- Most Recent | Since 2004
- List View
- Archive
- May 7, 2015
A Classic Retro Picnic Basket
May 7, 2015Read more
I’ve been looking for a picnic basket reminiscent of the kind that Yogi Bear would steal from hapless visitors Jellystone Park with his pal Boo Boo. Modern picnic baskets are larger and have all these “improvements” to make it easier to carry plates and flatware, wine bottles, chilled foods, and so on. I just want a picnic basket that makes me laugh, and holds a suitable number of sandwiches. This is the story of how I found a picnic basket I liked. I really love the way these look.
- May 5, 2015
Resolution Review #3: Releasing Expectations for Better Productivity?
May 5, 2015Read more
My third Groundhog Day Resolutions report for 2015 is that I’ve been awfully unproductive. In fact, I think I’m in a productivity slump that is characterized not by the ability to focus, but by a lack of DESIRE to focus. It’s been quite puzzling and annoying, but I have a few new insights that might pay off this time. Such is the nature of doing something new: you gotta keep trying different approaches until something clicks. The short version is that I’m going to try something I’m calling emergent productivity, which might be what I’ve been doing all along with my creative work. Read the full report for the gruesome details. (more…)
- May 4, 2015
Voices of the Past, Guiding Me Toward the Future
May 4, 2015Read more
SUMMARY: I’m not generally a superstitious man, but I do take notice when I notice a pattern in what catches my attention; I figure it’s the Universe bonking me on the head to get me to think. In this case, I stumbled upon three old blog crushes, powerful voices from the past that were a huge inspiration and even helped set me on my path. After so many years, were these voices calling to me again? What are they saying to me NOW? (more…)
- May 1, 2015
Living Room Cafe: Hardwood Floor Selection Update!
May 1, 2015Read more
SUMMARY: I am picking hardwood floor samples for my living room so I can turn it into a private coffee shop. If you like looking at color swatches accompanied by obsessive detail about the application of color theory, this is the article for you! (more…)
- April 28, 2015
Cinnamon and Spice and Tea That’s Nice
April 28, 2015Read more
For a while I was spending more time at the local Starbucks, having discovered that I really liked the Oprah Chai Brewed Tea for its powerful cinnamon flavor. Even though it has no sugar, the combination of spices makes it TASTE delightfully sweet in a not very subtle way. I love it. Recently, though, I’ve only been able to get their new Oprah Chai Herbal Blend, which has a more nuanced mix of cinnamon and other herbs, but I just don’t like it as much. The barristas at my local Starbucks seem to think the good stuff is discontinued.
I complained about the cinnamon teapocalypse to my friend Kate, who is knowledgeable about such things, and she mentioned that there was a really good cinnamon tea available at, off all places, Barnes & Noble. So I went down there and asked about it at their in-house cafe (ironically, also a Starbucks), and they directed me to the Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice, which was just as good. It certainly was a lot cheaper even at a premium tea price ($10.95 for 30 sachets, versus $3.00 for a single Starbucks Grande). I’m pretty much hooked on the stuff now.
I’ve never bought fancy tea before in these sachet things; is there some kind of “tea hook” gadget to fish them out of your cup? Harney & Sons also sells the loose tea from their website which is a bit more economical. I am thinking of visiting the local Teavana store in the mall to see if they have something similar; they’re the company (owned by Starbucks) that worked up the original Oprah cinnamon blend, so maybe they have it there.
