RonVitale.com

New The Podd Couple Episode Up: Best Dates

There are times when you have good times and bad times. I find it helpful to take time and reflect on the good times so that you can see life in perspective. When you have a screaming 23 month old glued to your leg and your almost six year old yelling at the top of his lungs for God knows what, it's extremely helpful to have a way of carving out time to re-center one's self.

No matter if you're a new couple without kids, have kids and are trying to survive like my wife and I or are just plain curious about what really goes on behind closed doors in a marriage then I suggest that you listen to the latest episode of The Podd Couple which is about best dates. In the insanity of life (and, yes, it's no secret that life with two kids can be, umm, character building), my wife and I carve out time to reflect back on our favorite dates together.

Last night we saw some friends of ours for the upcoming holiday and our one friend called his wife as he was home sick and mentioned that he had listened to the episode and was passing on to us his favorite dates with his wife. What was interesting is that we learned some interesting facts about this couple that we've been friends with for a good many years. The fact that each couple has good stories and not so good ones helps us all come together and realize that life isn't as simple as it might seem. Neither is any relationship.

Staying together, living together and loving together reminds me of light. Sometimes your relationship acts like particles and other times a wave in which you hang on and ride the roller coaster. But there does need to be moments of peace and calm. Claiming those moments is the challenge when you're juggling career, kids (not literally, though it does feel that way when they throw themselves full force at you), your relationship, and your self. That's the part of the equation which is difficult to remember to feed and nurture as there are only 24 hours of the day and lack of sleep plays a woefully strong influence on the lives of parents with young kids.

With anything in life, there are choices. My wife and I have chosen to step out of our comfort zone and to talk openly about our relationship. The Podd Couple podcast is simply that--an intimate look at our relationship. For better, for worse, in sickness and in health. There's no magic secret. It's pure stubbornness, listening, having empathy, hard work (no, I mean it--really, really hard work sometimes), patience and love.

So sit back, listen and in this episode see the lighter side of a relationship in which my wife and I reflect back on our top dates. See where our memories come together and overlap and diverge, but most importantly for you guys out there, learn some tricks of the trade and pick up tips as it's not always about the bling, but the intention behind the words you say or how you act. A simple act of kindness and love can go a long way.

Over the years, friends and coworkers have asked: "How do you do it all?" Again, there's no secret, but if you really want to know how to stay together in a relationship (and get through those rough times), then download the podcast and listen with your significant other. And to you single people out there, God, how I wish I had something like this podcast to listen to when I was by myself and trying to get my act together before I was in a serious relationship. I can't tell you how much it would have helped to listen to what people actually go through and the type of problems that come up and, most importantly, how those problems are solved. There's gold right there in that!

Star Wars: Vader vs. Luke ("No, I am your father.")

Twitter. Ah, you just have to love it. I fired it up, started reading through my tweets and saw an embedded video (thank you Power Twitter) to my favorite movie clip of all-time. I've put the video on this blog post for those who haven't seen it. Let me set the scene: It's from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Luke Skywalker has gone to face Darth Vader and he's not doing too well. In the clip above, Vader comes at Luke with all his anger, hatred and power. Luke is unable to hold him off and loses his hand. But worse, Luke learns the truth: Vader is his father. The anguish that Luke feels is plain (if a bit overacted) on his face. He is beaten, weakened and vulnerable. There is no darker moment for our hero.

I was 9 years old when The Empire Strikes Back came out. I saw the film with my Uncle and Mom at the Woodhaven Mall after my braces had been tightened. My teeth were in pain and I also was healing from a biking accident (ah, we boys do stupid things--I'm just lucky I didn't get majorly hurt). Up on screen my own personal history unfolded as I watched a personified devil in black armor try to kill my childhood hero. Luke, blue lightsaber in hand, was my white knight. He represented all the good that I saw in the world. You could have Han Solo. I wanted to have a lightsaber and move items with the Force.

