No Snivelling

Created Podcast #2 today while hanging out at Pyramid Brewery -- click on the link below to listen to it, or pick it up in your Podcast Reader (iPodder, etc) -- let me know if you need some help with making it work!

Outline of Podcast #2:

* Where I�m broadcasting from (Pyramid Brewery, met Crapmonkey�s wife � amazing coincidence, Brouwer�s Caf�, Pyramid b/c of his walking tour, Pale Ale b/c of her sell job on what�s good beside Hefe)

* iPodded my BMW ($300, Awesome � ProClipUSA really sweet bracket, Magnolia HiFi nailed the installation, Getting too much bass� anyone know how I should set my Bass/Treb?)

* Today shot to hell, a bit (Starbucks Entertainment, Media Bars � no one�s using, Laptops � all using, terrible experience, Physical CD�s, how bad that sucks)

* Friends going into business (Roscoe�s Ranch, Denali Fitness)

* Why Seattle Rocks (Friend in town for a Microsoft Web Services conference, To Elysian Brewery on Pike for 2 yummy beers, To Nishino (best sushi in seattle), Ran into 3 friends, To Brouwer�s Caf� in Fremont, Ran into another friend)

* Favorite PodCasts (Northwest Noise, CrapMonkey, Daily Source Code)

Play the No Snivelling Podcast

I think it's official -- my love affair with Netflix is officially over -- we went thru the classic stages... newness, passion, comfortable routine, boredom, distance, and finally, the relationship had to end. What caused the demise, you ask? Really, Netflix, it's not you, it's me! Really. Well, not really. To be honest, I've met someone new. You'd like her. Really. What's her name, you ask? Well, it's really not that simple. Her name used to be Tivo. That was the first fissure in the relationship. Then, I met someone else named HDTV. But, it didn't end there. Nirvana finally came calling in the new Comcast HDTV Video Recorder. Two months later, and I've watched maybe two netflix movies in that entire time. So, I had to call it quits. You just weren't adding anything to the relationship anymore. I think it's for the best. You'll find someone new. You really are great. Really. I've just grown apart from you. We'll be friends, OK? Call me sometime for coffee... or something...

I was introduced to Brouwer's Cafe, a new pub in Fremont, by the producer of the CrapMonkey Podcast, which I also recommend (entertaining, and obviously informative, as it directed me to Brouwer's).

The weather was a bit... shall we say, crappy, yesterday... so I weakened and decided to skip my run and have two pints instead. Excellent decision, Mr. Schappell!

I don't have the exact address, but it is in Fremont, across the street from the now vacant Red Hook (approximate address is 35th & Phinney) -- and, to get an idea of what it looks like, you can check out photos of the renovation project at this architect's site (kinda cool pics, now that I've been inside the finished product).

In any case, the decor is nice and cozy... dark woods, stone, etc... but, they've done a good job of bringing in light with a huge overhead skylight and high/side windows. I didn't try any of the food, but the menu looked creative (not your usual pubfood), and the beer selection is fantastic, and as my waitress told me, growing daily. Their goal is to have something like 65 micros/imports on tap, and over 200 bottles.

I went with the Stone Brew Arrogant Bastard, and a London Special of some sort (I do need to start taking better notes). All in all, though, it was a fantastic 90 minutes, and I highly recommend Brouwer's for your exercise avoidance activities.

p.s. I believe that Brouwer's is associated with, or owned by, the same folks who bring us Bottleworks... a truly fine institution.

I got my iPod connected to my car stereo today by Magnolia Hi-Fi (Roosevelt store) -- I'm very happy with the installation, as I was worried that it wouldn't look good with the iPod mounted next to the stereo. I got the idea from this website, and I ended up using a ProClip mount. If you'd like more info about how it works, etc., let me know.

Suffice it to say that the sunny Seattle weather has passed us by -- the next-10 day forecast is consistent, at least -- consistent grey and rainy. So, I headed out today to (a) but a homebrew beer kit (more on that later) and (b) spend some time at University Zoka, on 2200 North 56th Street (sorta near Green Lake, in my estimation).

I arrived at Zoka, and vaguely remembered being here before -- but, I'm quite sure that I didn't previously have the abundance of time that I am fortunate to now possess. I ordered up a yummy Mega Split-shot Latte and giant chocolate chip cookie (no, not on my approved diet list) and claimed a primo spot on one of their giant overstuffed leather armchairs.

