Uncategorized on Forgeover

What Survived

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 00:02:22 +0000

A lot of things went right this year too. Here’s a list of things that continued to perform through the (okay fine… second) meanest ocean in the world.

Love
RK Drums/CBQ Frankenstein Coffee Roaster
Kleen Kanteen water bottles
Japan Porlex & Zassenhausen - Coffee Grinders (quality)
Engel Refrigerators (all three)
One of two Keep Cups (may the other rest in peace)
Vitamix
Convivia

We have also added a few things to make Conviv stronger, safer, or more comfortable.

ConvivEVA: the crew of Convivia is going sailing on EVA

Mon, 28 May 2018 18:14:35 +0000

You may have seen this hint of a story, this boatyard photo of Tucker and I, Ruby, and Olive in front of EVA, everyone’s dreamboat.

We have spent much of the last year and a half with Claude and Jules and their three kids, Noah, Lilo, and Finn. We met the kids the moment we tied our dock lines in Cape Town; our kids were off in a flash to see the kids playing with sticks on another dock. “This is the tiniest boat I’ve ever seen in my life,” said five year old Finn when she first stepped aboard Convivia. It turns out that her boat, built in her backyard, and launched only a few months before was quite a bit bigger. Claude and Jules still had many projects on EVA’s checklists during our time at the V and A Waterfront but still we managed to grab their kids for plenty of fun in Cape Town, shared a bunch of dinners together, and got out on a few excursions with everyone.

A Day in the Life: Walking to Work in a Blizzard

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 15:44:37 +0000

It’s been a while since we have posted an update. Mostly we have been busy with school and jobs and planning for a great new adventure in the summer. But more on that later. For now, here’s a glimpse of an average morning… walking to work in a blizzard.

Martinique: Photos

Tue, 23 May 2017 06:50:13 +0000

Our first week and a bit have flown by. We have been busy getting the usual, post-passage stuff done (laundry, boat repairs, reprovisioning, etc) and have had little time to get out and explore this beautiful island. Yesterday, Eva rented a big van and took us on a tour. We visited the Theater of Saint-Pierre, had a little picnic on the steps and then motored a little way back towards the beach, where we spent the afternoon watching the kids play in the surf.

Cape Town

Sun, 12 Feb 2017 00:36:36 +0000

The kids eat breakfast, tell us that their schoolwork is done and dash off to see their friends. There are two kid boats here right now (Eva and Yemaya) and five extra kids mean that there is never a dull moment for them.

Vick and I take advantage of this new freedom to explore the town’s coffee shops and cafes. In the evening, we go to one of the neighbor’s boats for sundowners, tattoos, or an impromptu party. Life is sure enough good!

Sunrise Hike to Wally's Cave

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:02:00 +0000

https://vimeo.com/203095918

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Park

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 02:56:37 +0000

“We need the tonic of wildness… At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”

—Henry David Thoreau

You cannot come to South Africa and not go to a game park. That much was clear. Unfortunately our driver’s licences had expired, so the cheap option was off the table. After some deliberation, we hired a guide and it turned out to be a fantastic choice. Throughout the 14.5 hrs we spent with Sibo, we saw:

Cascades d'Androadroatra

Sun, 02 Oct 2016 09:02:51 +0000

Brian and Brady offered to take us on a hike today. They promised fields of ylang-ylang and a waterfall swimming hole. We were not disappointed. It’s weird that after all this time on and in the water, I’m still renewed and reinvigorated by fresh water running over me.

St Gabriel Hike

Sat, 02 Jul 2016 11:47:50 +0000

Alicia, from the boat On Verra, has been organizing hikes for the cruisers nearly every day that we’ve been here. It’s one of the best cruiser services I’ve ever experienced because it helps us to see the natural beauty of the island, and gives us a much needed endorphin hit and kick in the pants to get moving in the morning.

Today she took us by bus to the trail-head at St Gabriel crossing. From there we walked past the largest church in the Indian Ocean (also conveniently, the pit stop). The trail started just below the church and wound through lush forest, rock strewn pasture, and down a long slope with a stunning view of the lagoon and sea beyond.

