Making @Starbucks special again

I just unsubscribed from Starbucks' emails. I realized that their emails have made me less likely to go to Starbucks.  (Ironically, this week I was also approached by a recruiter to go work for Starbucks in their Email Marketing division but that's not why I unsubscribed.)

It's taken me awhile to get to it, but for some time now, the Starbucks emails have left me unsettled. Every email is trying to get me to visit more, to buy more. It's all about making a sale.

But that's not what Starbucks is - to me.  Starbucks is a treat, a reward, a special occasion.  Starbucks is the destination at the end of a walk with my daughter.  Starbucks is a mid-point between working in the office and working from home.

It was a Friday tradition when I worked in Pasadena and a Sunday afternoon tradition way back when I lived in Sherman Oaks and was single (coffee, scone, Hollywood Report and Variety and my feet up on the edge of the fountain).  The one in Monrovia that always had drawings from elementary students on the walls was where I met with several other men for a weekly Bible study years ago.  When I worked in Burbank, we used to enjoy walking to the one in the Disney Channel building.  In Tacoma, I had just discovered that Starbucks, a scone and a walk on the beach was a good way to center myself before heading into a frustrating job.  Speaking of, Starbucks and I were born in the most awesome city of Seattle. I even own a few shares and somewhere I have a few of the special Shareholder only cards they used to issue each year (the app has made cards a relic).   Our family still occasionally searches out the "Glenn" commercial on YouTube and sings-along.

I bristle when people call Starbucks a restaurant, especially a fast-food restaurant. It's a café.  (If Mr. Schultz himself told me it was a restaurant, I'd politely disagree.)

Starbucks is special.

For instance, from this blog alone...

• I make all my co-workers go to Starbucks and imagine they work there
• Lori brings me lots of coffee and I must brag
• Daddy/Daughter Day Includes a Pilgrimage to 15th. Avenue Coffee and Tea
• I offer Mr. Schultz some unsolicited feedback about 15ACT
• I review 'Onward' and it is a top post on my blog for years
• My 5-year old's photo of 'Me an Daddy' has us at Starbucks
• Feeling homesick for L.A. I look up my old Sunday afternoon haunt
• My Last Day in L.A. includes Starbucks

Its emails did not feel special. It was all about buying stuff, earning more stars.  It felt manipulative, generic and mass marketing. I think that really hit home when they emailed me to say that they wanted me to be one of the first to know that PSL was back.  (It's been a long time since I've had PSL - it was either not memorable or I didn't care for it.)  I figured there was no way that I was segmented into any sort of special list, that they probably just sent it to everyone.  (Also, apparently I have some stars that are expiring, like 2.3.  It seems like stars are really common now, and yet somehow I still have fractional stars. Too complicated.)

But I have a theory - I suspect that I will go to Starbucks a little more now, on my terms, because I want to.  Not because I was told to.  

But I have a theory - I suspect that I will go to Starbucks a little more now, on my terms, because I want to.  Not because I was told to.  If I earn a bunch of stars and get something for free, that's another way I'll be delighted.  If some of my stars expire like some cheap airline miles, I won't know about it and won't be sad that something is being taken away from me.

I am making Starbucks special again.

The Sift (June 27, 2014)

It's been awhile since I've posted one of these. But here's five links that captured my attention recently that I wanted to share.

SETH GODIN -- Deconstructing Generosity

KLEINER, PERKINS, CAUFIELD AND BYERS -- Internet Trends 2014. Every few years someone clues me in that there's a new IT out there. Always an informative and dense read.

ENGADGET -- Broadcasters' backup plans for thwarting Aereo include live TV streaming Jerks. Oh... wait... That was my idea.

ENGADGET -- US Supreme Court rules Aereo's streaming service is illegal under copyright law. Jerks.

INC. -- Cups: A Coffee Startup Taking on Starbucks

What's this?

What's this? What's this? There's coffee everywhere.  What's this? There's happiness everywhere. What's this? I can't believe my eyes. I must be dreaming. Wake up, James, this is rare. What's this?

Look what Lori brought home for me from Safeway. :)

And it's not even my birthday.  

(Not only did it also spit out a $5 gift card, but each empty bag can be returned to Starbucks for a tall drip.)

Hello? Hello, Seattle!

Starbucks' latest marketing effort pits cities against one another with the prize being early release of their popular seasonal drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte.  It's a good marketing ploy, I'm even writing about it.  You get points for checking in regularly, you get points for watching a video and answering some questions.  I guessed without watching and got half of them right.  And you get points for creating little designs.  I don't know what you'd call them.. placemats?  Anyhow, Seattle's in the lead, naturally, but it might as well recruit you, my dear readers, to also place your votes for Seattle.  (Except you, Kevin.  L.A. doesn't need any votes.)

