I often ponder deep questions, which got me to thinking of a new category for my blog called “Bugsy’s Gotta Know”.  I love me some cobb salad and in a perfect world I would have the pleasure of topping it with both croutons and bacon bits.  But what if there was a world where only one of them existed, which would you prefer?

Related Posts

Ignite Lansing

Photo courtesy of CaptAngryPants on Flickr

Friday night I had the opportunity speak at Ignite Lansing at the Temple Building in Old Town.  It was the best night of my life in two years, hands down.  The night that was so great two years ago was the night of September 8, in Chicago, which was my last night outside of Michigan before finishing up my Hometown Invasion Tour.

Think about this, 450 people packed into an old run down club, but the club is now full of production lights, a stage, and the most innovative, creative, and progressive people in Lansing.  They all gathered on Friday night to hear ideas, share ideas, give encouragement, and take place in what I thought was the greatest event I’ve ever participated in.

Photo courtesy of Andrea Kerbuski

My topic was titled, “How to kick ass and chew bubblegum”.  The line was made popular in a 1988 alien thrille movie titled They Live, and then further popularized in the video game Duke Nukem 3d.  Basically, all I mean by this is life is about doing.

If you want to do a squirrel blog, go take photos and post them online starting tomorrow.  If you want to drink a Guinness in seven continents in seven days, find out who their marketing director is today and I’m sure there is a beer-loving scientist stationed in Antarctica.

Just do it.  Make it happen.

That’s no different to how I submitted a topic for Ignite.  It was on a whim, I knew nothing about the event.  Turns out that it all came together and worked out pretty well.

To have 450 people gathered in a room in that context is what’s going to move this city forward.  Every town in the country should be having events like this.

For some guy who’s new to town it was a pretty good way to accomplish some things I have long strived for.  Now, hopefully my talk was good enough that they’ll let me speak again, because I just came up with my next one.  But I can’t spill the beans yet, so you’ll have to be patient.

Photo courtesy of slaytercreative on Flickr

Photo courtesy of slaytercreative on Flickr

Lansing Breakfast Club

It all started on a whim.  A couple of e-mails were shared with Julie, and then Lansing Breakfast Club (the unofficial and unenforced rules, the twitter feed) was started.  We had six people the first time and ten weeks later we had 43 people at 7 a.m. on a Wednesday morning.  I don’t know what other people think, but that blows my mind.

For some reason I never found the social life I had long desired before moving to Lansing.  Since my trip finished it was hard to get established, but it all came together back here in Lansing.

Now nearly 100 different people have showed up, over 200 breakfasts have been served, and low and behold we even got some news coverage from the State News as well…

It just goes along to back up my point that life is about doing. Start a club, start a project, call some friends, and amazing things will happen.

And having my second cousin call me from Oregon to say that he heard me on NPR this morning isn’t so bad either. It was for a piece on the Upper Peninsula that was recorded a few weeks ago. All in all, this was a good weekend.

Related Posts

I’ve been living in Lansing for three months now. It’s been fantastic. Every day I’m blown away by the people I work with, the people I’ve met, the clients I’ve worked with, and the list goes on. From the Lansing Breakfast Club to the tweetups, it’s been a fantastic experience. Twitter has played a big role with many of the people I’ve met.

Here are my top accounts to follow in the Lansing area. If you have additional ones or don’t see your name, just leave a comment and let me know. And if you don’t know who the heck I am, come say hello, you can always find me on twitter @bugsyrocker.

P.S. Just holla’ at me if you want to be on the list. There’s no formal rules or anything bogus like that. :)

Individual Accounts

@amandabendrey
@ambermshinn
@Andrea_Fischer
@andrea_ness
@aribadler
@beckyjohns
@bendingoutward
@betsyweber
@biggbybob
@BrettKopf
@brockter
@Carlamcw
@courtneycurran
@danieljhogan
@davemccollom
@daveisbell
@designdreams
@elizbattiste
@EmilyWenstrom
@gnaeyaert
@govgranholm
@ideagal
@jeepguymike
@JenniferLHodges
@jjrain
@jlknott
@jmcw
@jmiddlin
@johncherry
@joshhovey
@jpalnau
@julieburtch
@julielyn
@justnic
@JVan2go
@kaseyincharge
@keeleykerrins
@kinthehouse
@laroncarter
@lauramarie222
@LiaSimcina
@lindseyla
@ljlynch
@mattfrendewey
@michellefink
@MidMichTweetUp
@mieshelimage
@Minicuci
@MiniJ
@monfineis
@msuaajohn
@mwygnal
@nagibenny
@natalie_joy
@NathanTriplett
@nealthea
@nicklucido
@nortman
@p2dahi
@palm1891
@pdonahue
@plumbley
@Probyn
@PureMichigan
@quetwo
@ReinckeN
@robmacomber
@ryandoom
@ryanknott
@sanuzis
@schrinerj
@sdkramer76
@shindiginator
@Spartan_FB
@SpeedCoaching
@ssiewert
@sternerg
@stevepurchase
@SubanNurCooley
@tbarszcz
@tcarah
@teamconcierge
@tshepard
@tstoliker
@vanessamichelle
@vbernero

