Hi Friends & Family,

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I got this blog set up, and I’m finally getting a chance to use it. So here’s an update of what’s been going on with me for March so far…

I’ve been getting the Flexible Planet website updated and revised in bits and pieces. The official 4-year anniversary was on Feb. 29th, but since that’s such an odd day (what was I thinking?), we’re moving the unofficial anniversary date to May 1st, which was also the unofficial start date for the site 4 years ago as well—go figure. So by then we expect to have the site up and running, even if at a fundamental level. So far, we're trying to sort all the different categories and then write about them all. It might still take another 5 years or so to get the site up and running full-force (or is that “fool” force?), but we’ll get there, even if we only do it a page at a time. (For now, when I say “we,” I mean “I.” Unless I actually say “oui,” then I mean “yes” in French.)

I got back from a trip to Vegas over a week ago, and I’m still recovering. (I'll include an entry for that as soon as I get the photos developed.) My next trip will be to Chicago in April for a wedding, where I’ll be acting as a groomsman for my friends Nick and Amy. In August I’m hoping to make my way to New Orleans to visit Aussie friend Katy (“Body rip! Body rip!”), who will be in the states for a conference. She and I are planning a trip to India next year, but details are sketchy right now.

Work is busy as always. I’ve been working at UCSB as the Purchasing Manager for the Physics Dept. Not really the job of my dreams, but I like it more than I would’ve thought, and I might actually hold on to this one for a while. It's odd to be back on a university campus, but I love it. Thoughts of returning to school to study something keep popping into my head.

I’ve decided to take another swing at travel writing, and my big goal is to submit at least 2 stories to Travelers’ Tales before their submission deadlines. (I blew it last time when they were taking submissions for stories about Turkey.) I’ve also started getting in touch with other writers and editors and getting info on markets to write for. One source I use constantly is Jen Leo’s writtenroad.com, which regularly mentions various travel writing markets. I check out her site almost daily, and I'm constantly singing her praises, thus making me a potential web stalker. (But her blog is pretty cool. Can you blame me?) [As of this moment, she mentions on her site that writtenroad.com is now the #1 item by page rank in Google's "Arts|Writers Resources|Non-Fiction|Travel Writing" section. Very cool, Jen! Congrats!] Anyway, I’ve been doing more market research than actual writing lately, so that needs to change soon. I’ve got a few pieces started, so I just need to sit down and write and edit and write and edit some more. It sounds easy, anyway…

Not too much else. I’m still playing jazz guitar and taking lessons, but since January I've been more focused on travel. I still might eventually do something musical with my roommate Dan (he and I were in a band Trip D last year, but we broke up when our drummer Dennis left the state). I’ve been dating sporadically—I’m still pretty rusty at it. Once spring hits, I'm sure I’ll be more outgoing. And I’ve got the perfect pick-up line: “Hey, baby, I have my own website.” Oh, yeah, I’ll be beating them off with a stick…

OK, that about it for now. See you in April!
dave