Product Review: Celestial Seasonings Black Cherry Berry Caffeine Free Herbal Tea

March 3, 2009 / Reviews

This tea was purchased as part of a Celestial Seasonings variety pack, with five different types of fruit teas. I bought it mainly for this flavor — again with the cherry.

I very much regretted my purchase as soon as I tasted the tea. Even with sugar in it, it has a sour flavor which tastes nothing like cherries, nor, for that matter, like berries. It does seem vaguely fruity, in an artificial, almost chemical sort of way, but it is not pleasant to drink.

The only nice things I can say about it are that it was not so bad that I couldn’t force myself to finish the cup, and that when I’d finished drinking it, it stayed down.

One quarter of a star out of five, for not actually being poison.

Avoid this tea at all costs. (Please bear in mind that this tea is not representative of Celestial Seasonings’ products. They have other flavors that I quite enjoy, this particular one just happens to be disgusting.)

When Is Boredom Not Boredom?

February 23, 2009 / Uplift!

Recently, both Scott H. Young and Cal Newport wrote articles about boredom. But I remain unconvinced that boredom is the real problem here.

But of COURSE it is, people are bored all the time, right? Not necessarily. You see, people are bad at semantics, often mistaking one thing for another. I once read somewhere that the thirst reflex in humans is so weak, that we often mistake it for hunger. We just don’t recognize it for what it is. What if the same thing happens with our emotions? Perhaps we’re having a feeling that we can’t quite place. We know it’s there, though, and we have to call it something, so we mistakenly identify it as boredom.

Think about this. Often, when feeling “bored”, we don’t have a lot of interest in any activities suggested to cure the boredom. They’re perfectly good, fun, and interesting things to do, but in our “bored” state, they don’t seem to be the cure for what ails us. Why don’t you read a book? Play a video game? Watch TV? The truth is, if we were merely bored, these activities would pick us up again — or at least bring us back to the state of “partial boredom” that Scott H. Young described in one of the articles I linked above. We know they won’t, and there’s a reason for that. It’s because we’re not just bored.

Really, what we are is unfulfilled. We’re not just looking for an activity to occupy our time and our minds, or we would settle easily on whatever reasonably entertaining activity presented itself. We don’t reject the possibilities because they won’t cure boredom. We reject them because they won’t give us the feeling we’re really after, a feeling of fulfillment.

I used to have this problem all the time. I didn’t recognize it, mind you, but that’s what was happening. And since I didn’t recognize it, I simply thought I was bored. These days, I’m rarely bored, except for times when I am obligated to do a boring task. If I’m just at a loose end, I can usually figure out something to do that will occupy me satisfactorily. The key to curing boredom is to figure out what matters to you and pursue it. Work on things that you care about, that make you feel good as you do them, not just when they are completed. If you have personal projects that drive you, you’ll find a much greater level of fulfillment, and the “boredom” in your life will diminish proportionately.

Product Review: Bigelow Vanilla Chai Tea

March 3, 2009 / Reviews

I’ve been drinking this tea every morning for about a week now. It’s currently my black tea of choice. I’ve only had chai a few times before, and I’ve discovered that I like sweet chai but not spicy chai (no surprise there), so I decided to try this one hoping that it would be in the former category.

The tea is not as flavorful as I’d expected, even with long brew times and going easy on the milk. The sweet chai I’ve had in the past had both a much stronger flavor and a much higher degree of sweetness (though this may be my own fault for not using enough sugar). I was hoping for a recreation of that experience, and this tea didn’t give me that. Perhaps I shall try some other varieties of bagged chai to see if they are closer to the taste of the professionally-prepared chai I’ve had in the past. It may also be worth noting that I’m using the “Quick Method” instructions, not the “Authentic Method”, which may well make a difference.

On the other hand, evaluated on its own merits instead of how it compares to other chais I’ve had, this tea is quite good. The spices lend it a pleasant mild flavor and aroma, and it is quite enjoyable to sit and sip. The fact that chai is served with milk cools it quickly to a nice temperature so that you don’t have to wait around or risk burning your tongue (I tend to be impatient about getting that first cup of tea in the morning). It works quite well for waking me up, and I definitely plan to purchase it again, although I will likely buy something else I haven’t tried first and return to this tea later.

Overall, this is a mild but flavorful tea with many good qualities. If you like strong chai, you might find this variety too weak, but if a mild sweet flavor with an overtone of spices is to your liking, you won’t go wrong with Bigelow Vanilla Chai. Three and three-quarters stars out of five — if it were a little stronger and a little sweeter, I’d go to four.

