As you can see on my list, I have an entire category devoted to food. I love to eat. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love discovering new restaurants and trying new things. So, I've decided that finding new restaurants (local ones... I'm not a fan of chains) and trying out new food was a no-brainer for this list. So with these things in mind I tried two new restaurants lately and here are my thoughts.
A Taste of Havana
Last year when I visited Tallahassee I had Cuban food for the first time. We went to a place called Gordo's (what a great name for a restaurant) and I had a Cuban sandwich that was phenomenal. I also had some spicy appetizer that was wonderful, and I wish I could remember the name. Anyways I enjoyed Cuban cuisine very much and when I saw that there was a Cuban restaurant in Knoxville I insisted that we check it out.
First the good news. The food was good. The Cuban sandwich I had was not nearly as good as the one in Tallahassee, but it was still tasty. My wife really enjoyed hers and the appetizers (we tried fried yucca and fried plantains) were excellent.
However, the fact that the food was good was almost entirely undone by how horrible the service was. After we seated ourselves it took a long time before anyone came over to our table despite the fact that the restaurant did not appear that busy. When a waitress finally came over, she did a fine job. However, halfway through our meal she left, informing us that she didn't actually work there and was just helping out. After we had finished our meal it took 20-30 minutes for us to get our check.
So though I would like to head back and check out some of the enticing desserts that were in the window (they are also a bakery) or maybe a dinner entree, the bad service really turned me off. The owners do have a second location that recently opened so they might have been struggling to staff both stores the day we visited. The food was good enough to give it a second try.
Kaya Korean Restaurant
Neither my wife nor I had ever had Korean food. I asked some friends for some suggestions and armed with that knowledge my wife and I headed down to Kaya on Saturday because on Saturdays they have a buffet. We thought this would be the best way to go because we could try a wide variety of foods.
When we arrived at the restaurant however, we were quickly overwhelmed. They had quite a selection of food laid out. Unfortunately, nothing was labeled. So though I had the names of some things my friends said I had to try, I was out of luck. There would be no matching the names with the dishes. Even worse, I liked several of the things I had very much but I have no idea what they were so I can't order them next time. I know I could have asked a waiter for some help, but the place was fairly packed (lots of folks were enjoying the buffet) so I would have felt guilty taking up a waiter's time.
My overall impression was good. I really enjoyed a few dishes on the hot bar. However I tried several of the cold dishes and I didn't care for them. I was also quite surprised at the large amounts of cabbage in everything. Next time we go, we'll definitely order from the menu and I think we'll also give the hibachi a shot.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
#84 Find a Good Realtor
Why it's on the list?
Well, my wife and I are planning on buying our first home this year. As we're novices in this area we'd like someone who will guide us through the process and help us accomplish this huge goal.
The Process
Honestly, I might have wimped out on this one. Rather than doing the research myself, this past Friday I simply asked a friend of ours who had purchased a house in the area. Our friend highly recommended her realtor, so I thought what the hell. I visited the realtor's website and filled out a request for information form. Within 20 minutes, the Realtor had called me back and was very friendly and helpful. She answered all my questions and promised to have the first set of houses to review to me by the end of Monday. I'm anxiously awaiting the results and based on the results so far I feel confident in scratching off this item on my list. I think we've found a good one!
Well, my wife and I are planning on buying our first home this year. As we're novices in this area we'd like someone who will guide us through the process and help us accomplish this huge goal.
The Process
Honestly, I might have wimped out on this one. Rather than doing the research myself, this past Friday I simply asked a friend of ours who had purchased a house in the area. Our friend highly recommended her realtor, so I thought what the hell. I visited the realtor's website and filled out a request for information form. Within 20 minutes, the Realtor had called me back and was very friendly and helpful. She answered all my questions and promised to have the first set of houses to review to me by the end of Monday. I'm anxiously awaiting the results and based on the results so far I feel confident in scratching off this item on my list. I think we've found a good one!
#35 Go to the Sunsphere
What is the Sunsphere?
The Sunsphere is a rather peculiar looking building in downtown Knoxville that was built for the 1982 World's Fair. It's a tower topped with a huge gold ball.
Why is it on the list?
