Category: Everything Else

New Year's Meme: Three Threes

I’m going to try my hand at creating a New Year’s Meme & see if it catches on. Here it is:

The Three Threes

First, write down:
1) Three things that have changed since the beginning of the year
2) Three things that didn’t change
3) Three things you want to change next year

Next, tag either three, six, or nine people.

To start the ball rolling (or dropping as the case may be) here’s mine:

Three things that have changed since the beginning of the year:
1) New job! I can’t possibly overstate how much of my life this has changed (and for the better).
2) Finally got a smartphone. I still wish my Blackberry had a better web browser but otherwise it rocks.
3) New haircut. This one is not as life changing but it’s been way too long since I had a decent stylist.

Three things that didn’t change:
1) Still living in San Mateo. I’d like to move back to SF at some point.
2) Still renting. But at least I am not underwater on a mortgage.
3) Still not exercising regularly. Working 12-hour days makes finding the time hard, but even so, it’s a failing of will more than anything.

Three things you want to change next year:
1) Stop listening to my fears.
2) Take a photography class. I love photography but don’t know jack about doing it right.
3) Do the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I was going to sign up last year and didn’t. This time I’m going for it.

Feel free to jump in if you’re so inclined. I’m also tagging a range of folks:
Jennifer Leggio
Michelle Oshen Feldman
Warren Sukernek
Mike Rohde
Michael Ashby
Craig Froehle
Seamus
Laura
and BTC

Friday Random 10: Blowing Off The Dust Edition

Blogging has been scarce around here lately. I’ve been busy, but it’s not just that — I’ve lost the habit of remembering to blog. I do have a shiny new iPod Nano that I’ve just loaded with a batch of music, so in honor of that, I might as well dig out an old meme: the Friday Random 10.

Superman — Five for Fighting
Time of Your Song — Matisyahu
Silent Legacy — Melissa Etheridge
Following — The Bangles
In Your Eyes (Live) — Peter Gabriel
Born To Run — Bruce Springsteen
Find A Way To My Heart — Phil Collins
Starry Eyed Surprise — Paul Oakenfold
Tikvah — Subliminal & the Shadow
No Woman No Cry (Live) — Bob Marley & The Wailers

The rules are simple: Randomize your iTunes and write down the first 10 songs in the playlist. Feel free to add your own 10 in the comments. 🙂

Liftoff

A little earlier today, in the Adobe MAX Day 2 keynote, was the formal launch of Adobe Groups, the project that’s been eating my life these past 4 months or so.

I’m exhausted and thrilled and really proud of what the team and the user group community has in Groups. More than 400 groups and 2000 members are on the site as I write this, and the number of registered profiles is increasing every time I look.

There’s a lot more that the site needs and I’m sure it will be keeping me very busy in the weeks and months to come, but it’s also good to take the time to stop and admire how far we’ve come just to get to this point.

Viva Groups!

Are You "In The Weeds"?

This piece comes from chef Shuna Fish Lydon’s blog Eggbeater, written by a working chef about the workings of a restaurant kitchen, but if you look past the jargon of the chef you’ll find the advice is relevant to any team that has to produce, on time and under pressure.

The Weeds.

It’s an expression for line cooks by line cooks, but it is also something much larger. A euphemism. It’s an in-the-moment, during service expression.

But it can also refer to your whole career.

The Weeds

can take a whole department. A station. A restaurant. A person and their career.

On The Line the weeds will usually let you out of its stranglehold after the last table is out.
But if you’re really stubborn, The Weeds might have a lesson for you that takes a week, or five years.

When I train cooks I say the same thing over and over.

There are no cowboys on islands in kitchens. If you can be smart and honest enough to see The Weeds getting near, and you can ask for support before The Weeds claim you altogether, I and we can help you push through. But if we don’t know you need help until you’re drowning, not only is it too late to help you, it’s too late to save the food from merely being banged-out. And I don’t know about you but I have more pride in my food than to allow it to be banged-out.

Go, read the rest, share it, bookmark it.

Hat tip, Ruhlman.