The latte took a good amount of time to meticulously prepare, but it was well worth it -- the quality rivals my local favorite, Victrola Coffee, and the combination of free wireless, techie clientele (I'd say 60% of folks had laptops), abundant power outlets, and plenty of elbow room have vaulted Zoka right to the top of my slacker hangouts.

Another two thumbs up!



And, oh yes... while waiting for my latte, taped on the back of the espresso machine was this wonderful little piece that I wanted to share with you, my faithful readers (all 7 of you):


Confessions of aNew Coffee Drinker (located this copy on the Internet here).
BY JON FRIEDMAN
- - - -
This stuff is great! I'm 26! I always ignored it, thinking, "Why start a bad habit?" This is a terrific habit! I get more done in an hour than I used to get done in a week. Coffee! I bought a coffeemaker. It makes the coffee for me in the morning! I open my eyes and it's there! I can see! The difference between tea and coffee is like a merry-go-round to a rocket ship! I like rocket ships! Coffee! I want to go on a real rocket ship. Where are they? Cape Canaveral? Let's go! Coffee helps my creativity. I can come up with something creative out of nowhere. "Larry laughs like a lavicious lunatic!" See!? That was instantaneous! What does "lavicious" mean, you ask? I made it up. Doesn't matter! Coffee! I'm going to make it a real word! It means scathingly menacing. Use it! Hey, I should try improvisational theater! I'd probably be a riot on coffee. Yes and ... yes! Sign me up! Why didn't I drink this stuff in elementary school? I would have had straight A's. I could have taught the classes. Move over, Mr. Starchpants! Take a note: I'm going to teach a class! Wow! French vanilla! What's that like? Sounds delicious! Get me some. Cream and sugar? I don't need it. I ask girls to meet me for a cup of coffee. I talk the whole time! I used to be so shy! Sex! Yesterday, I called the bank to complain about fees! They gave me a refund! I can complain now. What's smoking like? Does it really relieve stress? I'm thinking about getting addicted to cigarettes! I'm going to buy the patch and work my way up! Now I see why all these things are so popular. I'm totally serious. This isn't satire. I have a lot of catching up to do! I wonder where I would be today if I had started drinking coffee earlier? It doesn't matter, I live in the now, now! I have to shit! Maybe I would have invented the Internet! No way! You think? I used to think about how we could talk to each other on computers before we actually did. But that's the difference. I used to only think about things. Now I do them! I better get to work on my retainatherm before someone else beats me to it! Retainatherm�think refrigerator except it keeps foods at the same constant temperature they went in with. Warm stays warm! Cold remains cold! Put a hot pizza in there and it stays hot! All at the same time! Retain-a-therm! Iced coffee! Haven't had that yet. I can't even imagine! You could drink it in the summer! Volleyball! There's a shooting pain under my left ribs. It's gone! Folgers crystals.

"When life hands you lemons, make coffee ... and then you'll have the desire to make lemonade."
Jon Friedman, 2004

Labels: zoka

Jeff, Meg and I hit the Hops on Equinox Spring Beer Festival today at Seattle Center -- I was looking forward to it, and it definitely measured up. For our entry fee, we got 6 beer coupons (they give you a mini-mug for your samples), and then each of us bought another 5 coupons for the tidy $5 sum. All in all, it was a yummy day.

Some of our favorites:
* Boundary Bay Brewery - India Pale Ale
* Georgetown Brewing Co. - Manny's Pale Ale (got served by one of the co-owners, Roger)
* Hale's Ales Brewery - Red Menace Amber Ale
* Iron Horse Brewery - Locomotive Red Ale (located in Ellensburg, WA -- got served my beer by the friendly owner, Jim Quilter)
* Snipes Mountain Brewing Company - Porter
* Stone Brewing Company - Arrogant Bastard Ale
* Young's Brewery - Special London Ale

Jeff and sister, Meg (Click on the image below to see video footage of the event, and a tutorial on how to quaff brewskies):

Hilarious!

I was just doing some random browsing, and came across an advertisement from my favorite pointless company -- seems that they're repeating the same tactics that Amazon did in 1999 for the launch of Amazon Auctions -- hope it turns out a little better for them, though I wouldn't recommend that you hold your breath :-)

Overstock.com Auctions to Sell Babe Ruth's Original Red Sox Contract

Denali Fitness (located on Madison, between Capitol Hill and Madison Park, near the Arboretum) had their Open House today, so I stopped over to put them through a workout :-)

Quick review here, but really the equipment is the nicest I've ever used, by a long shot. Each of the aerobic machines (I used the treadmill) is made by Technogym, and not only are incredibly solid, but come with their own individual, in-dash, touchscreen television screen! All you need to do is plug in your headphones, and then tune into whatever you're interested in. Really an excellent draw -- especially since it seems like every club I've ever belonged to either has no entertainment, or has a single TV that always seems to be (a) tuned to terrible stations or (b) have no sound.

The gym was comfortably full, which gave the feeling of community that is nice in a neighborhood gym, and I think all of the employees were there, taking people on tours, etc.

All in all, a definite two thumbs up!

I attended another Northwest Entrepreneur's Pub Night tonight (again, I recommend these) at Hale's Ales, and since the UW Huskies were in the Sweet Sixteen and playing at 4PM, I went over a bit early to watch the game with a crowd -- the fellow at the bar sitting next to me helped me pick my beverage (a delicious Special Bitter), and also noted that the Happy Hour menu is excellent, so I took his advice and ordered up an absolutely yummy $3 burger and $2 soft pretzel -- I highly recommend Hale's for happy hour, both for the friendly patrons and the delicious grub.

We all heard loads about Meetup during the Howard Dean ascendency, right?

Well, I admit that I checked it out back then, and even signed up for a free Kerry and Democrat Meetups -- however, I also admit that I never got up the moxie to actually attend the Meetup gatherings.

Well, tonight, I escaped my shell and not only attended a Meetup, but was the organizer! The first-ever Seattle Podcasting Meetup convened at Six Arms on Capitol Hill in Seattle, and despite meager attendance (was me and two other folks, who came as a couple), it was actually a lot of fun -- got to learn a good deal about Seth and Denise, and their talking products website, and new podcast/blog site.

Meeting people from outside the normal peer group is really uplifting -- makes these big cities feel a lot smaller!

I attended an event at the WAC (Washington Athletic Club) tonight -- is strange, and probably appropriate, but it was the first time I've ever been inside the club that describes itself as "the most prestigious Club in the Pacific Northwest."

The event was held in their sports bar, Hagerty's, and honestly, it was swank -- I could definitely see the benefits of membership -- sweet accomodations, antique pool table, poker tables, and a beefy doorman to keep the likes of me out on the street -- What more could you ask for?

After trying both Delicious Planet and Organic To Go, we've settled on Organic To Go as clearly the better of the two, for a few reasons:

1) More frequent delivery options -- you can have delivery on any day... in fact, I logged on Sunday and was able to have delivery on Monday at 7:30am (Delicious Planet restricts you to two delivery days & ordering deadlines each week)

2) Larger portions - in fact, with the full dinners and lunches, I'm finding myself leaving items out to eat later (and that isn't an easy accomplishment for a food provider attending to my diet...)

3) Better website - it does a good job of allowing you to select quantities for each and add to cart -- then, you move to the next tab (to 'Dinner', from 'Lunch', say) and add a few more items. (Delicious Planet's website is just not very good -- makes you 'backpage' to go order more items... very clugey... and also very easy to fix)

4) Organic Beer and Wine! In fact, I just got the Fish Tale Ales Organic India Pale Ale, and honestly, it is delicious -- it may become my standard in-home beer!

5) Excellent delivery personnel - they come in a 'Home Grocer Like' truck, and the driver is decked out in uniform. (Delicious Planet seemed to favor 'leaving it outside in a styrofoam cooler' over ringing the bell and handing it to you...)


Some things Organic To Go can still do better on?

a) on checkout page, allow existing user log-in -- is weird, but my first inclination is to fill up my cart, then to go and checkout. But, they don't allow that. Instead, as an existing user I need to go and click a button to 'log in'. They should have that option below your cart, so that you can either 'log in' right from that page, or enter in new customer information.

b) cut down on the amount of raw materials in packaging -- this is a nitpick, but each meal comes in a handy little bag, complete with plastic utensils, napkins, etc. That is great, for lunch bags, but for dinners at home, it is really unnecessary -- would be nice if there were an option to not include that, so as to save on the materials/recycling

c) more variety -- again, a bit of a nit -- the vegetables are great, but it seems like we're getting similar stuff with each dinner. some of the onus is probably on me in ordering, but it would be nice to get more variety.


All in all, though, kudos to Organic To Go -- you all are doing a great job, and helping make the world a better place!

p.s. Can I come join you and help you grow even faster? :-)

I was in Ohio for a few days for some business-related career exploration... not too much to report on the specifics of what I was doing there, but I have to make a call out to:

- Enterprise Car Rental -- $13.79/day with unlimited mileage for a Dodge Stratus that easily reached 100mph...

