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Musings

The day has come! Sabbatical ’11 begins

The day has finally arrived! I’ve done what I can at work to prepare. The bags are packed (the two bags in the pic above is everything I’m bringing), ride to the airport is scheduled, and I’m freshly showered for the last time until I arrive in Prague. This trip and time away from work has been building up so much in my mind, from excitement of the adventure to the anxieties and fears of being away from pretty much everything I know for a whole month.

Ever since this opportunity for a sabbatical was given at work, I told a friend I wanted this time to be “life changing.” I’ve mentioned this before here on the blog, but I’m realizing that just preparing for this trip, being willing to travel solo, choosing to go somewhere far away, and be out of my comfort zone has already begun the process.

My nerves are calm this morning as I await my ride and stare out the living room windows. The next time I post something, I will be in Europe. And to my friend and fellow blogger J, do expect that some of my blogging will be very pretentious. 🙂

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Musings Random

Planning to Unplug

In a bit of irony, a couple weeks ago I recently got into a discussion with a client (who’s also a friend) about unplugging from everything while we were discussing a Twitter application developed by the company I work for. She was talking about the anxiety that’s already building up as she plans an unplugged weekend. While I won’t exactly be completely “off the grid” during my sabbatical, I will definitely not be as accessible overseas (phone, text, no work email) as I am now.

I’ve unplugged before for a couple days here and there during camping trips and the like. What I’ve found so interesting about those times when I actually don’t stay so connected is that I’m OK disconnected. The world doesn’t stop if I don’t read an email or text and reply 30 seconds after it’s delivered. I don’t worry about keeping up with what the latest trends are on Twitter or what my friends are sharing (or complaining) about on Facebook. We all worry life will fall apart without being online and available. Somehow we all found ways to live without it growing up, at least those of us in their upper 20’s and above. As children, nobody told us we needed to be connected to be well adjusted and “better” human beings. (Well, perhaps I won’t speak for newer parents and kids who won’t know a life without ubiquitous high speed Internet most everywhere they go.)

Being in cultures that have been formed in rich histories and still exist in them will bring new perspectives and chances to reflect and see the world. I hope to connect to people around me in real life (“IRL”) and spend more time away from this Internet thing. I’ll be forced to because I’m not going to be near anyone I know, so if I want to be social at all, it will have to be with people I don’t know right now.

After talking to a friend this week, I’m also giving some considerable thought to taking a break from Facebook for the month, save for posting blog updates. So consider it a warning to any Facebook readers here: if you want me to know what’s going on in your life, I expect an email from you or some time where we hang out together – in person even! – when I return to the US. And if you want to keep up with me, email me to ask or follow me here.

Don’t worry, you’ll still get updates from me via trip details, (probably new) perspectives on life, and see a few photos once in a while, just don’t expect it too frequently for the next month.

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Musings Opinion

Sabbatical: 7 days and counting

It’s amazing how quickly time moves. I feel like it was just 2 months ago that I was buying plane tickets to Prague and still a bit unsure about what it was I actually going to do on this trip. As of today, I have a bit more outlined, but am leaning toward my “P” tendencies (of the INFP personality type as defined by Myers-Briggs) and want to leave some of the trip in a more undefined state. Hostels are aplenty in Europe and tickets for train rides don’t get crazy expensive if you don’t purchase them months in advance.

I feel like I’ve already gone through a lot of internal change just in preparing for this trip. The fact that I’ve mentally prepared to take this trip by myself has brought upon some anxiety and concern. But then friends have reached out and put me in touch with people they know in places I’m going so I’ll have people to reach out to and possibly even hang out with. It’s through these actions that I’m reminded people here are thinking of me as I prepare to travel to far away lands.

With just one business week left before I go, I’m realizing I have much to do and a bit of knowledge to share with coworkers to allow them to work well in my absence over this next month. I also have a lot of personal activities and hanging out with people prior to my trip, along with more things to buy (of course.) I have just all about my tech needs resolved with my DSLR and a small, but powerful enough, laptop to handle my photo editing and uploading, along with my pretentious blogging needs (right, Joy?)

My hope is that all of you who read my blog and keep up with my travels and reflections will share comments here and join with me in the journey. While I’ll be traveling alone, I know I’ll still be connected to people. Though I hope not to be tethered to a laptop and the Internet whenever I’m not sight seeing.

