by Marty Coleman | Nov 6, 2011 | Blog World LA, Los Angeles, Travel Napkins |
Whenever you go to a conference there is that dreaded feeling that you won’t know anyone, no one will befriend you and you will spend a lot of time roaming the cavernous halls of some center feeling alone amidst thousands of people. It doesn’t usually end up happening at that level but the anticipation of it is there and the reality of conference life definitely includes stretches of those times.
Luckily, I ended up with some great new friends with whom I was able have great conversations, pal around with from session to session, catch at lunch or a party and get to know. The anticipation of being completely alone was replaced with the anticipation of seeing my friends again shortly, even if I was alone.
Here are three of my new found friends, Leslie, Shanna, and John. I drew this during the last lunch. They were fun, happy, and friendly. They also happened to be fantastic encouragers for me before I gave my presentation and enthusiastic supporters after. It is very gratifying to have them as new friends. Many others became good friends as well, and I am grateful for all of them!
Blog World Los Angeles is now over. I tweeted to the conference participants to see if anyone was headed down south to San Diego where I will be visiting my sister, her family and my father. Sure enough I got a quick response and am now going to hitch a ride in exchange for gas. So, next stop the beach and a commissioned photo shoot on Tuesday!
Thanks again to all my Napkin Kin!
Marty
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Nov 6, 2011 | Blog World LA |
Hi Napkin kin! I have been pretty overwhelmed with the activity and preparation for this week at Blog World LA. Add a technical learning curve for doing it all on an iPad and i haven’t posted the way I was hoping to. But my presentation is over now and the technical stuff is all good so I will be back on top of it now!
Here are a few photos of me at my presentation at BlogWorld LA.
The presentation went great! Even had people want to take their photos with me, a first for sure! I have made some great connections and am very excited about the future of The Napkin Dad Daily.
Thanks to all my subscribers and friends who love the blog and support me! I will tell you all more tomorrow, ok?
Marty
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Nov 4, 2011 | Blog World LA |
For me the best type of travel is about the new. But my first travel experience this week of Blog World LA, where I am speaking Friday, was about the old.
I spent my years 6-12 in Los Angeles. We lived on the beach in Playa del Rey, not far from Santa Monica and Venice. Coming back there was one iconic LA landmark I knew would make me happy to see it.
As odd as it seems now, when I was 10 years old my adventurous friend Don and I rode our bikes to LAX to check out the new moving sidewalks we had heard they had there. I mean, come on, how cool is that, a moving sidewalk?
We actually didn’t live that far away, but it was quite the adventure for us 10 years olds. I rode my very hip Stingray bike with the banana seat and the chopper handlebars.
So, what was this iconic landmark? It was, and is, the LAX’s Theme Building in the middle of the airport. I loved that building as a kid and it was even cooler when we were able to ride our bikes right up to it and lock them to one of the walls.
That building was one of the earliest buildings I remember and really helped my fascination and love of architecture ever sense.
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Nov 2, 2011 | Blog World LA, Will Rogers |
I am taking off for Los Angeles to speak for the first time at Blog World, a humongous conference on…blogging. I am speaking at 4pm on Friday. My topic title is: The Napkin Dad Explains: Six Stop Signs on Creativity Road. Wish me luck!
I was raised in California. First on the beach in Del Mar, near San Diego, then up in Los Angeles. I love LA. The conference will be downtown and we lived at the beach but we used to drive in a number of times a week so my sister and I could swim with our swim team at the LA Athletic Club. Bad pollution made breathing hard but besides that I loved it.
I remember the daughter of a movie star was in our swim team, she had red hair I think and I had a crush on her. The Rolling Stones had a song out back then called ‘Pretty Ballerina’ maybe? Anyway, they had some song that was the song I attached to her. I still think of her whenever I hear that song.
I now live in Oklahoma, thus I can make fun of both states in my drawing today. I love Oklahoma. I haven’t met a daughter of a movie star here, that I know of. But I love it nonetheless.
If you are going to Blog World, make sure to find me and say hi. And of course, COME TO MY PRESENTATION!
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Will Rogers, 1879-1935, American humorist and movie star from OKLAHOMA.
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Jun 21, 2011 | Seattle Wedding |
My final Seattle napkin
Seattle is the land of coffee. You know that old driving game where you hit the person next to you when you see a Volkswagen Beetle? We played it with Starbucks stores. There are a LOT of Starbucks stores, including the first one ever, in Seattle.
Caitlin was crazy excited to go to the first Starbucks. It was #2 on her list of things to see, just below watching guys throwing fish at Pikes Place Market.
 |
| Arrival at Mecca – A coffee dream come true. |
 |
| From the Seattle Space Needle looking west over the Puget Sound to
Olympic National Park |
Tomorrow I will be back on board with a new napkin!