This one very much depends on your tastes.

Product Review: Republic of Tea Spring Cherry Beginner’s Mind Green Tea

February 28, 2009 / Reviews

This tea has been one of my favorites for many years, since I first discovered it on the menu at Orchard Valley Coffee in downtown Campbell. When I spotted it, I knew I had to try it, given my love of all things cherry. 

I was not disappointed. This is a mild green tea with a sweet cherry flavor that you can smell as soon as the bag drops in the water. I usually take my tea with a lot of sugar, but this tea is so naturally sweet that I drink it with only one spoonful or sometimes without adding any at all. At around $10 for 50 bags, it’s around 20 cents a cup (less if you re-use tea bags), which is a lot cheaper than drinking soda, and better for you too (although this will be true of tea in general, not just this variety). I can’t think of anything negative to say about this tea, except perhaps that after I finish a cup, I usually want another one!

Five stars out of five. This is my favorite kind of tea, and it’s my tea of choice between noon an 4 PM (I drink black tea before noon for the caffeine, and only drink caffeine-free tea after 4 so I can sleep at night).

Bonus Review: Republic of Tea Acerola Cherry Green Tea (Superfruit Tea)

Everything I said about the first tea applies to this tea as well, except for the bit about how I discovered it. In fact, I’m not convinced that there’s actually a difference between the two…

Movie Review: The Fantastic Four

February 27, 2009 / Reviews

The Fantastic Four was on my list because it’s a Marvel movie. Most of the Marvel movies have been good adaptations of their comics, as well as being an enjoyable introduction for those who are unfamiliar with the title making the jump to the big screen. With that in mind, I sat down to see if The Fantastic Four lived up to the standard set by the other Marvel titles.

The Fantastic Four is the story of scientist Reed Richards’s venture into space and how it changed his life, and the lives of his companions, forever. Richards wanted to perform an experiment aboard a vessel belonging to businessman Victor von Doom. Accompanying Richards and von Doom on the mission were fellow scientist Susan Storm, an employee of von Doom’s and the woman he hopes to marry (also Richards’ ex-girlfriend), pilot Johnny Storm (Susan’s brother), and Richards’ bodyguard Ben Grimm. Things go awry when a solar storm strikes the vessel hours ahead of schedule, catching the group unprepared. All five are subjected to the storm’s radiation, and return to Earth immediately, only to discover that they have returned a little bit different from how they were when they left. All five have developed superpowers. As the others begin studying their powers to see how they work and whether the process can be reversed, von Doom revels in his power and begins making plans for how to eliminate the Fantastic Four, as they come to be known when they use their superpowers in public for the first time.

The movie was slow in parts, mainly because there was a awful lot of build-up and character introduction and development to be done. It sort of felt like this movie was too much origin story, not enough action. Forgivable, I suppose, given that it WAS an origin story. Other than that, there’s not much bad I can say about it, except that it just didn’t have that certain awesomeness that I’ve enjoyed in some of the other Marvel movies.

On the plus side, it was a fun comic book movie with some funny lines and a couple of good action sequences, and it was a good introduction to the characters. It’s nice seeing scientists portrayed as heroes, as so often it’s the mad scientist who appears as a villain. Johnny Storm was a particularly entertaining character, a little too cocky for his own good, but funny enough to get away with it.

Overall, it was a solidly middle-of-the-road Marvel movie. Nothing special, but worth seeing if you enjoy the genre. I should perhaps note that while I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the Fantastic Four, I also don’t follow their comic book titles, so I may have missed things that would upset hardcore F4 fans. Three and a half stars out of five.

See it if you like comic book movies.

Movie Review: Tron

February 26, 2009 / Reviews
Tron was on my list for a couple of reasons. A, it’s a sci-fi classic that I’ve never seen, and 2, like The Day The Earth Stood Still, there’s a second movie that I intend to see — or there will be soon. Tr2n, or Tron 2.0, was announced at last year’s Comic Con, and I decided that I should get caught up and see the original before the second one comes out.

Tron is the story of a wronged computer programmer, Flynn, a bright and talented coder whose work and position have been stolen from him by a less-talented co-worker. Flynn attempts to break into his former employer’s network to find proof of that the thief’s rise to power was accomplished through illicit means, when he himself is sucked into the computer by the malicious and sentient Master Control Program. Flynn must navigate through the computer with the aid of the downtrodden programs there and find a way to overthrow the MCP to restore the system to its original, free state and recover the data that will restore him to his rightful place — the executive position that was usurped by his plagiarizing co-worker.