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Musings

Sabbatical ’11 – 3 weeks and counting

It’s hard to believe my trip is only 3 weeks away. There is so much I feel like I need to do at work to prepare alongside my actual trip preparations. At times, it’s difficult to find the motivation to plan stuff by myself. Really, it’s just me so I can be flexible. The part I have to schedule is transportation and housing (though this is less stressful due to the large amounts of hostels in the bigger cities of Europe.

Thankfully, my first two weeks of lodging in Prague are taken care of. To boot, it’s only costing me $225 US! You have to love that. And that leaves more money for food, drinks, sightseeing, etc. I have no idea what I intend to see and do during those first two weeks, but I fully except there will be a lot of walking, photographing, sitting in cafes and parks reading and writing, and possibly meeting people in the hostels and hanging out with them as well. Admittedly, that will be a stretch for me. Then again, doing this whole trip solo will be a stretch.

The biggest thing that keeps going through my head about this sabbatical is I want it to be life changing on some level, which I’ve talked about with a good friend for a while now. What “life changing” means has been difficult to explain, even to myself. All I know is I want to come back shaped by my experiences, by time away from the routine and regular responsibilities of day to day life. I’d love to have a clearer vision of what’s ahead for me, personally and professionally.  That stretches from my roles in friendships/relationships, my leadership and management at work, taking care of myself physically, mentally, spiritually. All that time in Prague at the beginning will hopefully create that space I’m looking for to process all the thoughts that are constantly running around in my mind.

Stay tuned as I decide on where to go for part or all of week 3 of the sabbatical. I just found out Easyjet flies to Prague, so that opens up a few cities farther away for low prices. But in the spirit of the trip being life-changing, where should I go?

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Musings Random

My (Missing) Childhood Stories

What is it that makes my life stand out among those of my friends and everyone else I know? What about my life and history makes me different? Plenty of things, of course! My story is certainly not exactly like anyone else’s, as I’m sure your story is unique to you as well. Yet the word “story” is a large driver of why I’m writing.

There is no doubt that I was raised well, was cared for, and all my core needs were met. As a kid, you don’t know what you’re missing out on because you simply are unaware of their existence. You are (mostly) content with what you have. For the most part, I believe this was the case with me. I had friends, played with toys, Matchbox cars, Legos, He-Man action figures, Lincoln Logs… you get the idea. I even watched some cartoons and other TV shows in my youth. I wasn’t totally sheltered from the world.

However, as I got older and made friends in college and beyond, during times of reminiscing about our youth and sharing stories of what captured our imagination as children, I found that our shared experiences and knowledge, particularly with items of some cultural reference, did not overlap with great frequency. Many of my friends grew up as young children in the 80’s and recall a number of classic TV shows that I was apparently completely out of the loop on. A lot of kids movies, namely many classic Disney and those they released during my youth years and into the 90’s, were and many still are completely unknown to me. Perhaps the one pressing on my mind most is that I’m so void of childhood story book memories. As I see friends talk of sharing books with their kids from their own childhood, I look on with a lack of understanding of what that means. I have no memory of having my parents read to me and my brother. These stories never told weren’t there to capture my imagination and take me to places that didn’t really exist anywhere but in my head. This could explain my love of making up worlds with Legos and later on in video games like Sim City, though these worlds always had some grounding or basis from real life.

I’ve thought to myself on numerous occasions, “Well, why not just rent all those movies you missed and read all those children’s books you never read and be caught up?” Sure, I could do that, but that’s not exactly the point for me. The experience of taking in those stories the first time as a child is something you cannot recreate as an adult. That is what is lost forever. That is what I lament now.

Now I realize there is little I can do about this, save for renting all those movies and reading all those books and catch up. It won’t replace what I missed out on while I grew up, but I suppose that head knowledge should count for something for now. If I ever have my own kids someday, reading some of these stories to them for the first time will fulfill that void from my own childhood. For now, that space in my heart will need to remain as it is and I’ll need to work out what to do with all that extra room.

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Musings

Home Ownership One Year Later

Today marks my first anniversary of being in my first house. When I step back and think about it, it’s really quite surprising how much has been accomplished in that time as far as house projects/updates go, from painting to new bathrooms and windows. I’ve also learned more about sump pumps and home maintenance! Owning a home truly keeps you on your toes and is spend to spend money on pretty much any time of year.

