Just a Brief Hiatus

I know, I know. I wrote back in July of '09 that I would continue the blog after I got back from South America. Well, I got a little distracted. You've all probably been starved for content on the internet to keep you entertained over the last 3+ years. I'm sorry. I really am. Let me make it up to you. Here's what I'll do, just for your entertainment: meet a girl, fall in love, propose, quit my job, get married, take an extended honeymoon around Southeast Asia, write about it, and let you follow along. Sound good? K, deal.

I've done the first 4 steps. Some other stuff happened along the way, but for the purposes of following this blog, that's mostly all you need to know. Actually, for those of you who don't know her, I should probably introduce you to said girl, my future wife, and travel partner who will be co-starring in the upcoming travels, and my life. Her name is Brianne (yes, we will be Brandon & Brianne Binder) so the whole "B Side" thing worked out quite nicely. She's a lovely, tall blonde who enjoys sharing food with me, going on hikes, being generally fashionable, and finding new things to do and see (and eat, with me) in San Francisco. She also finds me moderately entertaining, which is nice. Ever since she met me at the tail end of the Great White Hike in Brazil, we've wanted to do a trip of our own. After 4 years of being together, we finally found the perfect time to do it: for our honeymoon.

Rio, May 2009

Originally, the plan was 12 days in Thailand on your standard honeymoon. In doing some research, I found some blogs of couples traveling the world (like this one, friends of friends that we've never met). It inspired us, and we decided we can make it happen. We saved up, gave Jerry McGuire speeches, and made the plan. Since this blog is getting long, I'll save the itinerary for another post. In short, its about 8 weeks in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Stoked to be travelling together

So, needless to say we've been quite busy with planning a wedding and a trip, but we are more excited than ever to start our lives together. The wedding is just about 2 weeks away, and maybe we'll make a post or two about that before we take off (here's the wedding website, if you're into that kind of thing). Now that we're all caught up, we look forward to sharing our adventures with you. Feel free to subscribe by entering your email in the semi-hidden link on the right. Stay tuned!

Whackiness and Hilarious Consequences

It's a funny thing, this blogging. Who really reads these things anyway? The power of the internet has given millions of people the ability to share their thoughts and drivel with the broadest of audiences in an instant. For a long time I thought blogging was best served for celebrity gossip and political rants. When I decided to take a little trip (see entry #1 in Jan '09) I thought I'd give this blog thing a shot in hopes to save myself some effort in having to write a mass email or having to answer the question "how's the trip?". I was able to write things as they happened, and anyone who was interested could read along in real time or go back through the archives and catch up. Plus, it was like a journal I knew I couldn't lose in a bus station or have stolen from my backpack; allowing me to permanently keep a chronicle of my epic journey.

What I didn't realize until recently, is how much I enjoyed it. I've always loved writing, and missed it once I entered the working world. Having the opportunity to share my opinion and experiences has never been something that I've avoided, so when I came across a fair number of people who told me they enjoyed hearing about The Great White Hike, I briefly entertained the thought of continuing to write. But, shortly after returning to reality, or at least America, I felt I didn't have much to write about or say compared to such an exotic and fast-paced trip. Then I realized I am me and having something to say would never be a problem.

So, I have officially decided to give the blog a shot from reality and see what comes out of it. Without the specific focus of cross-continental travel, there is little doubt the subject matter will have a much broader spectrum from stories to updates, pictures to videos, coherent thoughts to brain droppings. I don't really know who, if anyone, will read this. While having a large following is not one of my priorities, if I can entertain some people at work or just keep the people who care up to date on my life, then my goal will be accomplished. I'm not looking to get rich or famous like some bloggers. As Garth Algar once said: "Its like people only do things because they get paid, and that's just really sad."

I figure that since the Great White Hike has concluded, carrying the title is no longer appropriate. So, in a reference to obsolete technology, the continuation of an existing piece or work, and my favorite initial... I bring you: The B Side.