Rodrigues: First Impressions

Sun, 26 Jun 2016 11:08:54 +0000

There are places in the world that feel like home from the outset. These are the places where you feel yourself exhaling in long comforting sighs; where you recognize people whom you’ve never met, and they greet you as friend; where there is a familiar smell (chill in this case) to the air, and a landscape that seems ancestral, though your predecessors may never have come within 10,000 miles of the place.

Pulau Lasia

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:09:07 +0000

Our last anchorage was so beautiful and relaxing that we didn’t want to leave. The thunder and lightning almost gave us the excuse we were looking for but, time and international clearance rules wait for no one. On to Nias and Telo for the last (fun) bits of our Southeast Asia adventure!

Chillin' in Thailand

Tue, 22 Mar 2016 03:20:37 +0000

The pace of life aboard Convivia has shifted. The hectic days of boatyard stress are behind us, as are the days in the Marina, fixing those last few (critical) systems. We’ve found a sleepy beachfront to anchor in front of and, with no transportation, have settled into leisurely days of kids floating beside the boat, easy conversation, and no plans to speak of.

This transition to cruising-proper is one that you can’t see but in hindsight. I think it started three or four days ago when we returned our scooter. It was given a boost by our recent depletion of funds, which strengthens our resolve to stay put. We’ve got another kid boat nearby (Quasar) so ours have a friend to occupy the day. They come home exhausted and hungry, and crash out early, leaving plenty of time for Vick and I to play games and share a couple of ciders.

Nets, and Squalls, and Waterspouts

Thu, 12 Nov 2015 10:00:27 +0000

The last 72 hours have been some of the most surreal, exhausting, and exciting of my life.

I wrote about some of the first two days’ highs and lows here. The following night and day were just as full on. Things started out calm enough that I thought I might just watch a movie on my first watch. I was into a really high tension scene in Fury when I looked up and saw buoys all around. I had just scanned the horizon moments before using a combination of binoculars and a high powered flashlight.

Karimunjawa Scooter Tour

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 08:42:03 +0000

For the past four years Vick has not driven a motor vehicle of any sort. Today that streak ended. We picked up scooters and hit the roads of Karimunjawa to explore. No ID or paperwork was required, just a little cash and we were good for the day. We didn’t have gas, helmets, or even maps, and it wasn’t entirely clear that the scooters would start (p.s. they often did not). Google doesn’t show roads here (could be because most of them really are not actually roads). We had SO much fun!

Position Report: August 11, 2015

Tue, 11 Aug 2015 01:23:22 +0000

Position: 12º 25.56’ S 130º 49.23’ E
Day 4 in Darwin. Today is the day we start in on our worklist. Yesterday was entirely laundry, 13 loads, 5 hours + travel. This position report is also the first one that will post directly to forgeover.com. It’s an early trial of a new “Post to Wordpress” feature that I’m working on. All is well.

GBR 2014 In Photos

Sat, 13 Sep 2014 19:35:11 +0000

I was going to hold these for an epic post about our trip but time seems to have gotten away from us. In lieu of a narrative, here is a little photo essay!

(A)Typical Sunday

Sun, 09 Feb 2014 16:26:35 +0000

Olive wanted to make an explosion. Ruby remembered that you can win mentos at the arcade. I thought, “it’s about the most expensive way to do this experiment but it makes a great story” so off we went.

BOS -> AKL -> PPT -> BNE -> PPT -> BNE -> PPT -> VAV -> TBU -> NAN -> BNE

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 05:08:00 +0000

We were all excited to get to Tahiti of course. The excitement was partially because it was Tahiti and partly because it was one of the few places in the South Pacific that we were pretty certain we could receive birthday presents for Tucker and Ruby. We anchored by Marina Tahina for a bit and picked up our new spinnaker and even a wifi antenna (both shipped from the US). It was exciting to have mail from the States after many months without.

Slut Shaming — From a Man's Perspective

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:47:19 +0000

I’ve been noticing a lot of articles, podcasts, tweets, and other coverage lately about slut shaming and rape culture. Maybe it’s that I have decidedly feminist sexual politics and my friends and news feeds tend to reflect and amplify those topics, or maybe (I can hope) it’s because our society is starting to realize that feminism and (more basically) respecting women is an issue that men have a serious stake in.

When I hear on the news that people are sympathising with rapists who’s “futures have been ruined”, I assume that the part of the population that thinks that way must be incredibly small, uneducated and dim witted. When I read the dozens of brave letters from women (some in their middle years, some in high school) who have been sexually bullied, slut shamed, and raped I would love to believe that they represented 100% of the population that has been saddled with such a burden.

Ten thousand thirty five photos

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 03:17:21 +0000

Tucker took 10,035 photos during our eight month voyage across the Pacific but what I hope I always remember cannot be captured with the camera.

The excitement of checking out of Mexico and watching the shore disappear in the east

The perfect sapphire blue of the ocean, hundreds of miles out, in the morning sun

Looking up and seeing the Southern Cross for the first time

The feeling of arrival when the latitude ticked down to zero

First Day of School

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:47:53 +0000

One of the things that our kids miss while cruising are typical stateside milestones like the First Day of School. Where I grew up the first day of school was the day after Labor Day, which happens on the first Monday of September. Five year olds begin kindergarten, and while Olive doesn’t turn five for another couple of weeks, she would be a kindergartener now. We were lucky enough to send our kids to the General Primary School in Matamaka Village for their first day last week!

The Good

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:41:00 +0000

I should have known that I would eat my words…

We left Samoa this morning under a bright blue sun filled sky. The wind was fresh enough to move us along nicely and so we decided to go between Upolu and Savai’i (the two main Islands of Samoa) on our way to Tonga. As we rounded Upolu and started South I said to Vick “Shoot, I think we may have missed out by not going inland a bit.” It’s true, I’m sure. I can only justify so much with the tired “we had so much work to get done” line. In retrospect though we did end up loving Samoa in spite of some of it’s odd officials. We had one of the absolute best meals we have ever eaten (Vick compared it favorably to the Slanted Door, our old favorite) at Tatua Bistro in Apia. Our friends Mark and Jenny on Condessa took care of the kids for the night so we could have a downright sinfully slow meal. Great food, perfect service and personal attention from the owner (when he found out I was GF and wanted to make sure everything was prepared safely for me) made it a night to remember.

Stone Bench Vignette

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 14:11:39 +0000

Cruising kids, like kids everywhere else in the world come in all sorts of flavors, have unique personalities and in any anchorage you would be lottery-winner-lucky to find two the same age. Somehow they manage to forge the most beautiful friendships out of this seeming chaos. This little gallery captures this dynamic in a way that I have never been able to put in words. Look at each one for a moment and then flip through quickly.

Are we crazy?

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:39:06 +0000

I am often asked about cruising with kids. Is it difficult? I’ve overheard people talking about us. We’re brave apparently, and it’s not because of the ocean, or the remote places we go, it’s because we took our kids. We’re also crazy, according to a gal hiking behind us recently. And we love the commotion, mess, and noise of 5 little kids running around the boat, thought the gal in the slip next to us for a week in La Cruz. Most people out here have waited until their kids are grown up and from what I gather, most people are unwilling to live this closely with their kids day in and day out.

Our Route Across the Pacific

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:56:08 +0000

I thought this might be interesting for some. These are our 24hr waypoints for the whole trip. What isn’t shown is the track (our actual path of travel) witch , more often than not, zig-zagged across the almost straight line described here.

Cruisers familiar with this passage will almost certainly understand what is going on around day 10 . This is where we decided that the ITCZ crossing would be much better a few degrees west. As it turns out those demoralizing days of heading west instead of south, were well worth it. We never really saw the ITCZ. Big thanks to my buddy Krister for keeping us informed of weather and routing us expertly through this area of turmoil.

Photos from Crossing and Landfall

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:04:40 +0000

Landfall in Paradise

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:29:30 +0000

When we left Mexico we were headed to Nuku Hiva, one of the northern Marquesan islands, with an easy anchorage in a town that allowed us to clear in to French Polynesia. About a week into our passage we opened the Charlie’s Charts and our Lonely Planet guide books and decided to head for Hiva Oa, the largest southern Marquesan island. We don’t want to miss the nearby islands of Fatu Hiva and Tahuata. We are anchored now in Baie Tahuku near the town of Atuona.

Yelapa Yeah

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:55 +0000

I am playing catch up now. After so many “best ever” posts I had to think of something original or risk sounding like a broken record. Thankfully I found some free space on my hard drive tonight so I can grace you with some visual evidence of one particularly breathtaking harbor.

