Ben here. PR Manager for Sixthman. I’m the F*&$%ing new guy. FNG for short. At least that is what they refer to me as around the office. Hoping that’s gonna wear off soon. Anyway. I think you can tell a lot about a person from what they keep on their shelves, hide away in drawers, or stash in their backpack or purse. So instead of just giving it to you straight, I’m gonna let you take a look in my bag and let you make your own conclusions about who I am. First, some random facts about me to set the stage:

Random Facts: I can cook twenty minutes brownies in ten. I am fiercely loyal, so don’t cross me yo! Born and raised in Indiana. Go Colts. Go Hoosiers. Go Dawgs. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing. I have a younger brother and younger sister. My family is very close. My parents = personal heroes. I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. I’ve spent nearly the last 15 years of my life in the entertainment industry – movies, film, and of course music. Favorite colors would be black and blue. I love living in the Inman Park area. My deft floral arrangement have earned my fame in international botany circles. I don’t think there is such a thing as bad pizza. My top favorite events ever in no order: Phish: The Clifford Ball, Xingolati Groove Cruise of the Pacific, Roger Waters: The Wall, Phish: Big Cypress. I’m not mad really, it’s just the way my sunglasses apparently make me look. On the weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full contact origami.

Randoms. I'm not the merrymaker. With a bowl haircut. My dog. And miss you beard. Soon.

Current Bag: OGIO Fugitive backpack. Just got it (it was a gift!) and so far I am liking it. Normally, I’m a messenger/briefcase kind of guy but with the traveling I’ve been doing lately, it’s nice to use both shoulders instead of just one. Also, it says Sixthman on it. That’s always cool too.

Laptop: While I lust after MacBook Airs and Retina display loaded Pros, I’m currently hauling a Mid-2009 MacBook Pro. Just upgraded to 8GB of RAM and it gets the job done. I’m a Mac user all the way and as you’ll find out, a pretty big Apple nerd.

Apple Multi-Touch Mouse. Needs this everyday, I do.

Phone: iPhone 4S. Again, Apple geek. Been using the iPhone since it came out and I’ve even stood in a couple of lines to be first in the store.

Phone Case: Gotta throw a mention to the Book Book iPhone case. It’s the best. It’s a wallet that holds my phone and looks like an antique book. I love it as much as I love my phone.

It's all the kind of important stuff.

iPhone Apps: They’re still technically in my bag, right? I have a couple of apps I use regularly – for productivity and fun. Currently, these are my most used:

• Dark Sky -  (Best weather app for rain forecasting. Ever)
• Social – (love Foursqure, Tweetbot, casual Instagram user even though photography is a hobby of mine, I think the Facebook app is terrible.)
• Tripit and Kayak are both my go to travel apps
• Clock – I probably use the timer app at least once a day. Mostly for cooking.
• Shazam – Love Shazam. I tag stuff all the time, and it’s turned me on to some great new music. Especially helpful for identifying all the great music used in commercials these days.
• Spotify – I’m not a paid member, but Spotify has been my go to music app lately when I want to listen to something I don’t own.

Moleskine Lined Notebook: I still love writing and nothing beats a Moleskine for taking notes and keeping a record of the day. I’m still having a hard time transitioning to all those fancy reminder and to-do apps when this book still serves its purpose better then anything else.

Pen: Pilot G-2 7mm Blue. I switch between black and blue pens. Love the quality of the ink this pen puts to paper and I usually have a couple of them on me, with the addition of an orange highlighter and a couple of fine point black sharpies, those are my tools.

Orbit Spearmint Gum. Bad breath is bad news.

The Anthony Diaz Folder. He’s our CMO, my direct boss and your tequila guy. He puts together amazing action reports for all of our upcoming events. I’m still a little old school in that I like to print these out and I keep them in a blue folder for go-to reference, idea jotting, and basically, so I’m never in the dark.

Headphones: I keep two pair in my bag. Your standard white apple ear buds that I mostly use when talking on the phone, because of the built in mic. The grand-daddies though are my Bose Quiet Comfort 15 over the ear noise canceling headphones. I think these are best headphones for the money. Doesn’t matter if I’m in the office or on a plane, these things keep ALL the noise out. And they sound amazing. Gift from my old man who taught me early on an appreciation for music and technology.

Passport: Don’t leave home without it. Ever. Worst photo ever. I might be mistaken for a terrorist. Seriously. It’s bad. Real bad.

Camera: Olympus XZ-1, this is a great point and shoot with some very fast glass. I love my big Nikon, but this camera gets preferential treatment due to its size. In addition to its speed, I love the old school aperture click the lens makes when you twist it.

Sixthman Mike’s Business Card: it was the first card I got when I started here, he was the first co-worker to take me to lunch, and it’s my go to place when I totally space on our address or office phone number. Plus, do you know Mike? He cracks me up. Love that guy.

Sixthman so far. Me with Chardy, Anthony, and the beautiful Sarah and Alex.

The Ultimate: my iPad. It’s not the newest version, but it’s my go-to device for pretty much all of my media consumption. It’s my virtual bookshelf, my music collection, basically my life.

ON MY iPAD…….
Books I am reading: The Swiss Family Robinson (love reading the classics), Space Chronicles, Inside Apple, Stories For Airports, The Rum Diary (and yes, I am currently reading all of those books, I prefer to read several at a time) – note, as I write this blog, I just finished The Swiss Family Robinson. Great read.
Magazines I am reading: Newsweek, Backpacker, Distro, Wired, Popular Photography, & GQ
Games: Bejeweled Blitz, Angry Birds, Fairway Solitaire
Music: I keep my music collection organized through iTunes Match, and it’s loaded. Here’s what I am playing the most right now: Smashing Pumpkins/Oceania, Goyte/Making Mirrors, M83/Hurry Up We’re Dreaming, The Lumineers/The Lumineers, XX/XX, Grouplove/Never Trust A Happy Song, Hot Chip/In Our Heads, 311/Universal Pulse
iPad Apps: 

• Photo Apps – I love post-processing photos on my iPad even more so then my computer these days. Here are my mine ones: Pixlromatic, Filterstorm, Snapseed, CameraBag, Dynamic Light, Plastic Bullet, PhotoStudioHD, OsmoLeaker
• Productivity Apps – Mint, LogMeIn, GoodReader, eWallet, Tapose, Scanner Pro
• Travel Apps – Tripit, Kayak, Flightboard & FlightTrack, Airport Ace
• Reference Apps – Wikipanion, SkySafari, IMDb, Knot Guide HD

So, there you go. Deduce from it what you will. If we’ve never met, be sure to introduce yourself on the next cruise. It’s pretty likely I’ll be there. And if we’re not friends on Facebook, then find my profile – https://www.facebook.com/sixthmanben and let’s be friends. Love hearing about all of our guests and I’ve been trying to get to know a handful of you each week, so be sure to say hello. I’m happy to answer your questions about Sixthman events or why Chardy’s feet stink so bad.