3rd XOXO & 1 Year Later

My 3rd XOXO

Thinking about the next few days in Portland, I’m thrilled beyond measure. So many new and old friends will be in my city, wandering around, making and showing art, and eating tons of food. When I first attended XOXO in 2015 I had no idea what to expect. I’d been to SXSW for years, growing-up in Austin, but never before had I felt so surrounded by rad, like-minded people. The talks were incredible, the social hangouts were silly fun, and the love at the festival was palatable. At the risk of being too sincerely stoked, XOXO is one of the best things I’ve ever attended. In the year after my first XOXO, I was lucky to join the XOXO Outpost, which later became The Enthusiasm Collective, and my office away from home. The calibre of people I’ve gotten to know through XOXO, not least of all, Andy Baio & Andy McMillan, is absurd.

Three years later, I’m gearing-up to host two friends, and see dozens more. Thursday means registration and my first chance to see Cameron Esposito live. Friday, I’ll be with Haley & Andy at table 13 of [Level Eater’s] special XOXO edition, and then seeing Darth, Helen, and Jenn present Art + Code. Saturday means Jenn & Trinn performing Friendshipping (not that Friendshipping), and Neo Cab. Sunday promises amazing tales from Demi and Claire (https://clairelevans.com). Finally there’ll be a closing party with a surprise musical guest, and I can’t wait.

One Year Later

Today marks the one year anniversary of my coolest body mod. I don’t have much to say beyond this being an extremely vital part of many folks lives, and a procedure that absolutely should be covered by medical insurance (single-payer national insurance, obviously). My quality of life has grown immensely since last September, and not being weighed-down by parts of my body have led me to deeply enjoying powerlifting, and getting naked in semi-public places—shout-out to hot springs & weird parties. Major shout-out to my employer, Turbine Labs for being badasses who fought to ensure I’d have this coverage, and gave me a month off from work to heal. I couldn’t have done it without their support.

This Fall

If you see me at XOXO, wave and say hi. I’ll also be in San Francisco a couple times in September, including at Chaos Conf, and later in the year at KubeCon & Envoy Conf which promises to be better than the last Seattle KubeCon, during which a terrible man was elected to the presidency. I look forward to not sobbing uncontrollably in the Modern Art Museum and then smoking too many cigarettes this year. I don’t know what else might happen before 2018 closes out, but I’m excited and have a great feeling about this Fall.