For the seven years prior, save for less than a week in June 2009, I’ve been taking Lexapro. For eight years prior to that, doctors described a series of 16 different drugs to combat bipolar disorder, ADHD, and depression. Added up, this means I’ve been on … Read More
1984 Live Recording Of Prince’s Purple Rain
It’s been 31 days and seven hours since Prince passed away. Before that day, I’d never seen Purple Rain. I’d never listened to an entire Prince album. I’d never realized that Prince, not Michael Jackson or Madonna or any of the pop stars, rappers, rockers, or boy bands, was the musical influence I should have been paying the most attention … Read More
Franco’s Fun Bus with Laurie & Mary Jane
Franco’s Fun Bus is a monthly-ish excursion on a private tour bus with hosted dabs, snacks, and local sights. *Cover photo from my first Fun Bus experience.
Do You Even Snapchat, Brah?
Hey, I’m on Snapchat broadcasting a day in the life of a cannabis reviewer.
Dennis Keogh | The Man Who Would Be Bond
Dennis Keogh is still going strong as a James Bond impersonator.
NYE Nirvana with Inhalem Society Grab Bag Video
But I’d never been served a four-course, Moroccan-themed meal — complete with belly dancers — which sipping vapor from a PAX2 filled with Ideal Farms cannabis until this past December 31.
Girl Scout Cookie Terpene Pairing
Here’s a preview of the Girl Scout Cookie terpene pairing story KC and I are working on for WW this week. We spent an afternoon sampling two strains per cookie, and found most of them tasted great (did you know terpenes that smell of fuel can blunt menthol’s burn?).
Not So Secret Sesh
My goal, for the foreseeable future, is to help normalize and promote responsible cannabis use using whatever platform available to me. While I’ll still work on other stuff as I can land clients, my personal goals will stay aligned regardless of how I earn my money. Education is the absolute most important tactic we have in helping those in need … Read More
Sunday Morning Musings
It’s Sunday morning and I’m sitting on a blow-up mattress, my back against pillows propped up on a bare, white wall. The mattress has a sheet on it, as my wife and I sometimes sleep out here if the other is too fussy, or if it’s too cold, or if someone falls asleep watching Vine compilations. The dog, like she … Read More
Who made two covers this week? This guy!
Okay, so these actually aren’t cover stories, but I’m super proud to have made covers with stories about two topics that seem different to most people, but are both pretty common up here in the Pacific Northwest. One of these days, I’ll write a cover story that might even have my name and picture on it. Big dreams, I know. … Read More
Goodbye to old friend John Kelly
(Pictured left to right: John Kelly, Andy Epstein, me — props to Sarah Ray for the yearbook photo) In just over two months, I’ll be 36 years old. While this birthday will mean I’ve now spent half my life outside of high school, it’s not like I’m old. There will always be more time, right? But after my good high … Read More
Apple Geeks, World Domination, Public Sex Acts & Hunting: Does What’s Said With Torch Theatre Stay At Torch Theater?
When most people vacation, they head to tropical islands or historic cities. They hike, they sleep, they relax, and they play. These same people probably think my wife and I are crazy, as we go on vacations to visit old friends, see spring training games, and agree to tell personal stories in front of strangers so our performing buddies have … Read More
Seth Godin Book Review With Chris Franklin Of Portland Creative
(Want to know what other people thought of the book? Seth shared early reactions on his blog.) The idea that anxiety is experiencing failure in advance, that the voice in our head is only a narrator, and that focus is important above all else seem self evident and pretty life coach-y now that I’m reading this as I type it, … Read More
Ingrown Toenail Removal Surgery & Infection (GRAPHIC IMAGES) (NSFW)
***WARNING*** THIS POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES. PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE READING IF YOU’RE SQUEAMISH If you’d rather read about a more successful ingrown toenail trimming story, read my previous from almost three years ago. That was my second surgery, the one you’re reading here was my fourth. — After three visits to two doctors to try and save both my … Read More
The Last PIE Demo Day
I wrote this the week after P.I.E.’s last Demo Day, and WWeek chose not to run it. Fearing I’d be run of out town if I published, I held onto it since October 2014. As it turns out, that was their last demo day and the experiment pivoted into something else shortly thereafter. Two years later, there are still massive … Read More
Preventing Genocide
We all make choices about what is important to us. We have to or else we’d go broke trying to fix everything. (At least I would). So we do what we can with what we have and make the best of our lives. That’s human and admirable and obvious and great. But plenty of times we turn a blind eye … Read More
Changes are fermenting
In the past nine months HipCider has been around, I’ve learned a ton about cider. I’ve learned about fermenting, yeast, apples, business, BIG business, teamwork, food pairings and even bottling. I’ve also consumed quite a bit more cider than I ever thought possible. But nine months in, I’ve realized that something just isn’t quite right. For as hard as I … Read More
What would you do on an #AmtrakResidency?