In seeing how easy Vader defeated Luke, I couldn't see how Luke would survive, but then the action ended and Vader--the demon of pure hatred and corrupted power--revealed himself to Luke. He was Luke's father. I remember watching the film and just didn't understand. That couldn't be true. Luke was my hero. How could his father be so evil? His father was dead, wasn't he? But why would Vader lie about such a thing?

At hyperspace speed, thoughts zipped through my mind. I had seen Star Wars as a personal re-invention of my own life. The connections started to click. My own father had been a demon of great rage and destruction. At five years of age, he had abandoned my family and I. I had always envisioned him as an unstoppable force of pure rage. He had such dark power, but I stood for the light. When you're 9 years old, you can internalize your energy and see yourself as a powerful force of good. I did not understand (or see) the man, but the devil stories of what my father had done, how he had treated my mother and how this had shaped me.

Right there, on the screen, Vader hacked with a glowing red saber at Luke. My father had yelled screamed, hurt those around him with invisible tentrils of power, ripping apart our family with unspeakable deeds. Thirty-three years later I still find it difficult to say. And in my memory, I have impressions of darkness and anger. The yelling, crying and my own sense of helplessness. A force crystallized within me at that age and, at that time, it was a pure white diamond. A shield to protect me from all harm and a weapon to be used for good.

I saw Vader at the enemy--like my father. I never realized that the enemy would need to be redeemed or understood. That anger against anger would not stop him. I could no more take up my lightsaber and kill my father as Luke could. The spiritual symbolism played out in a kid's film. It was all there on the screen for me to see. Years have gone by, no, decades have gone by and my anger at my father used to burn like the heart of a sun. A son who loathed his father and wanted revenge. The power of hatred is simplistic, freeing and wrong. If I would have erased my father from my mind and confronted him with my full power, would I not have simply become like him (what I so much did not wish to be)?

That simple little Star Wars clip meant so much to me as a little boy. I look back and want to smile, knowing that the story didn't turn out as I thought it would. Vader wasn't the devil, but a man corrupted by fear. My father did wrong and hurt my family and I, but he was no demon. Flawed, unable to handle his own anger, he lashed out to hurt those around him. It's tempting to follow the dark side as it's easier and more seductive, but is it right?

My closest friends and family know of my history and can thread through the words left here. Those who don't can guess and know that a little boy grew up to see Darth Vader become more than a demon to Luke. He became real. His father. A man, flawed and hurting, who hurt his own family. But Luke, my shining knight, found a way to let go and defeat the Emperor. But for the summer of 1980, none of us knew how the story would end. We needed to wait a few years until Return of the Jedi. As for me, I needed to wait about a decade and a half to start my own path toward fatherhood. And now the circle is complete: What I learned as a young boy is not what my son is learning. The time has changed. The journey is not complete, but it's started off on the right foot. And that's good. Very, very good.

Episode 4: Making Time (The Podd Couple Podcast)

It's been a rough last couple of weeks. The stress has been higher than it's been in a long, long time. But most of the reasoning behind all of the stress is my own doing. I've chosen a path that's difficult. I know that and I accept it. The good news is that I still see the light at the end of the tunnel and I believe in myself and the path I'm on. I've need to shake off the "sleep" around me, stretch and to grow. It's critical for me to do.

Over the years, I've had a good many people come up to me and ask: How do you do it? How do you get everything all done? The truth is that I juggle responsibilities, hobbies, work, family and my relationship just like everyone else. Recently, my wife and I decided to create a podcast about our relationship. (Just visit The Podd Couple podcast website for links to the show.) The hope is that we would make time to talk, learn about each other and help rekindle the spark of joy between us. It's so easy to fall into a rut and not know it as the stress of raising a family, working and trying to be a write/podcaster weighs in on my time.

In the current episode of the podcast ("Making Time"), Karen and I wax poetic (well, not really) about how we make time for each other. What's worked over the years and what hasn't. We don't profess to having all the answers--that's not the purpose of the podcast--but we have been together for 14 years, married for 9, and the act of being open with each other and saying what we know is helping us.

