coexist

Taco trucks hit my radar about two months ago when I read about the blog Taco Truck Columbus started by a student at Ohio State. Next I read about a taco truck bike tour and most recently I saw a Columbus Underground meet-up event at Los Guachos on the west side. That’s all I needed, a hint of an invitation. I had to try it out and see what the hype was about. So Wednesday night I ventured out to the west side of Columbus to try my first Taco Truck. (more…)

As we did in 2008, Coexist traveled to Ohio University to exchange ideas and listen to industry visionaries at Spring <br/> 2009. Our tweeting was in full force from arrival, exchanging the numerous resources being presented at each session. Conferences are certainly one of the events were the collaborative nature of twitter really shines.

The campus in Athens couldn’t have been a better place to hold a conference – the lush green landscape, the state of the art Baker Center, and a number of great local eateries. It’s intriguing to consider the stark contrast of the rural, relaxing environment with the overwhelming number of superb amenities available. In a way, I find it similar to camping in a beautiful location, but retaining the option of a high speed Internet connection back in your tent. I realize the purest may balk at such a thing, but that’s my utopia.

(Photo Credit: Sarah Barnes)

Here at Coexist I feel like we are always trend busting in an effort to sniff out new stuff that works. While most of our “what’s next” thoughts tend to drift towards digital – we can’t help but be aware of everything else. When it comes to fashion – I proudly admit that I defer to the comfy tee (American Apparel’s new Athletic Blend is amazing) and a pair of vans (the same style I wore when I was 14).

A newer fashion style that just seemed to sneak up on us is the comeback of the Fedora. Humphry Bogart looked pretty dapper in a Fedora-styled hat and trench coat back in the day, but those were simpler times. I have to give a double-take when I see Johnny iPod rocking out as he walks down the street with a straw Fedora and $500 headphones. It just looks off.

If you need more proof that the Fedora is almost dead – and yes, this is my official trend buster…I saw an 8 year-old crossing guard at the local elementary school holding his orange flag in one hand while looking mighty proud in his straw Fedora. Yes, you heard it – the Fedora is the latest victim of MTV cool gone elementary school sheik. Let’s leave these hats for the kids and go create something new.

Sun. Nature. Relaxation. Giant metal clubs. These are the great things about golf. Coexist decided it was time for a break and that golfing was the way to go. Seeing as no one could really play the game we decided it was best for us to do a scramble / best shot. Apparently a few people lied about their lack of skill. The level of play ranged from 300 yard drives to hitting balls backwards. This difference didn’t deter on the overall outcome of the event. Sunburns for all. Maybe sunshine isn’t such a good thing for people who sit on computers all day long.

We had a blast and showed that Coexist is multi-talented. The winning team was only 4 over par. Pretty impressive for a bunch of computer geeks don’t you think?

Like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free, I find a sport and it tends to stick to me. Over the years the gear kept piling up. I’ll probably never need all three of my Camel Bak’s at the same time, 212 lumens of headlamp sweetness, or enough quickdraws to climb Mt. Everest.

But what if i did…

Last Friday the Coexist team busted out for a half-day of sun, fun, and sand volleyball at Flannagans, after 5 long games team “Sandy Eyes (Tyler, Dan, Eric, Brad)” came out victorious.

I headed down to the “Red” (The Red River Gorge, Slade, KY) this past weekend with one of my good friends Garrett for some sport climbing.

We spent most of Saturday morning climbing at a couple spots called “Military Wall” and “Left Flank”. After lunch we decided to hit up one of my favorite spots… “Roadside Crag”.

We started off on a couple 5.8’s (and for those of you who may not climb, its kinda like a class 2 rapid in river terms) and then a 5.9c/d (which after a day of climbing seemed a lot harder than it probably actually was). Scared that I was gettin’ too tired to clean (takin’ the gear down off the wall) much more, and in jeopardy of leavin’ gear on the wall, we decided that I was gonna clean, and then we were gonna get goin’.

As I reached the anchors and clipped my runners in, I leaned back to look down on the Red one last time. I started thinkin’ to myself who needs anything more than a pair of chacos, a rope and a rock to get their adrenaline pumpin?

Check out some of the other photos…