(The idea of an Amtrak Residency, where writers book a round-trip ticket to work there and back, is fascinating. Here’s how I convinced myself to go.) I make my living by, mostly, arranging letters into words, words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into stories. Whether I’m running a Facebook campaign, tweeting incessantly, or crafting a blog post, I’m … Read More
Portland Cider Company Is Opening A Tasting Room With New Styles
Portland Cider Company is opening their own tasting room, complete with three new styles of cider and plenty of swag.
No, You Can’t Die From Insomnia
I haven’t slept more than four hours in a row in over a month, save for once when I followed cider with eggnog and rum — but that’s not real sleep. I’m talking about restful, pleasant sleep. Without vivid dreams. Without having to take NyQuil at 2am. Without having to mix Percocet (prescription, I had my toenails removed and one … Read More
Is MillerCoors Advertising Ridiculously Sexist?
MillerCoors ridiculous sexist Smith & Forge is an embarrassment to the industry, but after their take on Miller Fortune, I’m not surprised.
Second Sunday Cider With Schilling Cider Recap
Our first three Second Sunday Cider events were held at the inimitable Cheese Bar. While the cider paired with cheese was fantastic, the turnout just wasn’t what we had hoped for. We wanted to try something else. We wanted it to be a community-driven event, we wanted people to have access to plenty of cider and cheese, and we wanted … Read More
Snowdrift Cider Co is EXACTLY what I’d expect an (East) Wenatchee cidery to be
This past weekend, while in eastern Washington for a memorial service (read about that here, if you like), I made stopping by Snowdrift Cider Co a requirement. You see, most of my family members grew up in Eastern Washington, my parents went to rival high schools in East Wenatchee and Wenatchee, and my grandparents owned an apple orchard that they … Read More
Tribute To Alan Adamek
“You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo” -Lose Yourself, by Eminem Starting with the good news: I became an uncle for the first time in October with the birth of Brady Mark Hurst to my younger brother and his wife. I’m damn proud of both of them … Read More
Pacific Northwest Holiday Seasonal Cider Guide
(TL;DR – seven of these nine bottles (all except for Providence and Seattle Cider’s) are available at Bushwhacker Cider at SE 12th Ave and Powell in Portland.) The bells are jingling, the turkey has been eaten, the chestnuts are roasting and holiday party season is in full effect. As the days creep ever closer to actual winter, we figured you … Read More
Tyler Hurst Is Awesome
Dear You, Tyler Hurst is awesome. I know you just finished reading Pam Slim’s post about what your Google search profile says about you — for a fact, obviously, as I just read it — and I wanted to tell you that you are an amazing dude. You see, I want this post with me telling me how awesome I … Read More
Meet The Cidermakers | Galen Williams Of Bull Run Cider
In case my last post wasn’t clear, I’m digging the simple purity of Bull Run Cider. The guys behind the company, Galen Williams and Pete Mulligan, are great spokesmen for the cider industry AND were the first cider makers to buy HipCider. (I’m glad I like their stuff, as thanking them for buying a book and then later insulting their … Read More
Initial Review | Bull Run Cider Gravenstein & Powerhouse
Bull Run Cider’s label is the most intimidating cider label I’ve ever seen. It looks substantial, the bottle looks thick, and I fully expect such a thing will be found as evidence if I ever get into a bar fight. Seeing as how I had no idea Bull Run Watershed was Portland’s main water reservoir, I assumed Bull Run was … Read More
Meet The Cidermakers | Jeff Parrish of Portland Cider Company
I sure do love the Portland Cider Company logo. Yes, I know the logo outside has little to do with the cider inside, but it certainly can’t hurt for the bottle to look as good as the cider tastes. As you can likely tell from my previous initial review of Portland Cider Company, I dig both flavors and think they, … Read More
Initial Review | Sorta Sweet from Portland Cider Company
My appreciation of Portland Cider Company’s offerings have flip-flopped since I sat down with my first bottle. Drawn to their simple, straight-forward label (nutty bottle designs obscuring flavors and company names are a huge issue to me) and local-ness, my wife and I eagerly sucked down a Sorta Sweet and Kinda Dry, respectively. While I, at that time in early … Read More