It's on the list for a few reasons. One, whenever I visit a city for the first time one of my favorite things to do is to get on top of the tallest building that will let me do so. I've been up to the top of the Carew tower in Cincinnati, the Sears tower in Chicago, the World Trade Center in New Orleans, Skylon tower in Niagara Falls, well you get the idea.
Secondly, the Sunsphere is so odd looking I just felt like it was my duty to check it out. The first time I drove past it on the interstate I thought what the hell is that!?!?! My next thought was, I have to go find out!
The Process
Well, this ended up being a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Last Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and my wife was off of work. So we decided it would be a perfect day to head downtown and check out the Sunsphere. We had called the night before and had asked if the Sunsphere would be open on the Holiday and were told by an unfriendly voice, "We're always open"
Well that would be a lie. Because once we got down to the Sunsphere and hit the button for the Observation Deck in the elevator, the elevator wouldn't budge. After calling a few times (the first call a person told us, "We'll send someone right over") someone else informed us that the Sunsphere was closed for the holiday.
Fast forward to yesterday. Once again we head down and this time the elevator works! We get up to the top and though not quite as high as I would have liked it was still a nice view of the city of Knoxville. They had information bubbles every few feet that contained some information about the city, and sometimes the bubble would be placed so that you could see the building it was talking about. The observation deck also contained a nice description of the 1982 World's Fair.
After we headed back down, we hit up the Chocolate Factory, which based on the amounts of awards on the walls inside, is an award winning chocolate shop. My wife, who is a chocolate fiend, bought some and said it lived it to its billing. Next, we headed to the Knoxville Museum of Art. The KMA was fairly small, but was only 3 bucks apiece and did have a cool exhibit on the 3rd floor. It was called 100 Suns by Michael Light and it was a series of photographs of nuclear bomb tests conducted by the United States from 1945 - 1963. The pictures were amazing and terrifying.
All in all it was a great time in downtown Knoxville. Pictures can be found at My Space and another item has been crossed off the ole list!
The Sunsphere is a rather peculiar looking building in downtown Knoxville that was built for the 1982 World's Fair. It's a tower topped with a huge gold ball.
Why is it on the list?
It's on the list for a few reasons. One, whenever I visit a city for the first time one of my favorite things to do is to get on top of the tallest building that will let me do so. I've been up to the top of the Carew tower in Cincinnati, the Sears tower in Chicago, the World Trade Center in New Orleans, Skylon tower in Niagara Falls, well you get the idea.
Secondly, the Sunsphere is so odd looking I just felt like it was my duty to check it out. The first time I drove past it on the interstate I thought what the hell is that!?!?! My next thought was, I have to go find out!
The Process
Well, this ended up being a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Last Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and my wife was off of work. So we decided it would be a perfect day to head downtown and check out the Sunsphere. We had called the night before and had asked if the Sunsphere would be open on the Holiday and were told by an unfriendly voice, "We're always open"
Well that would be a lie. Because once we got down to the Sunsphere and hit the button for the Observation Deck in the elevator, the elevator wouldn't budge. After calling a few times (the first call a person told us, "We'll send someone right over") someone else informed us that the Sunsphere was closed for the holiday.
Fast forward to yesterday. Once again we head down and this time the elevator works! We get up to the top and though not quite as high as I would have liked it was still a nice view of the city of Knoxville. They had information bubbles every few feet that contained some information about the city, and sometimes the bubble would be placed so that you could see the building it was talking about. The observation deck also contained a nice description of the 1982 World's Fair.
After we headed back down, we hit up the Chocolate Factory, which based on the amounts of awards on the walls inside, is an award winning chocolate shop. My wife, who is a chocolate fiend, bought some and said it lived it to its billing. Next, we headed to the Knoxville Museum of Art. The KMA was fairly small, but was only 3 bucks apiece and did have a cool exhibit on the 3rd floor. It was called 100 Suns by Michael Light and it was a series of photographs of nuclear bomb tests conducted by the United States from 1945 - 1963. The pictures were amazing and terrifying.
All in all it was a great time in downtown Knoxville. Pictures can be found at My Space and another item has been crossed off the ole list!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Book Review (1/34) Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
I have a subscription to the New Yorker. Some weeks I read the entire thing cover to cover. Other weeks (notably the week where fashion is a huge topic) I hardly read anything between "Talk of the Town" and the Review Section in the back. Usually, there will be one or two articles in the magazine that will intrigue me. What's really amazing is that chances are one of these articles is about a topic I have never really thought about or cared about. The fact that I enjoy these articles as much as I do is a tribute to the staff and writers of the New Yorker.
