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From a guy some of you might remember:
Hi everyone,
Ten years.
Ten years of ignoring the outside world for a few hours a week. A lot has changed in the world in the past 120 months, but we don't care about any of that. That's not why we're here.
We have not turned pubnight into a political action group (even though we were here before MoveOn or um, let's say FoxNews). We have not turned pubnight into a for-profit company with dues, corporate AmEx cards, business cards, and tax-deductions for all company- related activities (even though we were here before Enron or Worldcom were news). We have not turned pubnight into a web site of bar, restaurant, and drink reviews (even though we were here before Shecky's or RateBeer). And we have not turned pubnight into a Web 2.0 buzzword-compliant blogging community portal (even though we were here before LinkedIn or MySpace). Come on, we haven't even agreed on how to capitalize pubnight.
Collectively, we have the talent to have done any of these, but we didn't. That's not why we're here. It's also probably the reason why we're all still friends.
From the beginning, pubnight has been about escape. Alcohol, of course, provides a convenient metaphor and legal lubricant for escape, but that's only part of the story. The phrase I used too much back then was, "When we're all 70 years old and sitting around talking, are we going to think back on the great times we had at work?" Let's decide that new friends and new experiences are a higher priority for us than more power and more money.
For a few hours a week, we're able to step away from our responsibilities. That's why we're here. That's why we've been able to keep doing this in several cities for several years. No commitment, no responsibility, no rules. It's like college, without the exams or the fake IDs.
Have you gone from being the one who's hungover at Thursday morning meetings, to being the one to schedule meetings for Thursday afternoons instead, to being the one to say why are we having a meeting at all? That's the sign of a successful pubnighter.
We can (and we will, week after week) talk about the people we've met, the people we've missed, the people we've created, the people we've laughed with, and maybe some of the people we've woken up next to. And each story told leads to a new story for next time.
One of the first songs I wrote in college was called "A Movie About Us" and asked why, if they can make movies like the Breakfast Club, or St. Elmo's Fire, or the Big Chill (come on, it was the 80s - don't even ask about my hair), why won't they make a movie about us. My answer back then is still true and, in some underlying psychological way, is probably one of the reasons I started pubnight. Every story must have an ending. Every song needs a final verse. And every movie needs a final scene.
Is the story of your life more interesting because you're a part of pubnight? That's why we're here. That's really all that matters.
So, take five minutes to add yourself to the pubnight yearbook (yearbook.pubnight.com) and take a few hours to join us at Swift on Wednesday to celebrate ten years of new friends, ten years of new experiences, and ten years of escape.
Cheers,
- stuart
Hear, hear. If you haven't been, check out Mr. Shah's damn fine Anniversary Yearbook page and leave a profile so people will know who you are. And expect a few more surprises on the morrow...though not too many, 'cause in three weeks we're just going to have to top ourselves for PN #500. We're already stocking up on stomach pumps.
See you there!
For PNNY: Mike, Rebecca, Cindy, Jay, Petro, TK, and Vineel
For PN Portland: Stuart and Laura
For PN West: Kris and Chris
For PN Baltimore: Greg