Meet The Cidermakers | Colin Schilling of Schilling Cider
In my search to know more about the food I eat, where it comes from, and who’s making it, my wife and I have checked a variety of co-ops, read up on fermentation and recipes, and talked to a bunch of people making their living feeding others. This past April 2013, we were excited to attend Schilling Cider’s first Portland … Read More
Initial Review | Schilling Original, Ginger & Oak Aged Cider
My wife loves this stuff. From the first day we met Colin Schilling at Bushwhacker Cider in April 2013 until yesterday, my lovely lady has raved about the “two drinks in one” Original and now, more recently, the amazing Oak Aged (better when cool, not cold). While I’m loving the Oak Aged first, the Ginger second, and Original third, they’re … Read More
Meet The Cidermakers | Finnriver Farm & Cidery
Okay, so Chester isn’t an actual cider maker. But because the cider makers were busy explaining their cider to thirsty attendees at the Seattle Cider Summit, Chester graciously stepped up to give me the lowdown on what Finnriver makes, why, and how good their perry really is. Can’t wait to check out their place up in Washington next time I … Read More
Initial Review | Finnriver Black Currant & Dry Hopped ciders
Apples, on their own, are pretty good. If Congress passed some law requiring all cider to be apples only, I’d be okay with that (you may too, considering the many thousands of apple varieties). But plain apple cider, despite all its tastiness, are GREAT when mixed with other flavorings. From apricot to cinnamon and hops to pepper, mixing it up … Read More
Meet The Cidermakers | Nathaniel West of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider
Rev Nat used to scare the hell out of me. He was this long-goateed, mysterious dude who seemed to be everywhere cider was being talked about, dared to MIX cider during the Schilling Cider launch at Bushwhacker Cider, and never responded with more words than necessary when I’d asked him about Providence last winter. If Jeff Smith of Bushwhacker Cider … Read More
Initial Review | Rev Nat’s Newtown Pippin
While I’m hard at work sampling Oregon ciders as research for the SECOND version of my book (we’re doing all Oregon ciders this time), I wanted to share some of my first drafts before they get researched, edited, and made into book-worthy chapters. While I’d love to post them daily, my cider drinking budget doesn’t currently allow me to consume … Read More
Seattle Cider Summit 2013
I came, I saw, I drank cider. Apparently I’m no longer a small minority either, as thousands of Seattleites joined me to do more of the same this past Friday and Saturday, September 6-7, at South Lake Union Discovery Center. As both a volunteer and a paid attendee, I’m going to break down the event from this unique perspective. 1. … Read More
Cider News for August 29 — Woodchuck introduces Cellar Series, Seattle Cider Summit Sept 6-7, and My Current Cider Favs
Woodchuck Launches New ‘Cellar Series’ Hard Cider Line “The cellar series is a really exciting project for us,” said Cider Maker John Matson. “It gives us the opportunity to take some of our most experimental, previously unreleased ciders, and put them in the hands of our fans. Dry Hop is a great balanced cider and it represents just the tip … Read More
Is Cider Girly?
The following article has been shared repeatedly be every cider-related person I know for the past few days. Hard Apple Cider — Is It Manly? Alcohol for men shouldn’t taste like juice; fruit flavors were defined as intrinsically “feminine” when Eve scarfed down that apple while Adam was BBQing bratwursts and earning all the family income. In my buddy’s opinion, … Read More
Cider and Lego Star Wars
Saturday afternoons and hell, most weekends, are often spent traveling, outside, volunteering and/or catching up on work that we couldn’t get done during the week. The wife and I usually spend the entirety of them together or completely apart, which makes for some…non-relaxing moments if we’re both stressed out. But this weekend there’s little to do work wise, no volunteering … Read More
The Clichéd Life
It feels childish to write in the first person. It feels immature to talk about my life as if I face unique challenges. It feels depressing to constantly compare what I’ve done to what I think I should have done. Yet, here I am, writing a post on a blog named after me. Some would say this is classic narcissism … Read More
Time For Cider Riot!
