When I told my friend and colleague Ogy I was going to be in London on a business/pleasure trip this month, he told me I should come to Bosnia and visit him. His web development company OgoSense develops Joomla CMS websites and we often work on projects together. A trip to Banja Luka (the second largest city in Bosnia) would be good chance to see his operation and discuss business plans in person.

Ivana, who works at OgoSense has been a particularly good friend to me during my visit.

Also, the trip meant I could visit a good friend in his hometown. I met Ogy about ten years ago when he went to college with one of my high school friends Roland. We would sometimes go out as a group in Portland Maine (where they went to school). One thing Ogy and I have in common is we’ll talk to anyone, so we were bound to become friends.

I reconnected with Ogy at Roland’s wedding a few years later when we were both running our own web businesses. Ogy and I have complimentary skill sets; I love the writing and marketing part of website development and Ogy likes the more technical challenges. We decided we should try to work together on projects. Two years later, we now do this on a regular basis. It’s always nice when you can work with your friends so I’m not only grateful for the revenue stream but also for getting the chance to talk to Ogy often.

Everyone I told about my plan for a side trip to Bosnia thought I was crazy. I assure  you that not only is Bosnia safe but probably safer than many American cities. The people are friendly and speak English well. I’ve met Ogy’s employees, family, and friends and they’ve all been very friendly, which I appreciate being somewhere where I can’t even read the signs.

The local food is also fantastic. Ogy’s mother made dinner the first night and, while everyone thinks their own mother is a good cook, Ogy’s mom actually is. One dish I really liked was called ‘pita’ which I am going to try to make when I get home. But in case I can’t, I’m going to eat as much of it while I’m here as I can.

The people who make pita at one of Ogy's favorite local places. Ogy I think has a picture of me with just about everyone I met in Banja Luka.

The countryside is also really beautiful. There’s a lot of hiking areas and they hold the world white water rafting championships about a fifteen minute drive from Ogy’s house. The water is so blue it makes me wish I had a camera (or the camera skills) to capture it.

While I would have never thought to come to Bosnia, I’m so glad I did. It’s been great to get to know about Ogy’s life and also this beautiful place in the world. Thanks to Ogy for being such a good host, tour guide and friend during this part of my European trip! I will definitely be back to Banja Luka, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Overlooking Banja Luka from Ogy's balcony.

Nothing like figuring travel logistics over email to drive connected people to save a few bucks.

My friends Lydia and Travis are getting married this weekend. About a month ago, ten of us who went to college with Lydia tried to figure out group hotel rooms through a series of emails over the course of about a week.

I had first seen my friend Bailey use Priceline to get us a cheap rental car in Vegas. I was impressed with her internet savyness and her ability to save us about 25% on the rental. When Bailey suggested we use the site for the hotel room, a few of us jumped on it.

Four of us formed a Priceline bidding team, each taking a turn to bid on a two star hotel in Ellsworth Maine (hint: there’s one on Priceline so we knew it was the hotel the others were staying at). If you bid on something and Priceline doesn’t accept it, you are locked out of bidding for a certain amount of time so having another person or two can be critical.

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Why I’m Keeping My Old Car

In the middle of this winter, on a sad day, I looked down at my odometer which was at roughly 95,000 miles. I vowed to myself I would be in a really interesting place when it turned 100,000. That event should be happening sometime in the next month.

I have the quintessential Maine car: a 2002 Subaru Forrester. It has taken me up mountains and through snow storms. It is an unassuming silver color, a great hider of dirt. And when you open the door, it smells slightly like a mixture of slightly stale coffee and my dog. It is not beautiful but certainly functional.

I would like to say I am not particularly attached to this car. I bought it after the car I actually loved plowed into a moose about four years ago. I still haven’t forgotten what it’s like to plow into 700 pounds of massive animal going 60 miles per hour. My car was of course totalled.

I was moving the week after the accident though and if I wasn’t going to buy a car before I moved, it would take me awhile to get one after. The nearest car dealerships were over an hour from my new island home and as anyone who visits Maine knows, there is almost no mass transit here. In short, to be independent outside of Portlant, you need a car.

I’ve considered Cash for Clunkers (CARS as the acronym for the Car Allowance Refund Program). I’ve ultimately decided against it. Here’s a few reasons why:

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Today, I got to visit a few really good friends in Portland, Maine. Two of them are moving to Ohio (for graduate school and love of a graduate student, respectively) and this was our last horrah.

We spent the afternoon on the terrace of Silly’s Restaurant, which is a neat place known for its good values, fun ambiance, and actual vegetarian/vegan items on their menu. They also have an entire page of possible milkshakes you can order with the usual ingredients (chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter) and the unusual ingredients (key lime pie, rice krispies, avocado).

On the top of the list was a bacon and peanut butter shake. Clearly, I had to get it.

For $5, I was expecting a peanut butter milkshake sprinkled in bacon bits. Oh no, it was much more.

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