I just finished reading Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential,” a book that my beautiful wife gave me for Christmas this year. She knows I’m a No Reservations nut. “Kitchen Confidential” made me a little nuttier, but definitely in a good way.

But this post is not about my inclination towards one chef and his show on the Travel Channel. Although, I’d probably like to write more about it. Instead, I thought I’d take a look back on this New Year’s eve at a few tidbits from 2007 before jumping head first into 2008.

2007 was an incredible year for me. I got married (most significantly), participated in a gathering with other educational podcasters at Apple HQ in Cupertino, CA, was invited to speak at Bentley College, built a virtual re-design of Boston City Hall Plaza, interviewed a visual artist in Second Life, participated in two conferences at Harvard and Columbia, helped rebuild a website, served on the Board of Directors for two amazing organizations, supported a really exciting research project funded by the NEH, learned a ton about the web and digital culture in grad school, produced a podcast about citizen media and the law, and had the good fortune to continue to work with and learn from some truly world class people at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, while attending grad school. I am very, very lucky.

Of course there was lots more geekery and fun (and not so much fun) along the way. Most notably, what I learned and continue to learn from the dedicated volunteers and community media workers struggling to remain relevant, and survive, in a changing media landscape. Particularly at a time when pressure from large cable and telephone companies = state legislation continues to beat down community media center after community media center slamming the door on opportunities for local voices and community concerns all across America to be seen and heard on cable television.

In 2008, this will become my world – even more than it already has been.

This week, I’m leaving my short, but life-changing, work experience at the Berkman Center at Harvard Law School, where I began as a Staff Assistant in 2005 to join the staff at Cambridge Community Television as Community Media Coordinator.

In 2005, while in my last semester at Emerson as an Continuing Ed student, I joined a dedicated group of student volunteers to shuttle (by foot) video tapes of Democracy Now! from CCTV to Boston Neighborhood Network, because BNN did not have a satellite dish to broadcast Amy Goodman and crew on cable access in Boston. The CCTV staff was incredibly generous in helping our effort to bring DN! to Boston, via their tape recordings of the show. Ever since, I’ve had a great admiration for CCTV and the people involved. Now, I’m joining the crew.

While it was a difficult decision to leave the Berkman Center and all the extraordinary people I’ve met there, I couldn’t be more excited to join this new, but familiar, community in Cambridge. I look forward to working with the staff, members, volunteers, the Board (which I previously served on) and other new friends I hope to make along the way. I also look forward to continuing the relationship that Harvard Law School Professor and Berkman Center Founder, Charles Nesson helped strengthen during my time there.

For all these experiences from 2007, I am grateful. For those yet to come in 2008, I couldn’t be more excited.