UGBT: See You in Seattle Tonight?

I’m tired. There. I said it. 2008 has been a combo of a sprint and a marathon and now it’s August when much of the world gets to hit the beach, and it’s really wearing on me. Apologies to my friends I haven’t seen in months, and anyone I’ve rudely yawned at in the last few weeks. Things are so bad, Mr. Vinnie (my cat) has started cuddling up with Olivia instead of me—measures Mr. Lacy (my husband) hasn’t taken, thank goodness!

It’s either the worst week or the best week to get back out on the road for my User Generated Book Tour. I’m gonna be positive and say the best week. This tour has easily been one of the best things I’ve ever done personally and professionally, and it’s only one-third done. It’s definitely a loss-leader. And definitely hard to organize. But in just a few stops the definition of what it means to be an entrepreneur this time around has become more and more pronounced, as has the fuller ripple-affect of all the things I spent a year writing about in my book. (And some ten years writing about elsewhere.)

Already a few macro-themes are popping out at me, as different as the individual cities are, and I’ve already got a few larger articles and projects that are percolating as I go. So please, smart entrepreneurs, human routers, friendtors and nontrepreneurs in Seattle and Portland, even if you don’t want a book, come out tonight and Sunday, have a beer and tell me what you’re doing. Tell me why your city is different. Tell me what opportunity the Web has unlocked for you. Those are the moments that make the endless airport security lines worthwhile.

(BTW: Thanks for the shout out Rick!)