it's my island

Are You Ready for Anything?

// May 2nd, 2007 // 2 Comments » // Books, Reviews

Yesterday I finished David Allen’s “Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life”. If you are in the concourse of productivity, looking for gems and fine tuning, questions to ask yourself (and [ready to answer](http://blog.nuancelabs.com/2007/02/27/the-importance-of-managing-self/)) then you’re ready to read this offering.

I’ve had the book in my possession for years. Picked it up, read a little passage and generally put it back down. During those sessions I was still more or less uncommitted but yearning. For some reason it never pulled me as deeply as it does now.

>You have created, accepted, or promoted whatever you are experiencing. That’s the great news, because you’re in charge and you can change it if you want. You are your own writer, producer, director, and yet merely an extra in everyone else’s play. […]

The book is broken into 52 sections. Each one with an observation or focused view then going into details and minutia for dealing with the perspective. Surrounded by fantastic quotes and a small question section to provoke you into a positive response or reflection.

How hard can that be to digest? Not really. What is hard is if you’re not in the right head space the book offers that classic “Are you doing what you should be doing at this time”, and for a lot of people the answer is no. That incites people into a close the book response. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere fear or the faux sense of over burden really screws with us.

>Completion of open loops, whether they be major projects or boxes of old stuff we’ve yet to purge and organize, prepares the ground for cleaner, clearer, and more complete energy for whatever shows up. […]

The book is a distillation of over a decade of [David](http://www.davidco.com)’s newsletters, talks, and observations. By this time he could probably write another 52 principles since another decade has almost slid by. The lessons are real, the truths are plain to see, and if you are ready to continue down your productivity path and need a bit more wisdom to help yourself along. The book is right up your alley.

If on the other hand you are still a novice to it all (or haven’t begun yet), stay with the [basics](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142000280?ie=UTF8&tag=myislanandyci-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0142000280 “Getting Things Done”), continue participating and evolving your systems and pick this up as you feel your momentum stabilizing.

>Before everything else, getting ready is the key to success.
—Henry Ford

2006 Year in Review

// January 2nd, 2007 // Comments Off // Points In Time

At the beginning of last year I could not have seen what was to transpire this year. As I grow each year seems more so like that. Maybe it’s due to the embracing of chaos and knowing I can only manifest a few variables, or maybe it is just additive wisdom of the years behind me.

This year had it’s ups and downs. We transfered our ideas from building a coffee shop to working for the past 8mos on a web application. We lost our dear friend Tyson, but gained a number of new people friends. I’ve explored inwardly to the friendly skies. We’ve looked into America’s food chain (or the lacking there of) and dived right in to the Slow Food community. Knowing your farmer is gratifying. At this point we source somewhere around 80% of our foodstuffs outside the grocery store and I feel better for it.

I was good early on about working on my writing and drawing but in the last quarter lost some of my steam. I think I can revitalize my efforts at least until something hemorrhages.

It’s been another neat year exploring coffee, the community, the industry, and the strange things that exist around it all. Thanks to all those that try and make it a better place but don’t ever sit on your laurels as “cool can turn to brittle” (as a friend said) overnight.

Tidbits from things I learned or was reminded of this past year:

Self

* More confirmation that we can have indomitable spirits.
* Psychology & Neurology are built by what you think, and those who have inputs in to you. Be careful who you let influence you for the impact is farther reaching than you realize.
* Amazing gratification at the acceptance of who I am, and who I am to become.

Business

* Building a retail coffee shop in Charlotte is a challenge when the rent factor is so high it makes profitability a serious issue.
* You are what you do and you will not change that unless your actions start following that.
* Enablers continue crooked systems to exist. Bad leadership would not exist were it for kind souls who believe and invest their energies.
* Ideas are worth a nickel, execution is worth billions.
* The long-tail exists.
* People follow if you lead.

Friends

* Building new relationships takes a lot of time and energy.
* Maintaining relationships takes a lot of time and energy.
* Take care of your friends for you will have few who will be there when you really need them.
* Finding friends you can love is rare and special.

Working with Groups

* Herding cats
* Need effective passionate people in groups or the group will not move.
* Sustained momentum might require a paid position.

We will continue to evolve and shape the things to come. With passion and vigor I think this year will be grand. Like I keep preaching let’s all try and find solutions to what ills us rather than allow the debate to consume our emotional resources.

Here’s to you all!

