I flew back yesterday from Austin and here's what I learned during my summer vacation:
- Long vacations are the way to go, short trips become all about the process -- packing, traveling, unpacking, traveling -- long vacations allow you to have travel amnesia for at least a while.
- Austin is booming. I always rallied against expansion when I lived there, but now the skyline is dotted with condo construction projects, malls and retail chains are sprouting all over the north side, and the east side is quickly gentrifying. (a word I picked up living in Chicago) I really love Austin, but I'm a little weary about all this growth. Yep, I'm one of those people who only want the good things for themselves.
- I must like what I do -- typically when I'm on vacation I don't like to talk about work. So much so that when people ask, "so what do you do?" in that kind of small-talk getting to know me way, I answer, "Ummm, I don't know" and then they rightly/wrongly assume I'm a jerk and move on. But on this trip I found myself consulting friends, family and random strangers about social media and social marketing.
- If you can dream it, you can accomplish it ... I did everything on my Top 10 Things to Do in Austin list while I was in town, that's right, everything (and some of them a few times). I had you in mind, dear reader, as I borrowed cars, begged for rides, and cajoled acquaintances to cart me around while I finished off the list.
- A lot can happen while you're gone ... I have a Google Reader with over 1000 entries for me to scan through and an inbox that I've been scrolling through since 9am.
I learned quite a bit more, but most are not easily distilled into bullet point form or may not be safe-for-work. It's good to be back with you.
Comments