The Unpacked Suitcase

I have no idea how the predecessors in my business worked efficiently 10 let alone 20 years ago! I have vague images of paper maps, and stacks of directories strewn in their cars directing them to new destinations. Now, I couldn’t imagine travel without my iphone and all its applications.

Here are my favorite 10 that I use on a regular basis:

10. Dragon Dictations

This voice to text transcription program has been used for years for medical transcriptions, but now it can be used on the iphone to draft emails and text messages. Although it doesn’t transcribe perfectly, I can still create quick email drafts during down time or when I’m driving that can be quickly cleaned up and sent later in the day.

9. Yelp

Yelp will use your current location to find local food spots, retail locations, stores, etc. I love narrowing down restaurants with Vegan and Vegetarian options. Although, it can be pretty obvious when reviews are written by the owners or friends of the owners of each establishment, I’ve found it to be pretty accurate in it’s ratings thus far.

8. FC Tasks

I love Franklin Covey programs. It helps me organize, categorize, and prioritize my daily tasks. It also has a handy voice recording feature, so I can quickly speak into my phone, save the task, and transcribe it later.

7. Google

The voice activation Google search is quite impressive. When the phone is plugged into the car auxilary outlet, I can quickly do web searches by vocalizing my request. It gives me quicker results than yahoo or bing.

6. Scan Biz Cards

I get several business cards daily from potential clients. Scan Biz Cards takes a photograph of the card, scans it, reads it, and enters it into the address book. There are a few transcription errors, but it still saves a considerable amount of time when compared to hand entering the data. The program can also be used to create follow up reminders although I rarely use this function.

5. Meetup.com

Although I haven’t gone to any meetup events that I’ve actually joined, the app is a useful tool to learn what’s happening in the community I’m visiting. I recently attended a Pecha Kucha event (don’t ask me how to pronounce it) after getting a meetup invite. You can find anything from adventure groups, hiking groups, book clubs, singles events, etc. On a restless evening in a new town, this app can offer an endless amount of possible activities.

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These last few months, I’ve concentrated on writing posts about my seasonal home and my experiences within a nomadic life. However, it shouldn’t be forgotten that I’ve been bouncing between many other small and large cities over the last few months as well. Lately, the average week has me in 4-5 different states. Exploring each place has been fun, but it’s been difficult to create routines and plans without getting physically exhausted.

I’ve created a general outline I try to stick to in my day which seems to work for me now:

6 or 7am - Coffee, Get Ready, Repeat coffee intake if necessary

7 or 8am- Get on the road and start hitting all my appointments for the day

5-6pm End the day when offices close.

after work- Work out and Eat

Work- Write more emails and follow ups

Go to bed

The problem: I want to do sooo much more!!

If I’m in New Jersey…and well, New York.. and of course Massachusetts…well…most places actually… I’d like to meet up with friends, and explore the areas I’m temporarily visiting. Also, let’s not forget all of my short term hobbies: knitting, golf, reading, etc.,etc. Fitting the life of my fantasy into reality poses a pretty big problem.

For the most part, it’s been doable. When I know my schedule, I’ll reach out to a couple of friends and let them know I’m in town, and set up 1-2 fun plans during the week. It’s allowed me to go to my first professional soccer (sorry…futbol) game, attend Shakespeare in the Park, and dine at a Boston Jean-George restaurant. This lifestyle has given me all the pleasures I thought I would miss from NYC without its fast-paced lifestyle. I compare other cities to New York less and less as I’ve learned to appreciate what the rest of Americana has to offer, and plan on writing more and more about my experiences and observations on the road.

There was a time when I would get a nagging feeling that I’m going to miss out on something spectacular every time I left NYC. The same kind of feeling I would get when I was a teenager, and not allowed to go to someone’s party. Every event felt unmistakably huge and important. I’m finally starting to see that I’m not missing as much as I feared.

A

When I look back at my time in Providence, I have many fond memories including sailing, Waterfire, spending time with new friends, etc. As strange as it sounds though, one my my fondest was on a random Thursday night…July 15th at midnight to be exact.

I just got home from watching an outdoor park screening of Godfather, and I couldn’t sleep. It was opening night of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2!!! The last of an epic story spanning the last 7 years of my life! My friends in NYC had already bought tickets to a screening months in advance, and were planning on waiting in line early to get choice seats. Since I wasn’t going to be able to go with them, I decided to take a chance and hit the mall theater on my own.

I got to the mall at midnight and followed a gaggle of teenagers through the Escher-like maze to my destination. I was the only one in line at the ticket booth since most people had bought advanced tickets, and bought myself one ticket for the 12:15 3D showing. Thrilled at the prospect of even getting a last minute ticket, I didn’t harbor any expectations of getting a decent seat. Being unplanned, I would accept the punishment of the front-most aisle and crank my neck all the way back to see the screen. To my surprise, I walked into the theater to find a few sparse pimply faced attendees, and prime seating in a middle seat half way up the stadium.

Despite the fact that it took me an hour to drive out of the parking lot and I knew I would suffer the next morning, the experience was wonderful. I was able to have a spontaneous date with myself at the movie of my choosing. It really couldn’t get better than this.

A

In my post “Half Way Point”, I stated that I would start a different 30 day plan each month to accomplish some of the smaller goals in my life. I’m sad to say, that my first goal of running for 30 minutes for 30 days, was unsuccessful. I started the month with a pinched nerve in my back from too much weight training, and did more yoga than cardio to fix the problem. I was able to run at least 3 times a week starting the second week of August. Starting today, Thursday the 1st of September, I’m going to attempt the same goal again. I will run at least 30 minutes each day until the end of the month. 

I’ll check in on Sept 15th and let you know how it goes. Wish me luck!

A