Oh, hello.

I am cautiously dipping my toes into the world of WordPress and blogging. Let me just say – any of you who are adept at website build and code – I commend you. It took me 2 hours just to figure out how to make the bold font on my title. So, kudos to you. I hope to add a little “pizzazz” to this page eventually, hopefully without burning down the internet in the process.

This is the very first post and I know I should probably write about something profound or so interesting that you’ll want to come back…but I’d just like to say hello. Coming up with new, fresh ideas and content is the perennial challenge so let’s start with getting to know each other a little bit.

My name is Brian and I live in the constant chaos that is New York City. It’s an odd choice for an introvert. It’s like saying “What’s the most calm, chill place where I can be alone with my thoughts?” and then saying “Yes. Now move me to the complete opposite of that”. (By the way I don’t know where that chill place is, but if you find it, let me know).

Wait, so, why NYC?

I moved to NYC 10 years ago to pursue a career, but also my heart. I had lived in Boston since college, working in a sales role (another terrible choice for an introvert), experiencing those typical mid 20’s revelations and questions of what I really wanted to do with my life.

I went to college with a major in Communication and Marketing but ended up in sales because it was glamorous and I made so much money, and…wait, no…I ended up in sales because I was saddled with so SO much debt and it was a job that would support my 20-something year old goal at the time which was: get me out of my parents house. I always wanted to work in marketing, but when you’re young and starting out, you can’t have it all.

6 years into my glamorous Boston sales lifestyle, I was ready for a change. I mentioned my heart earlier, and this is where that part comes in. I met Ray in the summer of 2010 on Cape Cod. I knew pretty much right away that I had finally found my best friend and the person I would spend the rest of my life with, and also the person that would put up with all of my idiosyncrasies. There was a catch (duh) – he lived in New York City. I loathed New York. I grew up across the way from it and swore that I would never move there no matter how fun Home Alone 2 made it seem.

We spent the last few months of 2010 commuting back and forth between Boston and New York. Anyone that lives or grew up in the North East knows that the drive between Boston and New York on I-95 is like the gauntlet from hell. It’s the Battle Royale of bad drivers and even worse attitudes. Nobody wins, but all suffer.

Needless to say, the Pro’s and Con’s of living in NYC began to shift. Around this same time, a professional opportunity appeared in New York as well. Not only was it much more geographically pleasing to my life circumstances, but it was the shift I needed – moving me out of sales and into the marketing track that I really wanted to pursue. With the guidance and support of some amazing mentors, I packed up my truck with the (very) limited possessions that I owned, and began my new career in my new city.

So, here I am just under 10 years later.  I’m still in Marketing, Ray and I are still together, and New York still hasn’t sent me running yet (except for that year away in Seattle which is a story in and of itself for another time).

Again, I know this wasn’t profound as some first entries can be, but I do hope it allowed you to get to know me a bit. If you have stories of moving to (or running from) New York, switching careers, or like ANYTHING about dogs, than drop a note. I love stories, and I hope you’ll like some of mine.