Review -- Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul
Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon

Starbucks holds a special place in my life. Although my love of all things Seattle (and therefore my admiration of all companies Seattle) is natural considering that's where I was born, it was not until I moved to Los Angeles that I really became enamored with the Seattle coffee icon. Coffee was not something I regularly drank until my senior year of college, and then it was the mass quantity brewed in the cafeteria, and only at those times when papers were due and I was frantically starting to write them. After college, my move to Los Angeles and that's where Starbucks became a part of my life and a ritual for me. In the early years, it was Saturday afternoons in Encino where I would sit at the fountain and read. Later, it was Monday nights in Monrovia where I'd meet with 2-3 guys from church (that cafe always had great notes from teachers and drawings from children on the wall). And Friday mornings in Pasadena where the line was always out the door and the baristas greeted us outside and took our orders, handing handwritten notes to a second barista who would run the orders back inside. And then after we came back up here when a new store opened and I would work there for four hours every Thursday morning to try to get a different perspective on my work (until sadly new management at work put an all-hands meeting on Thursday mornings).

A Little Homework

In early December, we heard of a flash mob planned for that weekend.  My daughter and I were already planning a daddy-daughter for that day so that was a no-brainer.  We had planned to go Christmas shopping so she could find a gift from her and her brother to their mother and so she could find a gift for her brother.

It's funny because

Nowheresville

At the end of the month, they're closing the onramp right by my office building.  I would use it to briefly get on the freeway, drive a short distance, pass underneath another freeway and then the freeway I was on would drop off onto a surface street.  Follow that in a straight line and it would lead almost to my driveway.

But they're closing it at the end of the month.  They say in three months, it'll re-open, but I suspect it will only connect to the other freeway, it will no longer lead into town, to Starbucks, to Menchies, to my house.  The alternate routes are a real bummer, too.  

Another reason why @Starbucks needs to place a location east of the 5 in Federal Way.

The Sift 126-130

 The Sift 126: Playstation

• Sony PlayStation Network User Information Stolen
• Sony provides PSN update, confirms a 'compromise of personal information'
• Sony update on PSN / Qriocity outage: 'some services up and running within a week'
• Sony May Be Clueless in PSN Hack
• PlayStation Network Still Down; Sony Says it Will Return By May 4

Read more...

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The Sift 127: Uncluttering, Organization and Productivity

• The state of your desk likely influences perceptions of your professionalism
• Scientists find physical clutter negatively affects your ability to focus, process information
• Ready, Set, Work
• Mail Sorting SolutionDeclutter to Learn How to Save Money

Read more...

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The Sift 128: Space

• New Mars Rover to Land Using Rocket Crane (video)
• NASA & Google Celebrate Milestones in Space Travel [INFOGRAPHIC]
• Robotics merit badge gets official within Boy Scouts of America, Wall-E approves emphatically
• 50 Years In Space: Was It Worth It? [INFOGRAPHIC]
• NASA forced to abandon plans for 3D camera in next Mars rover, James Cameron not losing faith yet

Read more...

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The Sift 129: Apple

• Apple May Beat Google to Market With Cloud Music Service
• Make Safari Load Faster in iOS with a Custom Home Screen Shortcut
• What LocationGate Says About How Users Perceive Information Privacy
• Apple Officially Responds to Location Tracking Controversy
• Apple confirms it's working on a traffic service, moving away from Google Maps?

Read more...

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The Sift 130: Food, Health, Exercise and Medicine

• The Health Benefits of Coffee vs. Tea - the benefits of each
• Pepsi Vending Machine Lets You Gift Drinks to Friends Via Social Media [VIDEO]
• Keeping the Blind Running
• All in a day’s work for caregiver volunteers - geez, what's up with Wyoming?
• Starbucks' brand for people who hate Starbucks

Read more...

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The Sift 106-110

The Sift 106: Cars

• EV milestone: Fisker rolls first Karma off the assembly line, aims to deliver 7,000 this year
• Hyundai Unveils the Hydrogen-Powered Blue2 Hybrid
• GM Announces That Chevy Volt Owners Can Go 1,000 Miles Between Fill-ups
• First Drive: Rav4 EV Prototype Embodies Tesla Spirit
• Tesla Roadster Wins 5th Monte Carlo Alternative Energy Rally

Read more...

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The Sift 107: Dropbox

• How to Sync iTunes Across All Your Computers with Dropbox
• Create a Highly Organized, Synchronized Home Folder with Dropbox
• Sync Your Desktop Between Computers Using Dropbox
• DropVox Records Voice Memos Directly to Dropbox
• Need an account? Sign-up for Dropbox

Read more...

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The Sift 108: Employment and Work

• Top Ten Ways to Rock Your Resume
• 10 Things You NEED to Do if You Were Hired Today
• 80 Startups Rejected from NYC Job Fair Launch Rival Gathering
• Facebook-Infused Job Search Site Finds Listings From Your Social Graph
• Pay Attention to What You Envy to Discover Work That You Love

Read more...