I've enjoyed receiving feedback from people I don't know about the podcast as the show is being discovered. It's nice to know that our stories are entertaining to others and that in a small way they've helped people in their own relationships. So, if you're curious and can make time, be sure to check it out. Thanks.

Living Life to the Fullest: The Podd Couple Podcast

There comes a time in which a blindfold is lifted over your eyes and you begin to see the world again with all its wondrous colors. I don’t question when these moments occur as often life is filled the business of being busy. Work, kids, family, sleep, sunrise, sunset, shake it up and doing it all over again.

Often I forget the sound of what my dreams and goals sounded like and in quiet desperation I look around and try to remember. I came to a decision a few months ago and it took me a while to understand what I really meant when I realized that I wanted to shake my life up a bit. I wanted to be creative and free, knowing that what I dreamed up would be raw and imperfect, but mine. In the last few years, I’ve experimented with podcasting, audiobooks and freelance article writing. I’ve pieced together bits of what I’ve enjoyed (and why), realizing that my experiments weren’t enough. They weren’t personable enough. I wanted to create an intimate look at who I am, not to remember, but to mark out the importance of self-discovery and expression.

I talked to my wife about my thoughts and frustration and we sat on the idea. Again life became busier and we had less time. Our free time became sitting mindless in front of the TV just looking for a means to relax and end the day. Within the last few weeks, my wife and I have embarked on a quest together. We decided to change the routine. It’s rather funny when I think that our great experiment is as simple as sitting down, face to face, and talking to each other. We decided to go with my wife’s idea of creating a podcast for us that we figured we’d share with the world. The Podd Couple podcast is a weekly podcast in which we talk about life and what it takes to be married, working full-time and raising two kids. As of this writing, we have two episodes up live and the show is rather new and still in its infancy, but I am enjoying sitting down and talking. Really talking. You might wonder why we’re doing this and I’ve been telling people that it’s cheaper than marriage counseling. I’m only half joking. Forcing ourselves to sit down and talk is not as easy as it sounds. There’s always work, kids and household responsibilities lurking. We do not have much free time and, when we do, often we’re so exhausted we just wish to crash and sleep.

I recently stumbled across a song from a while back that I haven’t heard in years that’s helped me put all my thoughts in perspective. It’s Sweet Honey in the Rock’s “Wanting Memories.” A friend introduced me to this song many, many years ago and I’m glad she shared it with me. When I hear the song, there are two parts that I get lost in. One part is:

“I think on the things that made me feel so wonderful when I was young
I think on the things that made me laugh
made me dance
made me sing”

Those words remind me of my youth and when I had such freedom, but lacked the maturity to know what to do with my time. Now I have the knowledge but lack the freedom or time. Life has changed in so many ways and keeps changing. I’m told that life will settle down, but with my youngest under two, life is still a bit on the wild side. There are not many quiet, peaceful moments where I can reflect, think and recharge my batteries. But that’s changed.

I’ve decided to go on like Thoreau. To grab life and suck its marrow out—well, not that dramatically but I’m making time to do what I want to do. Making time to listen and talk with my wife and living. I know that sounds rather simplistic, but there’s a difference between living and LIVING. I’m trying to smell the roses rather than simply trim them and mow the lawn while I’m at it.

Last night I went to take the trash out and I look up at the tree in our yard and saw the season’s first fireflies. I just drunk in the moment, feeling the humidity outside, seeing the cloudy sky and hearing the hum of life all around. Life isn’t going to wait for me to wake up and be part of it. I’ve opted to just shift life sideways a bit and to pay a bit more attention. Listen a bit harder and to focus on what I love about life.

If you’re interested in checking out our “great” experiment, click on over to “The Podd Couple” podcast and give it a listen.

