THE BOLD BREW

Thanks to Matchstic Alvin!

2011-03-10T18:41:00.001-08:00

Pretty excited to be featured in today's Matchstic blog. Thanks Alvin for the feature! Its fun to see more folks 'round Atlanta slowly discovering the legend of drinking coffee naked. Cream & sugar continue to request and require a more permanent vacation.

Since posting last year (apologies for the break), my focus has narrowed to single origin coffees. They are higher quality, directly traded, and of course, exploding with majestic flavor. Kenya & Guatemala have emerged as favorites, with Ethiopian Yirga still a ole' steady.

As demand has grown and cafe de oro (green bean) inflation has hit the wholesale market, my prices are up to $14 / lb. If it's outside Atlanta, shipping is $5 / lb.

If you want to join the movement, post your email in the comments field below.

Thanks Alvin.

#drinkcoffeenaked

Update...offerings, pricing, shipment, orders

2010-02-02T16:57:00.001-08:00

hi folks,

been a while...between roasting, managing the ever growing pack of wild children under the roof, and trying to hold down a job, well unfortunately this fledgling enterprise has fallen to third.

i'm STILL working through the first round of orders but beginning to take on new orders / customers. a couple of quick notes...

1) the offerings are expanding! the newest addition is a phenomenal Guatemalan coffee that features an incredibly balanced experience of a fruit forward flavor yet nutty / creamy body all the way from front to back. it might be hard charging my Yirga & Smooth As Molasses for favorite morning brew. i have green beans from Sumatra, Yemen, & new batch of YirgaCheffe that I'm happy to roast for you. Limited quantities of each, so let me know...

2) the pricing i'm moving to a flat rate pricing (from a two tiered pricing structure that varied with packaging) .... $6 for a half pound & $10 for a pound, packaged in compostable brown bags. If you'd like the Ball jar, it is also $10, for 13oz (all that will fit in the Ball Jar). One strategy that I recommend is to buy the Ball jar, then refill with paper bags...a fully sealable container helps keep the beans at optimal freshness.

for shipping, it will be $2.5 per pound. I'm essentially splitting that with you -- so you're welcome! :)

big time FYI, if you placed an order prior to Feb 1st, your pricing will be under the old structure.

3) Ordering will be limited per month! To keep a balanced life (yes, yes, sleep is overrated), I can only take on 3-5 lbs per week at this point. Your best bet is to lock in monthly supply of 1 lb or 2 lbs per month. that way I'll block out capacity for you.

As an fyi, I'm filling up, so one-offs are becoming harder to come by! Lock it up!

Thanks for all the support, patience, and fantastic feedback. This has been such a fun and rewarding experience. Almost everyone has at least tried the coffee naked & liked it! Its a revolution!

Drink Coffee Naked

THE FOUR PROMISES

2009-12-29T17:01:00.000-08:00

Each batch of Bold Brew Micro Roast has the following tag:
Direct + 10% + 48Hrs + Hand = Drink Coffee Naked!

What does that mean?

I've found that even in roasting for friends, I have to constantly make critical "business" decisions: how I roast, what "brand" i want to project, what the product will be / become, and for what i want the "enterprise" to be known. In the spirit of my good buddies over at Matchstic, you realize that even in a micro-micro enterprise, you must put stakes in the ground.

- It is through these stakes that values are declared
- It is on these stakes that a house / a culture is built
- It is by the support of these stakes that customers are served and a brand is established

So what are the Four Promises of the Bold Brew?

1) DIRECT: Beans will be procured through direct trade whenever possible. Direct trade differs from Fair Trade in that it generally implies a focused, long term relationship with a group of farmers versus transacting over what can often be an arbitrary price that does nothing more than create market distortions through price-fixing. Starting out, I'm limited in my bean sources, but my commitment will be to start with at least 50% beans through direct trade, growing to 100% in 18months.

2) 10%: 10% of Profits will be reinvested into a farming community. This is above and beyond investments made as a result of a trading relationship (e.g. co-investing in better equipment, processes, or product). 10% is not a maximum, but a minimum that will be re-evaluated yearly to see how we can increase over time. It is a stake in the ground that while profits matter, giving back is a long term personal goal and reflection that life and legacy is bigger than money.

3) 48HRS: All coffee will be shipped or delivered within 48 hours of roasting. The coffee experience is highest 1 - 7 days after roasting, and your coffee roaster should deliver that experience to you. To be clear, 48 hours is a maximum -- the aspiration is that all coffee will be shipped / delivered within 4 - 12 hours after roasting.

4) HAND: All roasts will be sorted by hand before and after roasting. All beans are not equal and all roasts are not even. There's nothing worse than crunching into a rotten or an under / over roasted bean. The benefit of small batch roasting is that quality can be pushed to the highest level.

What do the Four Promises add up to? Well, to be fair, that is for the drinker to decide. For me, I've found that putting these four things together led me to re-discover coffee after 17 years of bad brews. I found delight in a naked cup and no longer needed the guise of a dollop of cream and sugar. I found that I wanted to know more about the origin of the coffee -- what made it distinct, what shaped its flavors, and who planted, picked, and prepared the beans. I found that as I enjoyed more, I was driven to know more and ultimately to do more.

Drink Coffee Naked is an aspiration -- not all want to or should want to eschew cream and sugar. But beyond how you drink the coffee, hopefully it becomes a metaphor for understanding what you are drinking and getting excited to pursue the story behind the cup.

Initial Public Offerings

2009-12-26T19:10:00.001-08:00

Ok friends,

With much fanfare I announced the Bold Brew house blend this week: The Elephants Danced.

After a week of mixing, matching, and getting user feedback, we've expanded the initial offering to 3 blends and 3 single origins. The Elephants Dance was good, but I've found some different twists that I'm equally excited about.

I'm also excited to offer the Yirga single origin which is a personal favorite as well as single origin from Rwanda that comes via Land of a 1000 Hills cafe here in Roswell. 1000 Hills has developed a direct trade relationship with Rwandan farmers, paying a living wage equivalent for their coffee beans. This type of relationship and investment is an end-state objective for our efforts here and is a value to many of you as well.

We've already had the debate about blending versus single origin, but to recap, you blend to create a unique cup / flavor combinations that you can not get through a single origin. And yes, it can dilute single origin rawness and complexity if you're not thoughtful. But no, it does not mean you're catering to a weaker drinker or sacrificing the purity of your morning ritual. In fact, if done well, it can lead to a more complex, more satisfying cup.

The Blends

The Elephants Danced
This blend breaks all the rules. It combines coffee from more than 5 origins -- 2 Ethiopians, Kenyan, 2 Rwandans, & Brazilian Cerrado, a no-no in any serious coffee roaster's book. But hey, leave it to a rookie to stretch the ropes. This is a medium to full body blend that is gritty yet delicate. The aroma is dominated by the African flavors, coming close to my favorite Chinese tea, "hua cha" (flower tea), but yet by the time it hits the back of your throat, it has transformed into a dark, sweet, acidic earthiness that is not for the faint of heart. It is edgy and a bit unrefined -- eliciting both praise & regret, but hey, no one ever said that an Elephant Dancing would be elegant -- simply magical. It is a Bold Brew.

Bossa Nova (On the Blue Nile)
Bossa Nova grew from an attempt to simplify The Elephants Danced. The end result was a stunning combination of two very different origins -- Ethiopian YirgaCheffe and Brazilian Cerrado. This a medium bodied blend that harmonizes two complex beans, bringing the high-strung YirgaCheffe's bright, citrus zest to the front of the mouth and allowing the nuttiness they both share to segue to a smooth dark chocolate finish delivered by the balanced Brazilian. The signature of this blend is how the flavor profiles remain surprisingly separate and distinct from start to finish.

Blend X -- to be named...(taking suggestions)
BlendX follows the pattern of the world's oldest blend -- the Moka / Java. Much like the Bossa Nova, it weaves the Yirga's bright, citrus-spiced acidity into the Indonesian origins balanced, earthy-chocolate sweetness. However, the astounding difference is that the Bossa Nova features a dramatic shift in flavor from the front of the mouth to the back, while BlendX is creamy smooth all the way through featuring the taste of a molasses, dark chocolate wrapped citrus berry that is underpinned by hints of spice & a well-rounded earthiness. This mild to medium bodied blend is less aggressive than the Bossa Nova purely because no one flavor proves entirely pervasive, rather they weave together from start to finish.

The Single Origins

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
As you can tell, the Yirga is the foundation of all my blends. I absolutely love this intensely flavorful coffee -- it is incredibly bright with floral, fruit tones that range from lemon zest to orange spice. A mild roast leads to a lighter cup that when poured over ice borders on a refreshing cup of iced tea. It can have slight tones of nutty dark chocolate -- a common profile, but it is very slight and takes a deep back seat to the bright sunrise of East Africa.

Rwandan Bufcafe
This coffee comes directly from a village that has been part of the Rwandan post-genocide reconstruction. An incredible story and a large investment from a cafe right here in north Atlanta - Land of a Thousand Hills who have developed this direct trade relationship. The coffee has a more balanced profile than the Yirga, with fruity overtones, but grounded by a earthy, nuttiness, more akin to your Indonesian Sulawesi or Sumatra. It is a more medium bodied coffee that is worth the great story it represents. The price of this green bean provides a living wage to the farmers.

Rwandan Bukonyan
As with the Bufcafe, the Bukonyan is also harvested through the relationship with 1000 Hills & the investment to generate a living wage for the farmer. The Bukonyan moves even more towards the Indonesian end of the spectrum, retaining a touch of East Africa brightness but bringing a more full bodied cup of rich earthy goodness.

An Empty Seat

2009-12-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

I took my first big trip alone this year -- with work to Sydney and Singapore. I love exploration but the first time, the specter of doing it alone hit me like a ton of bricks and all of a sudden it took on a different meaning. The trip led to lots of introspection, and over a fantastic French dinner in Sydney's Darlinghurst neighborhood, I jotted down these thoughts:

-------------------------
"The Empty Seat"

it was an empty seat

it stared with woeful verve
as long as i stayed

it sat still as the stone
that framed the room

it echoed the murmurs
that reverberated as simultaneously none
and yet at once coherent conversation

it blankly withered away time
as fork clanked from plate to teeth

it did not know the lovely tastes
that screamed with exuberant reverence at every bite

it did not care either

it did not ask, smile, pause, chuckle, answer

it was an empty seat,
mocking the delight it willfully witnessed

it was a seat,
i tried to ignore

The Elephants Danced

2009-12-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

The inaugural Bold Brew Roasting Co "house blend" is called "The Elephants Danced".

Now, let's be clear, coffee at its finest should be enjoyed from a single estate. After all, you wouldn't expect Bill Harlan to blend his fine Oakville wine with a crop of grapes from the Russian River. People don't pay $1000 for a bottle of Harlan Estate wine to get a hodge-podge of grapes. They want the terrior that Mr. Harlan has carefully cultivated on the slopes there in ol' Napa Valley.

In fact, perhaps my favorite cup of coffee is a pure batch of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Wow, what a wake-up call! It is pure brightness, light in the mouth, full of citrus and orange spice, with an acute nutty chocolate finish. I'll gladly chill the left overs, pour it cold and naked into a glass at the end of the day, and get a rush of refreshing goodness that would beat the best cup of tea. Holy cow.

But alas, on the path to #drinkcoffeenaked, most folks like a heartier blend that is not so pronounced in one direction. Complex is the Yirgacheffe, but perhaps to distinctive for all.

So, we blend. And to be frank, blending is best for espresso where you need a certain "pow" for the coffee to not be overpowered by our friend, milk. In the espresso-based drink, the last thing you want is a milky, coffee-weak contraption that requires a shot (or 4) of hazelnut to make it drinkable (not speaking from experience of course).

So what is "The Elephants Danced"? It is a blend grounded in the Yirga -- so light & flavorful, I can imagine the sun rising over East Africa & all the creatures dancing at the thought of their bright morning cupping. And why the elephant -- well, they are a signature of Africa of course. But you say, "they are far from light & elegant & bright - they are heavy, saggy, plodding, and dull". Well exactly Sherlock. If you add a bit of weight to the Yirga, you give it a bit more weight, punch, and earthy goodness from the likes of Brazil or Indonesia. And to give it a splash of the tweeners, you toss in for good measure a dash of Central Am or Rwandan. Enough punch to be an elephant, but still enough Yirga to make even a 5 ton elephant dance a little ditty.

And there you go.

Of course, you can always request a single origin. Your choice.

For more on blending, here is a fun page to read from Sweet Marias.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Drink coffee naked -- its liberating.
Yours truly,
Cream & Sugar

cream & sugar need a vacation

2009-12-07T18:43:00.001-08:00

a letter to friends announcing the start of something small, but hopefully significant...

----------------------------------------------------------------

friends,

3 years ago I spent time in Guatemala working with coffee farmers, and what had been a passion for exquisite coffee morphed into a bigger idea to one day merge that passion with my desire to impact the world -- particularly the disadvantaged. And as (RED), fair trade campaigns, & most recently Starbucks like to remind us, coffee farmers are disadvantaged.

After talking a big game in the last 3 - 4 years about impact, the world, coffee, etc ... I figured it was time to put up or to shut up and I think I'm ready to start exploring what this looks like. This is not a new niche and I still don't know what this dream / this concept will become. I'm not quitting my day job anytime soon (& perhaps never will) -- because I really do enjoy it & I also think Wells Fargo would like me to honor my mortgage ;).

I'm writing you for three reasons:

1) Each of you have encouraged me over the years. Thank you!

2) I've ordered a real-deal coffee roaster that I'd like to pay for, and if you want to be a test case for the Bold Brew Roasting Co, I'll be happy to offer you a hand roasted pound of coffee:

- $10 / lb in my signature (& eco-friendly reusable) Ball jars
- $8 / lb in a plastic bag
- You pick the blend & the roast
- I cover shipping on your first order (for out of towners)
- For taking a chance on these early days, if this ever goes anywhere & I reach the ideal price point of $13 - 15 / lb, I'll lock you into $10 in perpetuity.
- If you ever don't like a batch, its on the house.
- I'm always happy to send small tasters if you're not yet interested in a full pound or giving up your Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or otherwise mediocre coffee ;).

3) I hope we each step out of our comfort zone and try one idea that's peculating in our heads.

As I perfect the product, build a brand & customer base, & improve distribution, the goal would be to directly trade with specific farmers. And one day I hope to create a physical space in urban areas that draws conversation, ideas, art, personal exchange, and culture in the way that Paris' Left Bank saw in the early 20th century. One day...

As for the subject line...the coffee I've been roasting these last 9 months has converted me from a "cream & sugar guy" to "drinking coffee naked". I figured that my old friends cream & sugar were happy I discovered such good coffee -- they've worked hard for me (& you) all these years & needed a vacation.

I invite you into this exciting step but more importantly hope that we can push each other to take our own personal leaps.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

drink coffee naked - its liberating.
your truly,
cream & sugar

BoldBrew Fall Mix volume 1

2009-11-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

1. The Hardest Part / Postcards From Far Away. Coldplay. LeftRightLeftRightLeft.
2. Swept Away (Sentimental Version). The Avett Brothers. Mignonette.
3. So Here We Are. Bloc Party. Silent Alarm.
4. The Sun Also Sets. Ryan Adams. Easy Tiger.
5. Secret Meeting. The National. Alligator.
6. Song About a Man. Deer Tick. Born on Flag Day.
7. To Ohio. The Low Anthem. Oh My God Charlie Darwin.
8. Babylon II. David Gray. White Ladder.
9. The Perfect Space. The Avett Brothers. I And Love And You.
10. About Today. The National. Cherry Tree.
11. The Way That He Sings. My Morning Jacket. At Dawn.
12. Sweet Li'l Thing. Eels. Blinking Lights And Other Revelations.
13. Orange Sky. Alexi Murdoch. Time Without Consequence.
14. Falling At Your Feet. Bono & Daniel Lanois. The Million Dollar Hotel.
15. What a Wonderful World. Innocence Mission. Now The Day is Over.
16. With My Eyes Closed. The Raveonettes. Lust Lust Lust.

volume II, aimed to be the uptempo companion to this decidedly laid back fare, is under construction and has been for weeks now. lacking chemistry. oh well.

music, 2008

2009-01-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

i'm unabashedly ripping off a colleague's blog post here, but it was a splendid idea ... top ten list of music for 2008. the key here is albums, not songs. it would have been quite an easy task to list my top 10 best songs, but albums are a different beast altogether. to be a great album, you can't have sequential "skip over" songs. top to bottom, it has to be a record, you can hit play at 1 and enjoy it until it stops. it flows, it builds, it interweaves ... well, maybe always and not really, but the picture is fairly straigyou get the idea. with that in mind, here's my list. my one caveat is that these are CDs that i listened to for the first time in 2008 ... not released in 2008.

1. coldplay: viva la vida
eno took them to another level of grandeur. the suburban snob in me tried not to like them, but why resist? it was AWESOME from beginning to end. i bought it in El Paso on June 17 and I'm not sure I changed CDs until July.

2. band of horses: cease to begin
refreshing energy and sound. unique in a derivative world, and South Carolinians to boot.

3. andrew bird: armchair apocryphy
an odd bird, but feels like a cross between sufjan stevens and rufus wainwright. dig it.

4. bon iver: for emma, forever ago
this could have been a top three but not sure it has enduring quality. will revisit it from time to time but it is now more of a mood piece than an anytime, all the time kind of CD. made for a nice soundtrack in Cabo

5. jay-z & dj danger mouse: grey album
BOOM! goes the dynamite. a superb mash-up, phenomenal top to bottom, but as with #4, feels a bit more short term than long term. great for a drive, a run, and a saturday morning (until E can understand the words!). i'm sure i looked like a full air-drumming to this across campus

6. the myriad: with arrows, with poise
how can i not give props to my bro-in-law? the #1 video on MTV is a great song after all. the thoughtfulness of the music and the live performance in SF puts this on the list

7. horse feathers: house with no home honestly feels a bit derivative to some of the hot sounds right now like iron and wine, bon iver, etc, but this group been around almost as long as iron and wine, so perhaps they invented the sound. regardless, can listen to this CD any day, all day

8. ryan adams: heartbreaker
the guy puts out CDs like they are going out of style but this is an old classic that i finally got my hands on. it was a favorite of E's -- we'd dance to it. he rocks with soul like no one else

9. sun kil moon: tiny cities
another chill piece that sets a great mood. the guitar makes it. wonderfully done.

10. honorable mentions
strays don't sleep: self-titled
sigur ros: hvarf-heim
gotan project: lunatico

krugman calls me from sabbatical

2009-01-05T18:42:00.001-08:00

i suppose i've been on something of a sabbatical from blogging. why not come out of hiding for a brief peak?

knowing my friedmanite tendencies, my father-in-law brought to my attention this article from Paul Krugman for a good email discussion. as we might expect, PK serves his usual dose of pro-government rhetoric.

the topic got me so inspired, that it brought me back to blogging. here is a general summation of my thoughts...

"interesting article. i find it intellectually dishonest on Krugman's part however to judge the Fed's liquidity actions a failure. economists know that there is a significant lag in the real economy catching up with both monetary and fiscal policy. His judgment on Bernanke's actions (at least the more drastic of the actions), which have only been in effect for less than 3 months seem a bit premature. [though] Krugman is an unapologetic Keynesian, his arguments certainly hold water on some fronts. Gov't action is likely needed, but as [we] discussed about racial progress [i.e. should the legislative focus be on quotas or on perhaps enabling opportunity through a more fundamental, albeit long term approach such as ensuring high quality K-12 education, building / encouraging social role models inside minority communities, something else, or a combination of all the above -- and over what time period], often gov't spending / action addresses the symptom versus the root. For example, in the current crisis, at least some of our national problem is that we need to re-educate our a significant portion of our populace. we need more people in the services industries, technicians, skilled labor -- essentially a move back to professional blue collar and less of the white collar back office functions that can now be largely outsourced. What if we focused money here -- on specific, targeted education programs? Injecting money into infrastructure projects will indeed provide immediate impact on crumbling roads, waterways, and bridges; however, these projects print money (threatening inflation) without structurally changing the economic landscape of America -- a landscape that is currently not optimized to support a 21st century growth strategy. If you want to get really philosophical, we could debate the question of not just "re-educating" our population but changing education altogether so that not all Americans have equal access to 4 year education. this question has bubbled up on the margin, being discussed in the editorial pages of influential papers such as the WSJ; however, it flies in the face of the opportunity of the "American dream". Even so, is this a more efficient way to reduce the tax burden and help people not overshoot their talent? Don't know, but worth a look perhaps."

Bottom line: come on Krug; i would have thought your Nobel prize would have qualified you to recognize that it takes time for the economy to integrate the full impacts of policy change. It is exactly the impatience of shrill voices like yours that leads our government to execute ill-fated actions and over-correct a necessary period of desert wandering which if allowed to run its course will force us to address the real questions of the hour.

hilarious

2008-10-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

i'm a self-admitting big fan of tom cruise -- yeah yeah, his antics are weird and over the top, but he is an incredible actor and his movies are generally high quality entertainment. this cameo in a movie that i'm dying to see is no exception...

mini-blogging

2008-10-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

well, blogging has tapered off with the addition of a job in my life :). however, i'm starting to mini-blog or micro-blog, if you will, at: http://twitter.com/theboldbrew

i will have to approve you; i'm locking down security on these more personal updates...otherwise, i would post my twitter updates here live.

will try to post here more often as well...

being Javert

2008-09-28T12:17:00.001-07:00

my favorite book is the unabridged Les Miserables.

i will not lose you in setting up details on the story's plot and characters. for the purposes of this post, it will suffice to know the following: the protagonist is Jean Valjean -- a convict hunted his adult life by the antagonist, an officer of the law, Javert. Valjean's life had been transformed by the unwarranted pardon of a priest, and in the climax of Victor Hugo's novel, Valjean has the chance to vanquish Javert who had fallen into the hands of a group of rioting rebels during the days of the Revolution. Instead, he lead him into an alley and freed him. After a lengthy pursuit through the sewers under Paris, Javert reclaimed his nemesis only to inexplicable let him go. Javert, we must understand is a man bound to duty and justice. And it is here that we pick up his thoughts:

"All sorts of questions flashed before his eyes. He asked himself questions and gave answers, and his answers frightened him. He asked himself: 'this convict, this desperate man, I have pursued to the point of persecution, and he has had me beneath his feet, and could have avenged himself, and ought to have done so both for his revenge and for his security; in granting me life, in sparing me, what has he done? His duty? No. Something more. And I, in sparing him in turn, what have I done? My duty? No. Something more. So is there something more than duty?' Here he was startled; his scale feel out of balance; one end slipped into the abyss, the other flew up into the sky, and Javert felt no less dismay from the one that was above than from the one that was below. He was not in the least what is called a Voltairean, or a philosopher, or a skeptic; on the contrary, respectful by instinct toward the established church, he knew it only as an august fragment of the social whole; order was his dogma and was enough for him; since he had reached the age of a man and an official, he had placed almost all his religion in the police. He had a superior, M. Gisquet; he had scarcely thought, until today, of that other superior, God. This new chief, God, he was feeling unawares, and he was perplexed by that.

"He had lost his bearings in this unexpected presence; he had no idea what to do with this superior; he who was not ignorant of the notion that the subordinate is bound always to yield, that he should neither disobey, nor blame, nor discuss, and that, in presence of a superior who astonishes him too much, the inferior has no resource but resignation.

"But how manage to send in his resignation to God?

"However this might be, and it was to this that he kept returning, one thing overruled everything else for him, that was, that he had just committed an appalling infraction. He had closed his eyes on a convicted second offender who was illegally at large".

Unable to let grace and justice co-exist -- he knew he must serve only one -- he lept into the Seine. For me, raising children has exposed my ironclad pursuit of what is right, or what is just; and I look into myself and realize that I am being Javert. I frantically do not want to be Javert but I see in myself this driving, overriding, 29 year old legal bind -- and it lurks from a long shadow of seeing not just the world in this lens but holding myself tightly confined within these gnarly knots as well. To learn from Javert, is to accept, as did Valjean, the priest's commission: "Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul I am buying for you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts and from the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God!"

Understanding that position of inferiority to grace and mailing in a daily resignation accordingly enables one to accept the commission, release the security of a balanced scale, and refuse to be Javert ... easier said than done.

dead heat

2008-09-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

well, i owe you guys a verdict on my voting direction as many of you have asked, but for now, i was shocked to wake up this morning to the largest poll movement yet in this campaign. and no, i'm not talking about Gallup, Zogby, Rasmussen, USAToday, etc ... but rather the Intrade Market Odds. this market-based system always people to buy future contracts on each candidate's odds of winning. it has been the most accurate predictor of election results in the last few major election cycles. as of yesterday it was still 57 - 43, Obama. This morning, it moved all the way to 50 / 49. money talks...

spirituality in the south

2008-09-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

observations on the spiritual state of the South

- "Religion" happens on Sunday when lip-synching, tidy patrons fill the pews.

- "Worship" happens on Saturday when the loud voices of passionate, arms-a-waving fan(atic)s descend on stadiums from Tuscaloosa to Athens to Gainesville to Baton Rouge.

- "Prayer" happens every time Nick Saban panics at the thought of Alabama losing 7 games in a row to Auburn.

this neighborhood stinks...

2008-09-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

if you're looking for an easy run. this old dog tried his first run in over three months and came back whimpering like a scolded puppy. at least fall is encroaching on the stranglehold of Southern heat -- otherwise i would have arrived home looking like a school teacher who got dunked at the county fair.

Coast to Coast v1: You're a Grand Ole Flag

2008-08-23T15:45:00.002-07:00

"Coast to Coast" is a series of blog posts created at the behest of a GSBer who loves to confound me with interesting questions and derives pleasure out of my alternatively smallish & biggish perspectives. and yes, to be fair, i always exaggerate the questions.

---
Dear Bold Brew,

i am utterly at a loss to understand this obsession with ye national flag. seriously, it might be the most boring flag i've ever seen yet people persist to post it everywhere -- i mean everywhere -- on their front doors, on the lapel of their suit, on the shop around the corner (except in Berkeley), before / during / and after every sporting event, and most assuredly in front of every major office and metropolitan building. WTF?!?! it is just a flag!

An Annoyed Scot
---
Dear Annoyed Scot,

i confess that i don't naturally bend towards the level of demonstrative enthusiasm towards the flag that many of my compatriots do. i can sympathize with Barack the Rock who isn't sure what the whole "patriotism" fuss is about not wearing a flag pin on his suit. i mean, if it is in our hearts, then why do we need an external display? really, do we need to?

so in typing this post, i started then stopped and then started again, trying to get all philosophical on you (in the spirit of your own David Hume) ... but then i sat back and decided to take the touchy-feely path: where's the energy? why do all those American Olympian athletes (and boy, there were quite a few weren't there) get tears in their eyes when the flag rises and the national anthem soars into its climax: "the la-and of the freeeeeee". or using the "i" phrasing: why do i tear up as well?

on my emotional journey i began noticing a new flag-raising 'round town: those of the college football flagships: Auburn, Georgia, Tech, Bama. flags with school logos rose from the top of car windows, from the tippety top of CB radio antennas flying high above good ole 4 wheel drive vehicles, and of course, from front doors. it was the spirit of "my team" -- identification with everything that has gone into making "my" team great and association with the hope of all that will make them glorious into the future. it is not unlike my scarf from the Real Madrid -- of course, soccer bums don all sorts of garb to go crazy for their team.

but back to the flag .... why do we marvel at the sight of a flag being raised over battled grounds -- be it Saratoga and Yorktown, Iwo Jima, or even the WTC? why do we walk the fields of Gettysburg and feel as if we stepped into the sanctuary of the holiest church? it is us reaching out, finding our small place, acknowledging our hope to be in the larger story, the broader context of a history, a fight, a collective effort. about ownership, about land, about principles and ideals, and about independence from whatever present tyranny is impeding the enjoyment and establishment of these realities. and when that flag rises -- it harkens the emotion that comes from the pride of identifying oneself in that context.

silly me. i couldn't get away from that deep stuff. let's keep it simple: next time you visit the grounds of Stirling and Falkirk, Mr. Wallace might provide a word or two of insight... but more likely he'll whisper just one word, one last thought: "FREEDOM!"

Bold Brew

Here Yesterday, Gone Today

2008-08-23T15:45:00.001-07:00

News happens every day and often it is more bad than good. It seems tragedies strike more often than not. I don't remember paying too much attention to tragedies on TV prior to 9/11. Or perhaps, it is that I have a hard time remembering what came before because its shadow is so long -- exceptions being the likes of Oklahoma City and Columbine.

I think the significance of these "remote" tragedies began to sink in when I got married but they really took their toll when we had our first child. Seeing the tsunami or the Madrid plane crash or the Sichuan earthquake -- you feel that remote panic, pang, and horror -- what if that child was mine? what if i was on that plane and left a wife and two children?