As cider grows more popular, it’s easy to cash in on the wave. Cideries will be born, books will be written and blogs will be created, each hoping to latch on to the momentum spearheaded by other people. But Cider Riot! is not one of those upstarts. Cidermaker Abram Goldman-Armstrong has been making cider each year for nearly 20 years, … Read More
Why I Drink Cider
Last night, while attending Willamette Week’s Best Of Portland party, I was re-introduced to Stella Artois’s cidre (that’s cider in the U.S.) for the second time. My initial reaction was one of disappointment, as I didn’t understand how a party allegedly meant to celebrate Portland featured a mass-produced drink that isn’t even from this country. After bitching to Martin Cizmar, … Read More
What Is Hard Cider?
I have a confession: when I first started drinking fermented apples with either hops, carbonation or neither or both, I called it hard cider. Why? Because most people think cider means spicy cinnamon drink served in the fall, usually with some sort of holiday-themed cookie. But the answer to what is hard cider is easy: it’s called cider, thank you … Read More
Welcome to HipCider
The first book, “HipCider: Beginner Guide to Cider in Portland” was published in June 2013. You can purchase the ebook from Amazon.com. Please pardon our dust as we build out the site with lots more cider knowledge…coming soon.
Thri(survi)ving Arizona
The first version of this post was bitter and biting. The second was funny. The third was an attempt at martyrdom. The fourth version read a lot like Karlie Hustle’s. The fifth version — the one you’re reading — is far less of a goodbye post than I planned to write. It’s impossible to say goodbye and mean it in … Read More
Scott Sigler’s The MVP Initial Impressions
I now own three books that I’m fairly confident would stop a bullet. Sigler wrote all of them.
Postcards From Gaping Void
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a Gaping Void fan. From prints to tshirts and books to Facebook Fan Pages, I’ve been part of Hugh MacLeod’s tribe for quite some time now. I dig his attitude, his approach to work and his ability to make people feel. That’s where his new postcards come in. This iOS app makes sending a … Read More
Urban Tea Loft Says So Long
I first met Glynis at ScottsdaleCamp many years ago. She was eager to connect with tea lovers, really liked sharing online, and loved to tell her stories. Katie and I have been to Urban Tea Loft for lunches, special event dinners, and Katie had our post-wedding brunch in their VIP room. It’s always sad to see a local business close, … Read More
I Am A Writer | YouAreAWriter.com | By Jeff Goins
Motivational books have always seemed wasteful to me. As are most declarations, protests that don’t involve at least the threat of violence and the idea saying something out loud is somehow more meaningful than thinking or typing it. I’ve always associated these sort of practices as faith-based, religion-heavy figments of other people’s imaginations that they used as crutches to feel … Read More
My Own Little Corner Of The Internet
Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void released a book last week. Freedom Is Blogging in Your Underwear is part manifesto, part love letter and part, well, I haven’t figured that out yet. In my own little corner of the internet, I’m king and servant; royalty and commoner. The first read disappointed me. While Hugh’s first two books were great, this one … Read More
Give a ball, get an AZ Diamondbacks experience
I’ve been a baseball fan all my life. I’ve attended countless Mariners games at the Kingdome, too few at Safeco, five-ish Spring Training games a year for nine years, and 30 or so Diamondbacks games. I’ve sat in the nosebleed seats, on the outfield seating grass, behind home plate and feet from the dugout. I’ve been in press boxes, clubhouses, … Read More
You Are A Writer | Jeff Goins | Book Review
People like Jeff Goins piss me off. They say things* like: Choose yourself I started over and it was worth it! It takes more than talent, it takes hard work! I am fabulous and obviously better than you because I did this thing! Being helpful is more important than being clever. It’s enough to make me want to hire a … Read More
Wordcamp Phoenix 2012
After attending Wordcamp Phoenix 2011, and hearing from multiple sources it was not only the best WordPress conference but best Phoenix-area conference they’d ever attended, I felt bad. Not bad in that I didn’t have a good time, because it was great. I gave a short presentation, attended a bunch of sessions, met some cool people and left with a … Read More
Why I’m a Lemonade Detroit Supporter
Volunteering for worthy causes is fantastic. It’s honest work, it usually involves some sort of physical labor (yay exercise), and it gives both the volunteer and those they’ve helped a good feeling. But sometimes volunteering isn’t enough. Sometimes people need food or shelter, money or jobs. Sometimes we have to open our wallets a little bit to help those who … Read More
People V. the State Of Illusion Opening (almost) Nationwide!