Every now and then an article strikes me so much that I scan in it so I'll always have access to it. This occurred a few weeks back when I encountered an article called "The Checklist" by Atul Gawande. Gawande is a surgeon, however, he is also an excellent writer. The article revolved around how much the infection rate in hospitals could be lowered by the inclusion of checklists. Not new drugs. Not new surgeries. Just a simple ole checklist. This type of innovation is the exact type of innovation the field of Human Factors should be making. However, once again the innovation has come from the inside.
Based on how intellectually stimulating I found the article to be I quickly turned to the "Contributors" page of the New Yorker and found that Gawande had a new book out entitled Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance. After looking up a few reviews online I decided that this book would be perfect for me and after I created this list of 101 Things I knew this would be book number 1.
As much as I learn from the fiction books I read (some have really made me think ... Evolution by Stephen Baxter, Replay by Ken Grimwood) I've found that I really get my rocks off with a great nonfiction book. I think it is much more difficult to make a readable nonfiction book because it is so easy to get lost in the jargon of one's field (that's a topic for another day). But when people nail it (Jared Diamond, James Surowiecki, Daniel Dennett, James Gleick) the results are wonderful. For whatever reason I often end up sidetracked and fail to read as much non-fiction as I should. That's why I've decided to shoot for one a month on this list.
This book definitely lived up to my expectations. It's around 250 pages and I picked it up around 7 today and here I am writing my review already. It is a page turner. Gawande's writing is crisp, clear, and very thought provoking. The question he poses is simple, How can we (referring to the medical industry) be better? The solution for him is through diligence, doing the right thing, and ingenuity. The book is divided into 3 sections that discuss various case studies of how those 3 traits (or lack thereof) have affected the goal of saving lives.
The results are fascinating. One would imagine that medical staff would be diligent in following the simple mantra of "Wash Your Hands". But for various reasons compliance is not 100%, leading to the spread of all sorts of nasty germs throughout a hospital. Gawande goes on to discuss the extraordinary efforts to eradicate polio and the way in which doctors and surgeons in Iraq adapted to make the Iraq War have the lowest injured/death ratio of any American War.
He continues into the second section with a fascinating discussion on ethics. What are the guidelines for examining patients? What do the doctors owe if they make a mistake? How much money should a doctor make? Is it ethical to be present for an execution? And finally, how hard should a doctor fight for a patient? This question in particular is very interesting. Gawande presents the case that the fatality rate of babies decreased when doctors began to fight for premature babies rather than just making the assumption that there wasn't anything they could do for them.
The final section on ingenuity is the one that resonated with me the most. Gawande discusses innovations in childbirth, cystic fibrosis treatment, and improvisation amongst the poorly equipped hospitals of India that have resulted in extending people's lives. I loved his discussion of the bell curve and how some cystic fibrosis centers were always exceptional no matter how much the overall average improved. In trying to explain the success of these "positive deviants" Gawande stated "What the best may have, above all, is a capacity to learn and change -- and do so faster than anyone else"
When you combine this statement with the diligence recommended in the first part of the book I believe you have a recommendation for the optimal control strategy. You need enough flexibility to change your control when the system has actually changed, yet you need enough stability in the system to not chase the noise. From the reading of Gawande's book I get the sense that each of these two traits have their proponents and the major success stories have both qualities.
Dr. Warrick, the director of the leading cystic fibrosis treatment center, was both an innovator and someone dedicated to diligence based on Gawande's description. As much as I am a fan of the concepts of decentralization and bottom up processing I continue to be amazed at what the efforts of one determined individual can make in a large organization. Chalk this up as another victory for the hybrid organization favored by the book The Starfish And the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations
Gawande concludes his book with 5 ways to become a positive deviant (one of those people on the better than average side of the bell curve). 1.)Ask an unscripted question - this is getting at building camaraderie among team members 2.)Don't Complain 3.)Count Something -- basically an attempt to get one to notice patterns in the world 4.)Write Something -- even if it is just a blog. and 5.)Change. I love all these recommendations, but change is something I am really fond of.