Yelapa is a jewel of a pueblo. Tucked in among the mountains, it is only accessible by boat, or trail. There are no roads and the biggest powered vehicle is an ATV. If that isn’t enough to recommend the place, it is also community owned. Nobody in town owns any property, and you can feel it in the vibe.

The things we do now that surprise me

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:03:00 +0000

put our kids in cars without five point harness carseats

heck, we put our kids in cars without seatbelts

um, we even put our kids in cars without carseats, or seatbelts, or doors

(usually we ride the bus)

feed our kids foods without heavily scrutinized ingredient lists

did we really let them eat peppermint candy with red food color?

This is a picture of all of the refrigerated food in the biggest natural foods market we have found:

FAQ #2: Stuff We Don't Need

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 06:00:01 +0000

Q: Name something you packed and so far you find you really just don’t need.

A: Thankfully, we really don’t have much of this category. We have gone through some clothes, worn through some shoes, and jettisoned a down comforter, but there was a time when they were needed on this trip.

There are several things that I don’t need yet (spares galore, Christmas cookie cutters, secret chocolate stash) but their time will come. Then there are things that I hope to never need, 153% genoa, the life raft, and EPIRB. And then there’s that blow up shark Olive won for being the youngest kid on the HaHa. Technically we didn’t bring that, but we didn’t ditch it either. Vive El Tiburon!

Ensenada de Los Muertos

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:34:00 +0000

..is poorly named. We arrived here last night in a near gale. The wind and waves were all coming from the one direction in which this precious little harbor is unprotected. We set to making the most basic dinner (tater tots and bowls o’ soup) in gut churning swell, Vick and I alternating in and out of the galley as the other got too nauseous to continue.

By the time dinner was ready I had put together our exit strategy. We would nap for a few hours and then run before the weather all the way up to La Paz. We hoped to arrive at the Canal San Lorenzo in time for the flood tide to carry us through. We ate dinner and hastily got the kids into their berths for bed. We ship shaped and got ready to nap and just as I was dozing off, the swell abated and wind died. As my eyelids finally collapsed under the weight of the day’s exertions I said “We’ll stay tonight.”

A Mexico-Addendum

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:12:00 +0000

I forgot to mention the amazing things we have seen so far. On our way across the Mexican border we were greeted by the largest pod of dolphins I have ever heard of. There must have been 100 of them, all leaping and playing around the HaHa boats. It seemed as though they must have organized a rally of their own, as if to prove that the ocean was still theirs.

¡A Mexico!

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:04:00 +0000

The Baja HaHa is officially underway and so, once again, are we. It felt so good to leave the dock at Cabrillio Isle Marina. The marina was fine and San Diego’s services were welcomed, but I seem to have a deeply ingrained need to sail and every day at the dock was chafing against that directive.

Now we are South of the border (30°44.41’N 116°36.75’W) sailing at 7 knots with the wind behind us. The sun is out and it’s finally feeling like “south.” The kids, as always with passages, have settled into their routines and have been mostly joyful. They are looking forward to catching fish and reaching the beach party in Bahia de Tortugas. If conditions maintain we should be there in about 30 hours.

Cuyler's Bay

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Wow, what a day, woke to a beautiful island vista (San Miguel). Winds finally died enough to put the dingy together and head ashore. Had a nice play on the dunes and then decided to head back. Dingy nearly flipped trying to get over the breakers, then I got soaked taxing to pick up the kids. Later, on Convivia, gusts reached 35 knots and the swell picked up. We are now pretty sure that we’ll ditch our Channel Island plans and head for Ventura, just in case the local wisdom (High winds on I5 = Santa Anna winds on the water) is true. We should be able to post more from there (with pictures too)!

Rounding Point Conception

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:18:00 +0000

As I sped down the front of another steep swell, propelled by near gale force winds, in a fog so thick it dripped, I was visited by an old fear. It was not a fear of death, though some may have felt that. My fear was one of smallness, of cosmic insignificance.

On a boat that is arguably ballasted with technology, I found myself dwarfed, humbled, by the milk water fog. With less than a quarter mile visibility at times, I was on constant vigil. All of our technology was not enough to see through the wall of white to the possible hazards beyond. For a moment I wished that we had radar (the one category of tech that we don’t have) and then a timid voice inside suggested that maybe my desire to conquer my fear through technology might not be all that dissimilar from, say, our culture’s desire to buy happiness. Perhaps, the voice pressed, there is no end to this compulsion to dominate nature, and perhaps there is also no end to nature’s dominion over us. Perhaps, and I’m going out on a limb here, we are insignificant in the cosmic scheme of things, and even our grandest achievements will only be noticed by us humans, and only for a small flash of time.

