Advice, Photo

2011 Brings Me a Canon t2i and a Gym Membership

2011 started off just the way I wanted it to: Popping a champagne cork to Prince’s “Baby I’m a Star” and sharing the first moments of the new year with some of my best friends. I’ve never been a big person for making resolutions (I keep breaking them…) but this year I made two that I do intend to keep:

1. Stop being a fatty.

The first resolution was to get my butt back into shape. You see, this whole do “Internet marketing for a living” thing isn’t conducive to a healthy lifestyle unless you put in some extra effort. When I was in college and living in the frat-ghetto fabulous neighborhood of Mission Hill I kept fit by biking and hiking a mile each way up the mini mountain to my crappy student apartment. Since I’ve become integrated into the 9-5’er routine I don’t do as much running around as I once did.

So at the recommendation of my sister and my dear friends Rainy and Milo I took advantage of a cheap membership to Planet Fitness and I’ve made a personal commitment to go a minimum of 3 times a week. Eventually I would like to begin training for roller derby as I’ve been having a hankering since I got to see the Boston Derby dames, but I rather not get a head of myself. One step at a time here, folks.

2. Get back to documenting the Boston music seen via photography.

Nikon D50 (L) vs Canon T2i (R)

In December of 2009 my beloved Nikon D50 died. I scrapped and saved for it during my freshman year of college. It was one of the first “affordable” consumer dSLRs on the market and I remember absolutely having to do whatever I could to get it in my hands. For the next 4 years it would be my main tool in documenting my journeys. Capturing bits and pieces of people I cared about and concerts I went to.

As of yesterday I didn’t have a functional dSLR of my own and had to rely on the kindness of friends to lend me cameras to shoot with (special thanks to Dennis & Jordan). So I scrapped and saved again for another camera. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise as there have been many technical advancements on digital cameras in the past few years. Mainly in the introduction of HD video on consumer dSLR’s and much, much better low light performance. I’m very excited about the video functionality of the T2i and I’ll be working on some projects with friends shortly after I get a prime lens and master the controls. As you can see in the photo comparisons, the button layout on Canons is very different compared to Nikons. It’ll take a bit of time for me to “unlearn” my instincts and get comfortable shooting with the Canon in higher pressure situations, but I’m up for the task.

All in all, this year is off to a very good start and I’m hoping I’ll have some great photo-filled updates on here shortly.

Advice, Inbound Marketing

I Get to Hire a Northeastern Co-op: Why You Should Work for Team Magnet

Many moons ago – actually I think it was over three years ago – I did what every Northeastern University kid with a fire under their butt to make sure they were employable after they graduated did. I went out and found me a co-op position. What the hell is a co-op? It’s a 6 month internship in which you take a break from classes and figure out if the career path you had in mind after school is right for you. It’s a chance to throw yourself out into the “real world” and get some serious work experience.

Even when students have a less than stellar experience on this 6 month preview of life without school, there’s still a lot to be learned. For me, I saw my co-op supervisor get laid off with a month left to go during my internship. I saw a company go on life support because of one too many bad deals and poor financial management before my very eyes. I got a lot of lessons in what NOT to do when running a small business. Sometimes you end up learning more from failures than successes, and I strongly believe that was the case during my co-op.
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Advice

About to lose another friend…

At my parents home I have never once come home to an empty house because there was always a dog there. Dogs are family. When no one else in the world will give you the time of day your dog will give you a paw. And somehow, no matter how abysmal your day was that one innocent gesture makes the world a little brighter.

This is Raven, 8 years old and full of cancer. The kindest, sweetest soul you’ll ever come across:

If you’re reading this and your dog is nearby please hug them for me… mine is 300 miles away and I can only be lucky enough to hold her again before it’s too late.

Advice

Death is Not the End.

Two years ago today I lost someone. Or did I? We were 21. We thought we were invincible. We thought we knew everything. Death was the last thing on our minds. We had our whole lives ahead of us, didn’t we?

I write this on the 2nd anniversary of my friend Spencer’s untimely passing. He was born with a heart defect but never, not for one second, wanted to sit out on the sidelines of life because of it. He was brilliant, funny, and talented in so many ways – the kind of person who owned everyone’s attention in the room.

Now that another year has passed I’m reminded that everyone copes with loss in different ways. Yes, there will always be a void in my life since I can no longer interact with him. However, Spencer is very much alive to me. I no longer feel afraid about being myself. I realize how finite my time on this planet really is…and that I damn well better enjoy and take advantage of everything life has to offer. I’ll never be able to personally thank him for helping me get to that point and that’s why this day still brings me to the tears. But something tells me if he knew that he’d smack me upside the head with one of those boney hands of his and tell me to get ahold of myself and go out there and have fun.

So tonight’s celebration I’m hosting at my house, while somewhat macabre considering its timing, is INDEED a celebration of life. My life. Spencer’s life. YOUR life. Don’t be afraid to dance – no matter who you are, where you are…you never know when it will be your last time.