Now that Austin Vickers’s debut film will open nationwide in select cities (beginning March 2012), it’s time to share more about the profound impact this movie had on me. In my original review, I talked about the realizations I’ve made about life and how I planned to fix them. As part of this process, I agreed to attend Austin’s one-day … Read More
Ingrown Toenail Surgery & Post-Op Care (w/ pictures)
(The images shown here may be graphic to some or my hairy, bloody toes may offend you. If you’re worried, stop reading right now. For a look at what complete toenail removal and what getting that infected is like, click here.) My name is Tyler and I’ve been in an abusive relationship with my nails for as long as I … Read More
Tweet 100,000
I grew up wanting to be a writer, but it seems I’m more suited to be a tweeter. Never did I think I’d care much about past tweets, but now I’m very curious to read what is my online diary for the past four-ish years. Bet you’ll see a lot of funny, a lot of angry and a lot of … Read More
Thoughts on 100k Tweets
Need an excuse to meet friends for a rocking Happy Hour? No? Good. Wait, someone does? Okay, this Thursday from 4:30pm until whenever Nick Bastian and I will be celebrating #TD100k at Monti’s in Tempe. Let’s talk SOPA/PIPA, what a loudmouth you think I am or even about Monti’s owner Michael’s run for Tempe mayor. Or you can just show … Read More
Thoughts on SOPA & PIPA from a Napster kid
I was a Napster kid. Me and the rest of my frat brothers lived in the house that Paul Allen built in Greek Row on the Washington State University campus, which gave us access to the only T-1 line not controlled by the school. And because the server running the entire Greek system was in our attic, we had complete … Read More
Destiny whispers softly
“My mentor taught me that destiny whispers softly. It does not shout. It is not a bully, pushing us where we don’t want to go. It quietly nods to the choices we make. Over time, the consequences of these choices shape our destiny.” Mollie Marti, page 163, Walking With Justice I’ve never had a mentor. The closest I’ve come was … Read More
Had I Died Today
Turns out my reaction was, in part, caused by chronic stress stemming from PTSD thanks to an incident from 1999. Articles like this are a great way to understand my reactions to situations over the years, which has helped me get better. But if you’re coming here from r/portland, you’re not here to read this part, anyway. Have fun misinterpreting … Read More
Momentumer Than Elizabeth Newlin
Loved Elizabeth Newlin’s breakdown of her run so much I wrote my own. As part of my training for Tough Mudder, I run four miles 2-3 times a week (increase .5 to 1 mile each week) and run 1.3 miles barefoot and do the Tough Mudder workout twice a week. I’ve gained a bit of weight (both muscle and fat) … Read More
What Happened To CenPhoCamp?
I’m seldom completely satisfied with the work I do and what I ship. There’s always something that could have been done better, could have been started earlier and could have been promoted more. My life has been filled with rough drafts turned in as final copies, last-minute scrambling being good enough and a general sense of ‘I did the best … Read More
Steve Jobs, Imaginator
Whether you liked him or not, let him or not, Steve Jobs changed the lives of everyone who bought Apple products, and even those who bought competing ones. My love for Apple products has changed my life; whether it was igniting my interest in tinkering with computers at my dad’s print shop in 1986, making my living using Apple products … Read More
We Are All Weird – So Can You!
