Life in Silicon Valley

Life in Silicon Valley can be rough. Don’t get me wrong, I love living here. Sharing the same zipcode as Google is probably one of my favorite things ever. I love driving by the home offices of some of the biggest tech names; I feel like we’re living where the best of the best are. Which is also incredibly intimidating. Meeting new people here can be nerve wracking. Sure they’re tech geeks and book nerds like me but the majority of them got degrees from big names like Cal Poly and Stanford. The majority of them have a couple startups already under their belt. The majority of them truly know how to work this scene and I am not in any majority. Being still fairly new to the bay I am a little overwhelmed sometimes, simply by the crazy amount of geniuses in such a small radius. 

This means new friends could be perfect fits (like my good friend Amity whom I met from Reddit) or they could leave me feeling like I really just don’t belong here.  I’m hoping that as time goes on I become more comfortable in the vast knowledge that I have, but right now I’m feeling a little out of my element.

Maybe it’s time to learn some programming so I know I’ll at least have that to talk about…

Originally posted on March 29, 2013 on awesomejamie.tumblr.com

Day One of my Fitbit One

Today I received a Fitbit One and a Fitbit Aria wireless scale c/o Ben’s awesome company.

I hooked up my tracker as quickly as I could tear open the box and went through the set up. It was super easy and I like that the wirleless dongle is small enough that I can keep it plugged into the usb port on mysweet DAS keyboard at all times. I immediately attached the One to my tank top and played with the bright little screen that is absolutely fantastic. The funny thing was that I was disappointed I was done with all of my walking for the day, because I wanted to make that little flower grow and get some badges! They do a great job of instigating exercise with the smallest rewards, like making a digital flower grow. 

I also set up the Aria scale in our bathroom which is a really chic looking and incredibly smart scale. The wireless was a bit of a hassle to set up but it was worth it when I stepped on it for the first time and it knew who I was! The scale can register up to 8 different people and will know who is weighing in and when. The greatest thing about all of it is the wireless syncing. This means I don’t have to plug anything in or make sure I’m pressing the right buttons, which means there’s one less thing for me to forget to do.

Fitbit has really seemed to simplify the fitness hardware world with some nifty little tools. I’m looking forward to using mine more!

Note: I was not paid to write this, nor were the gifts given so that I would write a review. I simply like the product so much that I wanted to share my thoughts!

Originally posted on March 29, 2013 on awesomejamie.tumblr.com

My Favorite Books: Penpal

I’ve mentioned this book across my social media sites at least a dozen times. This is one of my favorite books and it’s not just because of the storyline.

Penpal started as a short story on a little subreddit called /r/nosleep. It’s a haven for paranormal, scary, or just plain weird stories. The motto of the subreddit is “everything is true, even if it isn’t.” Suggesting readers suspend their belief while they read the submissions, if only to participate in the spooky feel of the forum.

I found the post while scrolling through nosleep on my phone and started reading. I finished the first part,Footsteps, and read the comments. There was a resounding outcry for more, that he couldn’t leave us hanging! The author promised there would be additional stories, always keeping in character and alluding to family troubles because of publishing his story. It progressed as he released the whole tale in 6 chapters. 

I loved the whole story so much I blogged about it on my personal site. A lot. I kept posting about the author, 1000Vultures, so much that he actually emailed me! I’m sure I looked absolutely ridiculous as I jumped up and down that he had emailed me personally to let me know that he would be running a kickstarter to get his works published! I was ecstatic. I told him that I’d be participating in it from start to finish and that I’d talk about it everywhere! 

The kickstarter campaign was phenomenal, raising just under $16,000 and demolishing the original $1,500 goal! We got our first glimpse at the author, finally learning his real name was Dathan Auerbach. I was the first backer and got 1 of 10 limited edition pledges. This included a hand numbered, signed, first edition of the book and tons of other goodies. In this amazing lockbox, which is part of the story, I also received an incredibly thoughtful handwritten letter from Dathan, thanking me for all of my support. 

I will always love this book, it’s a wonderfully written story with some fantastic depth, but I will appreciate the whole experience even more! I’m glad I could support an independent author and I’m so happy for him!

Penpal is available on Amazon and there are talks of a possible movie in the future! Sign up on his websiteto make sure you stay in the loop for all the news!

Originally posted on March 28, 2013 on awesomejamie.tumblr.com

Google Keep changed my life

Sure, Evernote has been out for ages but it always seemed way too intimidating to me. I regularly forget to do things or lose reminders that I set out for myself, so I’ve been searching for a simple and easy to manage system. Sadly these systems ended up being writing on my hands in pen, sticky notes everywhere, or sending myself text messages. Enter Google Keep. This small app has managed to help me stay on top of dozens of things, all from my phone’s home screen.

I was making the dreaded phone call to talk about my student loans and needed to take down other phone numbers to call, swiped over to Keep to a “quick add note” and I instantly had a notepad to enter the numbers. I was at a restaurant and really enjoyed the cocktail I ordered, so I took a quick picture of the menu so I could attempt (and most likely fail) to recreate it at home. I remembered there were a few things I needed from the store, created a little checklist of items and archived it as soon as the items had been acquired. These are the most basic uses I’ve found for Google Keep, but it’s been instrumental in keeping my sanity these past few days.

 Many are saying that Google simply plagiarized Evernote and stole their entire idea but I think Google was able to simplify an over complicated process and improve on the thought. 

Google Keep is now available in the Play Store and will be released to iTunes sometime in the future.

Originally posted on March 27, 2013 on awesomejamie.tumblr.com

Most Lives Are Lived By Default

My CEO sent me this article suggesting it had a good thought and that it’d be worth a read. 

As I was going through it I found myself identifying with the story almost immediately, and not just because we shared the same name. Jamie and I are so alike in the fact that we are consistently doing the same things that may not be “adventurous” or new or exciting. I did recognize a stark difference between us though, I recognize when I’m in that rut and make a serious effort to change it. I’ve moved to different places, I’ve made new friends, and even left jobs all for the sake of happiness. I’ve done this because I felt like something had to change and I knew it wasn’t going to happen unless I made it happen. 

Coincidentally, that’s exactly what’s happening right now. I’m currently working at a small startup that I enjoy but am not 100% passionate about. Alongside this day job I’ve begun to take on freelance editing and copywriting jobs; enough to warrant my own website (OnlyEdits.com coming soon!). This has caused both joy and stress in my life. I love editing, it’s second nature to me and I could do it in my sleep, but dedicating time on top of my regular job is really starting to take it’s toll. 

Hopefully, the company I work for releases in a couple weeks, gains some traction and I will get some additional time to pursue something that’s all my own! Until then, I’ll continue working part-time and freelance doing what I love most.

Originally posted on March 26, 2013 on awesomejamie.tumblr.com

Hello!

I am a 20something with a variety of passions but nothing that has spawned a career yet. I, like many others in my generation, have no idea what I want to do with my life.

I’ve held a plethora of jobs in different industries and have excelled in just about all of them but I haven’t yet found that one place where I feel like I truly fit. 

I’ve decided to start working through one of my favorite activities (writing) and using it to talk about all of my other favorite activities! I’ll be writing about what I’m doing with my spare time, at work, and random thoughts I have! Be on the lookout for reviews of books, games, and music as well as some of my amateur photography.

As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns please let me know! Thanks for reading :)

Originally posted on February 19th, 2013 on awesomejamie.tumblr.com