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The Sift 109: Finances, Banking, Business and Acquisition

• ReadyForZero is a Simple Webapp That'll Help Get You Out of Debt
• AOL Bolsters Local News Investment With Acquisition of Outside.in
• VeriFone Demands Recall of Square Credit Card Readers
• Facebook Acquires Snaptu to Bring Social Networking to Feature Phones
• Sprint Kicks Off the War Against AT&T’s Acquisition of T-Mobile

Read more...

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The Sift 110: Food, Health and Medicine

• The Ultimate In-N-Out Secret Menu (and Super Secret Menu!) Survival Guide
• The REAL first Starbucks
• How to Render Bacon Fat - a phrase I heard on a show my wife was watching that I needed to look up
• How Your Taste Buds Play a Role in Potential Health Issues
• MyVoice app for iOS and Android enables the mute to talk

Read more...

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Los Angeles

Tonight I heard "Variety Speak" by the Animaniacs, "Ooh La" by The Kooks and "Los Angeles" by Sugarcult, the last two while out running. In 48 degree weather.  At least it wasn't raining.  But it did make me miss the 72.  Way, way back, I used to have a Sunday tradition.  (Well, there was also a Saturday tradition involving roller blades, Santa Monica, Blockbuster and Sunkist Orange soda, Subway.)

But the one I was remembering fondly tonight was the Sunday night tradition.  I'd take Friday's Hollywood Report and Variety home from the office at the end of the day Friday.  I'd go to Starbucks in Encino in Ventura, get a coffee and a scone in the glass "for here" service and I'd go outside and prop my feet up on the edge of the fountain and just spend the afternoon reading and enjoying the beautiful weather.


View Larger Map

The Vacation That Didn't Reset

See that photo over there? Usually my photos are just representative stuff I grab off of Google Images, but this time, I had to brag a little bit.   This was the view from the living room of my hotel room, nay suite.  I kept wanting to call it an apartment.   If you thought this view was great, you should have seen the view off the balcony.

Normally, when I come back from a trip, I try to find a way to simplify my life.  Of course, this was slightly different.  This was more like a pause from life.   I flew down to Miami Beach for a conference.  My company paid the same discounted (barely) conference rate as everyone else, but for whatever reason, I ended up in a 650 square foot mansion that goes for nearly $800 a night.

It wasn't a vacation, though... so first, there was the conference.  Second, I flew in the night before the conference, I never quite adjusted to the time zone, I kept busy in the evenings working, and then after the conference, headed back out, catching a shuttle back to the airport at 2:45 PST after only a few hours of sleep.  

One night I worked at the desk, the next day I moved to the six person dining room table so I could spread out. But it was still work.  So, even though I had put all my clothes in drawers, I still had papers and computers and stuff spread out, so it was a little messier than normal.  (I did manage to get out one night for a 4 mile walk on A1A Beach Front Avenue. Cool.)

So when I came home, I was expecting to have my usual bit of funk while I mourned the simplicity of the trip and looked at the clutter.  It didn't happen this time, which still puzzles me.   Of course, I have also gotten both the flu and a common cold since returning and work has been insanely busy.

But I take my lack of mourning as a good thing -- the trip went extremely well and I can remember the calm and the surf (the view, the sound, the blustery wind) and just have a nice memory of the trip without the need to try to  find fault with my current life because it's not a classy expensive empty apartment on the water.

I do, however, love the idea of working and living (and going to Starbucks) all in the same building.  So much time saved not driving.  It was awesome just taking shuttles and planes and trains and not having to drive myself.  I used to love driving, but I think I'm over it.  Everything that is fun about driving does not exist in the daily commute, except for the music.

So, yeah, trip good, came home happy, not seeing it as a measuring stick against which my standard life doesn't measure up.

The Sift 36-40

The Sift 35: Hey, It's Facebook

• Netflix Working on Deep Facebook Integration
• Facebook may be developing, testing VoIP calls straight through its website
• Facebook Increases Security by Allowing HTTPS Usage Everywhere
• Facebook phone rumors resurface: cloud-based, HTC-built?
• Facebook Experimenting with "Social Captchas" for Authentication

Read more...

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The Sift 36: Picture This, Too - More Infographics

• Which Brands Got the Most Social Media Buzz in '10?
• Starbucks Trenta, Illustrated: How The New Size Compares To The Human Stomach
• If you lived in... - comparisons between any two countries.
• The Twitterverse - a great graphic showing all the websites/companies orbiting (relying on) Twitter
• The Staggering Size of the Internet

Read more...

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The Sift 37: The Speed of Business

• Wearing Glasses Will Get You a Better Job
• LinkedIn Identifies Your Contacts in "Fortunes Best Companies To Work For"
• Three Ways to Help People Get Things Done
• Are You Paying Attention? How Things Change Suddenly and Radically
• Clay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration (July 2005; 20:49)

Read more...

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The Sift 38: Let's Go Google

• Easter Egg in Google Books Ngram Viewer
• Google Translate's Beatbox Easter Egg
• Google Voice Number Porting Now Available
• Why Google Needs Its Own Steve Jobs
• Google to Make 2011 Biggest Hiring Year Ever

Read more...

