The Journey Abroad

Currency conversions, unfamiliar tongues and foreign soils. There’s something inherently sexing and exciting about traveling abroad. Whether it’s for business or pleasure or both, I love to travel! I do my best to make as much time for travel as I can. Living out of a suitcase and battling through jet lag is not an uncommon occurrence for me. Sadly though, my passport is not as decorated as I wish because the bulk of my traveling is done in the States. I’m changing that though.

While most people put together a list of popular "must see places/must do things" for their trip, I prefer to go a different route. Forgoing tourist spots and hanging with the locals instead. What better way to get a REAL feel for another culture and the land than from the natives themselves? Learning their customs, sinking your taste buds in their food and engaging in the same activities they deem as entertainment.

When packing for a trip your mind runs in overdrive. You think of all the belongings you need to take and then try to downsize those same belongings to just the bare necessities to lighten your load. Once arriving at your destination, you begin soaking up your new surroundings and cramming in as new many experiences that your body can endure. Then when you arrive back home, you feel torn between feeling happy and sad.

A sense of melancholy washes over you that your trip has come to an end, thus forcing you to return to your daily grind and play catch-up to the life you’ve placed on hold. But you’re also elated that your trip has come to an end because now you’ve returned to what is familiar and comfortable – home. And now you are able to reflect on what your journey has taught you about the world. And more importantly, about yourself. That’s the gift of travel. It cleanses the mind and reinvigorates the soul. It helps redefine what our purpose in this life is and reminds us what living is all about.

Have you noticed I haven’t said where I’m going? I think I’m going to keep it a secret, at least for now. Because like traveling abroad, mysteries are sexing and exciting too. Or in the infamous words of my Father..."Wherever you go, there you are." Clearly my Father is not a man of flowery prose. And I’m not good at goodbyes. So for now, I’ll just say farewell. I have a blog post or two that is scheduled to auto-publish in my absence. And when I come back, may I be a better man. A happier man. A reinvigorated soul.



***Messenger Bag Giveaway Winner Announced!***
Thanks to everyone that participated in the "What's In Your Bag?" contest. I hope you had as much fun peeking into people’s bags (and lives) as I did. Using Randomizer.org, I’ve selected the winner. And the winner of the Rothco Heavyweight Classic Messenger Bag is...Grace Boyle of Small Hands, Big Ideas! Very fitting since Grace is also a travel junkie. So I hope this bag serves you well. Congratulations to Grace!

What’s In Your Bag?

We are a curious species. I’m not quite sure why that is, but people are fascinated by other people! It’s in our human nature to be inquisitive. We like to know what makes others tick. So we prod. We poke. We peer. We peek. We ask questions. And above all else, we observe. The casual on-looker can gather a lot of information about a person just by observing. The books you read, the music you listen to, the kind of drink you order and even the food you eat says something about you. If you’re reading this blog right now, chances are you’re curious about me. And whether we are tight friends or perfect strangers, I have to admit there’s something about you that I’m kind of curious about too. So what is it about our fellow human that has all of us so awfully intrigued?

The gossipy teenager. The bored housewife. The jealous lover. The perverted apartment super. It seems that people of all walks of life are engaged in all types of nosey activities! And while you personally may never take it to a seedy voyeuristic level, chances are you play a part in perpetuating the cycle. From picking up tabloid magazines and tuning into reality TV, to people watching on the street and Facebook stalking online. We poke our nose in everywhere it doesn’t belong. There’s even those that peak into their party host’s medicine cabinet - something I’ll never understand!

So when I came across the Flickr photo group "What In Your Bag?" I wasn't surprised. And just like 18,000+ of its members, I too was curious to see what’s in people’s bags! I have no idea why because in real life I couldn’t care less. But there’s something about it being displayed so openly on the Internet that makes me want to view the mobile contents of a stranger’s world. Perhaps to get a glimpse into who they are as a person. I've decided to dump out the contents of my own laptop messenger bag so you can get a glimpse of me.

Here is what I've found...

