Sorry for disappearing, kids. But after months and months of salary-lessness (due, in short, to rather severe naivetÈ on my part; we initially pushed Cyan’s projects one by one, rather than multiple projects all at the same time – something we eventually learned was the requisite approach in an industry where the schedule on any given film is likely to slip and slip and then slip some more), bling-bling beckoned me out to fair San Francisco to kick off the more tightly re-focused Paradigm Blue with a pair of techno-wunderkind consulting gigs.

And, apparently, if I’m getting paid to crank out overly verbose, snarkily cynical critiques of a company or nonprofit’s products, services and strategies, it’s tough for me to muster that same snarky verbosity on the home front. (I imagine this same effect must be murderous on the sex lives of gynecologists: “honey, please, put that away”.

Lucky for you, though, I’m now back in NYC, back to balancing tech dorkery with movie ‘glamour’, leaving me plenty of time to write the rambling, inane content you’ve come to love. (Or, at least, to mildly tolerate).

Before I get on with my life, however, a few highlights from the trip:

1. Brunch with the lovely, smart, funny, articulate, and – sadly – just married Nara Nayar, an online friend I’d been corresponding with since my short Blind Date Blog stint a few years back (if you missed that – consider yourself lucky) but had not previously had the pleasure of meeting in real life.
2. Playing Alternative Lifestyle Life with Helen Jane and Hilary and James and James’ friend Cary; laughing, more or less nonstop, for eight or nine hours, to the point where my cheeks were literally sore from the muscular exertion of it by the next day.

3. In celebration of my father’s 54th birthday (yesterday) and my 25th (tomorrow), heading to Raging Waters, a water park about a half hour south of my parents home, for an afternoon of riding water slide after water slide. Take that, maturity!

4. A very, very excellent date that I’m not going to talk about because it appeared to have actual potential – something that totally freaks out my inner commitment-phobe if I actually think about it too much.

Still, despite all the excitement: NYC, it’s good to be home.