Then there’s the personal side of the journey, arguably the more interesting part. This year, I got to see my roommate of almost 3 years begin the next stage of his life as he went overseas to fulfill his mission and dream that started so many years ago. I’ve learned how to fix things around a house with the help of neighbors and family. I remember how much I somewhat like cutting the grass every week during the summer. And through an old lawn mower, I’ve found that neighbors can be incredibly kind and helpful in assisting me in cleaning my mower to letting me borrow theirs when mine breaks. I also aspire to make sure my home is one that is open, even when I think I have nothing to offer others. It’s something I think I need to be stretched in.

As a friend of mine said to me today, “one down, twenty nine more to go!” Thanks for reminding me of all those mortgage payments. It’s just what I needed today. 🙂

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Musings

Sabbatical ’11 aka Sabbatical ’10 rescheduled

Back in December 2009, my company’s CEO made a pretty shocking announcement at our annual holiday party. For everyone who has been with the company for 10 years or longer, he is offering a paid one month sabbatical. It requires that the employee take the time off all at once and that it is a time completely disconnected from the company. No email, no phone calls, no coming to the office for any reason. At the time, I had been at this company for 9 1/2 years. The only other people who had been there longer was the CEO/founder and our president. (Actually, this fact is still true today. 11 years and counting!)

Needless to say, it was quite the surprise to everyone in attendance. All I could think about was “wow, in 6 months I’ll be able to take a whole month off from work! What should I do? Where should I go?” So the process of vetting locations began. In the spring of 2010, I was pretty well set on going to Iceland and Prague. I even had gone as far as purchasing my tickets for the flight there and back.

Fast forward to the first week of June. Due to some staffing changes in my department that saw a programmer leave us and us eliminating another position within the course of a week, I was down from a full department of 6 to 4. My conscience wasn’t able to let go of the responsibilities of running IT given how busy we were and the fact that we’d be down to 3 people for a month. So, of my own volition I decided to cancel my trip originally scheduled for September 2010 to a date in the future. During that summer, a lot of other things happened, such as finding a new programmer (who’s working out great by the way) and me deciding it was time to make some roots in my current hometown and purchase my first home.

After the dust settled, in the fall of 2010 I began again the planning of taking my trip in spring of 2011. In early November, my most senior developer gave me his two week resignation. At this point, I again rescheduled my trip, but thankfully I hadn’t purchased tickets just yet. I began to wonder if this trip would ever become reality for me. Thus began the long search to find another programmer.

Fast forward a few months. We are back to a team of 5 as of a couple months ago and things are looking good for me to finally go in mid-September through mid-October. The planning process for what to do, where to stay, etc., will be going into full effect very soon. I will be sharing some thoughts as I prepare myself for the longest period of time away from this job, and really anything else, since my teen years. I’m working to learn and fully appreciate what this sabbatical can be for me personally and how I can make the most of this opportunity. Come back here for more reflections in the next few weeks.

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Musings

Living for the After Party

I’ll admit it: I enjoy being the guy who’s there when the party wraps up, being the last person at the office who locks up and turns off all the lights, or the last person who goes to bed once everyone else has fallen asleep. It’s that window of time of lingering, of simply being, where something unique is in the air.

It’s a peaceful moment that can last just a few seconds or several hours. At a party or any large gathering, there comes a point at the event where being around so many people becomes mentally and emotionally draining. I may be having a great time, but so much (usually surface level) social interaction wears me out. But if I can make it through to the end, when most people filter out of the room and I’m left with a smaller pool of folks to interact with, I find a new energy to draw from. The group gets smaller, the necessity of “working the crowd” and typical empty chatter falls away and you’re left with the after party.

The “after party” is that time where you can stop being the entertainer. You’re no longer making sure you said “Hi!” to everyone. The primary purpose of said event is done. Your responsibilities are completed and you fall back into a place of just being yourself. You take that time to soak in the day, to revel in the presence of the friends around you that are just chilling out in that snippet of time. People are more willing to open up and talk without rushing, to go deeper into a conversation, and be there with you. I love these spaces because they can come and go so quickly, but are ever so rewarding. There’s a lightness to the air, an unexpected joy and appreciation for life that lingers, that’s impossible to create by choice.

Next time we’re at a party or some sort of large gathering together, don’t be surprised if you notice me really starting to break out of my party shell as the event progresses and the crowds thin out. It’s in that after party time I find I can truly connect with others and enjoy the atmosphere and appreciate the relationships with people who are there.