Oh the many feet, er, tweeps you meet

NOTICE: This entry contains much Tweetspeak

The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss is a literary rock star to children. There’s so many to remember, however this last week got me thinking of “The Foot Book”. Okay, for those of you with podophobia (fear of feet), you probably wouldn’t like it. But the feet fetish folks are now salivating…take it easy! But seriously, we can determine whether we meet many or few feet, small feet, big feet, or even pig feet (oink, oink). It’s a matter of putting ourselves out there and embracing the unexpected. Right feet, left feet, meet feet, TWEET feet!

This book came to mind after all of the many, many feet, er, tweeps I met this past week. I’ve been in Chicago for just three months now and this is the first week I’ve felt the floodgates really open wide. It started with my friend @catherineellen, whom I met at a @SMCChicago event back in January. She invited me to this Tweetup for those who were #notatsxsw. And at this event, I met more fantastic people than I could have imagined.

And they are all local to Chicago. So instead of simply conversing via Twitter, I’ll actually get to meet and hang out with these people IRL (in real life..took me awhile to get that at first). However, getting to meet those who don’t live in or near Chicago is also rewarding – my meeting @elliebpr is proof of this (check out her blog post).

After spending one evening with @catherinellen, @SamiAri, @chanthana, @manamica, @FeliciaCago, @Spiewak, @stephdem, @stacyjill,@mattchevy and SO many more, it reminds me that we can never predict the “many, many feet we’ll meet”.

The Foursquare Adventures of Jeff & Josh!

Badges! Gives me the BADGES! :: shakes, tremors ::

Chicago Blues

Okay, so I’m not really a Foursquare addict…well maybe a little. I’ll blame the shakes on the coffee.

This weekend me and @McGeffers are planning a one-day trip through Chicago to obtain all THREE Chicago Foursquare badges. For a rundown of the three badges and what they all entail, visit Explore Chicago.

I’ve only been on Foursquare for about a month now, but I’m completely fascinated with the concept, per my previous post. My friend @McGeffers gave me a call and said, “Hey, I have an idea…do you want to take a day to get all three Chicago Foursquare badges?” I was ecstatic, yelling YES!!! We both agreed it would be indefensible and a completely new level of nerd if we went on this adventure solo. Isn’t that obvious?

Celery Salt

So we’re plotting out a map, prepping our muscles by doing stretches and conditioning workouts, and packing a hearty lunch (j/k on that one…we have to eat a Chicago hot dog to earn the Celery Salt badge!). This Saturday, rain or shine, we’ll be tweeting our adventure, bringing along a FlipCam, and welcoming anyone who wants to join us on our journey to Mordor, er, the John Hancock!

While it may sound easy to simply bounce from location to location, checking-in, and earning the badges, it’s much more than that. We don’t take this journey lightly. There are many who have come before us, blazed the trail, and probably several who stubbed a toe or shattered their iPhone. Mental and physical preparation is a must.

So feel free to follow both @joshuakhersh and @McGeffers this Saturday or join us in person to earn these three fabulous Chicago badges.

On Location

If you can’t join us, feel free to suggest a theme song we should use for our journey or simply follow us on Twitter on Saturday!

– God’s speed

UPDATE 2:41pm : Thanks for the mention @explorechicago — we won’t let ya down!

UPDATE 4:35pm: thanks to @ChicagoEmbassy for the RT!

Clark Street and My Inner Foodie

So I’ve only been in Chicago for a little over a week now, but I’ve managed to find several places that satisfy my inner-foodie. While I’ve been to several places so far, three stand out..and they all happen to be on Clark Street.

The first is Noble Tree Coffee. It’s a spacious, three-level coffee shop that is supposedly known for its delicious pie, which I have yet to try. What sticks out right away is that they have a lot of SPACE. That can be difficult to find in coffee shops these days. The first floor comes with a nice fire, perfect for cold days, and plenty of plug-ins for laptops — generosity to techies. The second floor also has a variety of seating: couches, round tables, tables for two…and I have yet to venture to the third floor (can’t do it all at once!). I have been satisfied with everything that I’ve had there so far.

