SDTweetup at the Movies - "Catfish" Advance Screening

via catfishsdtweetup.eventbrite.com

My final SDTweetup will be this Wednesday, September 15.

Universal Pictures and Rogue Pictures approached me about having the group screen their new Facebook documentary, Catfish, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to bring group members together one last time before I head off to San Francisco. We have a limited number of tickets -- 75 "admit two" tickets to be exact -- so if this Hitchcockian documentary about a Facebook relationship sounds intriguing, then RSVP asap.

This SDTweetup will also mark a changing of the guard. I recruited Peggy Gartin (@thepegisin) to take over the group, and she gladly accepted. There were several reasons why she was the obvious choice. She helped organize Cool As Ever Tech, she's a staple in the San Diego web/tech community and pretty much everyone I know loves her. We also became good friends through SDTweetup, so the choice seemed even more fitting. With Peggy at the helm, SDTweetup will continue to live on and connect San Diego's Twitter community in real life.

Organizing the SDTweetup has been an extremely rewarding experience. I've made new friends and new business connections, and I know many other group members can say the same. Everyone talks about San Diego as a sleepy tech community, but I think those of us who live here know otherwise, and SDTweetup helped to bring us together and spawn more great tweetups and meetups.

I hope you'll join us this Wednesday for a sneak peak at what looks to be a fantastic movie.

"The Mayor"

So THIS is the mayor of MY Pizza Fusion. First sighting and hopefully the last. I think my presence threatened him. Such a shame that I won't be here long enough to dethrone him. :(

You Stay Classy, San Diego

Those who know me, know that I am a San Diego girl. I was born here, raised here and every time I move away, I always find my way back. San Diego -- it's a part of my being. I live for our sports teams, our culture, our museums, our parks, our beaches and bays, our dive bars, our skyline and the flippin' fantastic weather. 

 

I also live for my job. For nearly two years, I've reported web, tech and social media news for Mashable. Most of you know that I'm pretty passionate about what I do and the space that I report on. I go to bed thinking about potential stories and I wake up eager to get to my computer to catch up on news (even on the weekends). During my time with Mashable, the company has grown from just a handful of full-timers to a team of 30 plus individuals, a lot of whom work out of Mashable's New York office. 

Now, the company is ready to build up its west coast presence with an office in San Francisco. As such, I've made the decision to move to San Francisco and join our team up there -- Pete, Ben, Jolie, Blake and Karen. My goal is to be in San Francisco by October, but that also depends on my ability to find a new place (if you know anyone who can help me out with a deal, let me know!).

As rooted as I am here, my decision to relocate was an easy one to make. I know it's the road I was meant to take. Of course, this means I can't crash at my parents' pad when I'm having a bad day, and that my best-friend-turned-cop will have to keep the bad guys off the streets with only my morale support from afar. I also need to say goodbye to the friends I've made at NBC San Diego. I'll pen a much longer post on my year with the station, but suffice to say, Becky Stickney and Sean Monzet -- the two were instrumental in me becoming a part of the team -- changed my life for the better and instilled in me a new passion for broadcast television. 

Apparently to the outside world, San Diego is synonymous with the movie Anchor Man. As such, almost everyone I encounter professionally can't help themselves from reiterating the now famous Ron Burgundy send off, "You stay classy, San Diego." I hate to break it to all of you, but you are SO not original. And yet, I don't really care. I laugh every time. And now, as I initiate my move up North, I can't help but feel a bit sentimental over the notion that no more will phone interviews, pitches and demos include that famous phrase.

The Padres are also in a pennant race with the San Francisco Giants, which makes my decision and the timing of the move all the more ironic. Rest assured, I will NEVER become a San Francisco Giants fan. EVER. Some things never change -- I'll be a San Diego girl no matter where I end up in life.
You stay classy, San Diego.