It isn't often that you see tragedy - on any scale - up close. A few weeks ago we awoke at 4:30 in the morning to a neighbor's house burning down. very very fortunately no lives were lost, but there house was with most of what was in it. i woke up stunned that "this could also happen to me". so what's the response? how do you soak up every day with your loved ones? how do you shape a legacy each minute of every day -- what if you don't have a chance to "catch up" in the future? this life is indeed transient and we are "strangers" in this land -- does that mean we minimize "home" and "family" as physical structures and emphasize "home" as the collection of moments that make up the essence of our individual souls?

in the face: we are only guaranteed what has occurred, not what is to come...

leaving Stanford behind

2008-08-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

well, i'm on the hook to explain to the Great White Scot why Americans are so proud of their flag -- hanging it on their homes, waving it in the streets, and pinning it on their lapel. i'll hopefully get to that soon enough, but i realized last week that i've been avoiding the big elephant in the room -- leaving Stanford.

i haven't wanted to write about it precisely because i didn't want to think about it. i didn't want to think about it because i don't really know what to think about it, and to explore that topic might be more than i want to handle. so i've buried myself in life at home, moving in, getting settled, getting life in order, games of Warfish, trips to Home Depot, working in the yard, decorating the house, and yes, changing diapers.

to say that i've been somewhat reclusive would likely be an understatement. i find myself wanting to invite guys over to have a beer, but when it comes to actually initiating or attending a social event, i feel entirely emotionless about the prospect of being present and even at times utter dread at the thought of actually engaging other people. turns out that once i'm there, it generally is refreshing, even uplifting to be with people new and old. but it is that inertia that i fight. it is a sense that i don't have the emotional or mental space right now to invest in relationships, but to be completely honest and realistic -- it is that i don't want to have the emotional or mental space. to actually create that space would be the admission that what occupies that space right now -- Stanford, the people, the ideas, the experiences, and the energy -- is over. over. over. over. the power of that word. it feels like "done" or better, like "death". that is the feeling that it stirs in admitting the word into my psyche. when i chew on it, when i contemplate it, when i allow it to reside and i begin to contemplate the idea of creating new space -- i see a brief ray of sunshine: yes, maybe something more can be out there, even something greater or better. that the last two years of my life might have been two of the best yet, but perhaps that it is only the beginning. it was a higher mountain than ones before, but yet only one mountain in what will be a flight of increasingly taller climbs.

with that as context, i was in church two sundays ago. a guest speaker delivered a sermon packed with an extra dose of emotion and inspiration, and needless to say, a window into this corner of my soul cracked open. as they played (of course) a soaring song to close, i stood in the next to last row of a civic center size auditorium paralyzed with an onrushing sense of the GSB's finality. i realized how tired i was from so stubbornly resisting that reality and trying to push through pretending that life was going on as normal and that i could engross myself -- however tediously -- into the next phase of life. i wanted to / needed to surrender and give up running. everything came unbottled and standing alone (then sitting), i predictably lost it.

and frankly 10 days later, i don't know where to go with this next. admission is a start. taking initiative into this new world is a next step. getting my hands around how to honor the memory of these two years -- it can't be in continually reliving those memories and never moving forward, but it also can't be in forgetting and not living in the new realities i experienced in that time. it is somewhere in between. it is as a friend said -- being a Master of both worlds -- the one we've left and the one we're entering / re-entering. taking what we've learned, how we've changed, and living fully engaged at a new level in a new or even old place. we can't return to who we were before the GSB and we can't relive what we had while we were there at the GSB -- we have to forge a new reality that entwines the best of both. to use a word that i hate for its utter overuse and flagrant abuse ... it is a journey. i'm learning to be eager about that road and the place(s) it will lead.

it's frickin 95 degrees...

2008-08-05T17:04:00.001-07:00

...and 100% humidity. It feels like we must be burning in the fires of hell. No wonder so many Southerners claim to be Christians -- who in their right mind would want to live in this for all of eternity?

Africa on the Ground

2008-08-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

For an insightful traveler's view of what is happening now in Africa, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Ethiopia -- check out this blog. Terrific read from a great friend at school.

$10 Billion Dollars Doesn't...

2008-07-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

...even buy a loaf of bread in Zimbabwe (not US dollars, but their currency). such is the state of the hyperinflation.
what will it take for Mugabe to go?
why are our heads in the sand over the state of Africa?

swampland v2: war on the pest

2008-07-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

here we again compare the South and the West, or more specifically the Deep South against Silicon Valley. i have come to learn that if you were to name a category, each place would likely have its distinct flavor (prone to mass-generalizations, but nonetheless interesting). for instance, climate: the Deep South is humid, Silicon Valley is dry. try another, lifestyle: Deep South is sedentary, Silicon Valley is active. as an extension of the swampland post, here is another category: PESTS.

The Deep South and its pest are virtually indistinguishable. it is almost a visual form, a physical manifestation of the "swampland" phenomenon. i give you: the honorable mosquito. the mosquito is both pervasive and invasive. to walk out of the house and to stay out of the house for longer than 90 seconds requires a thorough bathing in some version of OFF - the equivalent of washing yourself in pesticides. what a lovely thought.
Method of pest's attack: Physical.
Method of primary defense: BioChemical.

in contrast, the pest of Silicon Valley is much more sporadic, even i should say only to be seen or heard from less than a half-dozen times a year. but the mere site, the effect of knowing that they are there, that they have been there, casts a pall over an otherwise enjoyable livelihood. instead of leaving the door open or sitting out under the stars on the back porch, you retreat to the interior, behind screen or glass. I give you, the mighty rat.
Method of pest's attack: Psychological.
Method of primary defense: Brute Force or Total Retreat.

now my friend, which would you prefer to fear and to fight?

no more poems, but more odes to family...

2008-07-21T12:26:00.001-07:00

a very Happy Birthday to Karen & Randall!!!

Karen, sorry for being late, i know you're true feelings on being left off the Bold Brew for two days are accurately reflected in this photo...

yes, these pictures were hard to resist...

a new life

2008-07-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

new life springs around us;
tickled and speechless we look to reason.
it seems we start to play life like a game
with a beginning and an end
and a longing to keep the score.
but does this give life its due,
or see it as if only we want to?
i imagine if we tried, we'd stumble on more;
we'd stretch to meaning not easy to defend.
quieted by doubt we'd likely return to more of the same,
oft wondering aimlessly from season to season,
losing the chance to make a silly but opportune fuss.
new life has sprung again
perhaps this turn, the miracle will sink this smallish rationale within.

suburban snobbery

2008-07-16T21:26:00.001-07:00

so i've launched a new blog. i wanted a way to talk about fun products i'm into without it taking over the content or tone of this blog. i toyed with a couple of ideas and decided to launch a separate site ... post titles to the new blog will be displayed in the sidebar of The Bold Brew (or you can go there directly). feedback is encouraged...

swampland

2008-07-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

while there are many stark differences between California and the South, the one that seems most apparent right now is the phenomenon i'll refer to as "swampland" ... it is the feeling that one gets mostly after the fairly frequent afternoon thunderstorms that roll across the South a few times a week. you open the door from your air conditioned 76 degree home and are hit with an invisible wave of moist, damp air. on really bad days, it is as if this invisible force has had the audacity to wrap a wet blanket around your body without asking your permission. and it isn't just the sensation of moisture (isn't "moist" a lovely word), but of this irreversible stickiness -- a stickiness that can only be eradicated through a long lukewarm / almost cold shower. frankly, i do prefer the dry air where you can go days without feeling the need for that shower (yes, that is i admit, very gross but showers aren't necessarily my forte, if you will). in the South, if you go more than 12 hours without a shower, you feel this accumulation of "swampland" on your body, in your hair, on your arms, around the collar of your shirt ... you get a case of the creepies just thinking about it.

on the flip side, you can imagine that it was "swampland" that led to such great traditions as sweet tea. who in their right mind would drink a hot drink in conditions such as these? it would be equivalent to asking someone to pour molasses on a body that is seemingly covered already with olive oil. most people don't understand sweet tea -- but those that don't understand generally haven't had the distinct privilege of experience the context -- for what is sweet tea without swampland?? -- sugar water. but boy does it cut through swampland like a magic potion. the cooling effect, the sugar antidote, and the refreshing bite of lemon or even peach or mint is even to almost invite swampland back for another visit tomorrow. my, my...pure goodness.

hiatus

2008-07-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

well, it has been a while. i haven't written for a number of reasons ... for one, we've been slightly busy these weeks since ending one phase and moving into a another, but also because at times i've felt mired in an state of emotional ambiguity -- do i feel excited, sad, content, at peace, worked over, stressed, totally out of control. maybe all of the above.

so i'll work back into this slowly. i'll start with a post about my final project in the d.school. team knee.d's final video and our final prototype. and while i'll take credit for the video, the actual product is the full work on my engineering counterparts -- way to go team! we faced a few steep hills that we weren't sure we'd actually summit, but in the end, our users felt we'd actually achieved a level of usability and technical credibility that could be attractive not only in developing markets such as Ethiopia and India but also within specific stateside niches.

enjoy (have been having some issues, hopefully it will work):

graduated from school. closed on a house. a bit lost in it all.

2008-06-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

eve of the end

2008-06-13T20:28:00.001-07:00

tomorrow is graduation. the seasons change. this has been a 2 year spring .... full of bursting energy and life. what's next? it is easy to think this has been a mountaintop and to forget that more mountains (and taller?) exist to be climbed.

my parents gave me a fitting card that puts the energy of this season on the future to come:

"go forth and set the world on fire." - st. ignatius loyola

apologies for the scarce posting. my energy has been totally zapped by the pace of the last few weeks (my own doing). i'm ready to be back online.

lots

2008-05-27T00:05:00.000-07:00

the word right now is "lots"

lots of roles -- mommy, daddy, student, socialite
lots to plan -- loan #1, loan #2, loan #3, (just kidding, sort of)... house, etc
lots to finish -- pricing project, prosthetic knee, ...
lots of relationships to wrap up
& of course, lots of golf (when possible)
finally, lots of memories to make and seal

since arriving home from Bandon two weeks ago (already!), the world has been spinning. La has been put on quasi bed rest thus challenging me to be ever more mindful of the trade-off between school, socializing, family, and maintaining a home -- at the precise moment when significant milestones are happening in each area (final papers, graduation / leaving, new child + growing 2 year old, packing current home, and planning a future home).

it is easy to cry myself a river, but i have to only flip open my computer to see how much i have to be thankful for. the reality of Sichuan & Myanmar is devastating. there is absolutely no explanation and no emotional respite.

it is a good exercise to take the time to think of all i have to be thankful for...

-- the links style golf at Bandon was incomparable and to think i was able to do it alongside 21 amazing classmates made it a lifelong memory. i told La that the scenery was top 5 most beautiful places i had seen in America. To boot, Team A-Rob took home the Ryder Cup win, but i posted a dismal 1 - 3 record for my winning side.

-- the Grand Strategy class for one week from two Yale professors. lecture / discussion sessions that looked at how the classics have and can inform an overarching worldview, particularly in addressing leading a nation (or a company). looked at Sun-Tzu, Plato, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Thucycides, Kant, etc. fascinating and extraordinarily insightful. our sessions were capped off by a incredible Q&A with frmr Secr of State George Schultz. now when i read thoughtful publications, i will have an inkling of the historical context of references which previously i had seen but not fully appreciated.

-- new music. will always. keep the. beat rolling. on.
...The Myriad | With Arrows, With Poise (amazing SF concert as well!)
...Andrew Bird | Armchair Apocrypha & Soldier On
...Josh Rouse | Subtitulo & Country Mouse, City House
...Radiohead | In Rainbows
...Sun Kil Moon | Tiny Cities
...Gotan Project | Lunatico
...Beirut | The Flying Club Cup
...Coldplay | Viva la Vida (the free release Violet Hill is BRILLIANT and the album is supposed to be absolutely EPIC)
if you're wondering how a poor student affords all this music...great question. check out eMusic.com and you'll likely be able to get it all for free as well -- legally. they have a 50 free download special for all new joiners.

-- finally, my new time sink: warfish.net. two words: online Risk. wow! and wow! and wow! the entire male population of the GSB is ensconced in at least 5 games simultaneously of this ridiculously great game.

golf at its finest

2008-05-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

at least 72 holes of golf

21 classmates

Pacific Coast, Oregon (Bandon, to be exact)

Ryder Cup style tournament

yet another mind-blowing, memorable experience

starts Friday

milk from soy

2008-05-05T08:32:00.001-07:00

during my run this morning, i stopped for a stretch break at the steps of the Meyer library that face the School of Law. as i held the rail to stretch my legs, i looked down on a dispensed, slightly compressed carton -- a juice box like carton, with the straw still in, bent to the side. on the front were what looked like Chinese characters, and a brief English description: "milk from soy".

i had a moment of deja vu, flashing back some 21 years to Taipei, Taiwan, riding a bus into the countryside on a tour, and being offered my first carton of "milk from soy". who would have thought that only years later, the soy milk craze would sweep stateside. the Asian pioneers could have made a buck or two (and maybe they have).

what came mostly to mind was how that taste of "milk from soy" 21 years ago was one small step in many where i opened my (petite) Alabama mind to a foreign experience. it began the process of breaking down barriers and inciting in me a yearning to know and discover more. and not that i've come full circle back to that compressed carton, but perhaps it was a small reminder to keep looking for them ... to begin that next flight of stairs.

thank you mom & dad for the opportunities...

two years on...

2008-05-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

last weekend was a bit of a surreal experience. it was Admit Weekend for those who applied and were accepted to the MBA program during Round 2. it was 2 years ago that i arrived bursting with anticipation while trying to patch and hide a good dose of good ole' insecurity. we had arrived early on Friday and the official admit activities did not start until Saturday .... and i remember leaving Laurie in the hotel as Elise slept, driving off to the first cookout, wandering what people would think of me, summoning my courage to carry a conversation with random people i would be meeting for the first time. and there was a bit of desperation, "will this work? this must work!" i knew Chicago wasn't the preferred option, i hadn't applied anywhere else, and my task in 3 days was to feel "a part" and to convince Laurie to move out to California. i sometimes laugh at my irrational ambition.

frankly, a lot of those same emotions came bubbling to the surface in my decision process, visits, and conversations with L regarding the job that i have now accepted. i knew that i knew that i knew in my gut it was the right next step -- but would i fit, would i convince Laurie ... do you hear a theme: "could i, would i, might i" .... "i, i, i, i, ...." And in retrospect, that i-centered thinking and level of inward facing self-doubt and of inward facing pressure to pull it off and make it all work -- were not lost on incorrect choices but should still be examined in their own right for what it says about me and how i view life and who i am, who others are, and where / how / why our lives intersect -- and can intersect, in powerful ways.

two years on, i was sitting last weekend in a house on 17-mile drive, sandwiched between the industrial old-canning town of Monterrey and the glitzy artsy beach town of Carmel ... a 17 mile drive (literally) that is now home to arguably some of the best golf in the world. and this wasn't a vacation with L, it was a overnighter with 3 other guys -- who i meet with regularly to discuss our values, our lives, our fears, our hopes, our frustrations -- and to listen, to challenge, to encourage. and oddly enough, i was sitting round the table sharing my insecurities (as blogged a bit of here before) -- with how people see me, whether i am valuable, not always sure what i have to offer and contribute. a lot of those same fears from two years past, but this time in the context and in the intersection of life, of caring friends. i think i'm seeing that often the story doesn't change, but it is what we do with that story and who we allow to engage us in the living and in the writing of it.

to live, to make ...