Facebook is an average service built for average people. Microsoft makes products for mass consumption. Apple tries to get consumers to conform to their visions rather than the other way around. Milk company promoters have somehow made us believe that milk is necessary our entire lives. Each of these groups sell their wares to masses of normal people (or provide … Read More
A meaningful life – State Of Illusion Movie Review
(I’m sure that blog posts like this are the reason my dad thinks I don’t have more clients and am not more successful in business. That being said, I don’t know of any other way to get this stuff out and I feel an obligation to share. Granted, this isn’t as inspiring as most of the other real writers I … Read More
15 minutes of fame with Torch Theatre
You can learn a lot watching yourself perform on a stage. From cadence to word choice and body language to wardrobe, it’s fascinating to see how others see me. At the end of July, I performed with Torch Theatre regular (part owner) Mack Duncan and retired improv-er Heidi Watson as part of the Cerebus Cup, which takes place every month … Read More
StorytellersAZ Podcast
Thanks to a little motivation from the Domino Project, my goal of hosting and producing a podcast has FINALLY been reached. Thanks to all the guests/hosts we’ve had so far. No idea why the episodes are numbered incorrectly. iTunes link
All stars and social media on ABC15
Was part of a piece that ABC15’s Kirk Yuhnke did on how MLB uses social media. Felt it was required that I wear my new hat from my brother.
A-Listers still don’t care about you
The announcement of and the invite to Google’s latest attempt at social networking brought with it hopes of an internet utopia: users sharing specific, relevant content to groups divided either by relationship to or shared interest. Finally, I could share tech news with those I consider business associates, pet pics with my family and x-rated comments and images with my … Read More
All-Star FanFest Walkthrough
Fun time-lapse video I made as part of the DPJ’s All-Star Week coverage. First time I’ve done a walkthrough with a video camera and first time I used the time-lapse functionality on the GoPro. Background music is 0805 from Idiotape. South Korean band that played at SXSW 2011.
Accidental Creative Review
It feels wrong realizing how easy it is to make things harder on myself. Putting things off, starting new projects and avoiding tough tasks all make for a guilty feeling whenever I go to bed not having finished what I’d hoped to that day. I sit here today with less than 7k words to write in a book I’ve been … Read More
Startups, Startup Weekend and failure
Starting a business is hard. Running a business is even harder. Starting a business in one weekend is damn near impossible. But I just watched 13 teams develop ideas into real-world, viable models in right around 54 hours. Local food, NFC-enabled business cards, writing lessons for kids and a new way to bring back that old birthday excitement highlighted the … Read More
Be f***ing awesome to someone today
I don’t care who it is, who you are or who you know. I don’t care if you’re successful, poor or scraping by. Doesn’t matter if you’re usually a jerk or always get picked on. Makes no difference if you’ve never volunteered or always volunteer. Be fucking awesome to someone today. Could be your cubicle buddy, car pool pal, the … Read More
Grammarly – Write Gooder
I’ve never taken a writing class, have little clue what most grammar terms mean and prefer logical punctuation over the nonsense American method. While I make my living as a writer, I freak out when another writer reads or mentions my work. I have no idea what they’re talking about when they use grammatical terms. Dangling preposition? Uh… Too many … Read More
Self Reliance (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
I love the words, love the axe and love the overall message of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self Reliance, the third book released under Seth Godin’s Domino Project (I’m a member of the street team). I wanted to love this entire book, but I just can’t. Perhaps my digitally inclined, ADHD-addled brain just can’t process long-form writing much anymore or perhaps … Read More
Hangover Live Blog
I’ve never seen The Hangover. I don’t know how it ends, but I do know who’s in it, that there’s a baby involved and that Mike Tyson likely punches someone. Because I’ll be watching Hangover 2 at a bachelor party in a few weeks, I figured it was time to get 2009’s most popular comedy under my movie-watching belt. If … Read More
Bad PR—will Phoenix please stand up?
