Just had to make a minor alteration to the picture -



I don't recall the last time I drank so much but we hung close with the Brits - we were in fact the last Americans standing and there was no way in hell that I could allow anyone else to have that honor. I am proud to say that we got props on a few occasions during the night from our out of town guests for the Larson sticktoitiveness.

We had a great time and it was a pleasure to get to meet and hang out with (e:rory)'s close friends. Each were great guys who I'd buy a beer (or three) for any day and their respective ladies were really nice gals. The fellas from the UK have friends in the Larson bros. I was pleased with how everything came off with the wedding and it was an honor to have the opportunity to serve as an usher for two wonderful friends.

I have a lot of friends who have wonderful spouses - genuinely fantastic people. However, there was something different about this event that I can't really put into words or express in the way that I'm really feeling about it. I think the best approximation I can come up with is that it is cliche and not always correct to suggest that fate intervenes in people's lives in this way. I've never been convinced of this anyway, at least until this weekend. If you think about the spectacular odds of having a lad from Essex meet a lass from Buffalo in Qatar and having it result in a perfect union of two people who couldn't be more right for each other, it's a bit amazing to consider. It really did bring me joy to actually see this happen in front of my eyes. Today I think about the day that Timika told us that she was moving to Qatar and I can't think of a more consequential decision that any of my friends have ever made.

I haven't mentioned the iPhones to Dad yet. He's had a rough time after losing his job and there is something immodest about showing off a new toy to someone who is suffering. It just makes it worse when the suffering person is your father. I know that deep down Dad would never be bothered about it and insists that we occasionally reward ourselves for our hard work. I know that he loves toys and would think it's incredibly cool. However, I still can't bring myself to tell him.

I think that generally this is emblematic of the times we're living in.

Ok,

I'm throwing this out there because I distinctly remember (e:matt) being a little defensive when I really laid into smartphones and smartphone users on this journal.

Don't get me wrong - I still feel justified in lampooning people who are WAY too attached to the technology on their person and will continue to do so in this space, but recently some circumstances have lead me to... ok forced me to reconsider this hardline position I've been taking a bit.

My phone recently broke. I've been plotting purchasing a new iPod for a while. The two needs/desires converged and so both (e:jason) and I decided to get iPhones. This summer I negotiated a significant salary increase, which is sort of a magic trick these days, and I've worked my ass off. I haven't taken time off in three years. I needed a reward really badly, and after looking into the new iPhone I totally fell in love with the unit.

I wish I had one of these when I was traveling full time and I CAN'T WAIT until I can get a chance to travel for the company again, at least for part of the time (I have to accept that my role will keep me anchored to the office). You're going to get pictures/video of me, wherever the hell they send me. You're going to get Joshy singing an autotuned break on a T-Pain track posted on Facebook.

I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but I'm way behind on what's possible with phones these days. You have to realize - I've never owned a phone that could take a picture. A lot of this is new to me and finding ways to use my new phone is going to be a learning experience. I am probably going to have a lot of dumb questions but I look forward to it - I can't wait to master this thing. More than anything I just want to get the most I can out of it.

I report and comment on so much Buffalo-related negativity that I thought I should provide some balance and show you this -

Awesome. We need more of this. Little by little, brick by brick, this is how you rebuild a dying microeconomy. This is how you employ people. This is how you lure businesses. Operating in Buffalo isn't a privilege - without incentives people would be crazy to (re)locate here. That is, unless you have the wherewithal and resources to locate anywhere you like, flying the altruistic flag high and all. Renovating existing space makes this deal even sweeter.

Interesting, given the times -