With the long weekend behind me now I can focus on the long weekend ahead of me.
That’s because I’m taking Friday off to drive down to Santa Barbara for CJU, which kicks off on Sunday.

I’m not sure which part of the trip I’m more excited about - the gorgeous drive down the California coast or the actual Commission Junction event. I’ve done this trip a handful of times and had memorable experiences each and every time.

There are so many great people that are slated to attend CJU. Many have contacted me. There’s even a Facebook group for attendees. How cool is that?

Anyway, I love getting together with all the merchants, publishers and CJ folks and talking about the many industry issues that concern them most. But the best part is that I get to spend two and half days with interesting, excited people who really, truly love their jobs. For me, being immersed in that type of vibe is inspiring.

However, it’s also very odd. Journalists by nature are a cynical bunch that loves our work but usually hates where we work and complain incessantly about our employers or bosses. So, being surrounded by a large group of people that couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living or working for anyone but themselves is slightly off putting but nice.

I’m really looking forward to the educational sessions and I promise to blog from the event to keep those of you that couldn’t make it in the loop.

BTW: Just a few other quick housekeeping items. No new Affiliate Thing podcast this Wednesday. Instead, WebMasterRadio.FM will be running a “best of” show. And the following Wednesday (9/12) I’ll be traveling back from CJU so Shawn will be holding down the Affiliate Thing fort. His guest will be Brian McCarthy from Revver. I’m sure that Shawn will totally be geeking out since he’s such a huge advocate of marketers using video. It’s one you certainly won’t want to miss.