A few months ago, I wrote about Jason Hope of JAWA and his alleged text messaging scams on the now-retired Valley PR Blog. I bashed The Lavidge Company for their involvement, but nothing came of it. Now, after what I think were attempts to bribe me to remove the posts and the Facebook, Google and Burson-Marsteller scandal, I figured it … Read More
It’s okay to be selfish
Today, I gave $5 to a gas station clerk and instructed him to apply it to a guy named Bradford (Army reservist?) in fatigues. A few days ago, I was offered money to retract public criticism I’d made about a local tech company’s owner. Instead, I told everyone I know about it. I’ve given money to Lemonade:Detroit, The Torch Theatre … Read More
Thank you, Yuri Artibise
You may not know Yuri Artibise, but you should. He’s a policy wonk. He’s an activist. He cares more about a country that he’s not even a citizen of than most of us. A few months ago, Yuri ran ItsUpToMeAZ, a full-day conference designed to get the right people together to save Arizona. He invited Valley leaders, change makers, business … Read More
Digital etiquette – how rude are you?
The first time I met Steven Groves, I thought he was a bit of a jerk. We were at the first REBarCamp, and he approached me just after I entered through the main gate. He walked up, we shook hands and he started talking while I pulled out my iPhone to reply to a buzz. Steven did not keep talking … Read More
Would You Pay To Read This Blog?
The era of free is over. It was a good run and I hope everyone learned a ton, but the idea that information/entertainment is sustainable solely through advertising is dead. In most cases, that is, unless you have hundreds of thousands of readers, the page views most sites attract won’t produce the click throughs and ad rates necessary to sustain … Read More
Content Marketing Workshop by Vertical Measures
Google just updated its search algorithm. Named Panda, I have no idea what it stands for, what it means to my search results OR how it will affect content production. But Arnie Kuehn and Vertical Measures do, and they’re willing to show you at their Content Marketing Workshop on April . It’s a full day of content strategies, development and … Read More
Donate a kidney, save a life…get fired?
(Update: Amy’s surgery isn’t scheduled until April 19. I’ve amended the opening paragraph to reflect such. This is why you shouldn’t write provocative stories without a few hours of research, everyone. Thanks to Si Robins and Amy Donohue for the correction.) Local comedienne and former Gannett Local employee Amy Donohue recently donated a kidney to a woman she’d never met. … Read More
Gary Vaynerchuk (@GaryVee) on small business, social media and The Thank You Economy
I’m not much of a celebrity fan. I don’t follow them on Twitter, I don’t watch them on TV and I generally avoid seeing them speak. Even most of the “web” celebs typically annoy me, as they mostly have become caricatures of themselves, spewing the kind of duh garbage they would have ridiculed years ago. Perhaps this is part envy, … Read More
Roll In For Japan
We have pop-up restaurants, so why not pop-up events? Roll In For Japan is over two hours of two dozen restaurants and local businesses helping raise funds for the Grand Canyon Red Cross and the crisis in Japan. Roll In For Japan, to be held March 30 from 6-9pm, is asking $20 at the door, to be given directly to … Read More
Jason Hope’s (JAWA/Cylon) lawyers send cease and desist to AZDisruptors
Oh, these incident regarding Jason Hope of JAWA/Cylon’s alleged text messaging scams are getting a bit more interesting. It seems Hamid over at AZDisruptors has grabbed the attention of their lawyers for continuing to make allegations against Hope and company. They sent him a cease and desist letter. In this letter, they outlined a few things – Hamid’s statements rose … Read More
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
I know when companies are trying to sell me. I can also tell when TV shows and movies go far out of their way not to. And I usually don’t care. Bills need to get paid, and when it comes to events, websites and tons of TV shows, advertising pays them well. I’m so okay with advertising that I’d honestly … Read More
How To Fail: The Self-Hurt Guide (book review)
This book pissed me off. While I’m only near halfway through, I absolutely loathe this book. The smug satisfaction, the elitist attitude and the nonchalance that the author displays when documenting his (mostly true…I think) failures hit me in the only place that I have little protection. My id. This book makes me feel exactly like I think I would … Read More
How To Handle Bad Press
Online rumors can never, EVER be put back in the bag. Try as the PR world might, eliminating the source of negative allegations against a client is an impossible task. The Lavidge Company, representatives for the recently accused Jason Hope of JAWA/Cylon, has drawn the highly unenviable work. While I certainly didn’t expect them to follow any of my previous … Read More
Is Jason Hope (JAWA/Cylon) A Scam?
You’d think this kind of operation would be handled overseas, but local boy Jason Hope of JAWA has been accused of running a home-grown text messaging scam right here in Scottsdale.