Make Like a Tree & Branch Out!!

I am SO not a new year's resolution person. It's kind of annoying, actually, when I feel like making changes around January, but I've spent so much time in San Diego recently, and have never run out of things to do! I love the people I know, and the things there are to do. I hear that Phoenix is an active city with a lot going on, but I don't see that by sitting here in the Gilbert bubble, so out I go!

I'll go ahead and say it... Facebook is kind of boring. I think it's a great hub for everyone's basic social network, and it is great having everyone in one place to share what's going on. I've really started digging some sites that fill other social and needs, especially those sites that use the internet to help people get out and DO STUFF.

LivingSocial / Groupon
Ok, I'm sure I'm missing something because people seem to love both of these sites, but I haven't seen many great things come across in the health/fitness area, which is really the only place I'm interested in spending $$ right now. So far, I've only gotten a yoga package (5 classes for $19) for a studio in San Diego. My gym membership is officially cancelled, so I'm hoping to use LivingSocial and Groupon to find some great deals on bootcamps and other workouts in both PHX and SD. (See also - Meetup)

MyFitnessPal
This place is awesome! You enter your current weight and goals, inspirations, etc., then track your food, exercise, and water consumption. You can add friends, develop a network, and updates show up on a news feed similar to Facebook (don't worry, nobody sees your actual or goal weight unless you show them... they see pounds lost, when you complete your food diary under your calorie target, when you exercise... just the good stuff!). There's also an app for pretty much any phone, and their food database is one of the more complete ones available on a free site. If you're on it, add me! User name is cryptic, so you might want to copy/paste... katyconser

Meetup
I went to my first meetup in a LONG time yesterday, and it was great! I am a member of a few groups:

• The San Diego Corgi Meetup Group
• East Valley Italian Food & Wine
• Young and Fun Travelers (20s & 30s)
• Phoenix Hash House Harriers
• Arizona Young Professionals Social Group (20s & 30s)

The Corgi meetup in SD originally got me into the site a few years back. Last night's meetup was with the Young Professionals group, and it was a really good time. About 20 of us got together at Rainforest Cafe (despite my strong dislike for this place... it's almost as strong as my hatred for Hard Rock Cafe). MAN, getting in the car and driving up to Tempe Marketplace was almost as hard as getting out of the car and walking into the restaurant! For some reason, it felt kind of like walking into an awkward blind date,* and I totally wanted to chicken out. I'm so glad I went in, though. If I hadn't, I would have missed an opportunity to meet some super cool people! I'm also super excited for the Travelers group and the Hashers!

Yelp
This is my go-to site for customer ratings on pretty much everything! With traveling so much for work (and still being relatively untraveled in the Phoenix area), it's great to have one place to double check to make sure my expectations for a place aren't way off-base. I'm probably not diligent enough in writing reviews, but I'll work on that.

* Not confirmed. I've never been on a blind date