• passport
• sunglasses
• pocket-sized Moleskine
• pens
• directions written in a stranger's handwriting
• car keys
• expired Metro card
• USB thumb drive
• 1 lonely condom
• stack of business cards
• pack of peppermint gum
• iPod
• cell phone
• book - "Zen and the Art of Happiness" by Chris Prentiss
• $3 left from a cabbie’s tip
• a phone number of someone I don't remember meeting
• stainless steel traveling coffee mug
• blue stress ball
• Targus cable lock
• handheld wifi detector
• misc CDs
• various ID/security badges
• eye drops
• napkin doodle
• cordless mouse
• my laptop
• and a crumbled up dry cleaning receipt

So what does this say about me (other than I carry too much junk and should clean out my bag more often)? I don't know. But I am curious to know what's in YOUR bag! It doesn't matter if it's a messenger bag, backpack, purse, or sack lunch. Dump out your junk and tell us what you have.

Every person that leaves a comment on this post will be automatically entered to win a new Rothco Heavyweight Classic Messenger Bag. Winner will be selected at random and announced this Friday, 8/6/10 on my blog here and on Twitter @davidstehle. Good luck!


***NOTE***
This is not a paid post and my blog is not sponsored by any company in any way. This bag was originally offered to me, but since I already have a messenger bag, I thought one of you might benefit more from it. So basically, the only reason for the giveaway is because I love you, my readers.

More Cool Tech Gadgets - FREE Giveaway!

So a little good news/bad news today regarding my blog and you the reader...

Bad News: My blog didn’t generate enough buzz during the HP dm3 contest. So I don’t get a second laptop to give away to another lucky reader.

Good News: HP was impressed with the amount of hype my blog did create. So I'll be doing future promotions, more tech gadget giveaways!

I can’t tell you what they will be because I don’t even know yet myself. However, when I do get word, I’ll pass it on to you immediately via my blog and my Twitter. That way you can take advantage of the free goodie goodness that is a shiny, new tech gadget!

As you're probably already aware, there are two things I love in life - writing and tech gadgets! So when I can combine the two, my heart nearly bursts with love. Although now that my first giveaway is over, I’ve discovered that I lost some followers and subscribers. I'm a little sad about that, but it's ok. It just means they’ll miss out on my future awesomeness...and of course more tech gadgets I’ll be giving away for free!

I would just like to reassure those who may be thinking that my blog is going to turn into some ad-laden, promotional pushy, constant contest/giveaway extravaganza that nothing could be further from the truth. My blog has been and always will be a place where I write. It’s my creative outlet and I’m not interested in changing my mission statement. So the same content that you’ve enjoyed over the course of my 5 years in blogging, and has given me nearly 2,000 subscribers, it’s staying. I will keep writing. I hope you’ll keep reading. And in the process I’ll toss a new laptop or some other cool gadget your way to say thanks for being loyal.

xoxo,
David

HP dm3 Laptop Winner Announced!

***NOTE***
The follow-up post to 11/23/09 - Oprah Gives Cars, I Give Laptops - Get Yours!

Today is the big day! After 1 week, we had nearly 4,000 comments/entries and 300 Tweets! There were countless mentions around the web from various websites, blogs, Facebook, Digg, Craigslist, etc. Now it's time to announce the winner of the new HP dm3 laptop! After a rather time consuming process, I managed to collect all entries (yes, all multiple entries were counted) and randomly drew one name from the pile. So without further ado...

drumroll please

The winner is...James!

Congratulations to James for winning my first ever giveaway prize, a brand new HP dm3 laptop with Windows 7! I will be in touch with James today to get his mailing address and with HP to make sure it is shipped directly to him ASAP.

I want to thank all of you for your participation in this giveaway contest. I was very pleased with everyone's enthusiasm and I hope the buzz everyone created was enough for HP to want to give me a second laptop to give away too! If you didn't win, don't be too sad. There will be more opportunities to win cool tech gadgets in the near future. So be sure to subscribe to my blog and follow me on Twitter that way you'll be the first to know when it happens!

