Today marks the one year anniversary of Jocelyn’s and my wedding. What can I say about that day and this year that wouldn’t sound trite? It was a perfect day … the year since has been filled with love and hope … I’m thankful for every day and moment we spend together … and I look forward to filling the rest of our lives with laughs and adventure.

In celebration, I created another Spotify playlist … Jocelyn wouldn’t like a lot of what’s on here (probably about half – appropriate, I guess, heh) … but these songs always conjure her and us in my mind.

My first iPod was named Devendra (as in Banhart). Not sure that I actually assigned it that name in any software, but it acted pretty funky – so it seemed appropriate.

One day it just up and died – and I didn’t have a complete backup anywhere. This would be referred to as the Great Music Holocaust of 2004 … if we ever spoke of it again. Which we won’t.

Early the following year, I got an honest, for-real, full-time, paying job. I immediately rewarded such excellent behavior by purchasing an iPod. I didn’t name this one for a long while … probably for fear of being hurt again. However, when the time came to do a clean restore of the machine, it seemed appropriate to name it Wakefield. It’s slow … and sometimes it just shits the bed. But it still eats a lot of innings.

Much like its namesake, I am surprised to still be using this today – but Wakefield only truly works as an external hard drive (unplugged from life support, it gets tired quickly). I ended up naming my current iPhone Tek – for another long standing Sox. The phone still works pretty well, I guess – but I look forward to an upgrade now that it’s past its prime.

He’s the one on the right.

However, Tek’s antecedent, the first iPhone, seemed like a giant leap ahead for Man in 2007. Or whenever that was. Sure, we’d spent the the greater part of the 20th Century developing man-killing machines and watering down culture and personhood – but we had made this thing – which was pretty cool!

Not since grocery door entranceways had we been able to achieve what our science fiction heroes had only dared to dream of – ultimate convenience and service while minimizing physical effort. Flying hover boards couldn’t be far behind.

It seemed only appropriate to choose a technologically advanced hero as a namesake for such a leap forward – Mork.

Which brings me to the newest member of this family. I’m typing this ridiculously nerdy blog entry on an iPad, Heisenberg – also named for a television character, albeit a slightly different breed.

Looking forward to the challenges ahead … and I hope that our paths cross again!

–

Matt Urban
Senior Rich Media Development Leader, Ad Operations
About.com | Need. Know. Accomplish.
_________________________________________

About.com is part of the New York Times Company

The RSS feed switch is still a good idea as everything I do online basically gets updated there (including this blog). And I know you’re a completist. And a little OCD. Just sayin’. It’s not like I actually write anything here.

I’m trying to get better at that stuff.  I never wanted you to take it personally, People.  Although, sometimes you are kind of an asshole.

And maybe I take you for granted. And I’m sorry for that, People.

But NO MORE.

Now Matt Urban is on Facebook.  I think that means you and I can play Scrabble.  Or maybe throw turkeys at each other, whatever the hell that means.

But it also means that I have to decide whether that dude in the cube two rows down is my “friend.”  More importantly, will he notice that we AREN’T friends.  Will it prevent us from being actual non-cyber friends?  Has he not send me that damn Photoshop file that I asked him for days ago because of it? Will he now be able to find that picture of me where I’m [REDACTED].

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions as to how I’m supposed to make this Facebook thing interesting, let me know.  I already have the icon on my iPhone home screen. So far, that’s my favorite part.

train!, originally uploaded by Joc_And.

I love it when the train comes. Maybe that’s cause I hate it when it doesn’t.

shawn: “urbanblight” is so strongly associated with you that when I see it anywhere I just assume you must be connected somehow.
urbanblight: heh, i wish! i would love some royalties on it. there’s a band apparently with that name, too
shawn: which is the one I just encountered
shawn: NEXT WEEK: Urban Blight!
shawn: I keep thnking i’m gonna see your Mii
urbanblight: lol – it’s my hardcore band
shawn: I like that that implies you have many bands
urbanblight: yeah, my disco-rock band is Al Qaeda Sex Tape … my alt-country band is Stupid Broken Umbrella, etc.
shawn: haha
shawn: I want to buy your alt-country band’s album
urbanblight: it’s an under-appreciated masterpiece that will receive it’s due after being used in a car commercial, years after my untimely death
shawn: Yikes, well, at least some good will come of it (your untimely death)
urbanblight: yeah, it’ll get my burgeoning lesbian folk-punk daughter some spins on college radio too, when she releases a haunting cover of it.
shawn: haha
shawn: you’ve thought about this
urbanblight: heh, a boy can dream

If Hurley from LOST can post three entries about excrement, then I get to post an IM conversation.

The changing of calendars (as U2 reminds us every frickin’ year) is mostly a administrative marker. Does it actually mean something?  Eh … depends on how you react to it, I guess.  For me, the year still hinges on the school calendar.  Autumn is the time where I really stop and say “woah, I started college/high school/kindergarten X years ago.”

That being said … there’s something about this morning.  As I sit in my kitchen, sipping coffee in my favorite robe …  light streaming through the windows … knocking out some stuff for work … listening to my iPod’s morning mix … staring at my shiny new iPhone … I feel slightly hopeful for 2008. I feel like I’ve been revving my engine for a few months now, and I’m just about ready to slip it into first gear.

So here’s to you and yours. Eat, drink, be merry.  All that.

I think instead of meditating, I’m just gonna watch this every morning.

I was ready to get up and be responsible. Like an adult.

Then I wake up. And it’s 5 minutes before I’m supposed to leave.

Tonight, I will be in bed early. Staring at a ceiling, waiting for sleep to come. Maybe I’ll take a Benadryl or something. But by God … I am waking up on time tomorrow.

To be honest … I don’t particularly hold the ability to wake up on time in very high esteem. However, I know that in general, society is in to that sort of thing. What bothers me, is that I am having so much trouble making what should be a simple adjustment.

At least someone understands: