review – Page 4 – Rhoneisms

Apps That Stay: Notational Velocity

nvALT

Today marks a sort of unusual anniversary for me. It was the day that I discovered what remains my favorite application, on any platform, of all time — Notational Velocity. I first started using it on this date back in 2005 — 8 years ago.

In fact, I first wrote about it just a few days after I downloaded it. And I have continued to use it, every day, ever since. I now use nvALT, which is Brett Terpstra’s wonderful fork of the original that includes all sorts of handy extra features.

That said, the original version would still be plenty fine for me regardless. A really great app.

Another Dinner Idea

As I stated earlier, even though I do a lot of the cooking for our family dinner, when it comes to searching for new things to try my wife Bethany is the queen. One of her favorite sources is a cookbook called Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach. While it is full of wonderful family-friendly recipes and ideas, it is also a wonderful read. That’s right, read. It is not only a cookbook but a memoir as well. One in which the food is a central theme that the narrative is woven through.

It has saved our mealtime conundrums many times. Most of the recipes are simple, quick, and largely designed for a busy family like the author’s. For instance, we recently had a whole meals worth of spaghetti noodles left over (because I can never figure out how to make “just enough”) just sitting in the fridge a few days old. There was also some flat leaf parsley in the crisper waiting for use. Bethany remembered that the book had just the perfect use for these — a Spaghetti Omelet. I had some doubts after having tried another similar idea in the past but I was game to give it another go. Sure enough, it turned out perfectly. So delish!

Another one from the book that we keep coming back to in ious forms is the Chicken Milanese. It is not only perfectly great following the recipe but also highly adaptable to improvisation. With a few slight changes or additions this can easily become Chicken Parmesan or even some healthy and flavorful Chicken Fingers for the kids.

And, as one would imagine from such a source, the Dinner: A Love Story blog is an equally entertaining mix of the same cookbook/memoir mashup that makes the book so great.

All of this to say that Dinner: A Love Story is another great book for the busy cook. The biggest dilemma you may face is wether it belongs on your nightstand or in the kitchen. I recommend following Bethany’s path — first the nightstand, then the kitchen.

A Dinner Idea

I’m generally the cook of the house. That means that, most nights, I’m the one that plans and prepares dinner. I have no problem with this. I love to cook and am pretty proud of my skills in the kitchen. Especially as I was raised in the care of two women, my mom and grandmother, who did not cook really at all (we ate out a lot). Plus, it makes me feel like I’m taking care of my family.

That said, coming up with new things that everyone will eat is often quite hard. Bethany does not eat red meat and is mostly vegetarian in general. Beatrix is as picky as five year olds often are and when she does eat she eats like a bird. My Mom, who is living with us right now, is on a special diet seemingly on a meal by meal whim. And I have been trying to monitor my intake of carbs and overall balance of protein, fruits, and vegetables. Yet, somehow, we manage.

Sometimes, we end up trying something new because I invent it based on ingredients we have on hand. Other times, I see a new recipe and am inspired. But other times, even though I’m generally the cook, it is often due to Bethany suggesting a recipe that we end up breaking the routine.

Well, Bethany has a friend who has a great family cookbook called Parents Need To Eat Too as well as a blog of the same name. It is perfect for situations like ours where you have many tastes to please and only about a half hour at the end of a long and busy day to do so.

Tonight we tried this one from the blog and it was amazing:

Roasted Butternut Gnocchi in Blood Orange Brown Butter | Parents Need to Eat Too

Near gourmet in concept but simple to pull off in actual execution. Rich and full of flavor. Seriously, it was fantastic. It just so happened that we had a similar circumstance as the author — a squash and a blood orange that were on the edge of use so it worked out perfectly. Bethany had by chance roasted our squash the night before hoping to find something to do with it.

I served it with a side salad of baby kale, chard, spinach, carrots, and tomatoes. It served four nicely with some leftovers.

So, if you are the cook like me and were wondering what to do for dinner tonight, I can’t think of a better suggestion.

Amanda Palmer: The Art Of Asking

After seeing this in my feed several times and having many others point me to it, I finally took the time to watch it.

Wow. Just wow. Amazing.

And this comes, as is far too often the case, at a time I was writing something similar as part of a future post. I will get around to my take on this but, for now, do yourself a great favor — watch this and be inspired to make art and ask others to take part in it.

I’m a writer. Writing is how I ask. If you wish to take part, please let me know by contributing here.

Something I Love: REI Fleece Jacket

I have this fleece jacket that I love. Bought it at REI several years ago. It has served me well ever since. It is the perfect weight. Not too light and not too heavy. Perfect for a chilly Minnesota day. It was in the low thirties today with no wind and I was perfectly fine in this over a long sleeve shirt all day. It also is super durable. It is the fleece I grab when I know I’m going to be in for some rough or dirty business.

When I bought it, it was near the end of the season. There were not many left. I would have preferred black or grey. But they had none in my size. I could find only one in my size — this one. So, the green it was. I’ve since come to be just fine with it.

Generally, when I find something like this that I like I try to buy two or three. Largely because the inevitable happens — I’ll never be able to find it again. This is true here it would seem. The models I have seen at REI in the years since have all been just a bit off. A bit heavier or lighter or the fit not quite the same.

Yet, I don’t really need another just yet. This seems to be holding up well enough to keep me warm in cooler weather. It is paranoia, really. That I have now been spoiled by the best fleece ever and nothing else will compare.

So, I shall try to take as good of care of it as it has of me all of these years. I owe it, at least, this.

More On The Levenger 5 Year Journal

5year

I’ve written about the Levenger 5 Year Journal in the past (almost a year ago to the day). Yesterday, during my guest appearance on the always excellent podcast, The Pen Addict, I mentioned it once again and it seems to have garnered renewed interest.

In that earlier review, I said this about its intended use:

“For those not familiar with how a 5-Year Journal works, there are Pages for 366 days, including February 29, with 1 page per day, with 5 line entries – one for each year. It allows just enough to highlight the bullet points of a busy day but forces brevity. It is like Twitter for a private and bygone era. There is no pressure to catalog every detail of life or how you are feeling. Want to simply write a single thought or idea? Well, that is OK too. The beauty is that, those who have felt the pressure of maintaining a journal in the past (like myself) will likely feel far less so with such a low barrier to entry. Take just a few seconds at the end of the day and write what strikes you.”

And, while that is the intended use, I can think of a whole bunch of other things it can be (and has been, for me at least) used for. Here are some ideas and examples:

Use it as a “Something new I learned today” log.
Use it to record the weather for the day and start to notice patterns and trends over time.
Write down your 3-5 most important tasks for the day (hint: My dash/plus system is perfect for this.)
Log your workouts or diet.

Basically, anything one could think of needing daily tracking for and you can fit it into five standard ruled lines, the 5 Year Journal is perfect for. And, because each page contains up to five years of entries, it is a great way to be reminded of year-over-year progress.

Also, here is something else that applies to journals in general but is especially true of this one: Don’t be afraid to stick stuff in them that is a token of the day. Did you get a good fortune in your fortune cookie at lunch? Tape it in on that day. Go see a great concert or movie? Stuff the ticket stub between the pages. It adds character and helps to bring the day back to life when you inevitably come back across it next year.

Good Stuff For Guys

ForValentines Day my wife hit the ball out of the park with a subscription to Bespoke Post. I had never heard of it before but the idea is great. Each month, they offer a collection of great stuff for guys curated around a theme. You always have the option of opting in to the offering or declining and waiting for the next. If you opt in, they will send it to you.

weekender2

The most recent offering was the “Weekender II”, which included the great bag above and a certificate worth $250.00 to Jetsetter, a travel concierge service. But, if that was not your style you could have opted to wait for the next one. Past offerings have been themed around coffee, wine, socks, shoe care, and more. I opted into the Weekender and am anxiously waiting to see what they offer next.

huckleberry

Another site I have been a member of for a while and deserves equal mention is Huckleberry which offers weekly, limited-time, discount offers on select cool men’s brands. It can be an interesting mix of stuff but always great. Current sales include Wolverine 1883 Shoes, Axis Maps, Sweetwood Jerkey, and Defy Bags. But, you have to be a member to view and order the deals. There has yet to be a week where there is not one thing I have been interested in. Highly recommended. They have a pretty good blog too.

Finally, I have been a long time fan of minimal wallets (and carrying as little in my pockets as possible). Therefore, I was honored to be featured on the new site, Minimal Wallet and asked to write a couple of paragraphs about what I use and why I like it. The site chronicles many fine wallet offerings as well so if you are in the market, it is well worth checking out.

Lessons From Disney

firstvisit

In addition to Beatrix, this is my first time at Disney World too. Bethany came when she was Beatrix’s age but has not been back since. Therefore, I had no idea what made it so special. I was completely laid back about the whole trip. I knew it would be magical for Beatrix but, then again, anything with Princesses is all she needs to be on board. But, then, as we drove down the highway heading to the Magic Kingdom and came up over the hill to see the gate to Disney right in front of us, Bethany and I lost all semblance of parental cool. The whole car became giddy as we oohed and aahed at every new detail…

And it did not stop for the rest of the day.

Our first day here filled me with observations, thoughts, and lessons learned. Many of which I have yet to quantify and I’m sure there will be even more to come. Here are just a few…

Plan the work then work the plan. — Everything at Disney is perfectly choreographed and orchestrated. Including you. They are just so expert at direction, crowd control, engagement, and organization, you don’t even realize you are simply part of the plan and have been since your car crossed that gate.
The price is always fair. — Everything at Disney is a bit expensive but never too expensive. You are never left feeling like the cost is greater than the value. You know you are not getting a bargain but that is because nothing is really “cheap” on either side of the perception. It is always perfectly fair. The food we had at Be Our Guest — the dinning hall in the Beasts Enchanted Castle — is a good example. Such a price for a sandwich seemed a bit high at first glance but then, when I received it, I realized that it was priced fairly. It was pretty decent and not too far out of line of what it would cost in the real world. This was true of everything I saw.
Details matter.— The attention to detail everywhere is simply insane. Let me suffice to say that anything you can think of, they have thought of it first and made it perfect. From the approach from the parking lot to the ticket booths to the ferry landing to the approach of the boat as it takes you across the lake — never out of view of the magic castle or stunningly pristine viewing angles of the on-property resorts you now wished you had mortgaged the house to stay in — they have imagined an ideal more perfect than you could have on your own. They are selling your dreams back to you at a markup and even that price is fair.
It’s a small world after all. — Every cast member has their home town on their name badge. With a few thousand cast members at any given time, you are likely to have an interaction with someone from someplace you have some association with.
Under promise and over deliver. — … And if you, by mistake, over promise, deliver even more. Here’s the thing, no matter how early you get there you will wait in lines for everything. Helpfully, they have the expected wait times at the entrance to all of the attractions. That posted wait time is almost always longer than the actual wait time. Therefore, you are always delighted the line went faster than expected. Setting such an expectation is a classic under promise and sets up the opportunity to deliver more. In the one case where that was not true, the Dumbo Ride, they had a kid’s play area while you waited that delivered as much fun as the ride itself.
Be a step above. — Everything at Disney is a step above any other similar experience you have had at any other similar amusement park (similar being a very loose term here because, I can now say with relative certainty, there is no such thing). The employees are more cheerful, friendly, helpful, and nice than anywhere else. I was even impressed that every other guest seemed unfailingly courteous and nice — every accidental bump or slight by a stranger was followed without prompt by an apology and/or rectification. The rides are all better than similar ones at other parks too. All the food I’ve had so far has been a notch above. The list goes on.
Everyone knows your name.— Beatrix wore a Belle (Beauty and The Beast) princess dress on day one. Therefore, every single cast member addressed to her as “Princess” or “Your Majesty” and Bethany and I as “King and Queen”. Every single time. They not only never missed it but went out of their way to make her feel like the most special guest of all. They realize that, for a girl of her age, doing anything else would chink the armor of her fantasy and enjoyment. When you know they do this for every single girl in a princess dress, instead of making it seem routine, blows my mind even more. Think about it. They can make each of tens of thousands of girls a day feel like an exclusive honored guest.
Cleanliness is next to godliness. — This is the most spotless amusement park I have ever been to. Even late in the day and a few hundred thousand visitors later I would dare you to find a single piece of garbage on the ground. Even the bathrooms all look like you could dine off of the porcelain and smells like a garden.

