The Blog of Matt Horwitz

At the end of July, Michelle, myself and our two cats Enzo & Shanti decided to hit the road and head up to PA to visit my family.

Here are some pictures from our roadtrip (mostly of the cats!):

Yes, Shanti was sleeping on top of Enzo LOL !

Enzo won't sleep without a pillow

Shanti likes to be under the covers!

Enzo was very interested during the drive!

I swear Shanti slept the whole ride LOL

We're going to get him a modeling job soon.

Well that’s it for the photos – only a few.  It’s funny that the whole album is basically just the cats.   They both wore those harnesses so we could use a leash.  We didn’t want the cats to get loose!  One of the highlights was when Enzo started to sleep in the litter box (which we had in the back seat)… I guess it made him feel safe – and luckily it was clean !

We did 1,300+ miles in about 2 days.  It was quite an adventure and we’re happy we all made it back safe

My father sent me a great email a few days ago titled “Samurai – Miyamoto Musashi Documentary”.

Inside was a link to a documentary about the Samurai and Miyamto Musashi – a loner swordsman known as one of the greatest to ever live.

Musashi left home at the age of 13 and set out on many journeys seeking battle after battle and honing is skills, hoping to become a Samurai.

Musashi was very wise, even as a teenage boy.  There are many lessons about life, discipline, and spirituality woven throughout the film.  I found the lessons in this film to be profound.

The movie runs about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

I hope you find it valuable…

Samurai – Miyamoto Musashi Documentary

Travel is absolutely one of my favorite things to do in the whole world!  The new experiences, the mind grasping new thoughts and ideas, stepping outside of my comfort zone, breathing the air of unknown land…

If you’re like me and dislike main-stream things (main stream media, news, movies, etc), you know that the media really disorts things in our lives.  When most people hear of the word “travel”, they think of you staying in the Marriott Hotel for $169/night reading the newspaper and drinking cheap coffee.  What kind of travel experience is that ?  It’s pretty much me going to a new place, a new land, a new culture, and then I’m going to stay in the most “American” thing I know… The Marriott.  How is that outside of my comfort zone ?  The analogy I make is like traveling thousands of miles to then hangout at a place that feels just like home LOL… kind of crazy if you ask me !

There are 2 great websites I’m about to let you know about.  Websites where really cool people all over this amazing mother earth open their homes, their spare rooms, or a couch, and you can stay with them for pretty much half the price of any hotel

Alone from the savings on costs, more importantly, you get to experience someone’s else life in another city.  You get a feel for their philosophies, their beliefs, and the way they live their life.

The two sites I’m going to explain more are:

1. AirBnb

2. Wimdu

Both of these websites allow “hosts” to post photos of their place and a description up online and travelers can surf through the listings via distance, price, and recommendations.  The UI (user interface) of both websties is very easy to navigate and it’s very easy to make a reservation.

Paso Robles, California, United States

My girlfriend and I are road-tripping California this month   We came out here for 2 seminars about online entrepreneurship and decided to extend the trip for the whole month.  We rented a car in San Francisco (check out GetAround.com to rent your neighbor’s car!) and drove down the Pacific coast to San Diego.

Our favorite thing to do is stop at the local farms and get starwberries for $1.50/basket.  We’ve probably eaten 10 baskets of strawberries in the past week   Rico Rico ! (Spanish for delicious!

Halfway along our route lies a little town of Paso Robles.  We found a great host off of AirBnB and we stayed in their spare bedroom for $45/night.  They had 2 really friendly cats (we love cats!) and a super comfortable bed.  We felt right at home and we had access to the kitchen, the living room, and the bathroom.  They even gave us bottles of spring water and clear towels!

Here are some photos of the place:

Luis was out host and we had such a great time talking about traveling (Luis and his wife had lived in Taiwan for 3 years), culture, and life.  My girlfriend Michelle got tired around 12am, but Luis and actually had so much in common, that we started a conversation that didn’t end until 5am!

So the next day we did get a late start, but nonetheless, Luis and I felt like long-lost brothers reconnecting.  It was an amazing experience to share such passion about the same topics.  Luis is a teacher, an author, and an inspiration to many lives.  I was able to tell him some things I knew about how to harness the power of the internet and technology to capture is message and serve the world and he was schooling me on the all the research he had done for his thesis he was working on.  Luis is a very intellectual guy and I was picking his brain for hours.

We were able to tell each other about the books we had read, the life lessons we had learned, and we both left their very inspired with a new fuel for our projects and resources at our hands.  It was a memory I will always remember!

So I encourage you to check out these websites and do something “out of the norm”.  It is a great experience to see the world, learn knew things, and connect with like-minded people.

