A Working Summer Adventure

We sold our home earlier this summer, a process that moved faster than we’d anticipated. In fact so fast, that we hadn’t found a new home yet. The local storage facility solved our transition dilemma and freed us to relocate to our family getaway cottage. However, being a “getaway place” means it’s far from work, which has led to a patchwork of remote days, Airbnb housing and some business travel to manage through this homeowner’s hiatus.

Sound complicated? In fact, it’s been a wonderful adventure. Instead of the routine commute to work and sitting in weekend beach traffic, it’s liberated me from train schedules. And as I’m walking to work, I’ve helped my team gain an unbeatable advantage in our office summer “step challenge.” My husband and I have sampled different city neighborhoods through Airbnb stays, enjoying the tempo and energy of city living after years in the slumbering suburbs. And perhaps best of all, our time at the family getaway has been more enjoyable because we know it’s at least temporarily permanent.

Admittedly, it’s been easy because we’re not anxiously trying to get kids into a particular school system or hastily establishing residency to satisfy a job requirement. However, we’re also navigating this well because we don’t fear uncertainty, a mindset made possible perhaps because we’re a bit older or maybe because we’ve been through worse and know things somehow always manage to work out.

So for now, the adventures of being property-free continue. Thank you, Airbnb, Hotels.com, Uber and Amtrak, whose services have contributed to this successful experiment. And of course, the calendar, too, which fortunately made this all happen during the warm summer months. Chapter two may be very different come winter!

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Summertime and the livin’ is Easy (Except for Indie Films!)

So apparently this has been a rough summer for independent films. You know, the low-budget, little gems that many of us prefer to the formulaic blockbusters. The filmmakers are fretting and debating whether to simultaneously release films to theaters and as video on-demand. I don’t know if that’s the answer, but I have to admit that I haven’t been to a movie in months. And that’s primarily because having survived the arctic winter, I relish every opportunity to be outdoors this summer. So is it all about the weather?

A few thoughts for our indie film friends:

  1. Keep producing your wonderful stories; there will always be an audience for the unofficially branded “independent films.”
  2. You have serious competition from the solid productions being produced by Netflix, Showtime and others. But binge-watching a series is a completely different experience.
  3. The seasons may faithfully repeat themselves, but just because it worked last summer doesn’t mean it will work this summer. Pay attention to more than the calendar as you plan your release schedules.
  4. Make better use of grassroots marketing. So many decisions are made based on peer reviews (think Rotten Tomatoes). Maybe offer more sneak previews or opportunities to develop a trusted peer-to-peer fan base that can advocate on your behalf.

If you’ve been to a movie this summer, you probably disagree, but maybe you didn’t spend your winter in the Northern tier of the U.S.! As for me, I hope some of the Sundance standouts are still around when I return to the theater on a rainy weekend or in the fall!

Movie Theatre