The second place is just down the street and it fulfills my unrelenting sweet tooth – called Molly’s Cupcakes. Who doesn’t like cupcakes!? Get it the way you want for just $2.00 + a little extra for toppings (I love the Reese’s Pieces or brownie bites). It’s a cozy little place with really friendly service. So the next time you need something sweet, head over to Molly’s Cupcakes. It’s just the right amount of sweet after a hearty meal.

Last, but not least is Sultan’s Market. I really haven’t tried a whole lot of Middle Eastern food, but the fact they have so many vegetarian options — while being incredibly affordable and fast — makes this place a no brainer. I had the vegetarian combo, which came with a few pitas that I could stuff with veggies, falafel, hummus, and rice. It hit the spot and wasn’t greasy or heavy. Just satisfying flavors.

These restaurants are all within three blocks of one another and just a tiny slice of even greater foodie experiences to come in the great city of Chicago. To quote my friend Paula, “love and best dishes from my kitchen to yours”. Happy eating!

A New Start – Chicago Style

Yesterday I finally made the trek to Chicago.

It’s always strange moving to a new place. At first you feel like it’s a vacation that will be over soon. But no, I’m living in Chicago for who knows how long (I’ve made myself a two year minimum limit).

Staying with a friend temporarily and couldn’t be more excited!

There’s so much to see, explore, and learn about. Being able to live in one of America’s greatest cities will be an experience I never forget.

So here’s to day 1 in the Windy City!

Out of That Sandbox

2009 was rough.

By the time New Year’s came around, all I wanted to do was to step out of 2009 at 11:59 pm and into 2010 at midnight. Reminded me of being a kid and after playing in a sandbox, all you wanted was to get all of the sand out of your hair,  your socks, your underwear! That stuff would get everywhere!

By the end of 2009 I was just exhausted mentally, having sustained bad thinking habits for so long. A few of my key friendships had been stretched to the max…one particularly to the point of disrepair. I had lived an intense year in Washington, D.C., decided to start my own business, and am now moving to the Windy City.

2009 hurt a lot. I grew a lot for sure. But pain can come with growth…in fact, it’s probably inevitable. Now I had some great times and met some amazing people that will be my friends until the day I die. But personally, I took quite a few hits.

Now as I venture into 2010 and I move onto another adventure, I just have that feeling that things are coming together. People I’ll meet in Chicago, through my social media venture, through passions and interests I hold near and dear, a purpose is seeming more clear. Or at least direction.

I feel good about 2010. I know it will be rough, trying, tiring, and more. But this is life. This is what we’ve got. We only have today. I’m so glad to have you all with me as we journey into this next day, week, year, decade. Let’s just say there will be no sand in my underwear this year! : )

Cities Stole My Heart

Growing up, I was lucky to have parents and a family that had a sense of adventure and were able to take me places all over the United States. I remember the mud pots that bubbled with gray, clay-like liquid in Yellowstone, the towering giants in Sequoia National Park, the majesty of Mount Rushmore, and the pitch black expanse of Carlsbad Caverns. The natural world is filled with productions and beauty that cannot be matched by man.

Those experiences grew me and gave me the passion to strive for the new and dive into the unknown. While I got to see so many national parks across the United States, we also visited some our nation’s greatest cities: Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, San Diego, etc.

In the past four years, I’ve had the opportunity to visit and/or live in three of my favorite cities in the U.S. In the fall of 2006, I visited Seattle to check out grad school opportunities at the University of Washington. I instantly fell in love with the city, the atmosphere, that campus, the culture. It’s still my dream city and where I eventually want to be.

I had visited Washington, D.C. a few times before moving there at the end of 2008. The history and what goes on in our nation’s capitol is simply breathtaking. Although the touristy stuff is more glamorous than the day to day work, I feel so lucky I was able to live and breathe the city where so much history has originated. Chicago is my next destination and I couldn’t be more thrilled. It’s a Midwestern powerhouse in my book. It’s one of America’s largest cities, with so much to offer, all while maintaining a down to earth Midwestern vibe.

This next adventure will be one to remember…and hopefully the circle completes itself and I find myself once again in Seattle.