chaztoo

I finally found a pen cap that fits the Dixon Ticonderoga, which...

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:07:14 -0500

I finally found a pen cap that fits the Dixon Ticonderoga, which will help me transition shorties from being binder-clipped to my notebook to living in my front pocket without marking it up. I can’t explain the amount of cognitive overhead this dissipates.

That laugh is neck-and-neck with Click & Clack’s...

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:05:57 -0500

That laugh is neck-and-neck with Click & Clack’s laughs for the most joy-making laugh in radio. I’m saving this for hard times.

The guest book should be of the credenza.

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:02:50 -0500

The guest book should be of the credenza.

When did TCBY switch to the that’s-how-they-get-you model?

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:29:56 -0500

When did TCBY switch to the that’s-how-they-get-you model?

Your intern’s first name is invalid.

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:38:19 -0500

Your intern’s first name is invalid.

Remember that conference?

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:09:43 -0500

I was pretty sure I was live-tweeting the conference wrong last week, but I must have done something right to be batting clean-up in the organizer’s wrap-up collection of Tweets.

Finally, Charlie Trotter reminded attendees that while technology is more often than not an enabler, it should certainly never be a constraint:

If any fellow attendees need their #2 pencil sharpened, I’m four tables from the front on the left. #hrefactored twitter.com/chaztoo/status…

— Charlie Trotter (@chaztoo) May 13, 2013

I guess I’ll keep doing my thing, and second-guess it less.

Oklahoma tornado: Woman finds lost dog during live TV interview (video)

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:01:30 -0500

Oklahoma tornado: Woman finds lost dog during live TV interview (video):

openareas:

In a stroke of luck amidst widespread devastation and loss of life, Moore, Okla., resident Barbara Garcia was reunited with her dog during an interview with CBS.

I AM LEAKING FROM MY EYES WHAT IS HAPPENING.

Beautiful. You can’t keep a Schnauzer down. Toots The Good Boy Trotter is going to get some extra hugs today.

gq: “The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you...

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:28:01 -0500

gq:

“The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”

- Groucho Marx

This guy.

I should probably check my work voicemail.

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:17:40 -0500

I should probably check my work voicemail.

ipocrisia: Massimo Bartolini Guff! College kids will protest...

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:55 -0500

ipocrisia:

Massimo Bartolini

Guff! College kids will protest anything.

Conference Haiku

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:30:27 -0500

Oh, you’re from Dallas?
Not much happening out there.
Thought about Austin?

—

He opens the floor
For questions and gets thinly
Veiled pitches instead.

—

The catered flautas
Are so good, but I should stop
And look hirable.

—

How long do we have
To talk before I can give
You my business card?

—

In this town, the ones
Worried about jobs are those
Who have them to fill.

I like to think I don’t normally get star-struck, but,...

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:15:28 -0500

I like to think I don’t normally get star-struck, but, come on, it’s the World’s Greatest Pencil.

I think I found a sweet spot with these SkyMall copy haiku by...

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:43:22 -0500

I think I found a sweet spot with these SkyMall copy haiku by writing them so they discourage you from buying the product.

Star Trek: Next Generation, S1-E2 Didn’t this show...

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:55:39 -0500

**Star Trek: Next Generation, S1-E2**

Didn’t this show run on free TV? There were some nakey people in this episode. Also, is this series how Will Wheaton got elected Nerd King?

Allman Brothers-style closing of “I stand Amazed” by...

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:47:00 -0500

Allman Brothers-style closing of “I stand Amazed” by chaztoo

Two friends, Sam and Will and I were asked to lead worship at church on the 26th. Usually there is a full-sized contemporary band leading, and they are very good. We have an unusually large population of talented musicians in our church. The Worship Pastor asked us to do a stripped-down, rootsy set with vocals, acoustic guitar, slide guitar and mandolin. We are really excited to get to play together and prepare bluesy, bluegrassy arrangements of some old hymns.

We got together to rehearse tonight and some good stuff happened. This is the little ending we are planning for “I Stand Amazed,” a beautiful hymn.

seventeentoone: My friend and coworker, Matt, and I traveled to...

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:53:15 -0500

seventeentoone:

My friend and coworker, Matt, and I traveled to San Francisco this week for a conference and had a little extra time to tour the city. We hit the usual spots like the Golden Gate Bridge and the spectacle of Fisherman’s Wharf. More importantly, I consulted Nathanael about doing some coffee tourism.

I knew we would have plenty of time to visit at least one cafe when we arrived Sunday, but our conference being down in Mountain View, I didn’t know if we would have time to visit any others before we left, so I needed to know where to go if I could only go to one.