Wanting Memories (unfortunately, not by Sweet Honey in the Rock):

Pixar's Up

I had heard about the great reviews for Pixar's new film Up, but I blew them off. I thought it would be a solid film, but I didn't think that I would be in tears 10 minutes into the film! When I first saw the trailer for Up a while back, I shrugged my shoulders and didn't think more about it. I just didn't see how a film about an old man in a house that floated away on balloons could be exciting. Boy, was I wrong.

If there's anything that I learned, it's that the Pixar team knows how to tell a story and they're getting better at it each time. If only the other films coming out in American theaters had such heart and soul as this movie. Up is a story about loss, grief, missed opportunities and hope. It's a film that teaches adults the importance of life and why it's necessary to throw the GPS out the window and go on an adventure. But what about those first 10 minutes that made me cry? (I'm serious in that I was biting my tongue, holding back tears.) The emotional connection of what was being portrayed on the screen contained such power, but in a subtle way. Unlike the heavy "green" message in Wall-E, Up's story is about one man's journey rather than the survival of the human race, but, in a nice twist, it's easy to see how we can all be better people by connecting to those around us--even if it's with a wide-eyed innocent named Russell who just wants to help a little too much.

The joy of this film is that we're taken on an emotional rollar coaster as Carl tries to navigate through the land mines of life. What's so special about this film is that it works perfectly on two levels. My son (who will be six in a few months) didn't see the subtle layers of the film whereas I was a mess. To him, the story was clear and filled with adventure and color. (When Carl's house first floats away by a building with a little girl, the sunlight reflected rainbow of color of the balloons filling her room with vibrance is a beauty to behold onscreen.) When Russell explains to Carl how his father no longer comes to sit on the curb with him after his scout meetings, I was cast back to my own five year old self. Russell has captured the essence of relationships: "My father and I used to sit on the curb counting the red and blue cars going by. I know it sounds boring, but sometimes it's the boring things that you remember." Carl knows all about this--you can see his understanding in his eyes. The hurt is there. And I could identify with Russell as the fact that my own father had never taken me to the movies, or taught me how to play baseball or ride a bike or any of the "boring" things that Russell so longed for with his father. But the essence of the movie is about hope, adventure, letting go and of learning to live again. I thought of this as I put my hand on my son's knee and patted him. His father was there. Circles could be broken, there is hope.

A simple act of taking my son to the movie helped me experience a wonderful film and I was exhuberant in the fact that a good story, about people, can still be made in our glitzy world of 2009. Carl and Russell's story is timeless and integral to the human experience. Isn't it funny how going to see a children's movie could evoke such such hope in the power of the human spirit? Anyone who scoffs at animation needs to sit down and seriously take a second look at Pixar's films as they have become progressively mature film after film. Not only do the CGI effects become increasingly beauitful to look at, but the characters and the storylines are becoming more complex and human. Up is no Toy Story. It is an adult film wrapped in a sweet layer of candy so that children of all ages can enjoy it on one level and then, after its wrapping has been taken off, savored and enjoyed.

For those going with young children, remember that Up is PG and not G. There is some violence and scary scenes for young tots. Keep that in mind as there was one little girl crying at some of the more disturbing scenes.

If you're looking to see a film that's your typical summer popcorn flick, Up isn't it. Rather Up is a heart-warming film to help you rediscover your faith in humanity and, if you look hard enough, you might just learn a little something about your own heart as well.

Listen to or Read Dorothea's Song

Thanks for stopping by! If you love fantasy and are looking to read or listen to a full-length novel for free, you've come to the right place. The podcast of my fantasy novel "Dorothea's Song" is now available for free as well as a free download of the PDF. Or, if you prefer a hardcover version, you can purchase the book through Lulu.com. And most recently, you can purchase the Kindle version on Amazon.com.

So what's the book about? “Dorothea’s Song” tells the story of an ordinary boy named Peter who dreams up an extraordinary fantasy realm to flee the hardships of his own life. Inspired by classic high-fantasy themes, his tale has all the makings of a great adventure—a brave elvish warrior named Dorothea, a ruthless coven of witches, a renegade elf lord and a kingdom on the verge of collapse. But as the chaos intensifies in both worlds, instead of retreating from it, Peter is forced to take a daring stand in each.