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The Sift 39: Advertising

• LinkedIn Now Allows Advertising to Target Users by Job Title & More
• 6 Predictions for Digital Advertising in 2011
• Apple Opens Up iAd Creation to the Masses
• YouTube's Most Viewed Ads of 2010
• Top 10 Digital Advertising Innovations of 2010

Read more...

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The Sift 40: Future Car

• Toyota Developing New Type of Electric Motor in an Effort to Escape Dependency on Rare Earth Metals
• Tesla Unveils Model S 'Alpha Build' Prototype at Detroit Auto Show
• Silver Tesla Model S Alpha Hits the Road, Carves Some Corners
• Volvo's platooning SARTRE cars drive themselves (video)
• New Materials Could Double Chevy Volt Battery Capacity

Read more...

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Two-Thousand-Ten

January

Trajectory

The other day in devos they talked about trajectory and the idea of "what were you doing 10 years ago?" First off, my brain says "Ten years ago? 1990? Still in high school." I have to really fight with it to get it to agree (and even then, it's begrudgingly) that ten years ago was not 1990. I don't fear aging, I just don't like the idea of being this old. I don't like the idea of looking at the college students who watch our children and thinking that to them we look as old as we must look. Granted, by many stretches of the imagination, I am not really that old. But I'm not 22 anymore, either. When did that happen?

Also in January... Name Calling * Haiti * Taking Back My Name * Started "Odds and Ends" * Several 120s * Phonephobia * Introducing my Friends (wish I had kept that up)

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February

Compromise

How does she do it? At age five, logic has not fulled forms, she has no concept of the cost of things, and most importantly, compromise is a word she hardly understands at all. To be sure, there are times when she doesn't get her way, but in terms of the big dreams, the big future, everything is possible. The sky is the limit, and if she can dream it, someday it will happen. In her world, tomorrow might be her birthday. Even when shown the calendar, it still might be tomorrow.

Also in February... The Case of the Missing Pockets * Fractured Facebook * Fighting Dress Code Erosion * Overconnectedness

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March

Carol The Cat (April 15, 1997-March 16, 2010)

Carol the Cat passed away today, a victim of two incompatible diseases common amongst cats - hyperthyroidism and kidney failure. Treating one would often result in the other becoming more pronounced and this tug-of-war just wreaked havoc on her frail, aging body.

Also in March... Hope * Five of My Distant Colleagues Killed in Pakistan * Bacon * Daddy/Daughter Day * A Starbucks Original (15th. Ave.)

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April

The Calm of Nothing

The blank page. The unforgiving blinking cursor. Staring you down. Daring you to take a stand, make a move, commit to something. Pick a topic, run with it. Only, that's not really happening. Like the page, my mind feels like a blank slate. I don't know where to start, I don't know where I'm going, so there's no way to figure out what comes in the middle.

Also in April... Pastiche * Dream * Church Groundbreaking * Thin Spaces * Fun with Aluminum Foil (photos!) * Hatred of Logic * Leno Can't Catch a Break * Giving Up at Work

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May

Missing Joe Cool

I was in a funk this evening. I hadn't seen one of these in awhile, but I was feeling sorry for myself in a big way. It hadn't manifested itself as clearly as some of the past cases, but that's what it was, I can see now, now that I'm on the other side of it.

Also in May... Disjointed * Tick Tock * Ending of LOST * Dear ABC * Dinosaurs in the Real World * Respect Mah Authoritah * It was like the difference between day and another day

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June

Higher Standard

It's no secret that I hold certain people to a higher standard. I don't think about it much until they fail that standard. Today someone that I do hold in really high standard said something in my hearing that was rather in appropriate. It was an off the cuff joke. It wasn't like an HR moment or anything, but it was still quite disappointing. I was in a place I wouldn't normally be and they knew I was nearby. I wasn't part of the conversation and but they also weren't in a private location.

Also in June... Couples Only * Late for Home * Rain, Rain Go Away * Rachel's Recital * A Lot of Settlin' Going On * In Plain Sight * Secret Agent Man

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July

So Long, 15th. Ave.

Saddened to learn via Crosscut that 15th. Ave Tea & Coffee is being re-renamed Starbucks. (If you look at the Street View for Google Maps, it's still showing Starbucks from before they renamed it 15th. Ave.) That was quick, articles from July 2009 talk about the pending change from Starbucks. Whiplash. Oddly enough, the domain for 15th. Ave. is streetlevelcoffee.com. Brand confusion, much?

Also in July... Eye-Fi Rocks * Amazon's Marketing Problem * Strike * Comcast Grumbles * What Are We Listening To?

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August

Simplify

Every time I go on vacation, I come back relaxed, a little more at peace. But all too quickly, reality reasserts itself. I'd rather stay on vacation, thanks. So, what to do, what to do. I know in the past I've looked at the idea of the reset and I've looked at new ways of storing stuff that makes putting away laundry simpler, but there's gotta be more. Frankly, the problem is clutter.