I try to keep my mind open. I try not to, as Phillip Wylie says in The Disappearance, read a book with the assumption that I am already the master of what it contains and that the author has written it soley that I can prove him wrong. The ability to change is something that is vital in a world that is constantly changing.
So that's a wrap for the first non-fiction book of the month! I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about complexity and how people deal with dynamic environments. Though set in the medical field (which I and many others believe is the next frontier for Human Factors) I believe the lessons learned can be applied across many domains. I'm taking Gawande's advice and every time I see this word change I'm counting. I'm also sure Gawande's other book: Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science will be on my list.
Next up: I'm not sure. I have a few ideas floating around (an autobiography of a kamikaze pilot, one of the presidential candidate's books) but I haven't decided yet. Stay tuned sportsfans!
Every now and then an article strikes me so much that I scan in it so I'll always have access to it. This occurred a few weeks back when I encountered an article called "The Checklist" by Atul Gawande. Gawande is a surgeon, however, he is also an excellent writer. The article revolved around how much the infection rate in hospitals could be lowered by the inclusion of checklists. Not new drugs. Not new surgeries. Just a simple ole checklist. This type of innovation is the exact type of innovation the field of Human Factors should be making. However, once again the innovation has come from the inside.
Based on how intellectually stimulating I found the article to be I quickly turned to the "Contributors" page of the New Yorker and found that Gawande had a new book out entitled Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance. After looking up a few reviews online I decided that this book would be perfect for me and after I created this list of 101 Things I knew this would be book number 1.
As much as I learn from the fiction books I read (some have really made me think ... Evolution by Stephen Baxter, Replay by Ken Grimwood) I've found that I really get my rocks off with a great nonfiction book. I think it is much more difficult to make a readable nonfiction book because it is so easy to get lost in the jargon of one's field (that's a topic for another day). But when people nail it (Jared Diamond, James Surowiecki, Daniel Dennett, James Gleick) the results are wonderful. For whatever reason I often end up sidetracked and fail to read as much non-fiction as I should. That's why I've decided to shoot for one a month on this list.
This book definitely lived up to my expectations. It's around 250 pages and I picked it up around 7 today and here I am writing my review already. It is a page turner. Gawande's writing is crisp, clear, and very thought provoking. The question he poses is simple, How can we (referring to the medical industry) be better? The solution for him is through diligence, doing the right thing, and ingenuity. The book is divided into 3 sections that discuss various case studies of how those 3 traits (or lack thereof) have affected the goal of saving lives.
The results are fascinating. One would imagine that medical staff would be diligent in following the simple mantra of "Wash Your Hands". But for various reasons compliance is not 100%, leading to the spread of all sorts of nasty germs throughout a hospital. Gawande goes on to discuss the extraordinary efforts to eradicate polio and the way in which doctors and surgeons in Iraq adapted to make the Iraq War have the lowest injured/death ratio of any American War.
He continues into the second section with a fascinating discussion on ethics. What are the guidelines for examining patients? What do the doctors owe if they make a mistake? How much money should a doctor make? Is it ethical to be present for an execution? And finally, how hard should a doctor fight for a patient? This question in particular is very interesting. Gawande presents the case that the fatality rate of babies decreased when doctors began to fight for premature babies rather than just making the assumption that there wasn't anything they could do for them.
The final section on ingenuity is the one that resonated with me the most. Gawande discusses innovations in childbirth, cystic fibrosis treatment, and improvisation amongst the poorly equipped hospitals of India that have resulted in extending people's lives. I loved his discussion of the bell curve and how some cystic fibrosis centers were always exceptional no matter how much the overall average improved. In trying to explain the success of these "positive deviants" Gawande stated "What the best may have, above all, is a capacity to learn and change -- and do so faster than anyone else"
When you combine this statement with the diligence recommended in the first part of the book I believe you have a recommendation for the optimal control strategy. You need enough flexibility to change your control when the system has actually changed, yet you need enough stability in the system to not chase the noise. From the reading of Gawande's book I get the sense that each of these two traits have their proponents and the major success stories have both qualities.