“Ritual,” was the reply.

Ritual Coffee Roasters have several locations in San Francisco, and without asking Nathanael which to visit (for reasons unknown to both of us), I chose the one closest to the airport on 1634 Jerrold Ave, and received an nice surprise.

When we turned onto the street, it wasn’t the bustling lane of shops I was expecting, but rather a few homes in bad repair and several corrugated steel buildings. We weren’t sure we were in the right place, but Google said we had arrived, and as we pulled into the parking lot we saw a small sign for Ritual hanging under a larger sign for Flora Grubb Gardens. That’s also when we noticed the densely foliaged area between the parking lot and the next steel building. Other than the Ritual logo there was no indication of a cafe nearby.

We plucked up our courage and stepped into a lush maze of palms, shrubs and succulents accented by colorful pots. A few yards in the open-sided warehouse came into view, and that’s when Ritual’s bright red flag caught my eye.

In the far back corner of the garden building was their small cafe. You could hardly fit a set of dorm-regulation bunk beds in the space they’d been given, but they had all the room they needed for an espresso machine, a pour bar and a couple of glass jars full of pastries. Their menus were on clipboards sitting flat of the counter, so I couldn’t see them until I was on deck to order. It didn’t matter, though, we knew what we wanted: a latte for Matt and a cup of black coffee for me.

A quick glance at the menu and I knew I would be ordering a cup of Siberia: Plan del Cedro. I’ve become a big fan of fruity, juicy coffees with bright acidity (a tang on the back sides of the tongue), so upon seeing the tasting notes of Santa Rosa plum, red grapes and Jamaica juice, I was in. I will also confess to having been moved in the affirmative by the $5.00 price tag. I’m use to paying three dollars and change for a hand-brewed cup of single origin coffee, so I figured there was something about this one. Indeed there was.

We paid and took our drinks out the side door to a small alley that housed another garden and patio, into which the sun beamed, perfectly countering the crisp Spring day. Now it was time to pay attention to the coffee.

Mine was still a few degrees north of where I like to start drinking it - in fact, I burned my tongue slightly at the counter with an early, over-zealous sip - so I opted to spend time taking in the the aroma. Both bang and zoom, did it smell like a million.

I don’t know from Santa Rosa plums, and Jamaica juice sounds like a disambiguation link back to Tommy Chong’s Wikipedia entry, but this coffee smelled wonderfully juicy and complex, two points on which it delivered with heft in taste. I don’t know how long they will have the Siberia: Plan del Cedro, but you can order a bag of it now. And if you are in San Francisco, it’s worth the trip, and way worth a fiver.

—Charlie

This was one of the most beautiful cafes in my coffee touring experience, and one of my favorites to write about.

colchrishadfield: You can see how high we are when you see how...

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:56:45 -0500

colchrishadfield:

You can see how high we are when you see how close this jet trail is to the ground.

Wowzers.

elladraws: birds!

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:53:10 -0500

elladraws:

birds!

Star Trek: Next Generation S1 E1

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:30:05 -0500

On my friend, Matt’s, recommendation I began watching Next Generation for the first time tonight. My dad watched it when I was a kid, but I didn’t get into it.

Thoughts so far:

Geordi is in constant pain from the visor that lets him see?!
I like Riker.
Data’s character is going to be interesting to watch after reading Azimov’s robot novels last year.
Why do some of the ladies have to wear short dresses while others get pants?
Picard is the kid’s real dad.

Photo

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:46:59 -0500

chaztoo

I finally found a pen cap that fits the Dixon Ticonderoga, which...

That laugh is neck-and-neck with Click & Clack’s...

The guest book should be of the credenza.

When did TCBY switch to the that’s-how-they-get-you model?

Your intern’s first name is invalid.

Remember that conference?

Oklahoma tornado: Woman finds lost dog during live TV interview (video)

gq: “The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you...

I should probably check my work voicemail.

ipocrisia: Massimo Bartolini Guff! College kids will protest...

Conference Haiku

I like to think I don’t normally get star-struck, but,...

I think I found a sweet spot with these SkyMall copy haiku by...

**Star Trek: Next Generation, S1-E2** Didn’t this show...

Allman Brothers-style closing of “I stand Amazed” by...

seventeentoone: My friend and coworker, Matt, and I traveled to...

colchrishadfield: You can see how high we are when you see how...

elladraws: birds!

Star Trek: Next Generation S1 E1

Photo

Star Trek: Next Generation, S1-E2 Didn’t this show...