Also in August... A Thing A Day (short-lived) * Stupid King County Street Naming * Popes and Bankers Review

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September

Say My Name, Say My Name

I have this fear. I am afraid I will forget your name or mispronounce your name. So when I see you at work or I see you at church, I just say "Hey" or "Hi" or "Yo." Or if I've had too much candy, maybe a "Hey buddy" or "Howsitgoin'?" It's a stupid fear.

Also in September... Blockbuster's 11 * Where Am I? * Food * Eggsactly * What Kind of Seafood? * Comcast Responds (never did get that resolved, still think they're ripping us off every month)

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October

...That Would Be Great

And for as much as I've been self-identified as a pessimist, when it comes to people, I am an incredible optimist. I want to believe the best in everyone. I want to believe they all want to give 100%. They all want to work hard, they all want to learn and grow. They are all ambitious and committed. They all see it more than just punching a time-clock. I should know that's not true.

Also in October... Presentation Zen (Review) * Our Popular Flickr * Falling Off a Cliff * Looking at Isaiah * The Oasis * The Gift * Banned in Kazakhstan

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November

Shed

The first time I ever thought maybe I had a weight problem was in college. I think it was the summer between my junior and senior years, so probably 1991. Though I was still in college, I was working for an internet company (pre-startup). I had photoshopped a copy of my student ID and had emailed a copy to a colleague in Wisconsin who I'd (and to this day) never met in person. We were talking on the phone and he made some crack about always picturing me as skinnier.

Also in November... Word (so proud of this post!) * And Again * Trapped in My Head * Me of Little Faith * Vacation * Inertia * Fractured Facebook 3 * I fixed it * Elusivity of Simplicity * Getting It All Done *

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December

How Deep the Rabbit Hole

It's 1:25 am and I can't sleep. I'm going to regret it in the morning, I'm going to be very tired at church. I regret it already. I am tired now. But I can't sleep. I got some disappointing news today. It's not as bad as news some of my friends have received, or even as bad as past news I've received, but at this exact point in time, it's really disappointing news. So here I am, literally laying on the couch. Welcome to my therapy session.

Also in December... Rewired (review) * Hello, Sift * No Cookies * Flash Mob * Survivor Quitters * Nine Days of Vacation Challenge * If It Aint Broken - Break it!

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Past years:

2009 * 2008 * 2007a, 2007b, 2007c * 2006 * 2005

Quick Diet Update

Ok, so I'm down about 32 pounds. I had dropped 10, and then picked up Lose It!* and dropped another 22. I have less than one pound to go, and that was after having Starbucks and Pizza Hut yesterday. Of course, there's Mongolian Grill today for a going-away lunch, but I'm so close. It's pretty cool.

*Lose It! now has an option on its homepage to create an account without an iPhone. If you've been looking for a way to lose weight, I really recommend it. It's what's made it possible for me - that 22 pound drop has only taken 2-1/2 months. And now I sit at just under 1 pound left before it flips over to maintenance mode and my per day calorie allowance goes way up.

Shed

The first time I ever thought maybe I had a weight problem was in college. I think it was the summer between my junior and senior years, so probably 1991. Though I was still in college, I was working for an internet company (pre-startup). I had photoshopped a copy of my student ID and had emailed a copy to a colleague in Wisconsin who I'd (and to this day) never met in person. We were talking on the phone and he made some crack about always picturing me as skinnier.

Things, as they always do, morph over time. Seeing your own face every day, you don't notice it, it literally happens right under (and all around) your nose without you even being too aware of it. But it was a long time coming. In high school, the car opened up a new world to me. I could go where I want. I was still pretty frugal, but now I could go to the store and buy something if I wanted. Then there was a job slinging pizzas in high school and college. In high school, I burned off enough calories to stay on the slimmer side but by my senior year, my diet consisted of poptarts and multiple Jolt colas (I hadn't discovered coffee yet. Though I miss Jolt cola.) to try to stay awake in class. Even in college, I only dabbled a little bit in coffee. My first job out of college was at an internet startup. By then, I was living on mountain dew and Barber's Chicken Cordon Bleus. And the soda was free at work. I had discovered Starbucks, but only as the occasional Sunday afternoon treat - I would go to the one in Encino, get a Maple Oat Nut Scone and a Caramel Macciato Grande in "for here" servings and go out and put my feet up on the edge of the fountain and read through a few Variety's and Hollywood Reporters while the traffic passed on my left up and down Ventura Blvd. Those were heady days. Still, I was spending Saturdays rollerblading up and down the Santa Monica Blvd. That would include a mid-day break where I'd grab a 2-liter of Sunkist Orange and drink it while walking through Santa Monica Place and the Third Street Promenade before returning to the boardwalk for more rollerblading. Dinner would be a six-inch Cold Cut Combo from Subway and two movies from Blockbuster.