2008-05-02T01:32:00.000-07:00

... a home. negotiations have ended. look forward to hosting you all.

its like being naked

2008-04-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

...is how i described the feel of my latest pair of jeans. in the midst of the "seriousness" of the last few weeks, a few lattes, rounds of golf, new musical selections, and yes, a pair of jeans, have provided well-timed nitro boosts. i've resisted the "designer" fad for jeans. my Gaps have treated me well. finally i broke down though, tired of holes appearing in random places and jeans that didn't last over 6 months. i had to sell an iPod & an ill-advised suit i purchased from a HK tailor last year -- but these puppies are worth it. here's to jeans that feel like you're walking around in the ole' birthday suit!

dry spell

2008-04-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

mentally and emotionally it has been a full few weeks... lots of fun happening, but lots of "grown-up" business happening as well. who knew buying a house would be so mentally taxing and so much to think through!! it is an exciting proposition -- it engages the senses, it evokes dreams and emotions for what could be, for what might be, for what you think should be. as i studied last quarter, emotion is a powerful tool in decision making -- a very necessary tool, a very underestimated tool that should be used *more as the decision grows in complexity and significance (yes, you read that right). but with the mind and emotions engaged, it is difficult to be fully present in class, in relationships at home, even in life at Stanford (who would have thought the hope of something else could woo me from this experiential paradise).

life...who knew

congratulations!

2008-04-23T14:23:00.001-07:00

lots to post on, including buying a new house, etc (small stuff) ... but this post will be quick. it was too funny to pass up.

i received an email from Student Life yesterday entitled "Congratulations!". Attached to the email was a letter congratulating me for academic achievement in Winter quarter that placed me in the top 25% of the class for that quarter. I laughed out loud because clearly they failed to notice that I only took 1, yes 1, graded class at the GSB last quarter: my class on the wine industry. though i don't take my nice grade in that class for granted, it was achieved by the most pleasurable means.

here's to wine as the path to academic achievement!

defense vs offense

2008-04-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

i remember a class recently that discussed how a study of CEOs or others such successful individuals had the ability to always find the positive -- to block the negative -- and this trait provided causation for their success.

it is an interesting thought, and when i look at my life or my decisions, how often am i "avoiding" versus "engaging" - be it an individual, a scenario, or an opportunity. do i engage only when i know i will succeed? or when i know that i will be accepted?

it would make sense that those who answer "no" to these questions have a higher tolerance for risk. they are able to block out the possibility for failure ... and when they step out and yet fail again, they can see the positive in the failure and move along. then there are some of us that see the scenario for the outset, can visualize the failure, and avoid...

i see both in myself and wonder why? can i learn to hedge less? can i deconstruct this binary view of life and look beyond success versus failure to just engage, enjoy, and learn. like looking for a house ... i find myself more interested in protecting value and avoiding failure rather than being opportunistic and creative in this prime market for buyers...why?

random thoughts...

underway

2008-04-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Masters is underway.
Tiger is the prohibitive favorite,
but i like the man on the left, Justin Rose,
as well as Geoff Ogilvy,
and of course, Lefty.

....its been too long

2008-04-09T00:12:00.001-07:00

i frankly stopped posting after no one commented on my Latte Haiku. i realized that people must have either...

1) thought that the great Left Coast virus had completed its coup d'etat of my rational mind
and/or
2) not understand that my post was in complete poetic jest (though i did tediously research the proper structure of a haiku)

so to answer these assumptions, and let your great praise for my poetic genius begin to flow freely:

- statement #1 is only partly true -- which part, i'll let you decide
- statement #2 is mostly true

now on to more serious matters: Facebook.

i took a class on innovation this past quarter and our "capstone project" was to look at ways for Facebook to innovate -- in their products, in their processes, or in their organization. to be quite honest and fair, i reached the end of the class must less jazzed about the veracity of "innovation" as an idea and a practice. we did have some terrific discussions and debated different heuristics to enable conditions for innovation. the final project reflects these.

so my project (and the format had to be in video) turned into more of a personal fun-shop of ways to express myself via media & music (surprise surprise). if you have a few minutes to burn and want to see what Lord of the Rings, Titanic, the Matrix, Star Wars Attack of the Clones, and The Day After Tomorrow have in common, here you go:

Orbiting the Giant Hairball. Gordon MacKenzie.
The Innovator's Dilemma. Clayton Christensen.
The Medici Effect. Frans Johansson.
Capitalism, Socialism, & Democracy. Joseph Schumpeter (the idea of "creative destruction")

hooked on...

2008-03-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

as i told some friends:

it is as if Iron&Wine’s Samuel Beam met up with Jack Johnson,
in a cabin up the bayou,
deep in Louisiana,
over a bottle of good whiskey.

The result is a mix of acoustic soul-goodness.

kudos to L for yet another good find...

a latte haiku

2008-03-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

to one terrific latte...

A flower in foam
Roasted perfection in hand
Eyes closed, mouth open

after visiting the newly opened Blue Bottle Cafe
(corner of Mint & Jessie, past 6th on Mission)

mtv

2008-03-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

brother-in-law's band goes big screen with their first music video. watch for them on MTV & MTV2...congrats Steven!

hard to beat

2008-03-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

pretty awesome. i confess i always underrate the benefit of totally relaxing and unwinding. particularly with L. particularly with friends. still, in the corner pocket of my heart, i do wish i could be in Ethiopia or Burma with the Extreme class -- something doing, changing, moving.

there is something a little ridiculous about swimming up to a bar for a beer. but there is something important about being able to enjoy the moment. this place makes that easy. there is something also important about soaking up these last days with good friends (we're joined by 6 other couples). and we are in one of the last pristine (non-spring break ravaged) areas of the peninsula.

so, cheers to Cabo.

getting to the moon

2008-03-16T20:03:00.001-07:00

these past two weeks, final projects have launched in the Design for Extreme Affordability class. teams will be working on wheelchairs for disabled, new techniques to shell corn for farmers, in-home cooking solutions (current stoves emit toxic fumes), and improved water collection / storage.

our team (logo left) is tackling a knee joint for above-knee amputees for Ethiopia. constructing a device that is stable, mobile, and replicates the functions of the knee in a way that a prosthetic leg can connect to in a comfortable and sustainable way has to this point required thousands of dollars.

our mission is to provide 80% current functionality at 20% cost. while we may not end up constructing a new joint, we'll likely at least go down trying. we have a Masters in Product Design, Masters in Mech Eng, PhD in Nuero-prosthetics, and well, me. while we have little to no credentials in this space, we have the talent and the willingness. according to design thinking -- attacking a problem with child-like eyes often puts you a step ahead of the competition where solutions are mired in present knowledge and constraints. perhaps "beginner's luck" won't be luck after all...

Harlan Estate

2008-03-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

this bottle of Harlan Estate 2003 vintage is sold for $599.99 at K&L Wines in California, a premium wine retail store. the proprietor of Harlan Estate, Bill Harlan, visited our class, "Dynamics of the World Wine Industry" on Monday. An incredibly accessible entrepreneur, he shared his story with us and his journey to create California's best wine. if his ratings are any indication, he's well on his way. his 2001 and 2002 vintages each received 100 points from Robert Parker (a leading critic worldwide) and according to the critics, his pursuit of perfection has led to a wine that consistently rates higher than 1st growth French wines.

we had the opportunity to taste his 2000 vintage. i felt really inadequate as i tasted -- not having the experience to truly appreciate the qualitative difference. we did taste a lower category wine (Matriarch) from his second winery (Bond) and that was clearly on par with top Cabernets or French / Italian wines I had tasted. When the Harlan Estate was served, I could tell key differences from the Matriarch but it is hard to say they were "better" -- they were more enjoyable to me, but does that make it "better". anyways, the key differences where in the aroma, the tannins (back of the mouth), and the finish (how it lingers in the mouth). it was a fairly surreal experience drinking a $600+ bottle of wine. you got the sense you were sitting in the company of a master artist displaying his craft -- and appropriately confident in its brilliance. here are my [very basic and novice] tasting notes (we've learned that to really develop the palette, you've got to record all your experiences):

*initial aroma like a traditional italian (as my NZ wine master would say: "barnyard" -- and coincidentally, i like this type of aroma the best)
*earthy, olive aromas
*smooth tannins (i.e. leaves back of the mouth slightly dry but not in an aggressive way)
*sweet & fruity on the tongue
*fruit is appearing in the nose over time with more swirl ... hints of blackberry
*nutty and a smooth buttery spice (from the oak)

he did note that normally he would decant at least an hour in advance to let the wine breath which accounts on a basic level why wine changes so dynamically in the glass over a meal as you swirl if you haven't decanted it previously (i.e. many people note how it gets "smoother" as they drink).

so who spends this kind of money on wine? what i've realized through this class is that some people spend thousands on a watch or a boat or a fancy car -- and well, some spend money on all of it. but there are others who will substitute wine or art or travel or concerts ... La and i discussed could we spend that kind of money on wine when so many suffer in the world. it comes down to proportionate living to some extent, and i honestly don't know where i shake out on what that exactly looks like because if the money was there (and we had been responsible to give a % away) it would be pretty darn hard to not indulge on such an incredible experience as this, a couple times a year.

regardless, it was pretty special to raise a glass of Harlan Estate at least once...

4 day birthday

2008-03-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

L's birthday was Sunday but the festivities really started Thursday morning when we saw the baby and discovered that her sex would now outnumber mine 3 to 1. she plain and simple wants daughters and those daughters to enjoy sisterhood like she did. i'm excited as well to have another daughter to dote on, love, and nurture but i'd be kidding myself if i didn't admit to wanting a son. for whatever reason, it feels inborn in man to want a son. next time...

Saturday night we visited Marche, known as one of the best restaurants on the Peninsula. the French cuisine proved to be quite good. having been able to enjoy so many diverse and incredible culinary experiences, at this point, enjoyment for me is not just particular dishes or flavors but new presentations and pairings. it was in Paris where an appetizer of spicy pulled beef topped in mustard ice cream brought me into the royal court of gastro-glory -- a dish that touches across the range of flavor & spice: sour/sweet; texture: smooth/course; and temperature: hot/cold -- and this all in one bite. and ever since i've been on the hunt. certain dishes stand out but often most chefs focus simply on the main dish -- the meat and lose the chance to wow with the supporting cast.

on that note, the chef at Marche really hit a high note. the guinea hen confit was phenomenal. it was over a bed of wilted spinach, lentils, and mustard spice. on the waiter's suggestion, i complemented this with Burgundian Pinot Noir (Domaine Michel Gros). i enjoy the less fruit forward nose that many French / Italian wines present. it tends to be a bit more "savory" as my crazy NZ sommelier friend would say. i smell olives / earthiness ... he smells roasted meats (a bit of a stretch but sometimes i pick that up). on the tongue it was light fruit with a nice oaky finish. the beauty of these wines is that they don't fight the food whereas the sweeter, fruitier California wines can tend overpower the dining experience -- and then both the wine and the food is lost.

regardless, the conversation was relaxed and fun. L is someone i can be myself with and relax - she is "home" and that is refreshing for me. i hope she enjoyed it as much as i did. we talked names for #2 .... seems like this time around might be more difficult that the ease with which we landed on EAB's name.

Sunday L made a carrot cake which is basically an incredibly tastey butter/sugar injection. we invited friends over to enjoy and paired that with two of my new favorite white wines:

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. this is also a NZ rec and i've experienced it as a crisp refreshing white that bursts with a nose of grapefruit and green apple. over time as you swirl it seems to lightly sweeten, balancing out the bright acidic notes.

Ridge Mikulaco Chardonnay. more famous for its Bordeaux blend, Ridge has a Chardonnay vineyard as well and this is a terrific choice if you prefer a Chard that is not dominated by the sweet buttery nose and taste that most get from being aged in new oak. i've experienced it as a wonderful balance of fruit / floral / oak, and to boot, this is a great local winery less than 20 minutes away.

all in all, L's birthday was a great four days of time as a family, being together, eating, drinking, and celebrating her life and the new life that is to come! love you!!

checking in...

2008-03-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

busy week with lots to report ...
Vegas FOAM
Marche & a gastro-intensive weekend
$450 bottle of wine (Harlan Estates)
Launching knee.d

stay tuned...

its a girl...

2008-03-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

...or at least the tech was "90%" sure. exciting times!

broken identity

2008-03-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

identity is a shaky thing.

Tuesday i played in the finals of the GSB Golf Club match play championship (non-scratch golfer division). it was bracket style & i had marched through 3 rounds. all of a sudden people were cheering me on, identifying me with golf glory (or at least, that is how it was feeling to me). and this is when the feelings began to mount ... could i finally assume that mantel of athlete that had alluded me for 28 years? this was the moment that people would look at me as an athletic achiever, not a bygone to overlook and select as a body to fill the roster.

of all i sudden i realized how mental this had become - how intertwined this moment had become with my identity. and i began to think what is identity really all about and why the *&() did i care so much?? i began to see that it is where emotions rise to intersect reality (often irrationally) and where who we see ourselves as intersects with how we perceive other's perception of us to be. and i realized there i was, 18 years ago as a 10 year old, yelling in the front yard: "i know i can do this! i'm worth the first team!"

