Facebook and FourSquare for Downtown Programs

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Facebook and FourSquare for Downtown Programs

On February 1st, I had the pleasure of presenting at a Vermont Downtown Networking Meeting.  Present were a dozen or more downtown programs, such as Montpelier Alive, Revitalizing Waterbury, and the Barre Partnership, along with their staff, volunteers, and board members.

I spoke about the value of social media for Vermont’s downtowns, as a way to engage citizens, neighbors from surrounding communities and tourists. Specifically, I covered Facebook events, Facebook advertising, FourSquare, and I touched on editorial calendar planning a bit at the end.

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Reverse 100 Thing Challenge: 400 Things Decluttered

Posted by On Filed under Voluntary Simplicity / Minimalism 6 Comments
Reverse 100 Thing Challenge: 400 Things Decluttered

Last year, I was intrigued by Dave Bruno’s 100 Thing Challenge, but could not imagine reducing all of my possessions down to just 100 items. The challenge seems more appropriate for digital nomads, travelers and, well, people who don’t have any art, books or photos. Nonetheless, it intrigued me, so I decided to do the opposite and see if I could give away 100 things.

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Water Fast: Day 2 of 3

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Water Fast: Day 2 of 3

After 37 hours on this water fast, I finally felt hunger pangs, but it was only after smelling some cooking and baking within my apartment building. Once the smell was gone, so went the hunger pangs, so I’ve gone nearly 43 hours without feeling true hunger. Clearly, I have a few calories that are tiding me over!

I had to go out and about today, but I returned home quickly. I felt fatigued and napped quite a bit of the day away. I thought more about food today than I did yesterday and it’s been revealing to watch my thoughts.

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Water Fast: Day 1 of 3

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Water Fast: Day 1 of 3
  • 84+ oz water
  • 0 oz or grams or pounds food
  • A minor headache since noon
  • No hunger pangs yet

I embarked on this water fast because I knew that last one would happen: I’m curious to see how many days until I feel hunger.

Granted, today I’ve felt a few cravings: a cinnamon roll from Espresso Bueno, a ham and cheese croissant from Capitol Grounds, and homemade chex mix that a friend posted to Facebook, but any impulse I’ve had has been to use food just to do something. That’s not hunger or nutrition: that’s using food as a social activity or to alleviate boredom.

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Experiments with a standing desk

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Experiments with a standing desk

For the past seven months, I’ve been on my feet at a standing desk.

It all started when I started at Vermont Tech. My office was previously used by a vastly different department, so I somehow had three desks and three filing cabinets, all of which were empty and didn’t serve my paperless work style. I realized I could start from scratch in designing the space – and it is a gorgeous space.

I’ve heard, for the past few years, that sitting all day is killing us desk jockeys. In 2011, NPR reported that “…researchers are beginning to suspect that even if you engage in regular exercise daily, it may not be enough to counteract the effects of too much sitting during the rest of the day.”

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Debt milestone: less than $10,000 left

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Debt milestone: less than $10,000 left

I hit another milestone today: my total debt is under $10,000! I’m heading toward a seven-year low mark and I’m just doing full-on battle with the beast.

Since studying abroad in college, I’ve carried credit card debt. It ballooned when my income increased, a typical example of lifestyle inflation. Two years after graduating from college, I bought a brand new car and my student loans came due, all within the same summer.

See that big spike in the chart below?  Yeah, I’ve been recovering from that since 2005.

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