About

Hi there, my name is Russ, and I'm the guy behind Idealist Cafe. I'm just barely into my third decade, and being that I spent the first 30 years of my life playing by the rules, I think now it's time to get out there and make life happen on my own terms. I dream of leaving offices behind forever, owning my time, and seeing how long I can go without wearing shoes. My goal is to create an online niche for myself, and to build a website that can support me and all my ambitions -- and to take you along with me. The quest is, quite simply, to live life. My interests are quite varied, and include sustainability, simplicity, healthy living, adventure, and travel -- just to name a few.

This website is my journey and I encourage you to join me. I want to live on my own terms, and while I'm at it I hope to inspire a few of you to do the same. I don't claim to be an expert about what I write, and I'll admit that I contradict myself daily. (But I do learn from my mistakes!) The goal is to share what I'm learning, doing, and experiencing, so we all can one day live the lives that we want. I write about all sorts of stuff on my blog, so feel free to join me by subscribing and stop by and say hi.

The Mission

To share information and ideas on a variety of topics, including sustainability, health, green living, travel, simplicity, adventure, and life! Additionally, I'd like to build a small army (thanks Chris!) of like minded people to inspire, help, and motivate each other to live better. Too ambitious? We'll see

Why This?

Life can be complicated and crazy, but really it is best lived consciously and enjoyed. Many of us are stuck working too much, or wishing we could escape the 9 to 5 and live life at a slower (or faster) pace. It's not easy to live in this crazy world without making compromises. Whether your goal is simplify, to see the world, to live a healthier life, or just to do what you want every single day, I'm here to help us all get there, and in the process to slow down and enjoy each day.

Regardless of your goals, I encourage you to reduce your consumption, ride your bike to the market, carry a reusable coffee mug, smile at your neighbors, walk barefoot when you can so you can feel the Earth, slow down, listen to the birds, and open your eyes, your ears, and your mind. We can all make a difference, whether it's by changing the world, or by simply making a stranger smile. So slow down and live in the moment, and don't be afraid to get your feet and hands dirty, and most importantly, enjoy life. I am in the process of doing my best to do the same.

... more ...

Even though I write about living life, I currently survive the 9 to 5 by working in the travel industry as a programmer, web developer, and informal DBA (database administrator). This website is my hobby and my journey. My goal is to one day leave the corporate world and live my life on my own terms, a life more aligned with what I write about on this site. My dreams are not that different from yours.

Resume / Hire Me

Here's the scoop on what I know and what I can do for you. If you have a killer position you want to hire me for, let me know, anything goes at this point. Otherwise, I am open for consulting outside of my standard 9-5 {sigh} working hours. Contact Me

In simple terms, what I can do for you
• Basic blog creation and setup (Blogger and Wordpress)
• Custom Wordpress templates
• Custom PHP functions
• Blogger to Wordpress conversion
• Create small standalone software packages
• Standard site design and code debugging
• Stylesheet fixes, tweaks and advanced CSS
• Hosting setup, configuration and troubleshooting
• [insert what you need here]

For the geekier people: Technologies, Skills, etc.
• ASP.NET, VB.NET, C#.NET
  • OOP
  • Class design
  • All that other good programming stuff
• PHP
• SQL Server, T-SQL
  • Database creation, config, admin
  • Table/Index creation, optimization
  • Performance tuning (Profiler, Tuning Engine)
  • Integration Services (SSIS)
• MySQL
• IIS (configuring websites)
• Apache (url rewriting and redirects)
• HTML, Javascript, CSS

Idealist Cafe is powered by Wordpress (converted from Blogger), and uses a custom theme which I created and styled. This site is my resume in action.

Contact Details

I'd love to hear what's on your mind. Email me... idealistcafe at gmail dot com

follow me:
    twitter: http://twitter.com/russkw/
    rss feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/idealistcafeblog