Want to listen to the book or read it in digital or hardcopy format? Be sure to check out the links below:

• Subscribe (for free) and listen through iTunes.
• Listen (for free) on Podiobooks.com.
• Download and read the free PDF of the entire book.
• Purchase the hardcopy version of the book on Lulul.com.
• Purchase an electronic version through Smashwords (50% of the book is free as a trial).
• Purchase the Kindle version on Amazon.com.

Thank you for your support!

Thoughts on Fatherhood

I'm gearing up for Father's Day and I've been planning on writing a blog post, but after yesterday I thought I'd take a few minutes to write a quick bit so I don't loose my train of thought. In the last few months, I've learned that five of my colleagues are going to be having children--three will be first time parents. When I talk about being a father, I like to tell some of the outrageous stories that I have--not because I want to frighten them away--but I love to share some of the quirky and amazing events that occur. So let's take yesterday as an example.

I had been invited to attend proclamation at city hall in Philadelphia. Mayor Michael Nutter was going to give a citation to the CEO of the organization that I work for her work on National Cancer Research month. As I am on morning duty with the kids, I got them up early, dressed them (with minimum fuss and crying), dropped them off at daycare and early care and then rushed via the El to city hall. To save time, I dropped my daughter off first and then backtracked to drop my son off so that I could park at a different train station than I normally park at. I arrived 10 minutes early for the event, met the major and all worked out well. I remember self-congratulating myself at how smoothly everything went--that I was able to pull it all off. Good going dad!

Toward the end of the day, my wife calls me and asks if I could pick the kids up as she's in an important meeting that's running over. No problem. I have a plan. I'll take the train home, grill hot dogs outside and my kids and I will have a blast enjoying the warm weather. Again, I'm super dad, right? No big deal!

I leave work, get on the train and pray that it doesn't break down as if it does (while I'm underground out of cell phone range) I'm in big trouble. This has happened in the past but, thankfully, all works out well. I get on my connecting train and look at the time. I'm doing great. I get off the train, head to the parking lot toward my car and start staring at it. It's the right make, model, color but the car seat in the back is different. And as I get closer I realize that there is only one car seat. What the heck is going on? For about two seconds, life, the universe and everything is zipping through my mind as I'm trying to connect the dots. Then I realize: Duh, it's not my car. I look to the left and head off and a sick feeling pops up into the pit of my stomach. I didn't park here. I'm at the station that I normally park at. My car is about 2 or more miles away. I look at the time and see that I need to pick both kids up in 45 mins. I need to run 2 miles to get to the car (in my suit with dress shoes, carrying my heavy bag), get my son and then rush to get my daughter.

I took my suit jacket off, folded it up into my bag, took the iPod off and started walking fast. Once I was off the main road, I started running. Then stopped when I couldn't breath going up hill so I stopped running and walked. Between walking fast and running, I made it to the car in 19 minutes. I jumped in the car, picked my son up and called my daughter's daycare saying that I was only minutes away.

By the time I arrived at my daughter's daycare, it was 5:54pm. I had 6 minutes to spare (for those of you who don't have kids--it's strongly requested that you pick your kids up by 6pm. You don't want to be late and, if you are consistently, you'll be charged a fee and can eventually be kicked out of daycare).

I came home, made dinner and the following happened the course of one hour: My son spilled his full glass of milk outside, he drew (had never done this before) with a crayon a wonderful picture onto the rug (thank you, Goop cleaner!) and when my wife came home I sat and was talking to her and the following happened.

My wife: "Don't hit the ball this way! Turn around and play elsewhere."

My son: "Sure, mom." (He turns around and starts playing in another part of the yard.)

