BootsnAll Bloopers Video

At BootsnAll we've been doing lots of videos over the last few months, recording stuff in our basement mini-TV studio and putting it up on the video section of BootsnAll. As you can imagine, Ethan (the man who's usually behind the camera) has collected lots of bloopers and outtakes over this time, which he actually edited together into one three-minute video.

Now, if you don't know anyone at BootsnAll, this may not be terribly amusing to you. But I've watched it twice now and giggled myself silly. I work with some funny guys.



For reference, featured in this video are:
Sean - BootsnAll CEO, co-founder & company mascot
Chris - BootsnAll co-founder, design guru & resident Aussie whose mind goes blank for a second
Ethan - BootsnAll video expert who's apparently struggling with an ear hair issue
Mika - BootsnAll business (or biz-natch) development
Hayden - BootsnAll marketing guy who is told no one cares about his family
Roger - BootsnAll writer who brings his own lighting to the DMV
and me!

How to Travel the World (and Improve It) for Free

BootsnAll is working with a fellow called Tim Ferriss, who recently wrote a book called "The 4-Hour Workweek", to award one lucky person the chance to travel the world for free while also improving the planet.

How would you use 36 extra hours per week?

If you can answer that question in 350 words or less, you could win a roundtrip anywhere in the world, private consultation with me to plan it all, and $1,000 for the cause of your choice.

My goals with this are 1) to get people to take action towards their dreams, and 2) to help people to develop a global consciousness and feel the rewards of contribution.

The deadline for entering this contest is June 15th, so act fast. You'll find the rules at the bottom of this post.

BootsnAll is Hiring

I'm going to take a break from cat-related posts here to tell you about a job opening where I work at the BootsnAll Travel Network. Here's how the position is described:

Are you a web monkey that has talents that are way under utilized? Are you looking to work at a small company where you can see your efforts get implemented on a daily basis and hear positive feedback from customers almost instantaneously? Can you dream in PHP, communicate concisely and effectively and dream up the next web based travel app that travelers go crazy for?

I don't even understand half of that, so clearly this isn't the job for me... But if it made sense to you and you're curious about it, you can read more about the job, which is currently being called a Project Manager, here - and feel free to pass this along to anyone you know who might be interested.

BootsnAll Treasure Hunt

Let me say at the outset that if you're me or part of my immediate family, you're not eligible to play, so stop reading now lest you be disappointed.

Okay, now that they're all gone, check this out:

Every week for the month of May registered Hunters will have the opportunity to win awesome travel prizes, like hostel booking vouchers and travel books. The grand prizes, though, are what have got us all excited. We're giving away US$2000 towards a round-the-world ticket, an adventure trip in Turkey, Eurail passes and a whole lot more.

Sound good? It is good. Here's where to register.

And go ahead and spread the word - tell your friends about the BootsnAll Treasure Hunt - just make sure they're not related to me, that's all.

Fewer Jobs, More Working Hours

I'm happy to report that as of April I'll be increasing my hours at BootsnAll. Happy me! It means lots more writing, which is great - it's not anything glamorous, just copy writing stuff for various parts of the website, but still. I feel like I finally have a job where I get to utilize my affection for writing and where it's actually recognized as being worth utilizing. Not bad.

For awhile, it'll mean more hours at the office, which means fewer hours working from home in my sweats and slippers. It's funny, when I first started working at home last fall I wasn't sure I'd end up liking it - and now I don't want to leave! I do enjoy my co-workers' company, though, so it'll be nice to see more of them. Those boys need a girl around every so often to remind them to behave, after all...

Being full time at BootsnAll also means I'll no longer be working for the mediator/attorney friend who I've known for nearly 12 years now. I'm sure I'll be "on call" with him for awhile, though, which is fine because he lives close by. All in all, I'm glad to be down to just one day-job (plus the teaching). It's been a long time coming, and I've been looking forward to this for awhile. It feels like such a relief.

Why We Travel

One of my duties at BootsnAll is to populate our travel inspiration site, Why Go. I love Why Go - partly because it gives me a chance to feed my love of photography and quotations, and mostly because it's not a question (why go?) but a statement. That changes the entire meaning of the site for me.

At any rate, someone on the message boards posted a link to this slideshow treat on the New York Times Travel site, and it's of a similar ilk as Why Go. It's not about where we go or what we do once we get there - it's just about the going.