... and i played 18 uptight holes, falling into that 10 year old body again having to explain to myself and to those i played with and to those i explained the loss to: "i haven't played this bad in a while. you see, i'm really better than this. i can't believe i've let this moment to win, to prove myself, to set a stake slip by in such dramatically bad fashion."

the GSB has been a peeling back of the onion...the labels that i've associated with have been peeled away or at least exposed and i've been left searching for "who am i really? and how do others see me?" one thing we talk about at business school is how we look for labels to categorize those around us -- friends, classmates, and of course, business clients. we are encouraged to discard labels and to know the individual -- to move from one dimensional to three dimensional, from prejudgment to dynamic interactions.

what we don't talk as much about is our need to label ourselves ... it is labels that give us comfort in the sea of labels around us. i know for me, it helps me navigate this world. it makes knowing myself easier if others and their expectations can help define me (and my label) for me. if i don't have a label, how do i know what i am in relation to others? how do i know what others expect of me?

i first came across this when i realized after my first quarter at the GSB that i was no longer the "smart guy". i thought, "cool, this is my chance to find my core strengths and operate in those". instead of following my own advice from my Stanford essays and "pursuing who it means to be me -- regardless of other's expectations", i began to bury myself in new labels: "leadership guy", "media guy", "service learning leader", "emotionally in touch guy", "Southern guy", "family guy", "conservative guy", "marketing guy" which quickly gave way to "consulting guy"...

some labels have come and gone ... some remain to intermingle into a complex identity that i've formed at the GSB. some are subconscious, some are very top of mind. some labels shape actions explicitly, some implicitly (i mean for crying out loud ... Facebook, Blogger -- these are shrines to our attempt to create public identities for ourselves that often are only shades of who we really are in the quiet of our home). Tuesday was my chance to finally after 28 years, slip on the shoe of "athletic guy", but the shoe didn't fit. or did it? or does it matter? is it Ok to be second place - why isn't it Ok to be second place? to simply enjoy whacking a ball around tightly mown grass...

i was searching for a label, creating another statue of myself to admire and to hope that others noticed, admired, and incorporated in their static, one dimensional label of me, "the bold brew".

redesign

2008-03-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

been feeling like the title bar was a bit stale and didn't really capture "the bold brew" ... not sure it is completely there yet, but i'll keep tinkering.

it is another gorgeous day in California. brilliant sun and high of 70. today is the first team meeting for our Extreme Affordability project -- we are going to tackle a prosthetic knee for Ethiopians. incredible team, near impossible goal. i'll write more soon.

like an old t-shirt

2008-03-02T10:29:00.001-08:00

i watched Lost in Translation for probably the 10th time last night... we had popped in Hitch for a bit of mindless viewing but i realized i wasn't really interested in watching mindless humor so i pulled a switch 15 minutes in. if i was going to be mind-numbed, it would be via a film that grabs me every time -- the music, the dialogue (they nail the broken English encountered in Asia perfectly), the emotion of being in a foreign place, the lighting and sublime cinematography, the constant longing to be known, the challenge of staying engaged with the starkness of "real life" with its chores, responsibility, and oft-stale relationships. Lost in Translation nails life and that is what makes movies worth getting lost in.

A Long Shadow

2008-02-28T11:58:00.001-08:00

William F Buckley, JR left a long shadow with his death yesterday, leading conservatism into the den of mainline intellectual debate over the last 50 years -- long held as a stronghold of liberal thought. he elbowed his way in with a sharp wit, pen, and tongue, providing a voice and achieving credibility for a line of thinking that had been stuttering along in overlooked corners of academic and political thought; in doing so he paved the way for movements such as the Reagan Revolution. fitting tributes can be found across the web but some of the best are at the home of his personal legacy, The National Review. thank you to Uncle Robert, for introducing me to such a consequential man.

le grandiose raisonnement

2008-02-24T23:10:00.000-08:00

translated roughly from the French language: "the grandiose reasoning". i was looking for the French translation of "the grand rationale", but perhaps that doesn't exist (and now that i think about it .... that might apply linguistically and intellectually). things always sound more final and sophisticated in French, at least i thought...

it is easy to blow of Marx's famous words, "religion is the opium of the people" but for the last few months i have not been able to as easily. a friend and agnostic recently challenged a mutual friend (and Christian) why he attributed certain events to God. neither of us had a good answer. and the scary thing is that i'm not sure if a good answer exists, or more importantly, if a good answer should exist. if it did, then faith wouldn't exist, right?

but we want an answer to exist -- a "grand rationale", le grandiose raisonnement. a framework that we can explain the realities and consequences of our lives and those around us -- both success, tragedy, and the mundane. our language, our paradigm, our assumptions rest on and depend upon this framework. studies show that humans are by instinct averse to conflicting realities -- we need to believe one, non-conflicting view of the world; otherwise processing reality as it comes to us becomes too emotionally and intellectually challenging.

funny thing is that even as i see this veneer being peeled back, at least for now, i am becoming more comfortable than ever living in this muddy world of questions without answers and yet somehow accepting the simple, seemingly mythical, assertion that spoke from that flaming bush: "I am". i realize, that at least for now, a little opium goes a long way.

life in pictures

2008-02-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

the last month

phenomenal trip to Montana.
projects on jetBlue, Fidelity, Port (yum!), & the elderly.
trips to Mount Eden & Ridge Winery (some of the best wine in the Santa Cruz Mountain appellation).
busy, engaging, but have needed a break more than normal.

cool coffee wiki

2008-02-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

i've had this idea for a while and so here goes ... a place for people to post their favorite hometown cafes. it's time to buck the tyranny of mediocre cafes, coffee, & baristas (aka, the grand ubiquity of Starbucks).

to join & spread the fun, use the invite key: "huntforcoffee"

coolcoffee wiki

music

2008-01-31T09:03:00.000-08:00

my more advanced wife and her sisters will yawn at this, but hey, its better to be late to the party, than to not go at all... a year on, i've discovered Band of Horses. here's a taste -- followed by a classic Joseph Arthur song i can't get out of my head. Band of Horses strikes me as capturing the best of two great, but slightly imperfect bands ... the Samples & the Shins. enjoy!

UPDATE: i've expanded the list...

sadness

2008-01-26T15:46:00.000-08:00

i realized recently (actually by recommendation from my dad) that i should start prepping little E for the fact that soon we will leave California, and specifically that we will leave two of her favorite people in the world -- a 18 month year old and a 3 1/2 year old who are the kids of close friends of ours.

so i took my first step recently and said to E, "you know, we will leave California soon. Your friends will leave also and go to Australia." we've already been through this once with Christmas break -- and that round, we all came back to California. so when E responded to my forewarning with, "and then they'll come back" -- i shouldn't have been surprised. But not only was i caught off guard, i choked up. i couldn't bring myself to tell E, "no, your best friends in all the world who you ask to see everyday -- they won't be coming back". anticipating this pain for her stuck in my throat.

when i related the story to her dad -- and to reflect to him how much his kids mean to mine -- i not only choked up again, but i starting running tears ... no less than in the middle of the business school courtyard. i had to literally walk away before it became really embarrassing for both of us. i realized later that in many ways, my anticipation of E's pain triggers for me the very poignant pain and loss that i felt multiple times through my life when i made close friends on the multi-week and multi-month mission trips that i and my family took when i was a kid / teenager. some of my best friends were formed in those adventures -- richness for a period and then gone, never to return. and then i realized that my emotion was also the fresh heaviness that i feel about what will occur in my life 5 months from now. i am already dreading crossing over the mountains to the Central Valley, leaving this world behind on our trek back East.

but as i told La, i couldn't counsel E any other way -- the more she loves boldly, the harder it will be to say goodbye. the depth of the pain reflecting the depth of the loss and the depth of the love ... it is only to be hoped that loss in a world left behind doesn't lead to withdrawal in the world looming ahead.

i'm close to making up my mind...

2008-01-26T15:08:00.001-08:00

"only at the GSB"

2008-01-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

this is a commonly heard phrase around school... here is an "only at the GSB" moment from this week:

Tuesday 2PM. i drove to campus to pick up two buddies who are taking a terrific class with me: "Dynamics of the World Wine Industry". we are tackling issues such as New World (US, New Zealand, Australia) vs Old World (France, Italy, Germany, Portugal); old winemaking vs new winemaking (occurring in both spheres). fascinating class and very applicable across other industries (particularly food driven) where there is the opportunity for corporate aggregation -- which usually opens the opportunity for artisan "backlash" and propogation. our project focuses on the history of Portuguese wine, specifically Port. we drove down to the local artisan wine store to pick up a bottle of Port and a bottle of an Italian region we've been studying in class. then we headed back for two hours of tasting and "discussion" on wine, differences, challenges, etc over bread, cheese, nuts, and fruits.

the Italian: a Barbaresco from Cantina del Pino

the Portuguese: a 1987 Krohn Cohleita Port (aged in barrels 19 years)

and of course, they gave us most of another bottle they had just used in a Port tasting. and we had to taste the 20 year old "real Port" against a California Shiraz Port that one of my buddies had recently acquired ... how do you know the essence of something without the ability to compare & contrast ;). though our focus was on Port, i found the aroma and austerity of the Italian to be unique and stunning in contrast to the normally sweet and/or fruity New Worlds. Needless to say it was the best study group i've ever had.

the next step is official

2008-01-20T20:24:00.000-08:00

didn't imagine that we'd return to Atlanta, GA
didn't imagine that i'd return to consulting
both have clearly become the right move

"daddy how was your class?"

2008-01-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

someone's learning the art of conversation...

the bean

2008-01-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

a trick i learned in Guatemala is that if you can eat a roasted coffee bean (before it is ground and brewed) and not be totally turned off, then you're likely to be drinking good coffee. if you pop it in your mouth and it tastes remotely like burnt popcorn, you're likely to be drinking Starbucks (oops, that was harsh) or something that either was never a good bean to begin with or was tortured in the coffee roasting process.

today i opened a bag of Fernando's Kaffe from Antigua, Guatemala, hand delivered from my friends who just returned from this year's GSB Service Learning trip to Guatemala. Fernando's latte might just be the best i've ever had -- it is mild, with subtle fruit & earthy overtones (yes, i digress into froo-froo gargle). let's just say that the taste was multi-dimensional. it wasn't like Sbux that generally hits you with one big walloping punch to the throat (though lately it has been more watery than full -- though the "burntness" remains).

i popped a Fernando bean in my mouth and could instantly taste his latte -- good coffee indeed. no aftertaste, and an eagerness to brew my first batch. ahhhh, for a good bean and a good roast.

South African eye candy

2008-01-09T21:02:00.001-08:00

we had a terrific photographer on our trip and here is the fruit of his labor ... he's spliced in actual sounds and voice recordings from the trip onto the photos to create 2 to 3 minute slideshows for each day. here is a sample -- phenomenal.

Soweto Township & Apartheid Museum
Sesfikile

"i'm drawing my baby sister"

2008-01-09T21:00:00.001-08:00

our little 2 year old is beginning to own three things

1) she's a budding artist
2) mommy's having a baby
3) she's voting for a sister

the joy of kids!

the risk of conversation

2008-01-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

i haven't blogged about South Africa since my post "20DEC2007" as it is really hard to know exactly what to say -- how to capture and communicate the small and large changes, transformations, and learnings that accrued over 8 or 9 days. as people ask me about the trip, i keep wanting to get very specific but instead i find that my gut is to pinpoint something more general as the best thing about the trip: conversations.

i started thinking about the word conversation and it struck me that given its root word, "converse", that conversation thus shares this root with another word, conversion. and then my gut made sense.

in South Africa powerful emotions exist at every turn and in diametrically opposed positions. Blacks, Coloreds, Afrikaaners, British -- each seemingly see reality through very different lenses and experiences. what was interesting is how our team found ourselves engagingly emotionally with these different opinions and realities. and then as we engaged emotionally, in a microcosm of South Africa, we had the opportunity in front of us to explore together what it meant to sit in the discomfort of knowing that a person on your right or your left, who you presumably have much in common with -- intellectually and culturally (as fellow GSBers) -- actually holds ideas or views that might cut against your own. And it was when we allowed this discomfort to be exposed in conversation that paradigms expanded, ideologies shifted, and even assumptions and beliefs were released -- conversion began to occur.

and thus the risk of conversation. we'd rather dance around these discomforting differences that we may or may not know exist between us -- we'd rather stick to the easy chatter of life -- we'd rather not identify why and how different ideas cause our emotions to charge. because in conversation, conversion not only can occur -- it is likely to occur. and conversion brings to bear upon us a world that is unknown -- and that is what we fear.

this was the lesson of South Africa: let's talk. let's take the risk of conversation.

heading home

2008-01-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

it has been a full month since we left california. lots of things seen, heard, and experienced. will try to put them out here very soon. until then, i hope my "20dec2007" post whets the appetite for the Africa trip ... also thoughts on Alabama & the South to jot down. soon enough...

this band is going to be HUGE!

2008-01-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

other VERY BIG news in the family is that my brother-in-law's band was selected by MTV2 as this year's "breakout" band from a pool of 4000 contesting bands. this is a video of their live performance in Times Square on December 15 where they were announced as winners.

Steven plays the guitar and stands to the right of the lead singer (he's wearing a nifty red scarf). Congrats Steven and The Myriad!! remember the little ones when you are famous ;). FYI, it appears that the video can only be viewed on MTV.com so click on the "play" sign and it will automatically launch a browser to play it.

"I missed you in Africa"

2008-01-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

...so said little E two days after i returned from South Africa. a good reminder that life is replete with trade-offs. my mountain-top experience could be a valley for her. how to navigate? how to weigh? how to consider the short and long term trade-offs?

20DEC07

2007-12-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

hard to believe it has already been a week since last thursday ... at 22 hours it was certainly the longest day of our trip. within those 22 hours we covered our broadest swath of activity, and at the end of those 22 hours, it was easily the best day of our trip. in one day -- the 20th of Dec -- the past, present, and future of South Africa converged in unique and unexpected ways. here's an attempt to paint a picture:

the sun rises early in the Cape and as this was the eve of the summer solstice, today would be a long day of blaring sun -- yet more bright than hot as the breeze of the ocean mitigated the heat and sustained the Cape's Mediterranean climate. thus it was 5 am and we still arose to light streaming into the room. sunglasses and sunscreen in order.

as our bus drove East from the city, the Atlantic cascaded away from us into the southern horizon. it is how i imagine the jagged star-struck coast of Southern France -- and to some extent how one finds 17mile drive between Monterrey & Carmel. Million Dollar homes, panoramic views to die for, sailboats and beaches awaiting where the mountains meet the ocean. this is the place that was settled in 1652 as a stopover in the Europeans salt-trade with the Dutch East Indies.

farther down the Cape we arrived for a ceremonious photo at the Cape of Good Hope, somewhat dubiously dubbed the "south-western most point of Africa" which seems to lack a definitive declaration in being either the most southern or the western point of the continent (it is neither) so what does that leave it to mean? i surmise not much of anything. but it was here that in the late 1400s, Bartolomeu Dias and separately, Vasco de Gama first crossed the psychological and geographic milestone of what people of that day considered "rounding the African continent" and thus paving the way for persistent trade with the Asian continent (and centuries later the settlement of "Cape Town"). they passed from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans in the presence of a brilliant, if not uninviting jagged coast.

coming back to the northwest, we arrived in the wine country at Groot Constantia, established in 1684 and a purveyor of fine wines since that time. it counts among its patrons Napoleon, Queen Victoria, Otto Von Bismarck, and France's King Louis Philippe. it also recognizes that it is because of its slaves that it flourished -- it is an archetype for the South African economy ... reaching heights of success at the hand of an insidious societal choice, be it apartheid or the slavery and segregation that informally predated the legalization of the 1948 apartheid policy. the winery today continues to exemplify the finest of the Cape -- exquisite grounds in which Cape Dutch architecture demonstrates a certain height of aristocracy that would have been (and still is) the desired echelon of society. a picnic of soft cheese, choice meats, french bread, red and white wines, chutney and other fine dressings -- on silver, china, and glass made us all ease into the delights of such a life without much thought and with much enjoyment.

just an hour later, we rounded Table Mountain heading southwest back into Cape Town -- completing the physical circle that we had embarked on in the morning. as we pulled into the township we were met by a police escort that would carry us to our final destination. the townships were established as temporary locales for the slave workers in colonial South Africa -- a way to maintain physical distance and centralized societal control. they enabled both the eventual regulations of apartheid as well as the economic and cultural segregation that ensues to this day. they are the ghettos. the hidden place. the unspeakable. yet there is life that is sprouting in these places, fostered by a hope, a belief, and a community that we were to discover in 2 short hours.