“To dare is to loose one’s footing momentarily.  To not dare it to loose oneself.”                -Soren Aabye Kierkegaard

Get out their, explore your world, and explore yourself!  Life is a journey to Live !!

Matt Horwitz

p.s. Here are the links again… AirBnb & Wimdu

I was just having a conversation with a good friend of mine from California….

“Sounds like your ideas are really flowing and that is sick! I gotta
say, 2 things have really started my ideas flowing as well, one was
the conversation with you, the other is delving deeper into the things I am passionate about”

First off, I am always so happy to hear when someone is inspired by something I say… that really brings me joy

Secondly, I think people don’t realize how smart they are and how much the world needs to hear their voice.  Start a blog, write an eBook, start a youtube channel, write a newsletter, etc.  No matter what you think your expertise level is, there are always people behind you who don’t want to spend the countless hours you’ve put into research and who want to learn everything you have to teach.  The marketers definition of an expert: “One who knows more than the purchaser”.

Ever thought of writing a book…

What people don’t realize is that most of the books that are produced nowadays aren’t done with someone sitting behind a typewriter for endless hours (well some old schoolers still do it!).  The easiest way to write a book is to

1: list all the chapters you’d like to write about

2: for each chapter think of 10 questions that an “average joe” would ask

3: get a friend or hire someone to sit down and ask you each of those questions

4: record the conversation in audio or video format (with a computer, microphone, camera, etc)

5: let yourself flow and speak passionately about the subject

then 6: hire a transcriber and an editor (elance.com, odesk.com, or other outsourcing websites) and BAM you have your first ebook!

Then make a youtube video telling people about all the awesomeness that’s in your eBook and share with them the link to download it.

It doesn’t matter what you’re passionate about… just about 99% of the information and ideas out there will have a following, there will be fans!  Alaskan Salmon Fishing, Photography for Kids, Healthy Water, DIY Home Repairs, Cell Phone Apps, Product Reviews, even Legos.  Whatever your passion is, start sharing your personality and what you know with the world !

To Your Success,

Matt Horwitz

From Sunrise Time Lapse with Victor, posted by Matt Horwitz on 12/07/2010 (48 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher

WOW!  Damien Walters is on top of his game for sure!  Unlike most gymnasts who start at a young age, Damien started Tumbling when he was only 6 years old.  His real obsession is Parkour, sometimes referred to as Free Running.

By combining his extreme athleticism with some unbelievable tumbling skills, he is able to pull off some pretty astounding parkour stunts. Whether he’s front flipping over a moving car or jumping over huge rooftop gaps,  this cat truly makes freerunning look like an art form.

His outrageous abilities have also earned him a part-time gig as a Hollywood stuntman. When he’s not freerunning around the city or moonlighting as a stunt double, Damien works as a gymnastics instructor.

Check out his 2010 Reel:

I have always had cats for the majority of my life and was recently pretty curious as to how long they slept.  So here is what my research found…..

Cats actually spend more time asleep than they do awake.  It is estimated that they sleep 15-18 hours per day, depending on the cat and their living environment.

Similar to people, cats have different sleep cycles, but the majority of their sleep cycles are spent in what is referred to as “light sleep cycles” (this is also where the phrase ‘cat naps’ comes from).

Light sleep cycles
A large amount of time (up to 75%)  is spent in light sleep cycles.  During a light sleep cycle, a cat can awaken very quickly.  This type of sleep most likely evolved from wild cats.  It is wild cats way of getting lots of rest while at the same time being alert and away of both predators and potential prey that may cross its path.

Sometimes we can see a cat in a light sleep cycle showings signs of alertness:  their ears will rotate and twitch to certain sounds,  and they also may even have their eyes slightly open.  Some cats can fall into light sleep cycles while sitting upright.  I know a cat or two that can do this LOL !

Deep sleep cycles
Cats in a deep sleep cycle will usually be reclining or curled up in a ball,  they’ll have their eyes closed, and may even cover a paw over their eyes to keep the bright daylight away.

Do cats dream?  Yes, cats do dream during their deep sleep cycles.  Twitching paws and whiskers are a sign of a cat dreaming.  Similar to humans, some cats will make small noises during deep sleep. Some cats sleep so deeply that they don’t even hear loud noises.

Summary Cats are highly individualistic animals and some cats sleep less (or more) than others.. Older cats will sometimes spends as much as 30 to 40 percent of their sleep time in a deep sleep cycle (compared to a usual 25%). It’s smart to know what the norm is and to pay attention if your cat is having irregular sleep patterns or times.  This can be a sign of illness or anxiety.

In conclusion, it seems to me that cats live a pretty cool life!  Eating mucho, getting their heads scratched, & sleeping 16 hours per day!

I also like the spiritual aspect that cats bring into my life

Cheers,