Suffice it to say that I love it here. There is so much to be learned for sure. And I know I will have more to think and write about. But, most of all, my little girl is being filled with good memories that will last a lifetime and nothing can make me happier than that.

Training Days

Some, but not all, know that I have been training for this little bit of craziness called the GORUCK Challenge. I’m signed up for the 1am class on March 30th. I actually had trained for the one held here last year but broke two toes during training and had to pull out two weeks before the event. I was really disappointed at the time but went and shadowed and took photographs instead. I’m pretty proud of the fact that most of the photos on the official GORUCK Flickr page for that event are ones I took.

The GRC, as insiders call it, started as a proving exercise for the military grade backpacks (called “Rucks” in the service) the company makes. The company was started by an ex-Special Forces guy and he wanted to make a ruck that would withstand the rigors of combat for his buddies still inside. The Challenge became more and more popular and has basically become a business all of its own. Each one is led by a former member of the special forces (called Cadre) and is meant to simulate some of the conditions and scenarios they faced. I wont go to much into detail here, I urge you to check out the site and watch the videos to get some idea. Let’s just say that it is one of the hardest physical endurance events going.

I actually have stayed in fairly good shape since beginning training for the last one. I was pretty prepared for it before breaking the toes and have managed to maintain my fitness for the most part since then. I’ve especially stepped up my running game. I’ve even run a 5k and 10k race (and have signed up for a half-marathon at the end of April). I had lost about twenty pounds back then and have managed to keep it off. So, I’m starting from a good place.

That said, I had not really kept up with the weight training needed for such an endeavor. I’ve gotten back on top of that in the last couple of weeks. I’m lucky in that my body and metabolism responds very quickly to change. Especially so when that change is designed to provide immediate and steadily improving results.

It just so happened that right before I started getting serious about the weight training again, I came across the excellent article in Everything You Know About Fitness Is a Lie in Mens Journal magazine. This, in turn, led me to the book Starting Strength, Basic Barbell Training. Both of these have been tremendous in outlining the basic, time tested, fundamentals needed for rapid strength improvement. In just a couple of weeks I’ve seen a 50% gain in the amount of weight I can squat, dead lift, and bench press. I could not recommend both of these more highly if you are looking to improve your overall strength.

I had some initial doubts about how ready for the Challenge I was going to be by March and was feeling a bit behind in my preparations. Now, I’m feeling pretty sure that, short of any broken bones, I will be physically prepared to face what ever “good livin'” comes my way. The rest, as the GORUCK folks will tell you, is all mental.

Poster for iOS (A Brief Review)

Poster for iOS

I’ve recently been enjoying using Poster for iOS for publishing my posts here. It is far better than the official WordPress iOS app. The interface is lovely. It understands Markdown. It is easy to use. And it works on both iPad and iPhone.

Many people had asked me, when I published about my daily publishing workflow, why I was not using it. The simple answer is that that I had tried on a few occasions before. For whatever reason, I could not get it to work with this site previously. Not sure if it was an issue with the app or the install on my site but something was mucking up the works. I never bothered to take the time to contact the developer and get it sorted out. Mea culpa.

The app was recently updated to version 2.0 offering a bunch of newness so I decided to give it another shot. Very glad I did because it is working just fine now. Having it saves me a number of workflow steps when publishing from my iPhone or iPad mini (as I am right now). Beyond the already mentioned features, there is support for pulling posts directly from Dropbox (which is great because I still use PlainText for the actual writing), the ability to save local drafts before publishing, and the ability to post to multiple WordPress sites.

All in all this is a really great app. If you use WordPress and an iOS device, you should check it out.