About two minutes later I was talking to my wife and I had heard this crack of a ball against a bat and a stinging sensation in my face. My son had turned around and by accident his hitting the ball caused it to fly around my wife and hit me in the cheek. Ouch. I wasn't hurt but was damn surprised.

And, in a nutshell, wow, what a day. I'm cutting off here because I'm late for getting the kids up for school. I need to go take a shower and start the day. That, in a nutshell, is parenthood. It's not a typical day, but it's the type of day that can happen. It's not bad or good. It just is. And throughout the day there are thousands of tiny little moments that happen to test you, surprise you and cause you to laugh at the wonder of existence. It's all there. And getting hit in the face with a whiffle ball, too. Happy pre Father's Day!

New Star Trek Movie Review

If I had to choose, I would fall on the Star Wars side between Star Trek and the holy trilogy (let's pretend the Star Wars prequels didn't happen, okay?). I like to set the stage so that everyone understands my point-of-view. I've send every major Star Trek movies, multiple times, and am a big fan of Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn and a The Undiscovered Country as well as The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home. It's those pesky odd numbered films that I like to ignore.

So in going to see the new J. J. Abrams "Star Trek" last night I had high expectations. The last trailer I saw looked rocking and had plenty of action and some fun, quirky one-liners that I thought would play out on the big screen. But then I saw Abrams on The Colbert Report and he admitted that he wasn't a Star Trek fan and I thought that was a bit odd in that he'd want to make a movie about a series that he wasn't a fan, but I brushed it off.

The film opens with a bang and, if I might say so, the best part is the opening. There's more eye candy there than you can handle. Phasers and ships blowing up and photon torpedoes, oh my! But then the action slows and you're brought through this muddled plot that makes no sense. I loved the introduction of the characters early on, but by the time you get to some really weak writing such as "Hey, I'm stuck here too, isn't it neat that we all happen to be meeting up at once? Just right when we need such special ability?" that I started to lose interest. To make it even more of a bore, a flashback scene with a voiceover explains what the heck has happened so that you can connect the dots. I just shook my head and sighed. Come on. I'm not stupid, but I guess if you have such a weak plot that you need to make certain that everyone gets that you're re-inventing the Star Trek universe and you happen to throw in lots of bad science, contrived plot lines and extremely weak characterizations.

I'm trying to remain vague on purpose but the big baddy (Captain Nero) decides to spend 25 years of his life trying to capture someone. He does and his big revenge is to release this person (what the?!) so that he can live with all the pain that Nero has. Then, late in the film, Nero says something like: "I knew I shouldn't have let him go! Gosh darnnit!" (Well, I added the "Gosh" part.) It's plot holes like that in which you just scratch your head and think: The baddy can blow up planets and he's too stupid to keep his enemy locked up? Are you kidding me?

I could go on and on and on with all these crazy plot holes, but I'm getting bummed. I'm glad that the Blu-ray versions of the original Star Trek films are coming out next week. I'll see them again. Now don't get me wrong. There's some good in these films, but the plot so weakens this film that it's not even funny. Really, it's not. I thought the acting was good, but many of the supporting cast have nothing to do in the film and that's a shame because I would have liked to have seen them work more together. But, I expect the next film will move onward and develop those relationships.

As for the effects, they're top-notch. The sound is immersive (though I wasn't a fan of the score) and there are some great battles. It's just my belief that the best is in the first 15 mins. You never really see anything that matches that throughout the rest of the film. Out of a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 7 (a 70 passing grade but nothing to write home about).

One last comment: There's a scene in which Bill Hunt of www.TheDigitalbits.com says explains why this film "isn't your father's Trek." I now know what scene he's talking about (it's in the elevator of the Enterprise with two characters). I thought that scene was self-serving and didn't really add much to the story or the plot. Seemed to be thrown in there for shock value as though Abrams is saying, "See, I'm hip! Really, I am." I get it. I really get it, and for the record, it's not hip. Wasn't a shocker for me. Just made me roll my eyes as, again, the connection didn't matter to the story. Just was thrown in there.