Also, a special thanks to Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft for selecting my blog to give away such a great prize to one lucky reader.

Happy Holidays from "The Rest Is Still Unwritten" :)

Oprah Gives Cars, I Give Laptops - Get Yours!

They say it's better to give than to receive. Doing so makes one feel "clean" inside. So what better way for a self-proclaimed techwhore like myself to cleanse the gadget slut out of me than to give away a gadget! That's right, I'M GIVING ONE LUCKY READER A BRAND NEW LAPTOP FOR FREE! (You may now start jumping up and down and screaming "OMG, OMG" like you're on the Oprah show.)

I've been informed that the kind folks at HP have selected me as 1 of just 9 bloggers who will be giving away a brand new HP Pavilion dm3 laptop loaded with Windows 7. Depending on configuration, this laptop can retail up to nearly $1,200! And for someone who has NEVER done a giveaway on his blog before, that is one hell of a good prize!

What’s the catch you ask? No catch. HP simply wants help in creating a buzz about their new HP Pavilion dm3 laptop. So they are giving me 1 laptop to give away to one lucky reader. And rumor has it I’ll receive a second laptop if my blog generates the most buzz! Even better news, I’ll be giving that second laptop away too! That means your chances of winning have just doubled! So let me treat you to an early gift this holiday season by giving you a laptop. It's my way of simply saying thanks for reading my blog and because I like the warm, fuzzy feeling I receive putting a smile on someone’s face (insert collective aww here). Now let me tell you how to win that laptop...

Prize Specs: HP Pavilion dm3

• HP Pavilion dm3 offers an ideal balance of performance, mobility and affordability in a 1” thin, sleek design that features a meticulously clean design and iconic keyboard enhanced by a brushed aluminum-magnesium alloy case.
• Features like snap, pin, shake, and peak in Windows 7 make day-to-day tasks a breeze on dm3
• Windows 7 also offers better ways to find and manage files like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews that help you speed through everyday tasks. To open a Jump List, just right-click a program icon on the Windows 7 taskbar.
• Great features like HomeGroup makes sharing music, pictures, videos, and document on home networks easy.
• The dm3’s HP MediaSmart along with its BrightView LED display, SRS Premium Sound and Altec Lansing speakers with the option to connect to your HD TV via the HDMI port make the device ideal for experiencing music and video.
• Windows 7 enhances that experience with features like Play To, which allows users to play media through a home video/audio system, and the Windows Media Center that enables users to watch Internet TV and record TV for playback.
• Ultra-low voltage processors and other features give the dm3 up to 10 hours of battery life, letting users go where they need to without having to find a plug.
• Windows 7 power management contributes to battery longevity by running fewer background activities, automatic screen dimming, powering off unused ports and more.
• See more on the HP Pavilion dm3.
• See more Windows 7 features.

How To Enter:
To enter simply leave a comment on this post stating what one of the first things you would do with this laptop should you receive it. Any answer is acceptable, from downloading porn to chatting with Santa via Skype. The more you enter, the more chances you have to win! And remember the winner will be the person who creates the greatest buzz! So leave tons of comments, Tweet it, Digg it, tell your Facebook friends, link to it from your blog, however you want to do it is fine with me. Just get the word out.

Contest Rules:
Basically, there are none!
Everyone is eligible!
No restrictions apply!
HP will ship directly to you - anywhere in the world!
Just be sure to leave some type of contact info (such as a profile link to your blog) in your comment/s so I can get in touch with you if you win.

Contest Entry Dates:
November 23, 2009 - November 30, 2009
(You'll know the contest has officially ended when the Comments section closes.)

Winner will be announced on December 1, 2009 here my blog (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) and via my Twitter (@diamondkt). So make sure you subscribe to my blog and following me on Twitter. Good luck!



***TIP***
Digg Users: Digg the story here at Digg.com

Twitter Users: To help me keep track of entries, when Tweeting this post please copy/paste this phrase...

Win a brand new HP dm3 laptop with Windows 7! http://bit.ly/8uqTtv via @diamondkt #freelaptop