Tron was a disappointment to me. I love the premise and it has a lot of potential, but the implementation is lacking. The CGI is impressive for the time (1982), but it seems like they focused on the pretty computer graphics to the exclusion of a decent script. It looks like they threw a bunch of digital artists and graphics programmers in a room and told them to make a movie. It watches more like a graphics demo than an actual movie. The cheese factor is through the roof and the dialogue is lacking. The best character is a bit, the smallest unit of data in a computer, only capable of storing a single 1 or 0. The bit, consequently, is only able to say “yes” or “no” — and somehow has the best lines in the whole film!

The good points of the movie… well, as I said, the concept has a lot of potential. The graphics are quite impressive for the time. Some of the games the computer programs play are quite entertaining, and might be fun as actual video games. The bit, as noted above, has some very entertaining lines. And… that’s about it.

Overall, I don’t recommend Tron. I’m glad I watched it so that I can say that I’ve seen it — it’s worth some geek cred, at any rate — but there are many movies I’d much rather have spent the time on. Two stars out of five.

Wait for the sequel — I have high hopes that it will far outshine the original.

February 30 Day Trial

February 23, 2009 / Uplift!

On the advice of several of my favorite bloggers, I’m going to do a 30-day trial. My first trial will be to spend at least 30 minutes exercising every single day. At a minimum, this will be walking, but I plan to include some other activities as well. I’d like to try a calisthenic workout — I found one that looks pretty good at Men’s Fitness — though I expect I’ll need to cut down the reps significantly based on my current physical condition. In any case, I’ll need to run it by my doctor first to make sure it’s safe given my surgery wound, and if he says no, I’ll stick to lighter forms of exercise such as walking.

As part of the trial, I will be updating here daily to track my progress. I’m looking forward to reporting positive results! I already have some things in mind for future 30-day trials — an hour a day of reading and improvements to my diet would go a long way, so one of those is likely to be on the agenda for March.

As always, questions and comments are welcome — you know what to do!

Time For a Blog Reboot

February 23, 2009 / Uplift!

*brushes the dust off of the page*

Hello again.

A lot has changed for me in the time since my last post.

I stopped posting when I found that I simply didn’t have enough hours in the week for everything I wanted to pack in.  Job, relationship, blogging, gaming with friends, non-work-related programming projects…  it was just too much.  So I dropped the blogging and the non-work programming, and what was left fit into the time allotted.

But it still didn’t feel right.  The crux of the problem was the job.  It was the single largest demand on my time, and simultaneously the one that brought me the least satisfaction and joy.  It brought me a paycheck and paid for my basic needs, but I didn’t really enjoy the work itself, and I very much resented the phenomenal drain on my time and energy.

Then, last July, I hit a very rough patch.  In the space of six weeks, I was broken up with, hospitalized, operated on, hit by a bus, and fired.

Yeah.

It was two and a half months from my hospitalization to the time I was well enough to return to work, and upon my recovery, my former employer welcomed me back immediately.  Apparently they fired me during my disability simply so they would not have to pay for my benefits in the mean time.  I worked for a couple of months, and then in December had a follow-up surgery, from which I am still recovering.

When my disability expired last week, I contacted my employer to inform them I would not be returning.  I’m cutting loose and doing my own thing for a while.  So here’s what’s on the agenda:

  1. Savings.  I have savings enough to see me through about ten months if nothing unexpected and expensive happens.  So realistically, let’s call it six months.  In this time I’ll be practicing my writing, programming, and web design skills and working on my own projects.  There are a lot of them!  Working on this blog will be part of this phase, so expect to see more content soon!  There will also likely be some volunteer projects in these fields.
  2. Freelancing.  I will be looking for short-term paid projects, primarily in programming and web design, but I’d love to try freelance writing as well.  That would be a nice bonus.  Any income from this phase would, I’m guessing, not be enough to live off of, but every penny counts — it would certainly extend the lifespan of my savings.
  3. Full-on self-employment.  Ultimately, the goal is to create a business that will support me indefinitely without the need for a job.  Presently I’m thinking of either selling my own software (most likely games), or creating a retail website with a friend of mine to sell games and comics online.

Beyond that, I have no idea.  I think it would be silly to try to plan anything beyond that point, as my life will look so different after these three phases that I can’t imagine I’d have the same priorities I have today, nor can I imagine what options will have opened to me that I simply cannot see right now.

As I work this plan, I will be posting here more often, but the focus of the blog may shift a bit.  I want to try some new things and see where they take me, so get ready for more content, some changes, and possibly more variety.

That’s what’s in store for the next few months — and if you’re looking for a freelance programmer, web designer, or writer, drop me a line!