But I don't want to end on a low note. Chris Pine as Kirk is a splash of fresh water and I really enjoyed his portrayal of the iconic Kirk. Nicely done! There's a lot to love in this new film if you ignore the lame baddy and the plot. So basically, treat it as a popcorn flick and you'll have fun. It's no "The Dark Knight."

Rambling of Thoughs: Home at Last

I landed at Philadelphia International Airport at 11:45pm last night and was home by 12:30am. After a fitful night of sleep, I woke up to the sound of the shower. My wife was getting ready for work. And then I heard my daughter crying. I stumbled out of bed, waited in hall as I thought she had fallen back asleep, but in a few seconds she began to cry, calling for her mommy. I went into her and in those few seconds, a host of ideas, came upon me. I had been away for a week and I couldn't wait to hold my daughter in my arms. Under 2, I wondered how much she had grown and what words she had learned. I went into her room, bent over her crib to comfort her and then there time stopped. She looked up at me, I looked her her, with her hair all tangled and tears on her cheeks and I smiled as I was home. She looked at me and--screamed. I tried to pick her up and she swatted at me, yelling, "No!" Her crying increased in volume four-fold and reality had set in. Welcome home. I thought my son would wake up and start calling for me, but he kept quiet. I reached for my daughter again and she continued to swat at my arm, this time calling for her mom. My wife came in as I held my daughter and her screams rose ever higher in pitch.

After a few minutes of calming down with her mom, I held her and she refused to go back asleep and didn't want to be left in her room with me. I took her into my and my wife's bedroom and held her for a bit. As she began to wake up, I could tell that she had recognized me and I walked back into her room and sat down on her rocking chair. I pulled the curtains back and pointed at the green tree, the house next door and the sky. She liked that and started to warm up to me. Thankfully.

Being away for a week was rough. I had traveled to Denver for work. The day after I arrived some of the surrounding areas received over 3 feet of snow. The picture in this blog post shows the great Blue Bear looking into the Colorado Convention Center in Denver when it was snowing on Friday, April 17th. The city could have received 4"-10" of snow. After all was said and done, there was a few inches of slush on the sidewalks, which made for a messy, morning walk to work, but it wasn't too bad. Though if you would have told me that I would have been walking in snow boots in a suit to the convention center I would have laughed at you. Little did I know of Denver.

On the way home, I had a layover in Detroit and while boarding the plane I knew my patience had reach its limit. A young engaged couple sat next to me. As we waited for the plane to take off, the guy next to me was looking at something on his iPhone and his wife to be started reading from a magazine. She, in a very loud voice, asked him, "Do you know what these terms are?" Brodown. Do you know what that is?" She pronounced it as "Bro-done." I rolled my eyes up and bit my tongue. He nodded, tuning her out as he played with his iPhone, but she went on. "How about a Brickberry? Do you know what that is?" He nodded, again, ignoring her.

Inside, I kept sreaming, "Please, shut the fuck up. Shut t-h-e f-u-c-k up!" She didn't listen. I had been up at 2:30am Denver time, fitfully slept off and on until 4:40am and out to work by 6:15am. It was near 10pm at night and I just wanted to go home. I thank God that the plane's engines caused her to caught and, boy, oh boy, am I thankful that I'm not married to her. But I was tired and not at my best.

Earlier that day, before leaving for work, I happened to be checking my e-mail and when I signed out saw an article about the moon occulting the planet Venus. And then it hit me, I finally realized which planet I was seeing out my hotel window each morning. I'd wake up around 4am and see a young crescent moon hanging over the city of denver. I took a so-so picture with my camera, but it was better than nothing. By the time I was on the street, headed to work, the moon had occulted Venus in the morning light. Very cool.

But now I'm back home. Exhausted, I so need sleep, washed out (I lost track of how many loads I did today--which reminds me that I need to get the bathroom rugs from the dryer) and trying to get back into the swing of things. I wanted to write about my state of mind. A ramble of thoughts, fatigue, thoughts of home and a special surprise.

