We live in a bubble…and I love it!
A few years ago, I sat across the table from a London colleague who said with great passion, “You all live in a f*cking bubble in San Francisco,” and I agreed with him.
I fell in love with the beauty of San Francisco the first time I visited in October 2007. I was only in town for 4 days, but before I was boarding the plane back to Madison, WI, I had decided I was moving to the West coast. Just 6 months later, I sold all my furniture, packed my car, and drove across the U.S. to my new home. My love for the city continued to grow as I experienced the sites, parks, food, wine, and special events calendar that never fails to offer something for everyone. I also enjoyed getting messages from friends all over the world saying they were coming to SF to visit and wanted to hang out. No one ever visited Madison, WI.
So let’s get back to this bubble comment…
It was February 2008. We were in the middle of a major economic crisis. People were losing jobs and it wasn’t pretty. I had only been in the Bay area for less than a year and wasn’t making much myself. It was a stressful and depressing time for most.
When my colleague mentioned the bubble, he may have been referencing the ‘tech bubble’ we are familiar with. But that’s not the bubble I love. While it’s been exciting to see technology bloom over the past few years from the heart of the industry, I’m more impressed with the people BEHIND the technology everyone uses; the entrepreneurs.
Let’s be honest…San Francisco is NOT a cheap city to live in. Cost-of-living is a lot higher and I often can’t believe I pay more for my rent than most friends pay for their mortgages in other cities across the country. But there’s a reason people live here and continue to move here. The entrepreneur spirit that creates the bubble around the Bay area. This spirit is one of passion…creation…dedication, and not one that’s only focused on money.
So yes, I truly believe we live in a bubble in this city I, and many others, love so much. There’s plenty of room in the bubble and it isn’t just for tech. It’s an Equal Opportunity Bubble that embraces art, health, food, wine, environment, and all shapes and colors.
Are you passionate? Creative? Dedicated? You have an open invite into the bubble…
*Cheers,
My 2013 #Themeword is Balance
It’s that time of year again…the time when we reflect on the past year and look forward to what’s to come in the brand new shiny year ahead of us. We talk about what we learned from the previous 365 days while setting goals to improve ourselves.
A few years ago, some friends decided to select a personal #Themeword each year instead of a resolution. A word to give us hope and remind us of what we think is important to focus on. My themeword from 2012 was Passionate and while I didn’t remind myself of this word throughout the year, I do believe it was an theme in many areas of my life. Truth be told, I couldn’t even remember what my word was until today when I tried to remember what it was.
I believe that I’m at a place in my life now where I am passionate about what I’m doing in life. This has been a constant reminder for me over the past few years as I hope everyone can always be passionate about what they are doing in life. If you can make money while doing your passion, that’s a freaking bonus! Bottom line…love what you’re doing and if you’re not loving it, then move on to something else.
This past year has been one of highs and lows and includes starting an event production company that has been very successful. I’m creating the business and life that I’m passionate about and it’s an amazing place to be. I’ve worked hard to get to this point and look forward to what 2013 has in store for me.
So why “balance” for my themeword this year? As I’ve started the business, I’ve really focused on making sure that I have a good work/life balance and am making sure that I’m keeping myself as a top priority. But more than work/life balance, I really want to work on things like fitness, eating healthy, staying educated, and challenging myself. This is quite a list and will definitely require balance of my schedule, my thoughts, and my intentions in order to enhance the life I want to live.
Here’s to a year full of balance!
*Cheers,
Golden Gate Bridge turns 75!
I was out of town during the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the Golden Gate Bridge, but I did catch the tweet that @dspark shared of this video. What a show! I can’t even imagine the planning behind this phenomenal production. Congrats Red, you don’t look a day over 21!
Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary Fireworks Celebration from KFOG Radio 104.5/97.7 on Vimeo.
What are you doing New Year’s Eve?
This seriously makes me smile. I’d LOVE to hang out with Zooey and Joe!
More big news…I’m joining the INFORUM Board of Directors!