- Fairfield Inn by Marriott - $59/day for passable hotel room... but, get this... included free wireless internet AND breakfast and newspaper included!

Hell, it might be cheaper for me to sell my house and car, and move to Dayton, OH and take them up on their offers on a more permanent basis :-)

Well, I've been wanting to learn a bit more about Socially Responsible Investing, and saw an article on Seattlest that talked about the University of Washington's Experimental College -- so, I checked it out, and lo and behold, I found a one-day seminar on the topic. Of course, I'm sure it will be an investment rep doing a little bit of teaching, and a little bit more of client recruiting, but still, for $32, we'll see what I get!

I've been spending more and more time listening to podcasts the last few weeks -- however, I still prefer listening to them in the car the most (since I'm not doing other things like reading, writing, etc. while I'm driving). I've tried all the quick&easy adapters:
- Monster Cable iCarPlay iPod Wireless FM Transmitter
- Griffin iTrip MiniFM transmitter

THEY ARE TERRIBLE! Sound quality terrible, even when clear reception, and 90%+ of the time, you can't get and keep clear channels. I couldn't more strongly steer you clear of them.

Then, I considered 'iPodding my BMW'... however, when I read the fine print, I found that you don't get to see what songs & artists are playing on your radio display. Thus, with the iPod in your glove box, and with lots of random podcasts, you're pretty much driving blind (pardon the hideous pun).

I eventually went to the local Magnolia Hi-Fi, and they've hooked me up (pun #2... I should be punched... hard). Basically, they're hardwiring my iPod into my stereo using the CD changer input -- then, I'll mount the iPod using a ProClip mount and control my iPod using the actual iPod -- when not in use, I'll just stash it in the compartment above my ash tray. (If you're interested in learning more about this, let me know, and I'll post some photos.) Oh yeah, all-in cost was ~$350.

By the way, this guy's website is awesome -- shows you how to make it all happen, if you are mechanically inclined (I'm not).

Karen and I were fortunate to get to see Connor (he's in the green sweatshirt in the middle of the picture) and Luke (his head is touching the 48 yard line) (two of Karen's cousin's children) Valenter play on Team Revolution, that today won the Washington State Championships -- was really impressive how good they all are. Was also a good reminder of how competitive/stressed-out parents can become (not Karen's cousin... rather, the fans who were around us) -- I definitely will not be enjoying that as a parent.

By the way, for careful readers of my blog (of which there are very few), we found out on Thursday that Karen is pregnant! Wahoo!

I spoke with an ex-amazon person today who is now working at a non-profit called Unitus -- Unitus acts as a sort of venture capital firm that invests in microfinance institutions in third world countries. All I can say is that it is incredibly inspiring to think about the impact organizations like this have on the world.

Some scary statistics:
- 6 Billion people on our lovely planet
- 3 Billion (yes, half) live on less than $2 per day (yes, $2... less than the cost of a latte)
- 1.3 Billion have no access to clean water
- 3 Billion have no access to sanitation
- 2 Billion have no access to electricity
- Literacy Rate - 97% in US, 30% in Poor countries
- The USA gives a smaller % of our GDP than any other developed country

What microfinance is, in a nutshell, is lending of small amounts of money (less than $300) to individuals to allow them to invest the money to improve their quality of life. The repayment rates on these loans averages >95%, which is nothing short of amazing.

It was an inspiring conversation.

If you want to learn more, please visit Unitus, or email me.

A friend of mine (let's call him 'Jeff') played hooky from work today, and we got to hang out a bit. The highlight was relaxing on the back deck of the newly named Eastlake Ale House (it used to be Sam's Steakhouse) on Eastlake Avenue. This place is a hidden jewel in Seattle -- it has an enormous back deck overlooking Lake Union -- I hope to spend a LOT of time here this summer!

What do you think of my art photography?

Andrea (a Penn State MBA student who I've been assisting with her Seattle job search) and Justin (boyfriend of Andrea, and also a student) were nice enough to bring me a new Zeno's t-shirt and Daily Collegian from the friendly confines of State College, PA. While my wife (and I) will appreciate the replacement t-shirt, it was also a nice trip down memory lane reading the latest edition of my undergraduate school newspaper -- ahh, those were the days :-)

Had brunch with LauraO today at Salty's on Alki Beach, in West Seattle -- I really don't know how we've lived in Seattle for 7 years and missed this place. In fact, it is almost the perfect 'parent brunch spot' -- now, brunch didn't come cheap -- was $29 per person, but that included a really fabulous spread, including oysters, shrimp, crab or shrimp omelets, all the normal egg/bacon/sausage fixins, crab legs, and deserts as far as the eye can see, including a chocolate fountain!

