I leave tomorrow morning from Portland to return to my home in Seattle after nearly five days away. I came Wednesday to run my own shindig, a kind of music/comedy/interview variety show that relied on the participation and volunteerism of a ton of people. Thursday through Sunday were the XOXO conference and festival, a kind of celebration of the absence of cynicism in creating stuff that you love from which you might be able to also make some or all of a living.

Last year's XOXO inspired me to create The New Disruptors podcast, and encouraged me to pitch myself to Marco as the editor of the Magazine. The podcast is nearly a year old. The Magazine, which I bought from Marco in June, is 2 1/2 weeks' shy of its one-year anniversary.

I can't wait to see what will change in my life as a result of this year's event.