Ten Years Ago Today—Launching The Dream

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:27:10 +0000

Ten years ago, with just my passport and a carry on, I hopped on a plane from San Francisco to St. Thomas, USVI. Tucker had arranged a flight and a ten day bareboat charter in the Caribbean. What an amazing way to spend my 25th birthday! We sailed out of Red Hook Bay, St. Thomas over to St. John, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, back to St. John, and returned to St. Thomas at the end of our ten days.

A Night At the Sharks Bight

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:43:44 +0000

This weekend was the official opening of the Sharks Bight Yacht Club, a hyper-exclusive yacht club in Brickyard Cove. Chris & Kim (the Commodores) invited the crew of Convivia to be the inaugural guests. Chris met us in Emeryville at the appointed time (1430) but due to a project that was running long (a new alternator), we didn’t quite keep our schedule. Chris was totally laid back and even called in the big guns (Chuck of s/v Chester P) when it looked like we might need a second opinion. Luckily it turned out to be a small misunderstanding regarding a three position switch, and we were off the dock by 1600.

Nautical Craftiness aboard Convivia

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 19:50:13 +0000

Years ago I stenciled a sailboat and an anchor onto shirts for Ruby and Olive. I wanted to make updated shirts for them one day so I ended up moving onto the boat with a stamp carving kit and some fabric paint. I planned to carve an anchor onto my stamp so that I could print onto fabric and notecards over and over again. A sailor friend of mine was expecting a little girl and so the inspiration and count down began.

My not-so-little girl

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:21:31 +0000

I remember when I was young my mother would say things like, “you’ll always be my baby boy,” and, “I wish I could put a brick on your head so you would stay little forever.” Now I’m a parent and my little baby has grown into a big girl. I feel my mother’s words coming to my lips and they almost spill out. Then I look at Ruby and realize that I wouldn’t hold on if I could. She’s growing, and I often feel like I’m not paying close enough attention; feel like I’m missing too many of the precious moments of her life, too many of the new facial expressions, thoughts, worries; feel like too soon she’ll be 14 then 21 and off on her own adventures.

Sails for Sale

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:03:00 +0000

Our boat came to us with 11 sails. Since we need to keep people on this boat some sails need to go. We’re keeping our main, our 153 genoa, our new 110 genoa, our #3 jib, a 3/4 oz drifter, a nice striped spinnaker, and a heavier excellent spinnaker. I can’t figure out how we’ll keep all of these sails of course. We’ll work on that later.

North Sails Spinnaker

A dozen ways to make good friends

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:24:30 +0000

Say hello to a stranger on the street. If they look interesting and willing to chat walk with them up the block. Tucker met Andrea in Vermont many years ago this way and we had such a great time with her.

Make friends with a friend of a friend. You see someone at a friend’s party and then the next one and so on. At some point, have dinner with the friend of the friend and see what happens.

RSS Feed Fixed

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:12:39 +0000

I know that our RSS Feed has been broken for some time, but with the move and all I haven’t had time to fix it. Well today I discovered that the little stats program that was supposed to keep an eye on the popularity of the feed, was in fact preventing it from working at all. That’s all gone now so please, if you were a subscriber before, try again now. If you weren’t, its a great way to get your forgeover fix without having to type all those letters :)

Why We Live Aboard

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 00:03:00 +0000

A four year old friend of ours wants to know why we live on a boat. Her mom said it was so we could travel around the world. “Planes are faster. In case you maybe didn’t know that.”, she replied.

“Is it so nice as all that?” asked the mole, shyly…

“Nice? It’s the only thing,” said the Water Rat Solemnly, as he leaned forward for his stroke. “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Bay Marine

Thu, 13 May 2010 20:21:35 +0000

If you need to get work done in a yard in the Bay Area, you should definitely check with Kim Dessinger at Bay Marine. Kim has been incredibly attentive to me throughout this process. When I was working on the rig he came out several times to give pointers, and when I was considering work that I would do later (on my own) he was outrageously generous with his time and experience. I’ve found that most yards take a pretty dim view of do-it-yourselfers, and though I am using a good amount of yard time, they have been more accommodating than most when I want to roll up my sleeves. Having the chance to work side by side with guys that have 25+ years of experience is a great way to fast track your education.

