I’ve actually got a good excuse for not making as many posts as I would like.  The Infant & Children Sleep Apnea Awareness Foundation decided to do something for the children of Haiti after the earthquake in January 2010.  They contacted me about designing a website and branding for their HelmetsForHaiti.org site.  And of course I took on the project (and ignored izunotravel.com for a while).  So if you would like to make a donation, check out the site and you can either bid on auction items starting March 8th, or you can make a small monetary donation if you’d like as well.  Personally, I wish the Red Cross would get a higher percentage of their donations to the actual cause.  And that’s what I really like about Helmets For Haiti, I believe the percentage of their donations is much higher to actually aid the cause.

photo by jonwild – Flickr

Well, post failure of my tick list 2009, I’ve decided to try it again (with modifications of sorts)  So here it is my Tic List 2010…and why I failed in 2009.

• Learn/Experience meditation practices.  I’ve yet to meet anyone who fully understands meditation techniques and the possibilities that come from mediation.  And surprisingly I have not discovered great material on the Internet as of today.  So I’ve already got my first book, and my hope is that I’ll find something that will blow my hair back.  I beleive there is something to it…I just haven’t discovered it yet.
• Be able to speak conversational Traditional Chinese….maybe Rosetta Stone?  I personally think Japanese would be easier for myself, however being able to sputter out a few basics in Chinese would help me out in my own life.
• Create better content for IzunoTravel.com.  My 2009 goal was to update 3 times a week, however I found myself putting up crap in order to reach that goal as I was wearing myself out.  So “better content” is a more attainable goal I feel.  Ideally I’d still like to increase the post rate, but not at the cost of content.
• Be more outdoorsy….specifically, get outside more and go rock climbing a couple of times, biking in Colorado at least once and don’t miss any opportunities.
• Go vegetarian for one month.  (A carry over from 2009).  I attempted this on more than one occasion, however it makes you realize the importance of food in our lives, as food carries more than just nutritional elements, it’s a culture and social based necessity.  You realize just how much vegetarians give up for their chosen lifestyle.
• Learn more about fonts and calligraphy.  (A modified carry over from 2009).  As I did study quite a bit about calligraphy in 2009, I never became obsessed with it.  There are those out there with tremendous knowledge of fonts, my goal is to not reach their level, but increase my current knowledge.
• Try to go 20 days straight without criticizing anyone/anything.
• Get my manuscript I’ve been writing for over 4 years now to the point I can give it to someone to read.
• And for number nine, I’ve decided to make a list of things I’d like to attempt to do in 2010 (but depends on external forces):

1. eat at the Woodfire Grill in Atlanta (Kevin’s restaurant from Top Chef)
2. See Jehro in Concert
3. travel to three new countries
4. go white water rafting
5. read two classics (Catcher in the Rye and Sun Tzu’s Art of War)
6. more to be added

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Congratulations Mark S. of Ohio, you have one the travel package from IzunoTravel.com. Thanks to Exaclair, Hostel Bookers, Brooks Silva-Braga, and everyone else who participated.

Exaclair has been kind enough to support our travel habits (and the Izuno Travel Giveaway) by supplying us with a variety of very cool journals.  The above journals along with numerous other travel items will be given away on August 8th, 2009 to anybody who has left a comment on the site or sent me their name via email.  REMINDER:  It is not too late to enter!

Want to win a DVD, Backpack, Travel Hammock, and Travel Tee?  You can.  We are holding a giveaway for anyone who emails [email protected] or posts a comment on this site.  The giveaway will be on August 8th, 2009.  In our little but growing prize pack is a black daypack, a travel hammock, a DVD of a Map for Saturday, a Hostel Bookers tee shirt, and Izuno Travel Tee Shirt, 3 Quo Vadis Travel Journals, and 10 Izuno Travel Buttons.  The emails will not be used for newsletters (we don’t send out e-news…that’s what the site is for) or spamming purposes.  So write us and tell us why you want to win!

We’re back after a long computerless tragedy.  And while we were sans computer, we were coming up with some ideas and concepts for the site.  Mainly #1 being we’d like to start doing some video.  And we have had a lot of advertisers looking to place their products here….many of which were turned down in the name of I don’t need that crap because I’m a backpacker.

So cheers to you and our sincerest apologies for the lack of updates.

But we’re back.

Look out all travelers. Swine Flu has reached us, or at least those coming from Mexico. I don’t know a thing about swine flu except that it’s not good and it’s spreading. These are times when I actually feel sorry for doctors. They have to be getting swamped with swine-phobia hypo’s right about now. At least I haven’t seen people massively panic yet. It might be coming, but so far I think we’ve handled it pretty well.

Okay, so what is new with IzunoTravel.com? Not a whole lot. Josh and I have been trying to create more quality posts rather than just ‘crappy-throw-something-up-everyday’ posts. Hey…they can’t all be winners.

On our agenda:

• Update the Travel Journal Ranking…it’s been over a year now.

• Create “The Perfectly Frugal Day Guide To ____ City” Post. Where we will make a 12 hour itinerary for backpackers in specific cities. Based on budget and common backpacker activities…like drinking.

• Lastly, promote our August 8th, 2009 Giveaway. Travel items that have been featured on the site.

Upon returning from a long trip, things change…it’s funny and depressing at the same time. Here are 10 reasons why backpackers usually want to leave shortly after returning home.

1. People ask you…”What was the trip like?”

2. People ask you…”You left your passport at the hostel counter?”

3. People ask you…”Why are you traveling there?”

4. Overhear McDonald’s soccer mom say…”This restroom is dirty…I will never use a public toilet”

5. Your friends are suddenly not as interesting as the 50 you just made.

6. You realize you didn’t miss TV and can’t understand why you liked it before.

7. You trade experiential food for easy food…and realize ‘easy food’ is usually crappy.

8. After realizing you travelled abroad people want to share their travel story…which is either …a honeymoon to an overpriced Caribbean resort or a cruise to a 1/4 mile stretch of city with a talented tourism board or a 10 hour port call in the Navy.

9. It’s no challenge plugging your ipod directly into the wall.

10. Leave reason #10 in the comments section and win a prize in on August 08, 2009. That’s right…Izuno Travel is holding a giveaway for some very cool travel gear, all you have to do is leave a comment on any post anytime between now and August 08, 2009 for a chance to win. You can also enter by sending us your email at [email protected].

Where does ‘izuno’ come from?  I wish I could say the origins have extremely special and creative meaning, however…they don’t.  Long in my past a favorite athletic company with blue colors that rhymes with ‘_izuno’ is about all I wanted to use when playing sports.  Well shortly after that, all of us (including you) had to decide on an email address and creative username.  So, I took off the first letter of my sporting equipment and my handle was born.  I immediately liked it due to the Japanese sound, the aesthetics of it looks nice, and it’s unique.  So I adopted ‘izuno’ for usernames, business, and eventually this blog.  There is a city in southern Japan named Izuno, but it’s not that well known.  More people think of ‘Izumo Taisha’ which is an important shrine and the oldest in Japan.  Other than that….no meaning….apologies if you were hoping for more.