Write
-
- Dumpster, the Junkyard Zombie Cat
-
So, if you haven’t been closely following the Boyink Family life for the past year and a half or so let me catch you up. In December of 2009 we made the decision to take a year-long RV-based family road trip. As part of that I sold my hobby vehicle, a 1964 CJ6 Jeep that I had invested countless hours in. That Jeep was the latest in Jeep ownership that stretched from the time I turned 18 and included a 1966 CJ5 and a 1952 Willys Wagon.
Fun in the garage wasn’t limited to just vehicles. I’ve also made tandem bikes, a quadcycle, and a small junkyard sculpture.
Since coming back from our trip I’ve found myself restless and antsy - especially when the evening hours roll around and I’m done with the days work, am tired of looking at screens and don’t want to read a book. I think I was driving the family nuts with my frustrated pacing and desire for something to go do.
I was missing an offline hobby.
-
- Getting Away with IT
-
If you’re curious about how my family and I spent a year traveling the US by RV while keeping our businesses going, join me in Grand Rapids on February 22 when I’ll be giving a presentation entitled Getting Away With IT.
I’ll talk about the practicalities involved in prepping for the trip, the realities of working from the road, the difficulties of coming back off the road, and how we’re planning to ditch our house and become full time technomads.
The talk will be geared towards other IT workers, and our hope is to inspire you to realize you have the skillset to consider your own location-independent adventure.
-
- Startup Weekend 2012
-
Almost three years ago I ran across the Startup Weekend organization and immediately wanted to do one in West Michigan. I enlisted the help of Aaron Schaap and ElevatorUp and together with some additional volunteers and sponsors the result was Startup Weekend 2010. As I wrote in my wrap-up post the event was an amazing success that - even if all the businesses don’t ultimately make it - makes a positive impact on the business scene to offset all of the negative press.
The saddest part of the experience for me was that, due to our plans for an extended family RV roadtrip for 2011 we wouldn’t be around for the event.
-
- Taking On A Failed Project
-
It seems like every couple of weeks I get an email along these lines:
We have a website that cannot be completed by the current developers….is this something you would like to work on?
Over the years I’ve responded differently, from simple one-line “no thanks” to more involved responses declining the work. I thought I’d write up a more detailed blog post both to record my thought process in responding and as way to have a link to send out in the future when these requests come in.
-
- Site Launch: Villa Passalacqua.com
-
Nearly six years ago I made a similar announcement - the launch of TheVillaPassalacqua.com on ExpressionEngine.
Oops, I did it again.