2 women in there twenties have faced the "have nots / shall nots" that have been directed at their generation (and those that preceded them). in the face of this, they flicked a not so small middle finger and set out to form what they believe is the first black, woman owned wine label in South Africa. a gentrified, white dominated industry at that. Sis-fikile is their label: "we have arrived". they are packaging local wine and have struck deals with Marks & Spencer in England and are looking to expand into American shelves. as they expressed a hope to transcend the past, they reveled in the value of their community -- of not necessarily transcending the past to leave the township but transcending the past to transform the township through leading by example, teaching those around them, and the simple sweat equity of climbing the socio-economic ladder with the burden of caring for their families and their neighbors squarely strapped on their backs. as they move up, they are not moving out -- they are moving deeper into the community.

as we drank their wine, that community descended into the shebeen (local pub) and we drank with them -- absorbing their experience, their thoughts, their hopes, their fears. it was a rich experience, alive with the present and with the future. we left, emptying their current supply of wine, and driving back into the past of modern Cape Town.

perhaps the unexpected surprise that day came as we let our walls down, looking for a fun time, a time to forget the realities -- past and present -- of what we had grappled with that day. we slipped into Hemisphere nightclub on the 31st floor of the ABSA building sometime between 10 and 11PM for music, drinks, and dancing. but it was at 2AM when only four of us remained that the day came to a fitting close. a circle of black South Africans formed off to one side of the dancefloor, moving in synch and cheering on as unashamed members willingly scooted one by one into the middle and showed off their moves. perhaps it was lack of sleep or perhaps it was a bit of bourbon or perhaps it was the knowledge that this Southern boy needed to start his feet moving to the tune of the words he'd been speaking that week, but i decided to elbow my way into the outer circle. it wasn't long before they began cheering me into the middle ... a bit of fear kept me on the outside until a braver fellow American burst into the mix and i followed her lead.

a half an hour later, the circle was overflowing with whites, blacks, and coloreds (South African term for mixed and other races). there was mixed couple dancing, there was a walk-off, there was jumping in synch, there were hugs and high fives. as the four of us strolled out, my friend, who has also traveled extensively in S Africa commented that such a scene would not have been seen even just a few years ago.

it was a satisfying way to close a day started 22 hours previously ... we had started steeped in the past, eased into the discomforting mixture of perseverance, pain, and prosperity that is the present, and danced into the future that is stirring in the youth of the nation. it is messy. it feels messy. it will be messy for a while. but fortunately the longest day of the year was about to dawn ...

Out of Africa

2007-12-25T15:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Having been off the blog for awhile, here's to hoping that the next post will be sooner than the last.

Africa was amazing and there is much to write on. Here are a few pictures to whet the appetite. It is always difficult to come off the mountaintop but Christmas will hopefully be the start to a long exhale -- relaxing and unwinding before winter quarter. E is sick but you couldn't tell by the way she's devoured her *many gifts. Off to dinner...

mystery of memory

2007-12-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

today E and i went out to the playground for a quick jaunt before her nap. she said, "let's go tailgating" ... as in for the Big Game. today is Stanford v. Cal -- it certainly has some of the feel of Auburn v Alabama. we couldn't go, but i decided to ask her about last week's tailgate, which was also her first (Stanford v Notre Dame). i said, "what did you do at last week's tailgate?". she said, "play with Ellie". perhaps i shouldn't have been, but i was surprised with the specific memory. she had played with Ellie maybe three minutes. why did she remember this detail? or even that we had gone?

while she has shown specific recall of people or places in the past, there is one instance that was truly astounding. a few weeks into the fall, it was raining and we told E, "its time to run to the car", and she said, "yeah, let's get in the taxi". we were confused at first and then remembered that in China - over a month earlier - we had taken a taxi in the rain. that was her first taxi. this day was one of the first days it had rained since that day in China. so she connected: rain --> car --> taxi. why? what had lodged in her 2 year old memory bank? was it the uniqueness of the taxi, the rain, the place, the experience?

i'm reading a book that has put me in this frame of mind -- it proposes that in this age of abundance, design will be a deciding factor in a product transcending above the hundreds of options a consumer faces. it challenges the reader to consider design in everyday products or experiences. i agree that product design is critical ... but perhaps only a facet. what about the design of the experience where the product is used or first encountered. what about the graphical interface -- not just in terms of a computer but the walls, floor, and ceiling -- the textures of the environment. perhaps these anecdotes from a 25 month old child indicate there is something that links design, experience, and environment with memory -- and ultimately the search for similarly positive future encounters.

on a related note, i went to look for a cell phone today -- the first time i've done so since the iPhone launch. though i've used an iPhone before, today i really understood by the context of its peers just how revolutionary the iPhone is. and it is not just about its design or even the user's experience with the phone. it is equally about the fledgling competition that brings into stark relief just what a departure this phone is from all that the user knew previously.

is there something in a new, discontinuous experience that lodges in our mind and creates new associations, even future expectations, for how the world does or should interconnect ... i.e. rain + car = taxi.

let's get practical

2007-11-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

i'll return to the design school starting next quarter and be taking this two-quarter course on how to create / design and then deliver & market well-crafted, high-quality products in a way that is affordable for the world's poor. we'll be targeting communities and needs in Ethiopia and Myanmar -- perhaps even making a trek to one of these places to be on the ground, talk with users, and better understand how to develop a high impact product.

past projects have included water pumps (see picture), infant incubators (for Nepal), and low-cost portable lights. see the site for more details.

Different, Refreshing

2007-11-23T22:43:00.001-08:00

kudos to my wife for finding an indie, foreign film about a city that we love -- Paris. it is a bit of an odd film, but different, refreshing and even a bit alluring. different in that it was 18 short films by 18 different directors and mutually exclusive actors -- each about a relationship, set in a different area of the city. refreshing in that it wasn't your everyday cinema fare -- it took chances on the use of multiple foreign languages, the hodge-podge of emotions, music, themes, and subplots. alluring in that it made you long to connect -- with family, friends, and of course, love ... but love in a deeper sense than romance ... love in the sense of deriving life from relationships but within the broader, richer context of a park, a city, a cemetery, a sidewalk. it was in all things, Paris.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Mr. Emerson couldn't have said it any simpler or any better. i do feel extraordinarily grateful for friends - from Dothan, Auburn, China, Atlanta, and now Stanford. friends really do shape your life as much or more than family. they bring depth, laughter, perspective, difference, and motivation.

i suppose it is fitting to be having our first "friend holiday" as a family. i did this in china -- celebrating with friends, but this will be a first for our family. in an odd way, it feels like some sort of graduation into adulthood ... existing outside of just family and adding to the holiday memory bank with friends and peers (holiday memories always seem to be among the most significant in this memory bank we generically refer to as "life"). this isn't to say that i miss being away from my family and La's family, but this will be unique and special in its own right.

cheers to our merry party of 13 (counting the 2 almost to be born!)...

take a deep breath

2007-11-18T20:33:00.000-08:00

two days into the break i found myself needing to get out for a run. after a relaxing afternoon with the family and getting E together with her two best friends (whose dad is one of my close friends), i needed to have some time alone. i feel this need more these days -- not sure why, but i find myself wanting to be alone with my thoughts, alone with my God, alone with my gut. perhaps it is the career decisions that loom; perhaps it is the soul stirring of the fall -- mainly due to Lives of Consequence. i went for a run into the night, and i ran hard. i hadn't run like that since i was training for 2 half marathons in the spring of 2005. i came down Palm Drive and was drawn in by the warmth of the Church's glow in the darkness. i will miss this place. i keep finding myself saying that to myself, wanting time to slow down. i realized today that time slows down when there is nothing to do, and i left myself with little time this fall when there was nothing to do. at that pace, time has little choice but to keep marching on.

i need more time like tonight -- dead space, left to my own swirling thoughts, trying to tap into that heart of hearts. i wrote my "last lecture" this past week for the phenomenal class Managing Growing Enterprises -- which in one sentence is about learning how to manage the nults and bolts of growing a small business into a medium to large enterprise (handling a board, transitioning a family-run business to a professional environment, attracting investors). i wrote that the key to entrepreneurial management is to follow the famous word's of Hamlet: "to thine own self be true". as i look back over the years, what does stand out is how often i have gone against the grain -- of my peers, of conventional wisdom ... to keep pushing ahead. what does that look like this time?

one thing that is certain about this week of vacation is that it be one to unwind, in addition to capturing and enjoying that dead space. and in this house, unwinding generally involves some combination of watching the impeccable 5 hour version of Pride and Prejudice as well as diving into the first (and best) season of Felicity. this is all very self-revealing -- and i suppose a bit embarrassing -- i know (to be sure, i do like my dose of action and violence) but at the end of the day, can you really do better than Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle trading elegantly worded verbal jabs, the tension building through glances? it takes very little creativity to have folks rip off their clothes -- it takes a lot to reach a credible crescendo with them on...

also hope to produce "E, the second year" video by weeks end...

one part tired ... one part energized

2007-11-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

this quarter has been more intense and more demanding that i expected coming into the fall. truth be told, i chronically underestimate how difficult things will be -- but as i am learning in my Lives of Consequence class this fall, most of those that have lived a life consequence are fueled by such chronic optimism ... it blocks out the cynicism that can stall a train before it starts. it lessens the roadblocks and heightens the momentum when you've embarked on the path. in the extreme, it can be almost delusional -- but if you listen to leaders like MLK, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronald Reagan, and Abraham Lincoln as if they do not yet have the vindication of history, you'll hear that delusion as well. the key i suppose is how and when to allow voices of "reason" to startle and moderate optimism's sway ....

this last week felt a bit like a penultimate culmination to the quarter ... interviews are coming to a close, school is winding towards a close, i've picked great GSB classes for Winter (including one on modern versus traditional wine -- very cool), and perhaps most importantly, my stint as a "lecturer" has come to a close. after several weeks of lecturing, role playing, listening, challenging, doing 1x1s, and growing personally, it was a touch emotional getting my first standing ovation* as a teacher from our class of 60 MBA1s (*full disclosure: i did share the ovation with my 7 co-lecturers). i imagine the students were actually more excited to be ending their string of Wednesday morning class (the lab went from 9 - 12AM), yet still, it felt good to be recognized, to be appreciated for the two quarters of work (one prep, one execution) that went in to making the newly minted "Leadership Labs" a success -- adding into every new MBA student's toolbox a set of strategies and thought processes around leadership and interpersonal dynamics. it was rewarding to directly work with 8 highly talented students, to see them grow and stretch themselves over 7 weeks, and to be challenged myself by their strengths and their courage to change weaknesses. way to go Aquila squad #2! we'll culminate on Dec 5 for a day long "Executive Challenge" where they will role play against senior alumni and faculty (in lieu of me) -- putting their new skills, sensitivities, and modalities to the test. i know they'll knock it out of the park.

all this to say, i'm wrapping the first seven weeks of Year 2 with a sigh of relief yet with energy renewed ... the week off next week will be much appreciated as a chance to recalibrate and consider the next challenge to tackle (with probably a touch of overoptimism -- as usual).

Two Years and Two Pumps

2007-11-05T23:47:00.001-08:00

Today was worthy of a great fireworks display. Little E turned 2. And as she does with most things, she did so with her usual flair. The whole daylight savings schtick is quite meaningless to her. the fact that 7am (her usual wake-up time) is now 6am means absolutely nothing. So her loud shrieks of "MOMMY! DADDY!" came crashing through the walls as they have the last two mornings into the middle of our sweet dreams. She started the twos of with a bang: watching Dora, having hot chocolate for breakfast, getting her own overstuffed chair, a tricycle, and an assortment of Dora memorabilia (books, t-shirts, balls, etc -- there is a theme here), and then having her best friends come over for a morning playtime.

She dropped daddy off at school for a full day -- a morning class, a midterm, an interview, and then a speech on what it means to live a life of consequence. a full day, but one capped with 3 rich hours of hearing 24 classmates talk for 5 minutes each on what it means to them to live (or witness) a life of consequence. my classmates always blow me away but today was particularly special -- peeling back beneath the surface to a depth in their lives that others will rarely see.

i'm still grappling with what i think this question means but what i tried to do in my talk was retrace the steps of where emotionally i have felt impacted by a life of consequence. i spoke of how i cry in certain movies -- my gut response to the consequence of their lives -- of not being able to talk about my grandmother for 15 years after her death without crying. eventually, i turned my focus to E and how i hope that one day she will feel those emotions when she regards my life. i promptly broke down when i started talking about her. i'm not really sure why, but i got to the sentence where i had written, "She loves her daddy unconditionally and needs me to be an oak in her budding garden" and I absolutely lost it. true to the GSB, it was a safe environment and though i really don't know half of those in this class well, it did really feel like we were sitting around a family den, sharing life, and considering things of higher importance than profits and loss.

after class, i took E (and mommy gladly joined) for a yogurt and coffee at Fraiche. it was my first visit since going to China this summer and oh how good it is!!! i have written here before, but their latte (beans from Blue Bottle Co) really does stand head and shoulders above anything in Palo Alto -- an absolutely brilliant, balanced, smooth, and slightly fruity roast that would be ruined by any additive (syrup, etc) .... as opposed to Starbucks' latte which is best masked with a 2-shot pump of Hazelnut. And of course, E *loved the chocolate yogurt topped with fresh strawberries and raspberries.

OK, enough for tonight. but do go find a good latte and ponder what it means to live a life of consequence.

Alive & Kicking

2007-10-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

This title would be a great credo for the Bay's geological fault lines. While everyone focuses on the "next big one", there are literally dozens of micro-quakes a day (notice: 192 quakes just in the Bay Area's 50 mile radius in one week).

You just never feel them -- until tonight.

Notice the RED SQUARE on the left. We were working at the kitchen table when the table began to shake, my chair began to sway, and a slight rumble arose, as if someone was dumping a wheelbarrow of rocks on our back porch. I ran up the stairs to fetch Elise (and do what next??!?? ... later realizing we probably should have headed straight outdoors).

Fortunately, the rumble stopped as I reached the top of the stairs -- though our stairwell light that hangs from the ceiling was left to sway like a teetering pendulum. L said it well -- "it felt like we were riding waves". Our initiation into true California life turned out to be a 5.6 magnitude quake centered some 25+ miles away. Gotta love California.

