Well, let's see...this week I...wrapped up a gear review of Brunton's Wind River Range for
SNEWS; wrapped up and followed up on edits on a Summer Gear Trends
report on
new packs, tents, and sleeping bags that will be introduced at OR;
finished writing first draft copy of pack, storm shell, and soft shell
reviews for
the Fall 08 Outside Buyer's Guide; finished researching and reporting
and wrote a Mountain Gazette cover story on mountain bikes and the
Roadless
Rule
lands; wrote up products for Men's Journal's Style and Design issue;
began work on stories on the future of retail and online marketing that
I will
be
writing for Friedrickhoffen's new OutDoor Handbook; and continued
to assign and plan and take phone calls and email for the OR Show
Dailies;
and
met with Carol Kauder form Category One to wrap up the research project
we just completed for Big Green Rabbit/Texture Media and talk about
future
porjects.
And somewhere in the midst of that I have my own
web/site/blog to update and a business called SustainAbler.com that is
getting somewhat
neglected at this point. Oh, and on top of that I helped my wife (who
also works full time as an editor) take care of our one year old and
four year
old--so lots of visits to the park, bike/stroller excursions, splashing
in the creek, books (Eric Carle's versions of Hans Christian Anderson
and
Brown Bear, Brown Bear are current favorites).
Got to visit with Garret
and Holly Graubins (Garret formerly worked at TNF and Trail Runner;
Holly at
Backbone) and their son Sawyer, who just moved to Boulder for the Bay
Area. I spend far too much time on my aggregator (Talking Points Memo,
Josh
Spear, PSFK, HUff Post, The Goat, Cool Hunting...) OH and I have a dump
of a house that needs tons of work. And I have been addicted to the NBA
Finals
(spending years as a bartender in Boston made me a Boston sports
junkie).
I'm also reading Ghostwritten by one of my favorite authors
David Mitchell,
poet Robert Hass's Time and Materials, and a book called The Divine
Right of Capital that Eric Reynolds gave to me. On the iPod: Of
Montreal, The
Kinks, The National, Devotchka, new Stones (surprisingly good), M.
Ward, Pinback, Yo La Tengo. Planning on riding Centennial Cone or some
other big
mtb ride (Ned to town?) this weekend and hope to get some trail runs
in on the amazing trails out my back door. I skateboarded (Arbor
longboard)
to the café to work today.
Oddly, I like this life. I love the
challenge of being a freelancer. Like the freedom (ha, when?) of
working for
myself, and I actually feel somewhat secure having my fingers in so
many pies. I get to spend more time with my kids even if I have to work
late at
night. I love consumer mag writing-was really pleased with my profile
of Alessandro Benetton and his micro-credit program with Yousou N'Dour
(on
newsstands now) and I got to go to Iceland a few weeks back.
Still get
some big days--did a hardcore climb and ski down a sketchy line that's
only
open this year because we have so much snow on 14er Torreys. Plan to
ride Walker Ranch at night. I also have been somewhat keeping up with
literary
pursuits--publishing a lyrical travel essay on Tunisia in Mare Nostrum,
a lit journal that was born from the UW Rome program of which I was one
of
the
first student instructors; and our fairly serious poetry group still
meets once a month. I have new grey hairs. I can still show up CU punks
20 years
younger than me playing pickup basketball. I smile and laugh everyday
thanks to my kids. I still practice some yoga, tai chi or meditation
late at
night.