Haikus

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:32:29 +0000

I just looked back through my Twitter history to see all of my past haikus and realized how much easier it would be if I just kept them on my own blog. I’ll publish the old ones here, and then create individual posts for any new ones. Enjoy, and please comment.

Honeysuckle joy

The purple blossoms welcome

spring’s liberation

#haiku 9:14 AM Mar 22nd

frost bitten ear lobes

deep greens and brown on cool blue

Ruby Sings About Respect

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:34:34 +0000

This is a slightly old video of Ruby singing a song she invented about respect. I love that as she’s singing it she grabs her brother and won’t let go of him when he yelps. Luckily she does let go when I ask her, so it seems as though she respects me, but not Mr. M.. Enjoy…

… “This land was made for you and me.”

Lodging (Mumbai)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:22:22 +0000

Soon we had our luggage and were clear of customs and the dozen or so passport checks that followed. It was time to discuss the hotel situation. At this point I believe both dad and I were panicked. Tired and overwhelmed we now had to find a place in this sprawling crawling city to rest ourselves. Dad had reviewed our guide book and highlighted a few good candidates. All of them, the guide suggested, “should be booked well in advance.” After dodging scam number one of the evening, we made our way to a “pay phone” and called the first hotel. You can imagine my shock when they told us that they had a vacancy for us.

Hong Kong

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:14:24 +0000

The e-mail from Bentley’s Hotel came while we were still in the relative comfort of our Hong Kong hotel. The management let us know that our “Tentative Reservation” could not be filled. We would have to find another place to stay. For some reason this didn’t strike either dad or I as a particularly big deal.

We spent the morning hoofing it around Hong Kong Island. When our feet started to fail us we took a bus until we were ready to walk again. Our journey led us through an amazing outdoor market, a bustling shopping district, and eventually through the Botanical Gardens. By the time we figured out how lost we were, there was nothing for it but to hail a cab and get found, and back to the hotel.

Foodzie

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:45:41 +0000

This is just too good to simply post to Facebook and retweet on Twitter. I just found out that there is a food centric counterpart to one of our family’s favorite sites, Etsy. If you’re not familiar with Etsy, its an online storefront where artists and craftspeople can sell their wares to a voratious customer base. It seems some enterprising individual has extended the concept to food, and the result looks quite scrumptious. Check out Foodzie. If you decided to buy anything, please comment on your experience.

Single Origin Blend?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:52:47 +0000

Last night I roasted up three batches of Yemen Mokha Ismaili (highlighted in my last post). The first batch was Full City + and the second and third were roasted all the way to Vienna (all roasts were at full heat). Today when it came time to grind it up for the trip I decided to mix the FC+ and Vienna roasts together. If the smell is anything to judge by I am going to be delighted with the results. Hopefully I’ll get the licorice/cinnamon, clove flavors of the bean ( which FC+ reveals best) and the deep chocolate/caramel/earth flavors of the Vienna roast.

September Roast Report

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:53:29 +0000

I posted my first roast report in March, right after I got my new roaster. Since then I’ve been so busy with roasting, entertaining, traveling, and life that I’ve not reported back. Well here it is.

Sometime in July I convinced Vick to let me take over a portion of the laundry room for my roast shop (gotta love the smell of burnt cardboard in your clothes). I moved a bunch of stuff around and finally got the roaster semi-permanently set up next to the microwave. With the scale and barrel stand on top of the microwave everything fits nicely and I don’t have to move a bunch of part in and out of the cupboards every time I want to make a batch. This dance was occurring every 4 or 5 days so it seemed like a worthwhile compromise to our anti-clutter rule. Now the only thing I have to do when its time to roast is pull the ducting up to the hanger and crack the window a bit.

Fixed Login Problem

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:17:37 +0000

I’ve received a few complaints lately regarding the gallery login. If you’ve tried to log in to see the photos, and found yourself redirected to a Profile Page, you will be pleased to hear that this problem has been “fixed”. The default behavior now will be to redirect you back to the home page where you can easily click on the gallery link again. Sorry for all of the confusion.