-a

Caffe Fresco Flossies Blend

// December 31st, 2006 // Comments Off // Culinary, Reviews

Caffe Fresco has brought out a nice blend that can function in any role from espresso to press. Tony has done this by making a fairly bold blend that teeters into the french roast arena. This lets it stand up and not get lost on any of the levels. After touring some Yirgs this coffee had some gravity I had to adjust to. Since we ordered a few bags I’ve got some voluminous descriptors. In our first set I’m going through initial opening and three seperate cuppings. Then how it was as an espresso to cappuccinos.

This blend was created to support the Young Survival Coalition through their Tour de Pink.

Flossie’s Blend is a creation from deep within Fresco’s soul. A place where Vision is fueledby a promise to Flossie. Vision, along with patience and gumption, makes Fresco a viableentity. Fresco is ready to bring forward a message and cause, that’s been a long time coming!

— Caffe Fresco

Cupping / Vac Pot / French Press Notes

Bag Opening

• Steak
• Stew
• Fajitas

Fragrance

• Cigar
• Pipe Tobacco
• Dry Soil
• Old Earth
• Leaves
• Raisins
• M&M(tm) Shell/Coating
• Brownies
• Pie Crust

Aroma

• Outgassing (day 3)
• Cigar—burning
• Chocolate Souffle
• Steaming Brownie

Fragrance

• Dark Chocolate x3
• Chocolate Cherries
• Vegetal
• Sea / Ocean

Body

• Rich
• Thick

Aftertaste

• Mild Smokey
• Lingered
  

Espresso

Aroma

• Dark Caramel
  

Flavor

• Tart
• Apples
• Crisp / Snappy
• Easter Bunny Chocolate
• Raspberries
  

Aftertaste

• Clean
• Smooth
• Hint of Grain
• Cider
  

Cappuccino / Dessert (+sugar)

Flavor

• Chocolate
• Marshmallows
• Rich and Creamy
• Velvety
• Full bodied, robust
• Hint of Cherry
  
  
  

Afterthoughts; this blend in the vac/press realm kept toggling between a Kenya french roast or a full city+ Sumatra. It had enough boldness that I always wanted some milk to cut it. As an espresso it really had that classico Italian experience that really smoothed out with milk and softened with sugar. Venture here for something you can tour around your kitchen and feel good about supporting a good cause.

technorati tags:coffee, espresso, caffefresco, charitable, review

Quick Links: 11/15/04

// November 15th, 2004 // Comments Off // From the Wire

CJR: Columbia Journalism Review
>[Blinded By Science](http://www.cjr.org/issues/2004/6/mooney-science.asp)
How ‘Balanced’ Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe Hijack Reality
By Chris Mooney

Technology Review
>[The Physics of Gluttony](http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/04/11/wo_muller111204.asp?trk=nl)
The obesity epidemic has a simple solution. If you want to lose weight, either eat less, or breathe more.
By Richard A. Muller

Early Book Review: Getting Things Done, by David Allen

// October 6th, 2004 // Comments Off // Books

While I am still working through David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done, the Art of Stress-Free Productivity; I would like to go ahead and begin my recommendations of it.

That being said it requires input. If you are of the demographic that expects the world to center around you and it should be easy and carefree just because. This isn’t for you. If however, you are coming to the conclusion that paper is king (and paper can be digital), then this will put you into a higher gear of productivity.

GTD in a nutshell; Buckets for everything:
* Inbox for dumping of your brain
* Create the next action item needed to take you towards your objective
* Create projects to house next actions that are due
* Use review cycles to clean, maintain, and propagate movement

There is a much deeper granularity to this that I’ll put into words at another time. Basically the concept is very easy. Get your brain into bins, clean the bins into smaller bins, bring up required items to calendars and other functions, and then just chew down the items and keep flowing new things to do into the system.

What you find is your brain can free itself from the mundane task of remebering and forgetting. Now instead of fretting over the next things to do, or what should be, its all down on paper. Your mind can now work on just accomplishing. Accomplishing leads to movement, which adds to momentum. The system begins to feed itself, your life starts picking up pace because you are following a protocol of handling things with ease. Simple positive reinforced feedback loop. Now thats the loop I like to be in. Not worry over what I’m doing next.

If you have a Mac you might want to check out a [Tinderbox](http://www.eastgate.com/Tinderbox/) which is an addictive free form tool that allows you to build some amazing frameworks for harnessing knowledge but its not for everyone. If you do use it and want to apply GTD principles to it check out the [GTD Template](http://www.eastgate.com/bin/wiki.cgi?GTDTemplateUsage “GTD Tinderbox Template”) that [Ryan Holcomb](http://fridgedoor.net/prototyping/2003.html#note_637 “Fridgedoor”) made.

I find myself every day vesting more and more of what I am doing within Allen’s constructs. While not finished with his materials I am already sold due to what it is doing for me.

-a