A few months ago, Julie Crabill planted a seed that I ignored for a while. I decided recently that it was time to give some attention to that seed and see what it was all about. I had a meeting a few weeks ago with Caroline Moriarity-Sacks, Director of INFORUM at The Commonwealth Club of California, and am happy to announce that I am joining the INFORUM Board of Directors as the Programming Co-Chair. I’ll be focused on creating fun and engaging experiences YOU would want to attend. I mean, it’s what I do best, right?
If you’re not familiar with INFORUM, you should be! INFORUM is the fastest growing division of The Commonwealth Club, as well as one of the largest professional groups for people in their 20′s and 30′s in the Bay Area. The numbers this past year have increased significantly and I’m going to tell all of you ‘early adopters’ to check it out if you haven’t already.
INFORUM produces events across numerous verticals including business, culture, environment, food, politics, media, tech and science, so there’s something for everyone! Recent speakers include Spike Lee, Reid Hoffman, Jaime Oliver, Gavin Newsom, and Michael Minna. Recent topics that have been covered include Doing Business in China, Soldiers Back from Iraq, Urban Singles, Hot Young Chefs, Online Personas, The State of the Arts in San Francisco, and Middle East History 101. Surely SOMETHING on that list interests you.
To stay in the know about what’s coming up, you have a few options:
- Become a member of INFORUM to receive discounted ticket prices, invites to member only events and be first to know what’s coming up!
- Follow INFORUM on Twitter at @INFORUMsf for upcoming event info, quick tidbits and local highlights.
- Friend us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/INFORUMsf. Check out who else ‘likes’ us, detailed info on events and share your thoughts on what events you’d like to attend.
- Join our group on LinkedIn to professionally connect with other members.
You can also purchase tickets to the next event on December 1, How To Get Your Holiday Squeeze On: Sex & Dating in SF. Who’s bringing the mistletoe?
*Cheers,
Celebrating Samasource at the Give Work Gala
Take note of the name Samasource as it’s one you should definitely know about. In short, they bring dignified, computer-based work to women, youth, and refugees living in poverty. There’s a huge trend of outsourcing work, no matter how big or how small the job is, but Samasource takes that trend and uses it for training and educating workers in Africa with Samasource account managers and QA professionals overseeing the work. In their words:
Samasource is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects people living in poverty to work via the Internet. In parallel, we provide high-quality content moderation, data entry, and other outsourcing services to clients including LinkedIn, Intuit, and the US State Department.
Samasource’s San Francisco-based sales and delivery teams work with clients to move large data projects to a proprietary online work distribution system, the SamaHub. Dedicated, full-time workers around the world access the SamaHub from delivery centers monitored by Samasource staff. Samasource account managers and QA professionals ensure quality, accuracy, and fast turnaround times.
Samasource derives its name from the Sanskrit word sama, which means equal, and was founded in 2008. The company’s board and management team includes experts in the fields of distributed work, economic development, and outsourcing.
I remember meeting Leila Janah, Founder and CEO, a few years ago and talking with her about ways we could work together. Things didn’t pan out much at that time, but I’ve followed the Samasource success ever since. I’m quick to share about them with others and have often suggested Leila as a speaker for social good events and conferences.
I’m very honored to have received an invite to the Give Work Gala this evening and am excited to celebrate the amazing work Samasource has done over the past year as well as what’s coming up in their future. If you’re interested in learning how to get involved by giving work, donating or volunteering, please check them out.
Super Bass brings super excitement!
I’m don’t usually watch videos that are shared via Facebook, but am so glad I came across this video earlier this week. It literally brought tears to my eyes watching how excited Sophia Grace is to meet her idol, Nicki Minaj.
Ellen first interviews Sophia and her cousin, Rosie. This girl is going to be a triple threat with her voice, dancing (you’ll see in the next video) and her British accent!
*I also love pink…and fluffy dresses!
And then Ellen brings Nicki to the stage. I love the message that Nicki gives to Sophia and Rosie.
This little girl just can NOT contain her excitement…but why should she? Let me just say that Sophia is inspiration for me to learn Super Bass to rock out at karaoke sometime soon.
Hoping you find something exciting this week that makes you jump up and down. 
*Cheers,
