2000

My musical odyssey has now entered the new millenium as I just wrapped up 2000. The late 90's didn't have much to recommend them. Good thing they're mostly a blur of engineering problem sets and sleepless nights anyway; I'd hate to think I had missed something!

The power of musical association remains strong. Listening to the top songs of 2000 was like heading back in time to the summer of my first entreprenerial endeavor: cofounding a software company with two other Rice computer science majors. The decision to leave my comfort zone at UUNET, where I had worked since my junior year in high school, was difficult. The decision to turn down job offers from the likes of Microsoft to start up a company with no certainty was even harder.

What an experience, though! That summer in Austin was amazing, living with my best friend in a new city and learning about entrepreneurship the hard way by starting up a tech company in the middle of the tech crash! I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world and that decision is largely responsible for where I am now.

I also lived in Florence for half of 2000. As such I was pretty removed from the American pop charts. While I was there, though, I did discover the British trip hop group, Morcheeba, which I still adore. They've never made it onto the American charts so that just goes to show how narrow and incomplete this musical journey is.

On the subject of music, though, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray, two of my favorite blues artists (again, neither of whom have made the American pop charts), are playing just down the way at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Anyone want to go? I also have two tickets to Jimmy Buffett's September 19th show in Paris--who wants to join me? I don't know if the Parisians know how to tailgate for Buffett but, if not, I'm going to teach them!