8 Tips For Regaining Focus

February 23, 2009 / Uplift!

I am working on the next couple of posts in my How To Fix Your Life series, which began with Painting Reality: Examining Your Current Life. I rather unexpectedly took last Monday off, but I have no intention of making a habit of it. I will update here once a week, even if I need to write a filler post to do it. Tonight I find that I am having trouble clearing my head and focusing my mind on the task at hand, so I thought I’d take some time to refocus a bit, and write a post about exactly that. Here are eight things I’m doing this evening in an attempt to get all my brain cells firing in the same direction.

  1. Tea. I’ve brewed myself a cup of decaffeinated tea, which I am drinking slowly and with relish (enjoyment, that is, not a pickled sauce). Decaffeinated is a key word there — with my mind already fragmented, the last thing I need is to ingest a stimulant.
  2. The Outdoors. I’m sitting in the spacious outdoors this evening, writing on my laptop under the clear evening sky, rather than in my cramped bedroom in the shadows cast by my torchiere lamp and surrounded by the trappings of daily mundane existence.
  3. Simplicity. I just closed almost all of my applications, and minimized the rest, leaving only my writing to focus on. No web browser windows, no games, no MP3s, nothing but my writing and a hidden instant messenger window — and it would be wise to close even that.
  4. Mindfulness. I am concentrating on my breathing, shutting out other sounds and thoughts to focus on just that and my writing.
  5. One Thing. I am doing one thing at a time. If another thought intrudes that I want to capture, I take just enough time to jot it down on my to do list before returning to this post. By doing so, I am able to let go of it, let it leave my mind, so that I can focus on writing again.
  6. Comfort. I am doing whatever I can to keep myself physically comfortable, so that I am not distracted by things like the temperature or a touch of heartburn. For instance, it has gotten quite cold since I began writing this, but I’m not ready to go inside quite yet — so I’ve put on warmer clothes and returned to focus on writing.
  7. Peace of Mind. Sometimes we *have* to multi-task to some degree. For instance, the laundry is running as I write this. It’s not occupying my attention, but I will need to tend to it once an hour. By choosing a spot outside where I can hear the washer and dryer, I don’t have to worry about whether I’ll forget about it when it stops. I’m letting my ears keep track of that open loop instead of my thoughts. I have peace of mind about that because I won’t lose track of that — even though the One Thing that I’m doing isn’t laundry.
  8. Do One Thing — Something Else! If all else fails, do something else for a while. If your brain insists on not focusing on the thing you want it to, give it a break for a while, but do something similar that won’t cause too much of a context switch. For instance, I am still writing a blog post, just not the one I was having trouble focusing on. I’m still thinking about Uplift!, personal development, blogging, and so forth, but I’m letting my brain take the path of least resistance until I hit my stride and am ready to return to the heavy lifting — which is now!

This list is by no means complete, it’s just what I’ve come up with this evening to reacquire focus and get my thoughts in order. What do you do when you’re trying to concentrate on something but you’re tired, distractible, or otherwise just can’t seem to get your mind to settle down and stay on task?

My Personal Inventory

February 23, 2009 / Uplift!

I thought it might be helpful if I provided an example of a personal inventory — both for you (so that you can see what I’m talking about) and for me (since it’s been a while since I’ve done this). So here’s one for me. It’s been about six months since the last time I really sat down to do this, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out. My life is very different today than it was six months ago.

So, without further ado, my personal inventory!

Health

This category is the most challenging of the three for me, and I’ve had a couple of health-related setbacks since the last time I took stock. Overall, I consider my health to be decent — I don’t get sick more often than average, rarely need to visit the doctor, and generally find that I don’t struggle with health issues. That said, there are a few issues that I am dissatisfied with or at risk for.

Here they are, in decreasing order of priority:

  1. In the past six months, I’ve discovered that I have a health condition related to a fiber deficiency in my diet, and have increased my fiber intake as a consequence. Pro-actively monitoring my diet in previous years could have averted this condition, and it’s important that I continue watching what I eat permanently in order to avoid exacerbating it.
  2. I wear glasses to correct my vision, which is quite poor uncorrected. My glasses are three years old, and it is well past time for new ones. They are currently on order, and I will switch to the new pair as soon as they arrive. I have worn glasses for all of my adult life and teenage years, and I would like to get rid of them.
  3. I carry around a lot more weight than I need to, and given the family history of diabetes, it is likely to develop into something more serious if not kept in check. This, coupled with my high cholesterol, means that I should be pro-active about improving my diet and exercise habits.
  4. I have a history of depression.
  5. I just don’t seem to have the time to improve my health, nor much enthusiasm for doing so.