On the flight home, I worried about getting a taxi to take me home. I calculated the cost of the taxi, how long it would take, giving instructions to the driver and pondering how long I'd be able to stay awake before I just collapsed. When I was leaving the plane at PHL airport, my phone rang. It was my wife. She had come to surprise me to pick me up. She had co-ordinated the whole thing: Her mom was sleeping over to watch the kids while she drove to the airport to pick me up near midnight. That meant the world to me. It was romantic, helpful and most appreciated. I held my wife next to me and took a deep breath of her hair. I was home. Home.

Twittering: A True Story

I was working at a conference using Twitter to follow what people were saying about the event. I simply went to the Twitter search page, typed in a keyword and followed the conversation. What I thought was most interesting is that I just left the browser up and could see (1)Twitter in the bottom taskbar in Windows to inform me that a new tweet had appear with the search term I was following. Not very exciting or ground breaking I admit. But here's where things start to get exciting.

On day 2 of the conference, I was hard at work but I had left Twitter open, sending out tweets to notify followers about new podcasts, upcoming sessions starting at the conference and other bits of information. I had left the Twitter search browser open and, out of curiosity, I wanted to check what people were saying. Traffic was slow, but I saw this one tweet: "In the back of main hall for opening session, sound is low and can't hear well." I pulled out my cell phone, called a colleague and informed him that I had received a complaint from an attendee who couldn't hear what was happening as he was sitting in the back. My colleague called the audio team and asked them to raise the volume. I sent a quick tweet back to the person who couldn't hear, letting him know that I was on the case.

About 15 minutes later, I refreshed the search page and saw that another attendee, who was also in the main session, had sent a thank you to the person who had complained about the sound as she also couldn't here. In a matter of a few key strokes and a quick phone call, the problem was solved. The next day the woman, who had thanked the guy who couldn't hear, sent me a direct message via Twitter asking for the sound to be raised as one of the speakers was speaking softly. I made the call again and the sound was fixed. Later another attendee praised the use of Twitter as a great way of fixing such tech issues.

I know it's a small example, but there's power in Twitter when it's used correctly. In listening to the discussion flying across Twitter at the conference, I was able to see what attendees thought was important. I learned what tweets they liked from other attendees (more on that in a minute) and could understand what they wanted more of. The tweets that were most successful were from other attendees who were in a session and were tweeting about what they were hearing. A woman, also attending the conference, but in a different session, tweeted out, "Thank you for your tweets as I'm in a different session. Nice to learn what's happening in your session." And that one tweet, crystalized what people were trying to accomplish with Twitter. Often there are concurrent sessions at big conferences and it's not possible to be in two places as once. Learning what is being said at another session, enables an attendee to make decisions on the fly. They can stay put and just listen in on what they're missing (and might choose to watch a webcast of the missed session later or to purchase the audio from it) or get up and move to the session to hear what they're missing.

According to an informal CNN.com poll, only 6% of those who answered the poll are actively using Twitter. It's not quite caught on to the masses though Oprah's use of Twitter last week might change that. Twitter, like any social network, is a tool. If you pick up a screw driver and try using it as a hammer, it might work, but not as effectively as an actual hammer. Twitter is only one of many social networking tools. I'm a firm proponent of empowering people to use Twitter to help each other. Communication need not come from the event organizer, let's say, but from all sides. That's the power of Twitter.

An organization can learn much from its attendees by just listening, but can also actively join the conversation to solve problems, help attendees and distribute information. Actively embracing Twitter and informing attendees that it'll be used sends a message to those engaged: They'll have the ability to virtually network with fellow attendees and that's where the fire starts. Ideas flow and great things begin to happen. I learned a lot from simply listening in. And, if you're in the same boat, I'd recommend that you do that same. It's not always about sending out, but keeping one's ear to the ground and listening. You might be surprised, in a good way, with what you hear.