Dr. Warrick, the director of the leading cystic fibrosis treatment center, was both an innovator and someone dedicated to diligence based on Gawande's description. As much as I am a fan of the concepts of decentralization and bottom up processing I continue to be amazed at what the efforts of one determined individual can make in a large organization. Chalk this up as another victory for the hybrid organization favored by the book The Starfish And the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations
Gawande concludes his book with 5 ways to become a positive deviant (one of those people on the better than average side of the bell curve). 1.)Ask an unscripted question - this is getting at building camaraderie among team members 2.)Don't Complain 3.)Count Something -- basically an attempt to get one to notice patterns in the world 4.)Write Something -- even if it is just a blog. and 5.)Change. I love all these recommendations, but change is something I am really fond of.
I try to keep my mind open. I try not to, as Phillip Wylie says in The Disappearance, read a book with the assumption that I am already the master of what it contains and that the author has written it soley that I can prove him wrong. The ability to change is something that is vital in a world that is constantly changing.
So that's a wrap for the first non-fiction book of the month! I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about complexity and how people deal with dynamic environments. Though set in the medical field (which I and many others believe is the next frontier for Human Factors) I believe the lessons learned can be applied across many domains. I'm taking Gawande's advice and every time I see this word change I'm counting. I'm also sure Gawande's other book: Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science will be on my list.
Next up: I'm not sure. I have a few ideas floating around (an autobiography of a kamikaze pilot, one of the presidential candidate's books) but I haven't decided yet. Stay tuned sportsfans!
Friday, January 18, 2008
And just so you know I haven't been slacking...
1.)I've played in one iSketch game and I think we might be able to keep it going weekly for a bit even if it is at the same time as Biggest Loser.
2.)I just visited the doctor for my neck and they are scheduling an MRI so that is a step in getting that accomplished.
3.)I've got a tentative date for my quals that I just might stick with.
4.)I've been watching CNN every primary night, listening to Political podcasts, and I have gone through the issues and come up with my stance for each of them so I can feel educated about the issues before I see where each candidate stands.
5.)I've ordered my first non-fiction book and it should arrive soon
6.)I've managed to keep up the ole flossing schedule so far!
7.)I've started planning the whitewater rafting trip
8.)And I've been hitting the Spanish pretty hard as described below.
So I feel like I have a lot of things going on, but nothing to the point where I can start crossing things off the list. Ah well. Slowly but surely!
2.)I just visited the doctor for my neck and they are scheduling an MRI so that is a step in getting that accomplished.
3.)I've got a tentative date for my quals that I just might stick with.
4.)I've been watching CNN every primary night, listening to Political podcasts, and I have gone through the issues and come up with my stance for each of them so I can feel educated about the issues before I see where each candidate stands.
5.)I've ordered my first non-fiction book and it should arrive soon
6.)I've managed to keep up the ole flossing schedule so far!
7.)I've started planning the whitewater rafting trip
8.)And I've been hitting the Spanish pretty hard as described below.
So I feel like I have a lot of things going on, but nothing to the point where I can start crossing things off the list. Ah well. Slowly but surely!
Plan #2 Learning Spanish
Spanish has always been my Kryptonite. In high school, I took 4 years and the only year I managed to get an A in Spanish (my junior year) I finished 2nd in the class that particular year. The other 3 years I barely carried a B and I imagine I could have at least made the valedictorian race a little more interesting without it. Oh well.
Fast forward to college. In college I received one grade that wasn't an A. One. It was a C+ in Spanish Conversation.
Of course back then I had a horrible attitude about learning Spanish. It was something I just wasn't interested in doing. For some reason, in my junior year of high school, I really tried and did fairly well. Of course school let out for the summer and I didn't even think of Spanish for 3 months. Then when I got back, senioritis set in. In college, I just needed to fill requirements.
So why now? Why learn Spanish? Well I think it would be cool to be fluent in a second language. Additionally, if I ever travel to a Spanish speaking country I would like to be able to communicate. Finally, at this point in my life I think Spanish is the way to go if I want to try and learn a new language because I at least have some basis in the language. In fact, the more I am practicing the more it is coming back to me.
Since I've started this list I've been using the Coffee Break Spanish podcast as my tutor. Mark and Kara are excellent teachers and the first 10 podcasts I've downloaded have been a great refresher. Additionally, I've been listening to the Inspired Beginners podcast. These guys go a bit faster than Mark and Kara and focus mainly on conversation, which I find invaluable. If you give me a story in Spanish I can usually piece it together. However, I really fall apart in spoken conversation because the speakers go too fast for me.