And then marriage, forced to eat more disciplined, regularly scheduled, balanced meals. With secretive trips to the grocery store. I remember a time sitting in the underground parking lot outside of Ralphs in Glendale with a Starbucks Frappucino and a pack of Hostess Cupcakes and something else and just eating them all in my car until I didn't feel good.

And then pregnancy (not me, but a license to eat differently) and the baby and the upheaval. Lack of steady employment, less expensive (and less healthy) food at home, and then the new job, which came with doughnuts every Friday (so many that we could each eat a few before the end of the day). A secret project also saw me stopping at a post office box every Friday, so it was only natural that I drive across the street to the Starbucks in South Pasadena every Friday as well. I had graduated at this point to an even more unhealthy Marble Mocha Macciato Grande Extra Hot Not Fat (No Whip). (It's off-menu, but you can ask for it at any Starbucks - at 450 calories or so, it is so worth it. Unless you're counting calories.)

By the time we moved up here, I was a little more interested in losing weight. There was a walking trail around the office building and my first summer here, I went from 190 to 163 (with a goal of 160) and then gave up. I'm not sure why I stopped... end of summer? Start of the unhealthy holiday season? Anyhow, put it all back on and then some, seeming to have a resting weight of 192-196. I tried a number of things, even getting a Wii Fit. But over time, it became difficult to find time to do anything more than 90 minutes of freestep (which I still do daily) - but wasn't doing any yoga or balance or strength exercises.

I had flirted with designing my own methods over the years and I thought I had something (public accountability + level rewards + the notion that "there will always be more cake.") but it was difficult to keep up - having to find a website and report my food, to remember what my weight was, to make sure I exercised, etc. It hadn't all worked.

And then this year, I accidentally started jogging. Now that the weather's turned, I've stopped again and I really miss it. A great iPhone app called RunKeeper tracked my progress, making a neat little map and showing my pace/speed. I also added an application on the iPhone called Lose-It. My friends had recommended it weeks earlier, but I hadn't bothered to. But I saw the progress they were making and was envious and so I added it. Before I added it, I had managed to drop about 14 pounds or so, promising myself a Dairy Queen Blizzard, but it took most of the summer and I seemed to be stuck again.

So I added Lose-It and it seemed like a useful app, but it was driving Lori crazy me constantly asking her what the calories were for each meal she was serving. Until fortune smiled on me - the same friends who had recommended Lose-It gave Lori an old iPhone. In setting it up, all of the apps I had on mine were copied to hers and now she had the app sitting there in front of her. She pulled it up and was immediately hooked. She then discovered Spark Recipes where you could plug in a recipe and it would give you the calorie counts. So we've both been actively using it now religiously, tracking everything.

So I started with Lose-It on Sunday, Sept. 5 at 178 and have just watched the pounds drop off. In two months' time, I'm now down to 159.6, having blown through several goals without even stopping to pick up the rewards I'd given myself and having to continually change my goal.

When I entered my weight today, it still had my goal at 160 so it flipped me into "maintenance mode" and upped my daily calorie goal by 800. To be honest, I think that would now be a little difficult to fill that many. I'd have to stop exercising and eat more. But after two months of watching my calories and over a year of doing freestep and several years of walking at work and several months of occasional jogging, those are habits I'm not interested in breaking.

So, I aimed my sights at 155. From now on, I am going to try to maintain between 155 and 160. But, I've earned several rewards: a trip to Zoopa, a trip to Men's Wearhouse for a new pair of tailored pants, and probably some Starbucks and Menchies. And I've decided for 155, a trip to Pac Island Grill. It's been too long and since we're now catching up on Hawaii Five-O, I'm really wanting some more of... oooh... yikes... I just tried to abbreviate that. They should have thought of that. It will also probably be time to get rid of some of the clothes in my closet - stuff doesn't fit so well now. Too baggy, too loose, and annoyingly, have to wear a belt with everything except a pair of sweat pants that I didn't use to fit into. (And men should never ever ever wear sweat pants in public punishable by public execution -- Washington does have an open-carry law -- for crimes against fashion.)

So, yeah, yay to the new thinner me.

The Gift

Some chatter overnight about my wish list on Amazon. Concern that it's not useful. I thought I'd turn my response into a full-fledged blog post since I haven't posted enough lately.

But it could be. Let me explain. But first, a few thoughts on the particular items...

No, I don't want a Model S, a DMC *and* an Avalon. Those are just the cars I wish I could drive. Any one of the three. I like my Intrepid, but it's getting old and its non-rolling windows mean never getting drive-through. And besides, I already know that the car in my future will be the Santa Fe handed down from Lori. I'd put a Lexus on the list, but when I'm realistically looking at what new sedans will be available when it's time for a new car for real, the market will have changed in ways we can't think of today.

No, I don't want an iPad. I mean, I do. The big one with 3G. And a nice case that contains a bluetooth keyboard. But I'm worried that as soon as I get one, they'll come out with out with camera(s) and I'll be disappointed by mine.

