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Here I am closing in on my third month of New England big city life and I thought I would take a little time to reflect on the differences between living in Duncan, SC compared to Cambridge, MA. From culture, temperature, size, and distance there is a lot of differences from living in a 1,500 square foot house that I own to a 1,000 square foot apartment that I pay three times the monthly payments and aren't even building equity.

Living in the Country

• Own a vehicle and drive everywhere
• Drive to the grocery store whenever you need anything
• When the dog needs to go use the bathroom you just let him out in the fenced in back yard
• No snow and the weather is warmer
• Grass to cut
• Twenty minute ten mile driving commute to work

Living in the City

• Sold my vehicle and live next door to work
• Order groceries online and have the delivered
• Have to take the dog down the elevator and actually walk him
• Winters are cold and it snows regularly
• It's a five minute walk from door to door to work

Lots of Differences

I could keep going on and on with differences from the lightning quick and affordable FiOS internet connection I now have to be within walking distance of a mall. One thing is for sure is that it is moving from one world into another. I've always said that one day I'm going to be through with technology and simply want to live and be one with nature. As technology now is such an important part of my life and everything that I do I feel more confident than ever before that one day that time will come where I will simply be ready to disconnect.

Beyond all the differences it has been interesting to try and adapt to the new environment and I've even made some changes willingly. For example selling my car and walking to work. I also gave up cable and watch TV through the internet in one format or the other. Netflix streaming through the Xbox 360 is extremely cool and convenient. What is so interesting is that this really is the future of television. Anything on demand anytime that you want to watch it is the future. The only TV that I really miss is the sports, but quite honestly I'm just too busy to really notice. Luckily MLB.TV will be available for my Braves addition.

In the mean time I'll just soak up and learn everything I can.

Last night was my friendLara Simpson's 24th birthday. Lara and I go WAY back. Way back meaning when Lara was just a little freshman in college and needed someone to fix her computer, I just happened to be the guy working the IT Help Desk that night. I won't get into the whole story, but a few years later Lara was the first student I hired as Webmaster at Wofford and I like to think that the little letter of recommendation that I wrote for her helped to get her into Emerson for grad school (hey Lara even if we know you're just a Bad Ass and it didn't really help let's just pretend like it did!). So anyway Lara led the way to Boston and when I was contemplating the move up here she was one of the first people that I contacted to explore the idea.

So Happy Birthday Lara! Great time last night hanging out and meeting all your friends and I wish you nothing but the best as you shoot for the stars! Although I don't get to claim to be your boss anymore you have been and always will be a great friend.

It's not the Bar it's the Relationships

Something else that I was thinking about last night on the walk home was from a conversation I had with someone last night. We are always wanting to check out new places and looking for the perfect bar to hang out. Boston has its famous Cheers thanks to a certain television show back in the 1980s. Although we are always looking for a great new place to hang out that has the best drinks in town at the end of the night it always comes back to the friends and the relationships that you build with those people. A bar is a bar, but the people who you spend time with is what you remember the next day or a decade later.

So next time you plan to go out don't stress it trying to find the perfect place, spend the time to make sure that you have all the people whose company you want to enjoy on the same page to spend the time together.