So I've got my podcasts and I bought an old Spanish Stories for Beginners book from a used book store. Nothing has been quite as exhilirating as being able to understand the story you just read in another language.
My plan is to continue to go through the podcasts (there are 50 lessons to get through on one and 20 on the other). I'm also going to read my book and hopefully engage some people in conversation. I guess I should also practice... so here we go...
Hola! Que tal? Soy muy bien. Mañana voy a ir el cine porque quiero mirar Cloverfield. Desafortunadamente tengo que trabajar mucho mañana. Trabajo en mi casa. Me gusta mi trabajo porque tengo tiempo libre mucho. En mi tiempo libre me gusta leer y me encanta leer libros cómicos. Me gusta aprender espanol!
Or something like that!
Fast forward to college. In college I received one grade that wasn't an A. One. It was a C+ in Spanish Conversation.
Of course back then I had a horrible attitude about learning Spanish. It was something I just wasn't interested in doing. For some reason, in my junior year of high school, I really tried and did fairly well. Of course school let out for the summer and I didn't even think of Spanish for 3 months. Then when I got back, senioritis set in. In college, I just needed to fill requirements.
So why now? Why learn Spanish? Well I think it would be cool to be fluent in a second language. Additionally, if I ever travel to a Spanish speaking country I would like to be able to communicate. Finally, at this point in my life I think Spanish is the way to go if I want to try and learn a new language because I at least have some basis in the language. In fact, the more I am practicing the more it is coming back to me.
Since I've started this list I've been using the Coffee Break Spanish podcast as my tutor. Mark and Kara are excellent teachers and the first 10 podcasts I've downloaded have been a great refresher. Additionally, I've been listening to the Inspired Beginners podcast. These guys go a bit faster than Mark and Kara and focus mainly on conversation, which I find invaluable. If you give me a story in Spanish I can usually piece it together. However, I really fall apart in spoken conversation because the speakers go too fast for me.
So I've got my podcasts and I bought an old Spanish Stories for Beginners book from a used book store. Nothing has been quite as exhilirating as being able to understand the story you just read in another language.
My plan is to continue to go through the podcasts (there are 50 lessons to get through on one and 20 on the other). I'm also going to read my book and hopefully engage some people in conversation. I guess I should also practice... so here we go...
Hola! Que tal? Soy muy bien. Mañana voy a ir el cine porque quiero mirar Cloverfield. Desafortunadamente tengo que trabajar mucho mañana. Trabajo en mi casa. Me gusta mi trabajo porque tengo tiempo libre mucho. En mi tiempo libre me gusta leer y me encanta leer libros cómicos. Me gusta aprender espanol!
Or something like that!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
#18 Buy a Sweetass Suit
Why is it on the list?
I've needed a suit for quite some time. For the last... oh 6 or 7 years all I've had were two blazers (a black one and a navy blue one). While those were fine back in the day at this point in my life I was ready for something a little more stylin.
The Process!
I headed to the Men's Wearhouse (which I always want to spell as Warehouse... Wearhouse... so clever of them) with my wife because my fashion sense sucks. However I did have the vague notion that I would like a black suit because I have a lot of shirts and ties that would go nicely with black. I also wanted something with pinstripes.
The guy at the Men's Wearhouse was named Winston (I immediately suggested that as a good boy's name, but the wife said, "We're not naming any child of ours after cigarettes") and he was very helpful in picking out several suits for me to try on. After trying on a bunch I found out the one I liked best was gonna be around $300, which was alright, but the alterations needed to make it a good fit were gonna be another $50 or $60 bucks.
So ... I ended up going with a brown suit with some blue pinstripes that I walked out with for $300 after alterations. I know... that sounds like a weird combination. But it looks pretty damn sweet and it also matches a lot more stuff than I expected.
2 down! And.... I've uploaded a pic (with a windsor knot of course... though I did tie it a little long) at My Space.
I've needed a suit for quite some time. For the last... oh 6 or 7 years all I've had were two blazers (a black one and a navy blue one). While those were fine back in the day at this point in my life I was ready for something a little more stylin.