Things aren’t as bleak as all that, though. I’m not one to focus solely on the negative (anymore), so here are the positive aspects of my health:

  1. As noted above, I have already improved my diet considerably. I eat a lot more vegetables than I used to, and I eat smaller portions. Although I still eat junk food, I am a lot more moderate about it. For instance, a trip to Jack in the Box used to consist of a large Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger meal with soda and a large milkshake. These days I’ll get a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, a small fries, and a small milkshake — or if I’m being really good, a Chicken Fajita Pita, side salad, and a small milkshake. My philosophy is that a diet that denies you everything you want is a diet that won’t last very long. It’s a lot easier to eat LESS of the things I like than to replace them with things I don’t enjoy as much.
  2. I walk a mile every morning. My commute makes this easy — I take the train, and I live a mile from the train station. Although I wasn’t keen on the distance from the train station when I moved here, I find now that I’m glad of it. I know someone who’s struggling to find time to walk a mile before work each day, whereas I do so automatically without thinking about it!
  3. My depression has been in remission for two and a half years, and I haven’t had any trouble keeping it that way — despite some negative events in my life since then (such as a breakup and the development of my dietary health issues).

Overall, health is the area of my life that needs the most improvement, because it is also the one for which I have the least enthusiasm. My primary motivation in health is to avoid negative consequences, whereas in the other areas of my life I have pro-active motivations and goals. Perhaps I should examine my outlook on it and try to find a way to be more interested in and pro-active about my health.

Wealth

Wealth is one of my favorite topics — I love talking money! I’m also pretty happy with where my finances are right now, although things could always be better!

I have a decent job in Silicon Valley, I have positive cash flow, and my assets outweigh my liabilities, although not by much (yet). I am on my way to being able to retire, the only question is… when?

I used to believe that the best option was to accumulate a million dollars, invest it at 5% (or more, but 5% seems conservative enough to count on), and live off the interest. The downside to that plan is that it takes a very, very long time to acquire $1M by working for a living. At the pace I’m currently going, it seems likely that I’ll be old and/or sick by the time I am in a position to fully retire. I don’t want to wind up with a retirement I can’t enjoy.

Additionally, I’m unhappy with the time investment required by my work. In theory, I work an eight hour day, but in reality, from the time my alarm goes off at 6 AM till the time I get home over twelve hours later at 6:15 PM, I’m doing things that are necessitated by my employment. The overhead of holding my job is 50%. I consider this excessive, it detracts from my happiness, and I want to find ways to reduce the amount of time I invest in earning income.

So now I’m considering the benefits of passive income, and learning to believe that retirement or semi-retirement is possible much sooner that way than it is with strict accumulation. Why should I spend vast quantities of my time working for someone else until the bank account is full? Why wait 40 years to begin enjoying the fruits of my labors if I can independently create multiple streams of income that will support me now? I am learning a lot about decoupling my income from my time.

It’s a transition, though, and one that I’m right in the middle of. I’m not fully decided what I want to do. There are other things I could do to speed up the accumulation, such as moving to a programming job. Right now I’m at a financial crossroads, looking around, trying to decide what to do.

I have some personal projects I’m working on in hopes that they can contribute to my early retirement from traditional employment, not the least of which is this blog. My biggest challenge right now is making the time to work on them.

Relationships

Relationships are important to me in a way they didn’t used to be. My sojourn to Portland, OR took me away from my friends and family here in Silicon Valley for two and a half years, and it was largely that social distance that brought me back. Right now I am in pretty good shape with my relationships, though there is one major thing I would change:

Time.

I don’t have the time I wish I had to see all my friends. There are people I haven’t seen since I moved back to Silicon Valley six months ago, and others I see occasionally or even frequently and wish I had more time for.

That said, I am glad to have reconnected with the friends that I have, and to be dating a wonderful woman who makes me very happy. In many ways, my relationships are the best they’ve ever been in my life, and with the exception of wanting time for even more of the same, I can’t think of anything I’m dissatisfied with.

Conclusion

There’s a common theme here: time. Overall, my life is pretty good — the best it’s ever been, even. The pervasive problem that keeps cropping up everywhere is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day — or days in the week — for everything I want to get done. And what time I have is largely consumed by employment. This issue seems to be the greatest challenge standing between me and the life that I want to live.

I hope that this personal example has given you some insight into the sorts of things you can write about in your personal inventory, what the value of doing so might be, and how to go about doing it. As always, please share any feedback you may have in the comments!