Marty
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Jun 18, 2011 | Seattle Wedding |
TOTEMS
We took a high speed ferry to Victoria, British Columbia from Seattle this week. We went to the Royal B.C. Museum and saw quite a few Totem poles. This is my napkin drawing of 4 imaginary poles.
Drawing by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Jun 17, 2011 | Seattle Wedding |
SEATTLE = COFFEE
Cute little coffee joint in the Queen Anne District of Seattle where I am getting my early morning coffee before Linda and Caitlin are awake. Local and cool.
I tried drawing the first barista but she didn’t look anything like this ‘Dolly Parton’ version I ended up with.
While I watched the world go by I had my first taste of 6 hour cold brew Kyoto coffee. Served cold. It was fantastic, sweet almost, not bitter.
I drew this one the next day of the other barista. I was all set to spend an hour or so reading and drawing but Linda and Caitlin called. They were up and ready to eat breakfast so off I went. Luckily I got this quick drawing in first.
Drawing and photos by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Jun 13, 2011 | Seattle Wedding |
This is a napkin from ‘Toulouse Petite’, a GREAT restaurant in Seattle where we had our first meal after our arrival this morning. The single best salad I have ever had, IN MY LIFE, was eaten there. It was a Yellow Beet and Haricort Vert salad with Nicoise olives and Stilton Cheese. YUM in the extreme! The rest of the meal was almost equally out of this world!
But what made it even more special was this tattoo.
I noticed it on our waitress and I told Caitlin and Linda I bet it was a Boeing airplane. I knew that Boeing is one of the biggest employers in Seattle so I had a feeling there might be a connection. Sure enough, when I asked the waitress if it was she said “Yes, my grandparents met at Boeing. They carpooled to work, that is how they met.” I asked if that was why she had the tattoo done and it was.
I love that! This young, hip, trendy, cool waitress had honored her grandparents relationship and love in a wonderfully creative way for all the world to see.
It made the meal all the better.
__________________
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
__________________
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Jan 27, 2011 | Anonymous, Travel |
>
My wife and I had a long discussion today about what we might like to do in the future. We talked about how when we decide to do something new and different we can feel discomfort. Whether it is thinking about traveling somewhere we have never gone, becoming friends with new people, even something as simple as going to a new restaurant or cooking a new meal, it’s easy to feel a bit of discomfort and choose to not go in that new direction so we can avoid that discomforting feeling.
But, in the end, if that becomes your habit, you stay home, meet no one, do nothing and get filled with regret for a life not lived. My wife and I don’t want to do that and so we choose to suffer the discomfort because the pay off is so wonderful. New friends, new experiences and new opportunities to love and care about the people we cross paths with. That is worth it.
……………………………………………………………..
Quote author unknown. After I came home from our breakfast together this quote quickly passed in my twitter feed and I knew it was meant to be my quote for the day. I didn’t catch who posted it, but it’s a great quote. The original said ‘resentment’ instead of ‘regret’ but I liked ‘regret’ better so I changed it.
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Marty Coleman | Sep 17, 2010 | Road Trip, Seattle Road Trip, William Cowper |
Whether it is lack of knowledge or lack of character we are all dunces in some way. But get yourself out the door (or be sent by someone else) and you will be a better dunce. And if there is one thing I bet we can all agree on, the world needs a better quality of dunces.
I am a better dunce after my grand road trip adventure with my daughter to Seattle. Here are a few reasons why:
Meeting new people: A wonderfully engaging woman, Robin, in a little teeny coffee shack in the middle of Montana. She talked with Chelsea all about Seattle and all the fun opportunities there, the connections she has, the music, art, etc. It got Chelsea excited. It got Robin excited. She was animated on the high plains and it was great.
 |
| Bozeman Barista |
Old Friends: When we lived in San Jose from 1981-1994 we were good friends with the Savages. They had 2 daughters about the ages of our daughters and they were all great friends. They now live in Spokane and we stayed the night at their home. Being with them brought back wonderfully fun memories, including watching a video of their daughter’s 6th birthday party with all my daughters and me in it. It was a lot of fun.
More than those memories though was the present day experience of being with 2 of the most incredibly wonderful people you would ever want to meet. Martha, talkative and funny, understanding and kind. A better bed and breakfast hostess there has never been. Bob, quiet and stoic, insightful and probing. He is animated when the right topic comes along but always retains an thoughtful way of engaging in conversation. He was a fantastic tour guide to the amazing city of Spokane for us.
 |
| The Savage family in Spokane, Washington |
Their older daughter, Elizabeth, came to dinner and what an amazing thing to see childhood friends of my daughter all grown up. She has her parent’s great qualities in her. Their younger daughter, Sharon, one of Chelsea’s closest childhood friends live in, of all places, Seattle. So, right there bonus score for Chelsea and her hopes of connecting to people in Washington.
All this makes me want to get back out on the road again soon because I always want to be a better dunce!
Drawing, photos and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by William Cowper, 1731-1800, English poet
Like this:
Like Loading...