No, I don't want to own Worldmark by Wyndham or The Space Needle. I just wish we had a Worldmark membership and the Space Needle one is about as close as I'm going to get to ask for a gift certificate. I hate the idea of asking for gift certificates. It suggests that I don't have any faith in the buyer to get me something. And in that case, just give me cash. And people already know the places I'm most likely to use Gift Certificates - the places I already spend the most - Starbucks, Best Buy, JCPenney, Fred Meyer, Midas, Fred Meyer Fuel, King County Treasury/Property Tax Assessor's Office, iTunes, AT&T, Comcast, Puget Sound Energy, etc.

And that's just the thing.

I don't *need* anything that can be purchased - I need more time in my day. Well, I guess someone could buy us a gift certificate (back to the gift certificate) for a cleaning service, but really, is there any subtext to "I'm paying someone to help you keep your house clean."? :) Besides more time... hmmm... My family's cool, my energy levels are fine, my health is pretty good (I've dropped the weight... some more muscle/tone would be nice, but that's both time and initiative, again, things that can't be bought.)

I don't *want* for anything that is affordable. I have too much stuff. I have books and magazine subscriptions I can't keep up with, movies I haven't had time to watch, video games I don't have time to play with. I have a nice closet full of clothes. I have a fancy espresso machine I haven't used in years and a Mr. Coffee I use every weekend. I have a lot of stuff that I don't know what do to with and no time to seriously go through or the will to build up the courage to get rid of some of it. I have stacks of unopened mail in the bedroom and garage that I haven't even had time to go through.

No, all that leaves:

* expensive gifts. Why are they expensive? They have the potential to be a big part of my life, be they a car, a certain piece of iTechnology or a vacation club membership. While some of those are extreme, some of the less expensive things that appeal to me could be a group gift from people who insist that they must get me a gift.

* gift cards - and I've already said what I think of those. I won't turn them down, but I'm not going to go asking for them.

* clothes - be prepared to come up and pick something out of my closet for me to donate - I'm playing a zero-sum game here. Something comes in, something goes out.

* donate to a charity on my behalf... Union Gospel Mission of Seattle, World Vision, World Vision Micro, Humane Society of King County are a few ideas.

* be my friend and help me to be a better friend. By your good example and by calling me out when I'm doing stuff that doesn't make me a good friend (like neglect or being self-absorbed or all take and no give)

...and I think that's fine. Time really is the big thing I need more of. Beyond that, do what I did for Lori to help me in gift buying for her. I made a list. (I love lists! Yay, Evernote.)

It contains things like this:

Part 1: Things that define or represent her:
- God, family, beauty, cooking, Facebook, etc.

Part 2: Current hobbies:
- Baking, Scrapbooking, Postcrossing

Part 3: Things that are always winners:
- Cherry Jelly Bellys, Bath and Body Works Gift Certificates, iTunes Gift Cards, Lifesavers Storybooks

Part 4: Places she enjoys shopping or shops at regularly

Part 5: Past Gifts

Part 6: Past Gifts that haven't well received or went unused

Part 7: Thing's she's mentioned and/or things Amazon recommends similar to her wish list

Part 8: Things she's given me because it's tradition or they're things she likes receiving

And that has helped me to come up with a picture of her and the things that she would enjoy receiving. And there is a killer item on there. Sadly, it's too expensive but I know she'd love it.

So, there you have a little look into my overly-complicated look at gifts and gift buying. (I should trademark "My overly complicated look..." as a series.) So there you go... I could talk further about all this stuff, start looking into love languages, etc., but once again I'm out of time. And then some.

So Long, 15th. Ave.

Saddened to learn via Crosscut that 15th. Ave Tea & Coffee is being re-renamed Starbucks. (If you look at the Street View for Google Maps, it's still showing Starbucks from before they renamed it as part of a test.) That was quick, articles from July 2009 talk about the pending change from Starbucks. Whiplash. Oddly enough, the domain for 15th. Ave. is streetlevelcoffee.com. Brand confusion, much?

The article from Crosscut, is, um... weird... treats Starbucks as a 14-year-old girl that the writer seems to fancy. Hey Ronald Holden, you're creepy!

Read more: The Starbucks siren and her many costume changes

Odds and Ends 25

-1-

ENGADGET -- Nissan books 8,000 Leaf orders in 9 days Electric car is only available for pre-sale online in the 3 west coast states + Arizona + Tennessee

-2-

NEATORAMA -- Subway Everywhere - I pass more Subways than Starbucks on my way to work each day. Proof they're everywhere, there's one in a shipping container high up on the World Trade Center site. Before, construction workers spent half of their lunchbreak riding elevators to street level to buy food. Now, there's a Subway up where they are.

-3-

SEATTLE TIMES -- Kemper Freeman is suing to stop light-rail expansion to Eastside - Ugh. I'm also a Republican in this state full of Democrats and even I know Light Rail is a good idea. Kemper Freeman, you are indeed a dinosaur.