In addition, the view back toward Seattle is just stunning -- I'm really looking forward to happy hours on their two level decks this summer -- I can't think of a better place to relax!

Below is a link for my first experiment in podcasting... enjoy! If you don't know what Podcasting is, just Google it and get pretty good summaries at one of these sites (iPodder.org, podcastalley.com, or podkast.net).

I called it Early Retirement Dot Com guy, basically because I'm all over the board right now with what I'm going to do next. Figure that I'll just muse a bit about technology, new companies, the different things I'm considering, recent events, etc.

Topics Covered:
1) Introduction to me
2) Discussion of how Overstock.com Auctions is encouraging spam, and how the President/CEO of Overstock.com (Patrick Byrne) called me a 'Sanctimonious Ass' in an email exchange - amazing!
3) Plug for my favorite radio station, which is also available for online streaming, KEXP (90.3-Seattle, 91.7-Tacoma)

Basically, I'll be competing quite strongly for the title "most boring podcaster". Good news is that from the sound of things, I've got plenty of competition :-)

Makes me wonder what I'm really a specialist in.

Dave Schappell quote of the day, "Entertaining people is hard."
Play the No Snivelling Podcast

One of my snivels over the last few years has been the dearth of healthy food choices available for folks who don't have a lot of time for cooking. Well, we've fallen in love with Whole Foods on Roosevelt; however, it is a bit out of the way when the hunger's already set in and you're ready for dinner.

This week we had our first delivery from Delicious Planet, which allows you to order organic pre-cooked meals and have them delivered to your door in cooled containers. Suffice it to say that we've absolutely loved their service. The food has been delicious (Salmon-Veggies-Potatoes; Fish Tacos; Salad Bags) with all of the vegetables being deliciously crunchy. While the prices are a little on the steep side (average $13 for a dinner), you can get free shipping with a reasonable order, and honestly, if we avoid one eat-out dinner per week, I think we come out even. And the food is more healthy without a doubt.

We're ordering from another similar service called Organic To Go this week, with food to be delivered on Monday March 7th -- if you're interested in learning which we like better, let me know. I can say for certain that Organic To Go has the better website by a long shot -- their ordering/shopping-cart process is much more fluid.

I had dinner and beers with an ex-coworker tonight -- It's good that every time I talk with someone who's still employed at Amazon that I still feel 100% positive about my decision to leave -- is still a great place for a large number of people; it just didn't feel right for me any longer.

One note -- the bar, Hopvine, on 15th has consistently had the worst customer service I've experienced in Seattle -- slow and inattentive is their modus operandi. Sure is good news for them that their beer and location are excellent, and their atmosphere is good.

I had been talking with a startup for the past few weeks, but after reading through the entire business plan, meeting with the founders, and visiting one of their customers, I just had to admit that it wasn't going to work for me. One, it would have involved a consistent amount of travel; two, it may have meant relocating to another city; third, it had a number of similarities to what I did at Amazon.

In a way, it was good to definitively say 'no' to something -- made me focus on what's most important to me.

Now, what will I say 'yes' to?

I've been investigating some socially-inspired career alternatives and my friend Barbara recommended that I attend Seattle's 2005 Fast Company Social Capitalist Awards ceremony. It was held at the University of Washington (I am always surprised by how beautiful their campus is) and awards were presented to:

- Grameen Technology Center - The Center's director, Peter Bladin, talked about their focus -- they are an initiative of Grameen Foundation USA, whose mission is to empower the world's poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty with dignity through access to financial services and to information. Was a great reminder about the power of microfinance. Another attendee reminded me of another local microfinance organization, Unitus.

- PATH - Their President, Chris Elias, talked about their focus -- PATH is an international, nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions that enable communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor health. By collaborating with diverse public- and private-sector partners, PATH helps provide appropriate health technologies and vital strategies that change the way people think and act.

- Social Venture Partners - Tom Donlea, Director, talked about their focus -- SVP seeks to develop philanthropy and volunteerism to achieve positive social change in the Puget Sound region. Using the venture capital approach as a model, SVP is committed to giving time, money and expertise to create partnerships with not-for-profit organizations. SVP is a dual mission organization, seeking to be both an engaged grantmaker as well as a catalyst for smart giving.