Amazon's Orwell Debacle: Afterthought

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:02:54 +0000

As the flame of this debacle grows dim, I find myself still bothered by the misrepresentation and poor fact checking done by fellow bloggers and reporters. Case in point…

A lot of people are trying to link this unfortunate episode to DRM. While I oppose DRM, and think that Amazon has squandered what little possible benefit DRM offers the consumer, this is quite clearly not at DRM issue. Digital Rights Management is concerned with access control, and specifically with limiting the ability of the consumer to copy and transmit copyrighted materials. Most people dislike DRM (possibly without know much about it) and therefore bloggers and the media have co-opted the term in hopes of raising our hackles. I post this short afterthought in hopes of settling your DRM hackles back down, at least on this count.

Dancing Balloons

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:13:09 +0000

New Blog Engine

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:23:50 +0000

Hey there cherished reader, I bet you’re wondering where the photos went. How do I know, because you’ve both called me and asked, that’s how. Well here’s the scoop. I’ve migrated my blog over to wordpress. This is going to have lots of benefits for all of us, not the least of which is that my blog and photos will be much more tightly coupled now. What this means for you is that you’ll have to create a new login. Go on up to the navigation bar and click on login. Then register. You can even sign up to get e-mail notifications when new blog posts go up, how cool is that?

Personal Philanthropy

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:57:06 +0000

I was talking with one of my fellow Akidoists last week about how much trouble he has had raising money for the Aids Ride. We speculated that, with the downturn in economy people are giving less. I started to wonder about this (aloud of course), and kept thinking about it afterward.

As Chris Guillebeau points out many times on his website, if you are reading this, you are likely very rich. You are in fact, likely to find yourself in the top 1-10% of the worlds richest people. Regardless of how you feel about economic equity it is more likely than not that you’ll agree that we at the peak of the wealth pyramid are standing atop a wide base. That base supports us in ways that I can scarcely comprehend, but in many ways it needs our support as well.

Vick-e-Ohs

Fri, 01 May 2009 07:26:19 +0000

Last night after the kids went to bed Vick whipped up a batch of Oreo analogs that are so good that they may simultaneously cure cancer and bring peace to the world. Since words can not describe their splendor, I’m attaching a photo. If you’re in the US, I recommend stopping by.

Pretty Much Sums It Up

Fri, 01 May 2009 07:15:51 +0000

“If a man must be obsessed by something,
I suppose a boat is as good as anything,
perhaps a bit better than most.
A small sailing craft is not only beautiful,
it is seductive and full of strange promise and the hint of trouble.”

E. B. White, The Sea and the Wind that Blows 1077

Parenting: What I've learned so far

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:46:41 +0000

Basically, what I’ve learned so far boils down to this. Parenting is not so much about managing your children, as it is about managing yourself. For example, in our family the kids wake up every morning (in the winter) at 6:30. 6:30 wake up calls make me a bit grumpy, so I could either: a) yell at the kids to leave me alone or; b) go to sleep earlier so that I’m not so tired at 6:30.

Productivity: The One Pen Challenge

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:46:01 +0000

A few weeks ago at our Coffee Social, a friend needed to write something down. Paper is everywhere in our house, so that was easy to come by. He naturally reached over and grabbed my fountain pen, which was sitting on the table beside him. I (too) quickly snatched my pen back and then gently explained that the nib of a fountain pen is a very personal thing, blah blah blah. We then confonded our guests and caused a bit of a stir when we had trouble locating another writing device. Eventually we resolved the problem by borrowing a marker or crayon from Ruby.

Ruby Solved the Global Pirate Problem

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:07:40 +0000

After days of contemplation and discussion, I believe that Ruby has finally solved the pirate problem, for everyone.

Ruby: I know, lets make a flag with a cake on it. I’ll make my favorite cake (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles and flowers on top) and we’ll put the flag up. Then the pirates will know that we have cake and they can come over and eat it. Then they will like us and won’t eat us or take our boat.

Ruby Dispatches Pirates

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:08:37 +0000

While we were eating dinner tonight (hamburgers… yes its relevant) the subject of pirates came up. Ruby is very concerned about pirates, and how they might steal her or eat her. She asked what we were going to do about pirates, so we (of course) took the opportunity to turn the question around…

Parent: Do you have any ideas Ruby?