-4-

ENGADGET -- Hackers can remotely disable your car's brakes, create sensationalist headlines

-5-

MASHABLE -- RFID Tagged Cows Start Tweeting - interesting story about how they pretty much milk themselves, too.

-6-

SEATTLE SCAPES -- For Whom the Tunnel Tolls

-7-

BRAND AUTOPSY -- SBC = Seattle’s Brand Confusion - Yeah, they really did lots wrong with this.

-8- VIDEO

So cool. An urban prank prompts government to quickly address a 20-year-old problem.

Wham, Bam, No Thank You Ma'am

So, yeah, it's raining this morning. Cool. I want some exercise, so I drive to Fred Meyer and I walk around for about 15 minutes and then buy some gum. Even though I resynced my phone and it seemed to add a bunch of songs and I could even see them on the phone when I treated it like a drive attached to my computer, it was still refusing to play. I haven't had time to look tonight to see if counted all the skips as plays or as skips. I hope not.

So I buy some gum, get back in the car and head towards work. I'm sitting at a stop light and then *thump*. Seriously? Are you serious? Really? I look in the rearview mirror and I can see she's still on the phone even. Ugh. I get out, pull out my phone and snap a photo of her license plate and send it to Lori's phone. She's getting out at that point and I ask for her insurance. Of course, she doesn't have it, or doesn't have it with her in the car. Of course. So I demand her license which she hands over quickly. My hands are shaking but I manage to quickly get a pen and find something to write on. I had to write her license number down twice because I wasn't sure it was going to be legible. Then I get back in my car and start the car and then the light turns red so I'm stuck there for an entire cycle. I see her still standing between the two cars and then crouching down.

The Calm of Nothing

The blank page. The unforgiving blinking cursor. Staring you down. Daring you to take a stand, make a move, commit to something. Pick a topic, run with it. Only, that's not really happening. Like the page, my mind feels like a blank slate. I don't know where to start, I don't know where I'm going, so there's no way to figure out what comes in the middle.

The white screen offers for no reflection, offers no hints, offers no motive, no trends, no tracks, no help whatsoever.

My day? Even there, not so much to help. Awake, a movie, a drive, work. Typing, coffee, typing. Meeting with a whiteboard, impromptu inclusion of several others. Some surprises, some confusion. Some clarification, but still, some lack of resolution. Lunch. Manicotti, veggies, dip, a walk. Some Aaron Barnhart's podcasts and some music. And then back inside. Too warm. More email, more chatting. Off to Starbucks for a meeting. Casual, relaxed, a chance to chat with a new employee starting Monday. Back to the office. A prank, some work, some last minute details. Tidying the desk and then done. A drive, home, snacks and movie night. And then done too quickly and the kids were to bed. So now, more of the same. Wii walking and TV. FlashForward. Exciting like LOST used to be. Or was again on Tuesday. They're on a Ferris Wheel, they're on a Merry-Go-Round, mommy and daughter, seems like a nice day on the Santa Monica Pier. And that was the day to now.

And the week? Also not anything to write about. Quiet, calm, not as much done at work as I'd hoped. Quiet at home as well. A good thing. Even the power outage happened while I was at work.

So... how about the weekend? I don't see anything on the calendar. That is a good thing. The house is in good shape, but it can be better. If this weekend is truly unbusy, then I may get a lot done. Weather will be in the low-50s but no rain. Could be cold, but maybe I can get some more work done out front. I've got three bags of bark left, several bags of gravel in the backyard (though I think I need some benderboard), I have also have seven pier blocks my dad dropped off last Sunday. I have plans for them all, but I don't have the rest of the lumber I need, so that's probably not the project for tomorrow. Ultimately, though, I'm going to do some pretty cool stuff. Two blocks will be used to build a shed against the fence. When we built it, we put cement in every other hole, thinking that was sufficient. However, it turned out that wind can blow quite strongly down the hill, maybe why there was never a fence there. So now the fence leans. A shed at the fence will let me store stuff in the backyard and also stabilize the fence. Double-cool. I'll also use one block at the back of the yard (using the fence, at a corner for the other three points) and build a tiny little covered platform at the back of the yard. I want to also put a light in it. I don't want to call it a meditation shack because that sounds weird, but I do want it to be a small place where you can sit and read and be removed from everything and sheltered from the elements. It would be really small and eventually have some landscaping around it. Could be cool. And then the last four I'm thinking about using in the crawlspace. Right now, you go down some really poorly constructed stairs and then immediately have to step over the large sewer line, and then there's over 400 square feet of space that sport people like us can walk around in without stooping over. There's a lot of storage down there, but I think I can use the pier blocks to make a small platform so that you don't have to step over the sewer line. Not sure, though, might be too low there. But I could build a ramp or platform. That would be cool.

Right now we're watching some 30 Rock shorts. The Xfinity bits, though are stupid and painful. That whole name is awful. It sounds like a fake made-up name. Like Kabletown. What a different world this would be if Roberts hadn't won Comcast in a card game. Better? Who knows. Oh well.