The Process!
I headed to the Men's Wearhouse (which I always want to spell as Warehouse... Wearhouse... so clever of them) with my wife because my fashion sense sucks. However I did have the vague notion that I would like a black suit because I have a lot of shirts and ties that would go nicely with black. I also wanted something with pinstripes.
The guy at the Men's Wearhouse was named Winston (I immediately suggested that as a good boy's name, but the wife said, "We're not naming any child of ours after cigarettes") and he was very helpful in picking out several suits for me to try on. After trying on a bunch I found out the one I liked best was gonna be around $300, which was alright, but the alterations needed to make it a good fit were gonna be another $50 or $60 bucks.
So ... I ended up going with a brown suit with some blue pinstripes that I walked out with for $300 after alterations. I know... that sounds like a weird combination. But it looks pretty damn sweet and it also matches a lot more stuff than I expected.
2 down! And.... I've uploaded a pic (with a windsor knot of course... though I did tie it a little long) at My Space.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Plan #1: Training Up for the Half Marathon
A few months ago I decided that there would never be a better time for me to train for an Ironman than right now. The physical demands for an Ironman are intense and it is going to require many hours of training. Thankfully, my current work situation is very flexible and my wife is very supportive so I think I can pull it off.
However, there are several things that are working against me. First, I have a tendency to give up during races when I am not living up to the standards that I have set. This leads me to question whether or not I have the mental toughness necessary to complete an Ironman. Secondly, this will be a long term commitment and I have a tendency to leave long term personal projects unfinished. Thirdly, I am currently battling a quad injury that I have had since October. I took some time off after the Thanksgiving Day Race, but I have decided that it is time to start training again. After a month off I feel like a fat slob. I am just going to hope that the quad won't get any worse. Finally, I also need to get my neck looked at before I start swimming again. Luckily, that is one of my 101 things! Well enough of the excuses. Hopefully identifying them and calling them out will allow me to work past them.
2007 was a great year for me. I completed my first 15K (albeit slower than I would have liked). I completed my first adventure race. I set a personal best for a 5K (21:35). I completed my second triathlon (6mi canoe, 5.5mi run, 18mi bike). I'm hoping 2008 can be even better.
With these things in mind I have decided to start with realistic goals and build towards completing an Ironman in 2009. This year, I plan to complete an Olympic Distance Triathlon (1.5K Swim, 40K Bike, 10K Run) and a Half Marathon (13.1 mi) which I will use as building blocks for the marathon, HIM, and IM in 2009.
If you are interested, my entire race schedule for 2008 (and training logs) are located here . Using the great resources of Hal Higdon and Beginner Triathlete I've put together a training plan from now until the Olympic Triathlon in July.
So there ya have it! As my main man Kevin Bacon says in Tremors, "I've got myself a plan!"
However, there are several things that are working against me. First, I have a tendency to give up during races when I am not living up to the standards that I have set. This leads me to question whether or not I have the mental toughness necessary to complete an Ironman. Secondly, this will be a long term commitment and I have a tendency to leave long term personal projects unfinished. Thirdly, I am currently battling a quad injury that I have had since October. I took some time off after the Thanksgiving Day Race, but I have decided that it is time to start training again. After a month off I feel like a fat slob. I am just going to hope that the quad won't get any worse. Finally, I also need to get my neck looked at before I start swimming again. Luckily, that is one of my 101 things! Well enough of the excuses. Hopefully identifying them and calling them out will allow me to work past them.
2007 was a great year for me. I completed my first 15K (albeit slower than I would have liked). I completed my first adventure race. I set a personal best for a 5K (21:35). I completed my second triathlon (6mi canoe, 5.5mi run, 18mi bike). I'm hoping 2008 can be even better.
With these things in mind I have decided to start with realistic goals and build towards completing an Ironman in 2009. This year, I plan to complete an Olympic Distance Triathlon (1.5K Swim, 40K Bike, 10K Run) and a Half Marathon (13.1 mi) which I will use as building blocks for the marathon, HIM, and IM in 2009.
If you are interested, my entire race schedule for 2008 (and training logs) are located here . Using the great resources of Hal Higdon and Beginner Triathlete I've put together a training plan from now until the Olympic Triathlon in July.
