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- May 18, 2016
Limited Run of Emergent Task Planner Pads Restocked!
May 18, 2016Read more
For fans of the pre-printed Emergent Task Planner pads, I’ve produced a small run of ETP 75-sheet pads and ETP 50-sheet pads. There are about 90 units each on Amazon USA. The difference, other than sheet count, is that the 50-sheet pad is intended as a kind of “starter kit”; most people will find the 75-sheet pad to be a better value.
Later this summer, I’ll be making a full-size ETP vinyl cover notebook (similar to the ETP5885 Half-size Notebook). I’ll also be testing selling packs of loose-leaf paper for people who would prefer to make their own notebooks (Arc® or Circa® users, for example).
- May 17, 2016
Taiwan Trip Update for May 16, 2016
May 17, 2016Read more
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since I’ve arrived in history-steeped Taichung, Taiwan. I had thought I would be writing more, but this trip has become more of a vacation than a working trip. In hindsight, I think I probably needed a break from all the plotting and planning I have been doing. I am fully caught-up with my demanding napping schedue, and have watched “RuPaul’s Drag Race” seasons 5 and 6 to see why people liked it so much (I am now a fan!)
While I am maybe a bit slow in becoming the “adventurous digital nomad” that I thought I might like, I am at least learning a bit more about myself when visiting places away from home: I’m not much of a tourist, it seems. I just like to soak up the atmosphere at my own pace.
Anyway, here’s a quick mini-report on what else I’ve been up! (more…)
- May 6, 2016
The Importance of Pizza Peels
May 6, 2016Read moreIn the continuing adventures with supermarket pre-made pizza dough, I have “successfully” constructed my first pie! Not everything went to plan, though:
Making the pizza itself, spreading the dough out and adding some toppings, was not bad. However, I made it on top of a silicone grease splatter guard, it being the only pizza-shaped conveyance device I had in the house; when I tried to put the pizza laden with topping onto the pre-heated stone, it just flopped off all at once and lost its roundness. I was able to unfold it somewhat and recover the pizza later. It tasted OK, but it was really the failure to transfer the pizza that bugged me. It felt like failure, and perhaps this is what I tasted in the pizza afterwards…
SO I GOT ONE OF THESE ON AMAZON
It’s a pizza peel! You put flour on it before you put the pizza on, then you shimmy it left and right and slide the pizza right off it onto the stone with a quick pulling motion. That’s the theory as I understand it anyway. This one is made by a company named Pizza Royale, and it’s made of “ethically-sourced bamboo”. I like bamboo utensils, and I liked the way the company portrayed their mission to create an affordable, well-designed pizza peel so all could enjoy a fresh pie in their own home. It seems solid. I’m going to give it a try tonight.
- May 5, 2016
Groundhog Resolutions Review #3 (May 2016)
May 5, 2016Read more
It’s May 6th here in Hong Kong International Airport, but it’s still May 5, Groundhog Resolutions Review Day back in Boston! I’ve got to board a flight to Taiwan in about an hour, so this will be a quick post. In summary, the last month saw the crumbling of my daily scheduled goal work and the discovery of live streaming as another way to motivate myself to work on tedious and time-consuming supporting tasks for my 2024 goals. The last post I wrote on the subject, Recovering from Goals Crashing does a pretty good job of summarizing what happened, so with that I’ll get on to a shortened version of the review and get us up-to-date.
But first: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! May 5th happens to be Dad’s birthday as well as other fun holidays! Ok, on with the posting! (more…)
- May 4, 2016
Taiwan Bound, Again!
May 4, 2016Read more
I have been pretty quiet for the past couple of weeks, particularly with regards to my “Groundhog Day Resolutions” goals. That’s because I’ve been really pre-occupied with a month-long trip to Taiwan, the land of my ancestors, where I shall again attempt to engage with a semi-familiar but mystifying culture. I have always felt something like a “failure” in terms of engaging with my cultural heritage despite ample opportunities to embrace it, as a mixture of embarrassment and feeling like an outsider wreaked havoc with my adolescent sense of self. Now that I’m almost 50 (!) I’m thinking that maybe I can tame those old childhood demons.
This is the second trip of a demon-taming nature; I also went last year and, like a nervous cat investigating a new home, got adjusted to the sights and smells of the place again. This time I’m hoping to travel more, be less apologetic/guilty about being a Taiwanese-American that can’t read or speak either Taiwanese or Mandarin, and try to have a good attitude about everything. Attitude is really important! It can change everything! I have to keep telling myself this! And add exclamation points whenever possible!
I’m at home waiting for the Flightline Shuttle to drive me to Logan Airport, then I’m on a red-eye flight direct to Hong Kong via Cathay Pacific. This is my first time flying Cathay Pacific, which is supposed to be an excellent airline. I’m shutting off computers now, giving a tearful goodbye to my other cat Kate, and am doing a last check of the house security before heading out the door. I have new glasses that have a blue frame, and I am also wearing a Star Wars t-shirt under my shirt because it is MAY 4TH; I couldn’t let that go uncelebrated!
My May 5th Groundhog Day post will likely be late. Will be back in about 36 hours!
About this Article Series
This blog post is part of a series about reconnecting with my heritage in Taiwan while testing my mettle as a traveler, covering my second trip trip in May 2016. All posts are collected on The Taiwan Travel Challenge 2016 Page.
