My life has changed in many ways now that I’ve stopped traveling as much. Of course I have more time to get things done. I don’t rip through my days at such a frantic pace anymore. I have time to go to my friends parties. All of that.

One new part of my life is being a local. I get a chance to know what’s going on in Phoenix. I can go to more art shows, get to know local radio stations, local news, and local newspapers. There are a lot of exciting things going on in the city of Phoenix, and I get to tap into that energy.

Matt Maher got suckered into subscribing to a local newspaper by a little girl trying to raise money at church. At first I was annoyed because that meant I had one more responsibility each day: pick the paper off the driveway. But I’ve started to read it, and I’m really having fun with it. I’ve gotten most of my news from magazines and the Internet, and it’s fun to try something new.

Through the paper, I am following a lot of exciting real estate projects. There are about 20 loft projects going up around the town. There are three HUGE work/live/shop projects going up as well. Several parts of downtown are cleaning up and getting a scene of their own. There’s just a lot of enthusiasm in the paper.

This is good for me because I am having a tough time at my job. I do like what I do, but I never feel like the website has the momentum it deserves. Yes, we’re moving forward, but the pace is embarrassing.