So there ya have it! As my main man Kevin Bacon says in Tremors, "I've got myself a plan!"
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
#17 Learn to Tie a Windsor Tie Knot
What is a Windsor Knot?
A windsor knot is a method of tying a tie that in my opinion looks a little more stylish than the standard Four-in-hand knot most people are familiar with.
Why is it on the list?
I first heard about the Windsor knot from my Father when he was teaching me the four-in-hand knot. He didn't know how to tie a Windsor, but he told me how nice they looked and that my Uncle was an expert at tying them. Though this conversation occurred over 10 years ago, the thought of tying a cooler looking tie knot stuck with me and this list finally provided me with the motivation to finally try and learn to tie what I thought of as a Double Windsor Tie Knot.
The Process!
As will be quite common with this list I started with trusty ole Wikipedia. It was there that I learned that the term Double Windsor was a misnomer. The real name was simply Windsor knot, or a Full Windsor knot. Next, I tried out a variety of youtube videos that purported to show how to tie a Windsor. After finding several poorly made videos I found this one:
However, as I was attempting to watch this video and learn, my sister saw me and decided she would learn as well. She busted it out quickly and then proceeded to teach me how. After several days of repeated practice (like I said... I had a slight head start on my 1001 days) I think I have managed to tie a pretty decent Windsor Knot.
1 down 100 more to go! And fear not! I will post pictures of my mad Windsor knot skills when I write my blog about another item on the list I have completed. Stay tuned!
A windsor knot is a method of tying a tie that in my opinion looks a little more stylish than the standard Four-in-hand knot most people are familiar with.
Why is it on the list?
I first heard about the Windsor knot from my Father when he was teaching me the four-in-hand knot. He didn't know how to tie a Windsor, but he told me how nice they looked and that my Uncle was an expert at tying them. Though this conversation occurred over 10 years ago, the thought of tying a cooler looking tie knot stuck with me and this list finally provided me with the motivation to finally try and learn to tie what I thought of as a Double Windsor Tie Knot.
The Process!
As will be quite common with this list I started with trusty ole Wikipedia. It was there that I learned that the term Double Windsor was a misnomer. The real name was simply Windsor knot, or a Full Windsor knot. Next, I tried out a variety of youtube videos that purported to show how to tie a Windsor. After finding several poorly made videos I found this one:
However, as I was attempting to watch this video and learn, my sister saw me and decided she would learn as well. She busted it out quickly and then proceeded to teach me how. After several days of repeated practice (like I said... I had a slight head start on my 1001 days) I think I have managed to tie a pretty decent Windsor Knot.
1 down 100 more to go! And fear not! I will post pictures of my mad Windsor knot skills when I write my blog about another item on the list I have completed. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
101 Things in 1001 Days: The Beginning
As an avid video gamer and City of Heroes addict, I'm a big fan of the videos produced by the guys and girls at Watch The Guild. As I was looking through the website I came across the blog of Felicia Day, the actress who plays Codex in the videos. Felicia had blogged about this great idea called 101 Things in 1001 Days.
You can learn more about the goals of 101 Things in 1001 Days here. In the meantime, you can see my list on the right side of this page, and over the next 1001 days I hope to bring you frequent updates on my progress as well as my plans on how to accomplish these goals.
As for why I'm doing this.... well a few weeks back I was a bit bummed out about my chronic procrastination and the fact that I frequently start projects and then don't finish them. I'm hoping that by stating my goals and stating a firm deadline that it will help me achieve my objectives.
Alright! I may have had a wee bit head start, but I am giving today, January 1st 2008 as my official start time. My deadline... Sept. 28th 2010. Let's Rock!
You can learn more about the goals of 101 Things in 1001 Days here. In the meantime, you can see my list on the right side of this page, and over the next 1001 days I hope to bring you frequent updates on my progress as well as my plans on how to accomplish these goals.
As for why I'm doing this.... well a few weeks back I was a bit bummed out about my chronic procrastination and the fact that I frequently start projects and then don't finish them. I'm hoping that by stating my goals and stating a firm deadline that it will help me achieve my objectives.
Alright! I may have had a wee bit head start, but I am giving today, January 1st 2008 as my official start time. My deadline... Sept. 28th 2010. Let's Rock!
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