The Smell of Stone

2007-10-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

there is a part of me very afraid about leaving next June.
and it is not so much the unknown of what that will bring but more of parting from what this place is and has meant. today i extended my run and ran down Palm Drive through the Oval towards the Main Quad. The quad is really the centerpiece of what is close to architectural genius. In thinking back through places that compare to Stanford at the level of holistic design, places like the Alhambra in Spain come to mind. Unfortunately, Stanford hasn't successfully integrated reflection pools like the Moorish monarchs that inhabited this hilltop fortress in Granada ... but they tapped into something -- they created not just buildings but place.

in the front courtyard, Auguste Rodin's Burghers of Calais welcome visitors through the archways towards the main square fronting the Chapel. as i passed through, a troupe of ballerinas were quietly practicing. moving into the main square (pictured above), i found a group of men and women sitting cross legged on their mats quietly meditating. as i made my way across the square, the morning chapel service let out and the priest began to greet people as they exited. there were full embraces and smiles -- something of hope in the air. walking away from the chapel through one of the many stone-sided walkways (see above, again), i caught a faint smell -- something of age, something of darkness, something of cold stone. yet it is also this stone that changes from cool to warm by the angles of light -- as in Salamanca, the stone glows at days end with the reds of the sun. the stone has created a place here, a place that people want to engage with, where they walk and feel history surrounding them, yet find some element of hope and peace in the face of today, and of tomorrow.

Predictify

2007-10-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Good news for two classmates and good friends who have just launched their start-up, Predictify ... the popular authors of the best-seller book Freakonomics picked up the company in their NYTimes blog.

A New Prediction Market for the Masses

October 25, 2007, 3:02 pm ... By Stephen J. Dubner

For those of you who love prediction markets (a variety of which we’ve written about in the past), there’s a new site that looks to be as vast, inclusive, and user-friendly as anything I’ve seen: Predictify.

You can wager on standing bets (who will be the Yankees’ next manager, e.g.) or “tap collective wisdom” (I hope they’re paying Jim Surowiecki a royalty) by putting a question to the public.

There’s a free version of the question model in which you get 100 responses from the public, as well as a premium version that, if the audience proves to be dependable, might soon become every marketer’s best friend.

The featured bet when I visited the site was established by Scott Adams of Dilbert fame, asking how many copies of his new, non-Dilbert book will be in print by January 2008.

Great bet — as long as you can believe the publisher’s number. (Hint: search for “biggest joke in history” in the link provided.)

did i plant a hollow tree?

2007-10-21T22:08:00.001-07:00

...is not a question i want to have to think about when i look back on my life in 50+ years

tech talk at two

2007-10-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

the title could be read in two ways that would be equally applicable:
"tech talk at two (in the morning)" OR
"tech talk at (age) two"

here are a couple amusing snippets of E's lingual development. amazing to think what kids will be saying in 25 years:

E: "i want to drive".
Me: "where are you going?"
E: "i'm going to costco"

E: (pulls radio monitor chord around her head)
Me: "what are you doing?"
E: "earphones". "music in my iPod"

E: (climbs up on a chair to start "typing" on the computer)
Me: "what are you doing?"
E: "doing an email"
Me: "who are you writing?"
E: "Mommi"

iPod, Costco, Email ... i suppose the middle one isn't that indicative our tech age, but the first and last blow me away that 2 year olds are already thinking in these terms ... perhaps it is indicative of their parents addictions (email & music).

a place, worn and warm

2007-10-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

a picture is worth a thousand words. IDEO is releasing a new book filled with pictures like the one here ... some with subtitles, others without. the reader is left to interpret meaning -- what it means to them, what does it mean for those in the picture? what is obvious? what is overlooked? what forces interplay to make the picture what it is? what, if any emotion, is embodied in the people, objects, or their collective arrangement?

this picture grabbed me immediately. it brought to mind the hours of manual labor i did with a local designer / architect / builder in Dothan during my junior / senior year of high school and then after graduating summa cum laude from Auburn engineering without a job (so much for honors). Andy taught me the practical side of aesthetics that my parents had encouraged from a young age. At one home, he was redoing a wing of their home, including the front steps of the home. The home was several decades old and he wanted the newly formed concrete steps to reflect that. It wouldn't be right to have new steps on an old home. So in the wood casting, he formed a rounded, shallow impression across the middle of the step -- as if 10,00o footsteps had passed there before. We once went and studied a house in Dothan designed by Bobby McAlpine. McAlpine attempts to create the "story" of a home ... this house's story was that it was an old farmhouse added on to over the years. the rooflines thus were not well-organized with roof angles extending from the main section in a somewhat discontinuous way. The more memorable feature how far he took the idea. By the story, the shingles of the main section would be older than those on the newer sections. He chose cedar shingles (a personal favorite) and dyed the main section a natural mossy color to reflect the aging and growth that would have occurred on the shingles over time. Phenomenal.

Seeing the worn floor stirred within me that desire to return home to a place impressed by story and character -- a place like this with multi-inch base moulding and wooden doors (rare in modern construction). We had friends for dinner last night and we speculated on why the South seems to resonate deeply in those who grew up in its subculture. why do so many want to go back? why do so many never leave? our primary conclusion was that the culture centers on the home -- and thus (often superficially), the family. Typically, people come to the home for a meal and linger around the table or on the front porch. You don't go out to restaurants, cafes, or clubs as frequently as perhaps the Northeast. You go to a home. Once you leave you home, you still go "home" to the parents for a family dinner. And it is not really a dinner, it is a meal -- more experience than just eating. One of our friends was from Seattle (the wife was from the South) and we learned that there the actual eating is quick, and is followed by an activity such as boating or a hike (who hikes after dinner!!).

I suppose it sparked in me the significance of creating my story -- through a home. Interesting how little pictures remind you of that which you don't have, but perhaps somewhere underneath long for. Maybe it was a subconscious reminder of my grandmother (the only grandparent i knew) -- truly a worn home but one you couldn't wait to walk through the door. how painful to think it was for only 6 years and no more. Apartment living is mildly convenient but I'm ready for maybe, just maybe, my worn floor, a place for family, a place for friends. such a place *feels like this picture of a redwood cove -- hidden yet open, dark yet lit, alone yet with room for companions...

deep & meaningful

2007-10-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

it seems that i have blinked and two & a half weeks have passed. i am getting nervous that the next 8 months will transpire as quickly, and i'll be left in mid-June to turn around and wonder, "what exactly did i do these last few months". there is a growing urgency to absorb, to focus, to enjoy these last days as much as possible. but then you ask, "how", "by doing what", & perhaps most importantly, "when". it feels as if i've gone wall-to-wall every day of these last 17. meetings, class, homework, dinners, and events from 8 to 10 (that's 14, not 2 hours).

we've instituted "family time" from 5 to 7 where i try to be home everyday to play with E, touch base with La, and be at home for dinner. that has been more or less a success -- a definite improvement over last year. but still i fight myself on just relaxing. i love to sit out and sip a cup of coffee but when am i doing that?

thursday nights have been a night for unwinding by virtue of the "BBG" guys night. the first two of this year felt like "catch up" nights as all the guys were back together again after a long absence. they lasted until 3:30 and 4:30AM, respectively. the latter one was capped off by a "deep & meaningful" conversation -- the loving term this great friend gives to our discussions. they are rich 1 on 1 chats -- challenging my thinking and leaving me encouraged. it is nice to feel known.

la and i had a little hang out time last night over cheesecake. it is good to unwind with the wife but unfortunately we were both so exhausted that we crashed into bed at 9PM...oh well. felt nice to get 9 hours of sleep.

long time friends were in town over the weekend to visit us and look at Stanford. felt a bit like home -- touching back to old roots of the friendship, putting down new roots with continued time spent with these friends, and being reminded of why those old friendships were and are so significant in our lives.

hopefully it won't be 10 more days before i post again...

random bits of enjoyment

2007-09-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

life is full of small pleasures ... here are a few of the last couple of weeks:

family connections have come in handy to score an advance preview of The Myriad's upcoming record. One word: WOW. after a summer of feeding off of Interpol, Bloc Party, Modest Mouse, Clap Your Hands..., & Arcade Fire amongst others ... The Myriad is a welcomed, refreshing sound. Can't wait to see them live!

La Fin Du Monde (see sidebar) is far and away one of my favorite beers but after a year of not seeing it on the peninsula, i had given up on it. Last week i walked into Molly Stone on an avocado run and i made my usual peek at the beer section ... to my great pleasant surprise this triple fermented belgian ale sat right in front of me -- an ale at heart with sweet fruity undertones it is the right combo for someone who normally sticks with summer wheat beers.

finally, sticking on my recent Ryan Adams run ... i've gotten my hands on Easy Tiger and am yet to be dissapointed.

will post soon on our run to the city for last Tuesday's Mute Math concert. they were off the hook amazing.

Fall

2007-09-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

Fall is in full form here in California. The air is crisp and breezy. Cool days are the norm and shorter days ahead. Spring is nice with budding flowers but it means that heat is around the corner. I personally prefer cold weather, jackets, and scarves than sweating in shorts ...

Fall also means Auburn football. this year has been disappointing with two unexpected losses -- until last night's thrilling win over #4 Florida. it was a classic college football game that makes me look back with a bit of jealously at those who get to live on the Plains and fill Jordan-Hare Stadium with a loud "War Eagle" 6 or 7 Saturdays a year.

History & The Boss

2007-09-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

When the hoopla began regarding the re-doing of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel (1946) & subsequent Oscar winning film (1949) "All the Kings Men" began some 2 or 3 years ago now (the newer version loaded with Oscar winning actors & actresses was itself a commercial dud), it reminded me of all the times i had been told that this was a novel that i would enjoy and should read. i do in fact like politics -- both as a point of discussion (or banter) and as a point of potential future aspiration. this book, it has been said, is the "quintessential novel on American politics". quote a bold assertion.

after finishing it on the flight back from China, i don't know that i can conclude it is a "quintessential novel" on politics (as i have read few), but i will say that it is a quintessential novel on human character and more specifically, the affects of power (and the attempts to sustain power) on man and those that surround and follow him. Mr. Warren employed a technique - that i'm sure has a proper literary name (and one that i don't know) - that i enjoy in novels, and that is that he will diverge from the event(s) of the moment to engage in some level of psycho-babble. it is as if the character will begin moral or intellectual musings and arguments in their head ... only to come back to the event after several long sentences or in some cases paragraphs or even pages. it adds depth and color to the event, and it is in those passages that i have to actually focus and shift from reading a page turning novel to carefully considering each word as if i'm reading Plato, philosophy, or an article on the nature of humanity. in those passages there seem to be nuggets of truth that resonate from the story of The Boss in the 1920's / 30's all the way to the present stories that are playing out in and around my life in 2007. this aspect of the novel reminded me of Dostoyevsky's ability to illuminate the caverns within a man. the actual story felt somewhat like the miserable march to madness of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness -- though a tad more redeeming in the end.

there was one point that i discussed with several classmates. i suppose it can be explained away by either being a novel about the South or a novel written in the 1940s, but i found Mr. Warren's frequent use of the "n" word in reference to African Americans to be unsettling -- and it grated every time i read it. the question i asked was, "at what point, if ever, is it appropriate to edit a 'classic' piece of literature for its lack of sensibility towards a particular subject?" clearly it is still in mass print so the need for such correction either hasn't been felt or if felt, hasn't been exercised. but to me, if i'm unsettled by reading this, how would an African American feel? would they choose to read the book? would it materially affect their ability to enjoy the work? if so, should something be done...

the highest difficulty

2007-09-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

i'm not sure that there is a higher difficulty than to watch your child die. i can't imagine looking over E's life and seeing that there is absolutely nothing that i can do to stop an irreversible fate. a couple that L & i knew at Auburn is doing this as we speak. they gave birth Tuesday to a little girl with Trisomy-18. if a child with Trisomy-18 doesn't die before birth, they generally live no longer than a few hours to a few days. they are approaching day 3 but it is clear that the baby is getting weaker and closer to going home. the brutality of the process is mitigated to some extent by their clear faith in God. to the casual observer there is a huge hurdle of bewilderment in how they could continue to invoke a loving God who has allowed them to walk through this on top of walking through two prior miscarriages. this faith is either a tribute to the strength of the opiate (as Karl Marx might suggest) or the reality of a God who though we can't understand or predict is clearly evident enough that we can't explain our life, existence, or purpose without him.

Hijacked (Part Deux)

2007-09-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

for the second time in as many weeks, i'm lying in bed with a fever. first go around, a little stomach bug hijacked my system and ravaged .... well, i'll leave the details to be imagined ;). this time, i stepped off the plane in San Francisco and started sneezing. this is my usual twice or three time a year head cold that comes on after i've sufficiently run myself into the ground, starts with sneezing, progresses with my head feeling like it has been stuffed with tissue paper, and ends with a nice little cough. except this time, the second movement of this sickly sonata has decided to pack a fever ... going on my third day. i suppose i'm probably in flu territory more than head cold ... our sales guy in Thailand who worked tirelessly to get us to buy a time sharing unit shook our hands and then later let us know that he was recovering from the flu. gotta love that. perhaps this is his final revenge...

so instead of playing 18 holes of golf this morning as i had originally planned, i'll be lying in bed -- watching some cute romantic comedy like 13 going on 30, to keep my spirits high (or perhaps because i'm a sucker for such fare and would prefer to watch that than Blood Diamond at 8am in the morning).

regardless, it is funny how you never plan to be sick. it happens and derails all your well-made plans. it is a good thing that L pushed me on getting back to Palo Alto a week early, instead of the day or two cushion that i would have given us. Activities start in earnest on Thursday. hopefully i'll be back in action by then. i suppose the silver lining in all this is that it is forcing me to rest and reminding me that trying to conquer the world through endless activity usually just leaves you propped up in bed - sweaty, thirsty, and craving sleep.

The Foreign Cacophony

2007-09-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

there is something that i always enjoy about China ... regardless of time of day there is a vast and broad array of sounds that seem to persist at an order of magnitude higher on the decibel range than any i have been in the states, save somewhere in the forest a few hours past sundown. at all times of day, there are hums, squawks, flitterings, buzzings, and yes, the ever present bangings and clangings that join into a vast orchestral cacophony. though wildly dissonant at times, it is a perfect companion to a walk in which you are, on the one hand, lost in thought, and on the other, trying not to be entirely aimless. what i particularly enjoy is its everpresence -- in the middle of the day or the middle of the night. yet as for the latter, there is something especially enveloping about walking down a lane overhanging with wispy willows, dense with a foggy smog, and the lights of lanterns glowing in the haze that arrives as the evening descends into its humid dampness ... this is China.