Ruby (immediately) : I know, we could make a note that says “Pirates don’t steal our boat”, and we could put it in a bottle and send it to them, and then they wouldn’t steal our boat.

Monte Bello Test Hike

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:14:27 +0000

On Sunday Ruby and I headed out for a test hike in Monte Bello Openspace Preserve. The hike starts a few thousand feet up, close to skyline, and heads deep into the mountains above Silicon Valley. I was impressed with Ruby’s ability to hike for several miles (4 to be precise) without a complaint. The hike was a consistently steep upward slog on the way in, and a nice downhill run on the way out. We stopped about every quarter mile for a snack. I’m not sure that Ruby was tired, or hungry. I got the feeling that she just liked making camp for a minute. Some of our snack stops were barely enough time to catch our breath, but it seemed to be enough for the boo. Here’s a picture of us at the “Last Muffin Stop” which was actually the third from last break of the hike.

Victoria's Latest Sewing Project

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 08:17:01 +0000

When we were over at our friends house a few weeks ago ruby fell in love with a nightgown. Last week Ruby and Vick went fabric shopping and by Friday, Ruby had her first nightgown. I think its quite the item.

Secret Garden

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:44:23 +0000

Victoria and I built a secret garden in our back “yard” yesterday. Vick has been talking about this for a few weeks/months now and the weather and my new found productivity finally converged in a favorable way. I can’t wait to see what it looks like in bloom.

Losing Carma

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:11:17 +0000

Tonight I said goodbye to Kristy our hair stylist of 10 years. It was – oddly – the hardest thing I’ve done in quite a while. Carma Hair Company is in San Bruno, a one hour drive during rush hour. We have been commuting between thirty minutes and one hour for about seven years, and it just got to be too much to justify. What we’re saying goodbye to is a salon that treats its customers like extended family, and the easy comfort of a big thanksgiving dinner. I’m going to miss the playful banter, what-ifs and did-you-hears that every trip promised. Goodbye Carma, I hope to be back someday!

Ruby Earns Her Yellow Belt

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:57:22 +0000

I was as surprised as anyone when Ruby was called up to test tonight. She was asked to perform four forms and do some rolls. I was completely floored when she executed two forms that I didn’t even realize she could do. Her Uke (Jonathan) was fantastic, as usual, and really helped her to be her best, but in the end, it was all Ruby. She is now 10th Kyu. Congratulations sweetheart!

Ruby and the Jedi Mind Trick

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:36:25 +0000

It all started last weekend when Ruby and Anika started angling for a sleepover
No Ru, you didn’t have a nap today and it just wouldn’t be a good idea, Vick calmly states.
I will have a sleepover, Ruby corrects.
Ruby, listen to your moma, she said no, says I.
Daddy, Anika and I will have a sleepover tonight, she insists

I don’t know exactly how it happened but the next thing we know Jennifer is trying to figure out how to ride three kids home on her bike, and we were all happily joking about the padawan in our midst. The force is strong with this one. After three or four more successful executions of her new skill, I felt compelled to impress upon her that no sometimes does mean no. You can guess how that went.

Halfy Birthday to Olive

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:29:05 +0000

Olive rang in her 1.5 year birthday like a princess. I arrived home to both kids yelling “ta-da” and showing me their beautifully painted faces. .
We had some wonderful fajitas for dinner and then a 6 minute chocolate cake with home made whipped cream for desert. Olive reveled while Ruby led the group in a round of Halfy Birthday to Olive…

Roast Report

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:48:42 +0000

Last night I roasted my first batch of coffee in 5 years. It was a Sulawesi Enrekang “Mount Alla” (from Sweet Maria’s, of course). I roasted it to Full City, as recommended. The first shot was sweet, earthy and fruited (apparently fruity isn’t good), with a tiny bit of sour. The sour was most likely due to extraction, and not a characteristic of the roast or origin. All in all I was quite pleased.

My Talk

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:38:57 +0000

Making the World More Beautiful

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:48:10 +0000

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I’m going to leave this world better than I found it. This is a bugaboo of a thing to spend any time worrying about because the scope is grossly un-bracketed. I could satisfy my sense of social responsibility by creating an organization that brings food or educational resources to third world countries, or by raising two fantastic children who carry forward the same desire to do good.