Businesses & Organizations

@beverlybates
@BWLChiliCookOff
@CityofEL
@CookiesMSU
@fuzzyizmit
@GLFF
@GreaterLansing
@GreatLakesEcho
@HollaAtLansing
@Impression5
@KresgeArtMuseum
@lansingchamber
@LansingPSD
@LEPFA
@liquidweb
@lsjnews
@m3_group
@meijer
@mnaonline
@msu_surplus
@msucatalyst
@msufcu
@msuprssa
@MSUUnion
@OldTownLansing
@paramountcoffee
@RePowerMidMI
@SoupSpoonCafe
@SparrowHealth
@SpartanTweetUp
@thesnews
@The_Watershed
@wilxTV

Related Posts

Oh… and if you don’t know what this is all about… From Sep 8, 2006 to Sep 17, 2007 my friend Rice (the first squirrel to go to all 50 states) and I traveled 29,403 miles as we made our way to all 50 states in the nation staying in over 100 U.S. households.

Traveling Stats

29,403 miles of driving*
$3,294.54 of gas
1251 gallons of gas
599 miles longest drive
141 gas stations
~30 days driving time
23.5 miles per gallon
$2.634 average cost per gallon
$3.39 most expensive gas
$2.07 cheapest gas
3 round trip plane rides
1 car ferry

Host Stats

320 hosts
294 strangers
113 households
104 towns
130 beds
3 dorms
3 trailers
1 pool house
1 record store
21 couches
11 air mattresses
9 sleeper sofas
4 campers
1 water bed

Content Stats

11,334 photos
2364 photos posted
410+ blog entries
235 nominated hosts
137 town profiles

Press Stats

30+ newspaper articles
12 radio stations
9 television stations
3 magazine features
1 national TV talk show

*There were probably another few thousand miles or more of additional driving where I was the passenger

Related Posts

Join us every Wednesday morning in #lovelansing by following the Twitter tag #lansingbreakfast or by following me or Julie.

Related Posts

Bugsy’s Sports Bar-Grill & Brewery in Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Bugsy’s in Warren, Michigan

Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia

Photo by Kevin H. on Flickr

Bugsy’s Sports Grill in Indianapolis, Indiana

Photo by Will on Flickr

Bugsy’s Bar and Grill, Parksville, British Columbia

Bugsy in Seoul, South Korea
Well, this is completely unlike any of the other venues. Supposely this is a sex club. No joke. It’s hard to find any more info on the place since it’s in Korea, but my friend Jen in Korea was told about it and took the photo.

Photo by my friend Jen

And my favorite…

Bugsy’s Bar in Prague, Czech Republic
Perhaps the greatest bar I have ever been to. Live piano music. Cocktail bar. They have the “blue bible” which has hundreds of cocktail drinks such as Bugsy’s Rose (quite tasty). Of course it’s a 1920s American gangster theme. It is considered one of the best cocktail bars in all of Europe. I was fortunate to go there in 2005 while studying abroad.

Photo by Eric E. Hayward on Flickr

Photo by Jr on Flickr

Photo by Jacon Johan on Flickr

Related Posts

On Thursday I was involved in my first car accident (while I was the driver that is). I will no longer be able to boast that I’ve never been in one. I used to pride myself on that, not even as much as a little fender bender before Thursday.

My nephew Sloane was with me. I had just gotten back from taking photos at the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek and picked up 9-year old Sloane to take back to the Upper Peninsula with me so he could stay with my parents for a week.

I was leaving work from Seymour Street in Lansing and drove 1.3 miles. After the construction zone I had merged all the way into the left lane on Saginaw (a 4-lane one-way street) headed eastbound. I was ready to start the 400 mile trip to Marquette.

A white two-door car was in front of me on the lane to my direct right. Out of the blue he tried to cut over two lanes at once, as he tried to make a left hand turn at Mahlon Street. Cutting over two lanes at once he never looked and the front right corner of my 1998 Escort Wagon went square into his driver’s door.

I was driving about 40 mph.

My car stopped in the middle of Mahlon Street. His car shot up onto the sidewalk.

I’m proud of my instinct. First I made sure to see that Sloane was okay and started dialing 911 immediately. He was fine. I was fine. They had to remove that door of the other guys car to get him out and hauled him to the hospital. My guess would be a couple broken ribs at worst.