L and I had a blast this past weekend two close GSB-ers and their wives flew up from Shanghai to see Beijing. Unfortunately, i was recovering from some nasty, Asian derivation of the plague -- "tourista" as we said in Guatemala ... the kind that gets all voluntary and involuntary human expulsion tanks in gear. a 48 hour joy ride, if you will. made the more pleasant by our traversing in between from Phuket to Bangkok, Bangkok to Beijing.

i was flattened moreso by the fact that i couldn't wisk L around Bangkok in our 20 hour stay ... the city where 7 years ago, i was phoning her from street corners 9000 miles away, trying to convince her to stick with me while we lived a part for a year. it was something of a "coming home" for me in that sense, coming back to the root of the relationship. instead, i laid in bed to enjoy the nice deal we'd gotten on a room in the Peninsula, shake the sheets full of sweat, and nibble at the only room service i've ever had.

i've been struck this time as well by how beijing captures so much of our relationship as well ... it is funny to eat with L (and now our daughter) in the restaurant where i chatted with her folks only days after she had dumped me and left me to depart for my year here, weepy and wounded. over the last 8 years, beijing has built "hometown" memories -- much as i have in dothan -- except these are the "going home to the gal's parents" type memories. L has never looked at beijing like a home for her -- only a place to visit her parents. but if you look at the memory wall, it is deep, it is rich, and like it or not, it is a place where life has begun, been jolted, been revealed, and been celebrated.

our trip's "third leg" -- this last week in Beijing post-Thailand has been a nice combo of fun with friends, reflection on the next year (as well as the previous), considering career aspirations, and seeing new corners of Beijing. hopefully the next post will be a worthy attempt to dive into a few of these.

Sawasdee GSB

2007-09-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos... far left is the main reflection pond with the sea beyond. the right is the view from the mat in our raised lounging area.

I knew that the GSB would be transforming relationally but it has really been evident this summer. every trip we have taken outside of Palo Alto, I have met with GSBer's along the way. Our first night in New York (July) was spent on the town with classmates. Our second night in BeiJing was spent celebrating a classmates birthday. And last night, I ran into two classmates at the resort pool. i had told Laurie, I guarantee you i have classmates in Phuket right now but i had no idea that there would be some at our resort. The amazing thing is that in all three cases, the groups of people we have seen have included close friends as well as classmates who I know but am only acquainted with at a nominal level. To catch up with close friends and build new friendships through shared experiences outside of school has been a great memory from the summer and reflected how the small community at Stanford does go along way -- expanding the world in one regard while shrinking it at the same time.

Sudoku, Felix, & the Rest

2007-09-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

I always go through this when I get to China ... an irksome irritation with a nagging question, "am i making the most of my time?" the problem with this question is that it really doesn't have a good answer. if you look at my Birkman personality profile, my usual behavior is HIGH ACTIVITY, but my need is LOW ACTIVITY. what does this mean? i run my body ragged at the expense of my actual physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual temperament. And when i enter periods of low activity levels (aka "vacation"), i really feel very lost. i noted in my journal yesterday that perhaps rest is a discipline. if activity can be a compulsion, then to restrain from it must necessarily be a discipline. how many of us cultivate, even practice, a discipline of rest? unfortunately, i'm not sure that TV / web surfing qualifies -- even though it is often under the guise of "inactivity".

today, i sprawled out on the Thai mat that is nestled in front of a broad window in the corner of our well-appointed JW Marriott room and stared mindlessly through the tropical trees out into the sea beyond. it was raining, reminding me of mindless Southern afternoons -- or perhaps better, evenings on my cozy porch in our otherwise non-remarkable Atlanta apartment. we were on the second floor and the porch was ensconced in a broad oak tree. it was robinson crusoe remade. smoking a pipe while the rain drizzled down creating a muggy, misty evening was a respite. it was an attempt at rest. perhaps it was a good one. setting aside two such hours seems out of place in Palo Alto where a minute unused in productive activity or social interplay seems gone forever in the abyss of "lost opportunity". what a vain idea.

so, i asked myself this weekend, "did i come to China to sit around and do Sudoku?" to say yes feels very wasteful. perhaps to even allow myself the time to grapple with such "non-productive" questions is actually the point after all. fortunately to sooth my short term conscience i had several conversations this week that were very thought-provoking and fun time with the family -- i'll try to blog on them another time. in the mean time, i've arrived in Phuket and should be continuing this novelty of resting (sans internet). interestingly enough we picked SE Asia for exactly the reason that is forming even now in the Caribbean, Mr. Felix; however we arrived this morning to discover that we'd in fact arrived in the middle of Phuket's rainy season. irony or poetic justice or maybe just nature's way of creating that sort of rain-induced rest that we so callously spend 360 days a year avoiding - with or without a sudoku puzzle or pipe in hand.

29 & Counting

2007-08-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

gotta love China for music & movies ;). added to my quickly expanding Ryan Adams music-crush with his CD "29". an eclectic collection of songs where he once again does not disappoint.

also picked up my first Buddha Bar CDs. a collection of 7 volumes, these CDs are mixed by the DJ at this famous Paris bar, owned by Johnny Depp. Fabulous collection of downtempo / rhythm / world music.

Facebook's Fall

2007-08-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

the title is duplicitous ... as i noted previously, i do think facebook has perhaps reached its crest and is on its way to irrelevance. FOOLHARDY was the response from most folks -- citing recent valuations or the huge net adds they have in new users every week. fine. fine. fine.

what this post title also refers to is the fact that i think this Fall will be a telling time for facebook. why this Fall? i think that recent decisions to open facebook beyond students and to integrate applications have had fundamentally altering impacts on its future prospects. i'm too jetlagged to be sophisticated in my reasoning (and yes, by doing so, i'm sure i'll incur all sorts of outrage from LuLu) -- but here is an abbreviated version.

consumer immunity. M Gladwell notes this in The Tipping Point. we become immune to a technology when we get overloaded with experiences we didn't invite or enjoy. good examples: spam with email, tele-sales with the phone ... people begin leaving in droves for a "protected experience". people like to engage in these personal acts in a way that they can dictate -- they don't like surprises. Facebook was the non-Myspace. the clean, tight, and sober version of its, for lack of a better word, scuzzy predecessor. opening up the apps platform -- while uber ambitious in its objective -- has the potential to create the exodus. it is changing the way people experience the platform and introducing a lot of noise that might perhaps create immunity and distance from the experience.

the collapse of the social graph. Zuckerberg was interviewed by newsweek and made a phenomenally insightful statement about the "social graph" that connects people in a myriad of overlapping ways. it is the fiber than enables viral marketing for a pair of sneakers or allowed Paul Revere to alert a whole array of colonies with a single horse on a single night. facebook exploded by enabling the social graph's migration to the digital world in an unprecedented way. it fostered all the levels of interaction that we enjoy in varying degrees among our unique relationships. yet the immunity question arises again ... at what point do i become overwhelmed with a network that only gets bigger? how do i still feel connected? the newsfeed is good yes, but it is increasingly overpopulated with irrelevant details that are uninteresting. by adding more people and digitizing my social graph, it only becomes more apparent why i didn't want to see it digitally in the first place. not knowing the extent of my relationships helps me mentally manage the few that i truly care about and selectively block out the ones that aren't as critical. this gets lost in the world of facebook.

finally, as my friend the Kiwi likes to point out, there is a cycle at work here folks. no tech-driven social network has extended its prime longer than 1.5 - 2years. why? there are probably a number of viable explanations -- all of which are better than my flimsy attempts. but here's a shot ... facebook clearly had an attraction that myspace doesn't -- such as it's non-trashy look, feel, and limited population (until they opened it up -- different story and pitfall). myspace had something friendster didn't ... and on and on, blah blah blah. furthermore, as a number of Valley blogs point out, there is a curve of trendsetters that grow weary with new technology and need something new to tinker with, rave about, and be the first to know about. unlike coffee where it is hard to aggregate these trendsetters in a way that effectively shifts market action, the internet is the great aggregator and enabler. in fact, it wouldn't be surprising to see facebook be the place where news of the "next Great One" first begins to spread at the speed of its highly optimized, yet ever more teetering social graph.

that guy with that kid

2007-08-28T05:45:00.000-07:00

yep, you are correct to assume that today for 12 hours on United flight 889 to Beijing, i was that guy with that kid. talk about a hit to the parental pride ... toss out the window the pretense of perfect child with serene manners. they say that true character is shown under stress. we now know that at age 21 months, E's true character under stress & exhaustion is screaming when she doesn't get her way. wait, let me re-phrase that ... we & all 20 passengers seated in our vicinity now know this. particularly the guy in the row ahead of us who held his ear every time E let out a wail.

oh, and in case you were wondering, da-da's character under pressure isn't so stellar either. turns out that sometimes he worries about what other's think of him more than he worries about raising a sound daughter.

but perhaps there is grace to all today as our departure was preceded by a four hour delay -- on the tarmac for about 3 hours of that with no AC and a brief ice water service. the upside is that they are sending out vouchers. perhaps we'll get a free domestic ticket to boot.

the bigger upside is that we are here, E is super excited to be in "Chi-noh", chaobing is cooking for breakfast tomorrow morning, and it just feels good to be back in the Middle Kingdom (Zhong Guo).

Music & Mutterings

2007-08-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

Muttering
Finished Tipping Point this weekend and find his thinking on consumer immunity to be extremely compelling and backs up my thinking / conversations with colleagues that Facebook will likely be eclipsed by a comparative social phenomenon within the year (you read it here first folks).

Music
Beirut / The Gulag Orkestar. Do yourself a favor and get this CD. Close your eyes when you pop it in and you'll find yourself in a European bazaar.

over-amped

2007-08-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

after re-reading the last post, i probably fell into the trap of over-generalization on the fate of Starbucks. the comments i received were terrific and were a nice addendum to conversations that i had offline.

so i'm going to revisit a few things. what is starbucks after? brand recognition. revenue. social phenomenon. clearly the second is the end, with the first and the last the primary means. it is funny how Starbucks was the first company to effectively franchise a "coffee experience". most towns have a quaint coffeehouse that everyone loves. why didn't those places go global? Starbucks built a reputation as a franchise of "good strong coffee" that was the same wherever you went. but is that what they are now? is what they are now out of their hands? i say the latter because on their way to building a repeatable franchise where people went and went again, they successfully achieved status as a "see and be seen place". how they achieved this is a whole other discussion, but they did it. as a result, the masses (predictably) followed the trendsetters and the franchise flourished.

starbucks as a name, a brand, however has ultimately become more identified with "see and be seen" than with good coffee. because of this the trendsetters slowly lost ownership of the Starbucks experience and the new owners of the experience became those who didn't care about coffee -- and wanted nothing more than status symbol and a Dunkin Donuts style liquid of milk, sugar, and a dab of coffee.

this brings me back to the point of my last post -- to meet this demand of the masses (that followed the trendsetters), is Starbucks moving into markets (such as office coffee, Chevron, etc) that will dilute the brand and the quality? i say yes to that question.

in other businesses or industries, the trendsetters usually become offended when the masses start indulging in "their" product. they take offense when quality goes down or their brand becomes associated with a "less than premium" experience -- i.e. buying Starbucks at Chevron or pumping it out thin and weak from the office spicket.

where am i going with this?

the problem is that this model breaks down with coffee. in clothing, the trendsetter can wear and push another brand. if it is not already recognizable, it can be made recognizable through well-developed retail and marketing channels. where do the trendsetters turn in coffee drinking? they usually go back across the street to the nearest or newest gourmet shop. in palo alto, that is Fraiche and they resale local East Bay coffee, Blue Bottle (see recent post). the channels don't exist to up and make Blue Bottle the next Starbucks -- not without eventually walking down the road that Starbucks is on (and most likely will lead to a well-known conclusion -- Dunkin Donuts style). blue bottle knows this and are content staying private, staying small, staying focused on great coffee. the mass market will keep going to Starbucks and as my good friend BMV noted, so will we when we find ourselves in a pinch without a Fraiche to serve it up right.

the "trendsetter" effect is therefore dispersed. if i walk into work with a cup of Fraiche, i will be the only one. it will not create momentum that Starbucks has when one, two, three people a day walk in with the distinct white & green-logo cup. therefore, the industry structure itself shields Starbucks.

that is why i was too quick to proclaim the end of Starbucks and most likely why, at least in the mid-term, they will be the place where the masses go to see and be seen.

meanwhile, the trendsetters will move on to a thousand little cafes. perhaps the best thing we can do is encourage the owner to develop a unique cup that draws attention to build the next "see and be seen" coffee.

death by marketing?

2007-08-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

At some point this year I noticed a sign outside the local Menlo Park Chevron, "Proudly brewing Starbucks Coffee". I thought to myself -- surely this is the beginning of the end. Maybe i am wrong. maybe i am downright snotty about coffee, but it would seem to me that a coffee brand that made its name on its coffee being something of a status symbol, that can sell a cup of liquid for $5, is now selling its name, its product, its brand to a gas station... a gas station. perhaps i am a consumer oddity, but gas stations represent what is wrong about life -- overpriced gas, overpriced bad food, and overpriced service. some have recently made a name for themselves over fountain drinks and snack bars, but no one associates the fountain drink or the snack bar with premium product.

what is more disturbing about this decision by Starbucks is what it probably actually means: to keep up with Wall Street, its expectations, and its growth projections, it must drive higher and higher revenues and as good or better margins. it is a perpetual treadmill and for premium products, it is a dangerous one. premium by its very nature generally represents restriction -- to a select group or segment. starbucks, to its credit did seem to cross this chasm to some extent as the everyday man spent hard earned cash on a drink -- money they wouldn't even consider spending if you stood across the street without the Mermaid label and passed out white cups of strong, acidic coffee for even half the price. however, what's the charm of paying $2 for Chevron Starbucks? will it have the effect of propagating or diluting the brand?

i'd take the latter -- it is the wrong association for the consumer. even worse, the truly snotty Starbucks customers who likely claim to have known, appreciated, and bought the brand before the rest of the "common man", will likely see it (not necessarily consciously) as a slap to their status as Starbucks drinker and look for "higher ground" -- the next status cafe or cup o' joe.

back to the earnings assumption ... Starbucks is making meaty margins by bagging its house product -- which it assembles through a hodgepodge of lower quality, mismatched stocks of beans. it then can bag it in batches that are smaller coffee / unit of water than it serves in its stores. thus all the vendors get a lower quality, less dense brew (think airline coffee -- or worse, office coffee. even that pack of Starbucks at the office is downright weak. Starbucks gets its margin and presumably gets more sales. At what cost?

after a spring quarter sprinkled with tasty lattes from Moonbeans and a summer of love for Fraische's Blue Bottle coffee, the growing inconsistency of Starbucks stands in stark relief. i am looking for higher ground. i am looking for fault in my forlorn coffee love. i was served a triple expresso last week that barely passed for a single shot americano it was so watered down. the spurn is now on for good ...

what should Starbucks do? take a stock hit and retrench? that's a great question that i won't attempt to answer here. what perhaps is more alarming is that at their current growth rates, their potential demand will outstrip the physical supply of worldwide premium coffee -- unlike the debate over peak oil, coffee really does have a limit. what will Starbucks do then? serve a cup of muddy water with a cup of sugar and loads of creamy milk like its NorthEastern step-brother, DunkinDonuts. such a time isn't far away.