My only concern was Sloane. I was terribly frustrated not because of the accident, but because Sloane was in my car. The last time I had a kid in my car while I was driving was probably three years ago. So why does my first accident have to happen when I finally have a child in my car? Big props to Sloane for staying so calm and patient. He’s a trooper, not to mention an 8 hour drive back to the Upper Peninsula following it. Hopefully he wasn’t too terrified and hopefully his mother won’t hate me too much.

After seeing the damage on the other guy’s car I was scared to look behind me at my own car. I couldn’t believe what I saw, how minimal the damage was. No extra squeaks, rattles, or anything. Only aesthetics. The only minor thing was being able to open the hood, but that was taken care of at home.

Well, car accidents happen. I hope the other guy is alright too. Thankfully I’m a very calm guy and keep my cool. Was mostly frustrating just because I was starting a 400-mile trek to the U.P. But I still made it.

Quite the week it was.

Related Posts

In the next week or so the Detroit Red Wings will repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. Although the Red Wings are up two games to none just as they were last year at this time, that really has nothing to do with the basis of my argument. My argument has to do with what you hear in the media, from the announcers, and the makeup of the two teams.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are talented, no doubt. But from the start of the playoffs until the finals all of the talk has centered around two plays, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. That’s all. Crosby this, Malkin, it’s all you ever here. At the end of the day they don’t have depth. The Penguins are as dependent on Malkin and Crosby as the Cleveland Cavaliers are on Lebron James.

Down in Detroit it is a completely different story. The Red Wings have outscored the Penguins 6-2 in the first two games of the finals. Not one of those six goals has come from Datsyuk, Hossa, Zetterberg, or Lidstrom. Datsyuk, a nominee for the Hart Trophy MVP award, hasn’t even played. The goals have come from Filppula, Ericsson, Abdelkader (2), Stuart, and Franzen With the exception of Franzen none of those players are typical goal scorers.

Datsyuk has received some criticism this post season for his lack of offensive production. But that’s what makes the Red Wings so great in everyone of their championship runs. When a star player is out or on a cold streak there is always someone else who is on a hot streak. It doesn’t matter who. The Red Wings don’t get 100-point seasons from players due to their depth. Everyone has a role, it’s not just one guy.

For that reason the Red Wings will have their 5th Stanley Cup Championship in 12 seasons in the next week.

You know I love my hockey! Stanley Cup Finals season is my favorite season of the year, especially when the Red Wings are involved. Go Wings!

P.S. Not only is Osgood going to be a Hall of Fame inductee, I’m starting to make the argument that he should have his number retired.

Related Posts

Related Posts

Imagine four little red dots on a map. One pair of the red dots work together as of a week ago. The other pair of red dots have been working together for a few years. The older red dots with more gray hair have both been incredibly influential and instrumental in the success and drive of each of the younger red dots.

These four dots have never all been together before. A month ago these four little red dots tried to all come together, but one of the red dots (I won’t say who) decided to go on a date instead (a date that was not worthwhile).

The two younger red dots were unsure if they wanted to attend a networking event this one particular night, but they decided it was for the best. After the two red dots enjoyed a couple beverages they agreed it was time to go.

One red dot spotted one of the gray-haired red dots. That old dot was shaking hands with the other old dot. A quick u-turn was taken (it’s beyond me that at this incredibly busy intersection there was actually no car coming the other way). These four dots, bonded by creativity, all came together and crossed the exact same point on earth within a matter of seconds.

Coincidences happen all of the time. Especially small world run-ins with say two people. But with four? I have never ran into the gray haired dots in public. Tonight I ran into both of them, two of the most influential people in my life. It was a situation where at least this young red dot acknowledged that something like this has never happened to him before. Both young red dots will be going to bed ecstatic and excited. There was a grand amount of amusement.

Bonding Five Seconds at a Time

It is my strong belief that some of the greatest bonds between people in life are built five seconds at a time. When people have a mutual respect and look forward to seeing this other person, that’s all the time it takes.

Having a mere 5-second random walk by with is enough to elicit smiles, enjoyment, and a feeling of joy because you ran into someone you truly admire and respect.

From my opinion, I say that these little 5-second moments build and build and build on each other. This entire encounter that the other young red dot and I had lasted only a couple of minutes (there was a high-speed pursuit that followed). But the enjoyment of those two minutes grew more on to the relationship between the four of us. And it all started with a 5-second decision between the time we say the first gray-haired dot to the decision of making a u-turn.

From the standpoint of networking, business development, and relationships of all sorts there is a priceless value to it. I’m happy with the social life I’ve found in the last week. If I wasn’t out and about, if I wasn’t pro-active, of if I was a hermit none of this would have happened.

I’ll never forget it. These are four very specific red dots and a few seconds is all that was needed for them to finally all be in the same spot.

P.S. Is it a requirement that Yoopers must always know where to find a barrel of hay?

Related Posts