Looks Easy

Cloudy, wet weather has settled in over the Land of Legend.  Thankfully (so far, at least) the rain has taken numerous breaks, allowing us to get Nova outside regularly.  We even completed our first full lap of our regular walking route, about six weeks post-surgery.  She handled it well, but I’m mindful of not overdoing things.  She’s still healing.

Both the outdoor Farmers Market and the Thursday Night Men’s Golf League kicked off this week.  I’m thankful for both, seeing lots of friendly faces that I somehow only run into at either venue.  Let the summer begin.

I reflected a bit this week on how some people make hard things look easy.  How Steph Curry shoots a basketball.  How Tiger Woods hits a golf ball.  The investment results that Warren Buffet consistently achieves.  Heck, even something domestic like yard/landscape maintenance - some of our neighbors make this look easy.

But we know it is not.  How do those of us who have developed excellence at something do it?  First and probably foremost, they are consistent.  How many practice shots does Steph or Tiger take, every day?  How many annual reports and SEC filings does Warren Buffet read, every single day?  How many days off do the people with immaculate yards take?  Not very many…. So, consistency is key.

One way to achieve consistency is to imagine your daily behavior as a type of investment account.  Most of the things we do each day serve the present moment.  Much of today is about meeting the needs of today.  In order to achieve meaningful long-term excellence, some percentage of each day must involve behaviors that are future-focused.  

One does not achieve a 10-year goal by simply saying it aloud.  We must translate that long-term goal into daily behaviors, daily baby steps.  We tiptoe our way to excellence.  We manifest it in increments.  We can die from 1,000 cuts - but it works in reverse, too.  Building a meaningful life by virtue of 1,000 small actions.  Or 10,000, or 1,000,000. 

The famed former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, at the first practice of each new season, would take the time to explain to his players how to properly tie their shoes.  The message:  The fundamentals matter.  Little things add up.  

Be mindful of the behaviors you engage in, devote some of them every day to your long-term goals, and always ask whether they are taking you closer to your dreams.

Sunday Supper
Here is what I’m cooking today that will serve as supper tonight, with plenty of leftovers to start the week ahead.  First, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, let’s make some Red Chicken Posole.  This slow-cooker Honey/Soy Braised Pork with Lime & Ginger looks good, too.  Lastly, this Smokehouse Chickpeas & Greens Salad will round things out.

Sunday Music
The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival wrapped up this week.  Here is John Batiste performing I Need You.  And here is the Tedeschi Trucks Band performing “Palace Of The King” with famed ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons.  Lastly, this NPR Tiny Desk concert by Willow is a very nice way to round out the music offerings this week.  Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Writing Your Obituary

My body and brain is buzzing, the aftereffects of a day spent outside working in the yard, taking a hot shower, and drinking a couple of glasses of some really delicious sparkling wine that a friend recently gifted us.

Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine, recently turned 73 years old.  As is his habit, he updated his list of advice - things learned from a life well-lived.  Things that he thinks might benefit people, especially if they could learn them a bit sooner than he did.  I was introduced to Kevin when he was a guest on the Tim Ferriss Show, one of my favorite podcasts.  I really appreciate his perspective, both because he is very thoughtful and because he is further down the path of life than me.

Kevin comes off as very likable, and intelligent.  I think you will find all of his tidbits worthy of consideration.  One item particularly jumped out at me - the notion of writing our own obituary.  I think this is a great exercise for everyone to do.

Writing your obituary as you would want it to read is an effective way to cut to the chase - what do you really want people to be able to say about you, unprompted, when your life is over?  If you died right now, what do you think people would say?  

This thought experiment strips away all of the B.S.  It creates the conditions for a real, honest assessment of where things currently stand, what is possible, and what is most important in this finite thing we call life.

Although we know it is finite, life is also indefinite - we typically don’t know where the end point is.  This indefiniteness allows us to kick the can down the road.  I urge you to reject this procrastination.  If you haven’t already done so, I think you will find it liberating to imagine you are gone, and write the obituary you would want to be true for you.

While you’re at it, you should pull together all of your user names and passwords, account numbers, etc., etc. - make it easy on your family to access all of the important stuff that you manage.  I have done this, and it needs a regular review and refresh - passwords are always changing, 2-factor authentication, etc.

If we do this properly, our last check (to the funeral home) will just barely clear our bank account, and our families can spend more of their energy celebrating us rather than figuring out how to take control of our Facebook account. 

This can be a dark, morbid endeavor - or something liberating and motivating.  You get to choose.

Sunday Supper
If there is a better, more satisfying soup for someone working in their flower beds than Kapusniak, I don’t know what it is.  It carried Lori and I through much of the weekend.  On Sunday I’m going to grill a nice batch of basic cheeseburgers, topped with this sauce recipe from Gott’s Roadside in northern California.  Rather than incur the simple carbs from hamburger buns, I’m going to chop up some of the cheeseburgers, throwing them on top of a simple salad composed of shredded iceberg lettuce, diced yellow onion, tomatoes and pickles.  In addition to this cheeseburger salad improv, I’m going to make a nice batch of this Thai Basil Beef, with a pot of rice.  The leftovers will carry us deep into the week ahead.

Sunday Music
This duet between Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton of Stapleton’s Tennessee Whiskey and Timberlake’s Drink You Away is fun.  This performance of Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters by Elton John at the recent Gershwin Prize celebration is lovely.  This performance by Annie Lennox of Elton and Bernie Taupin’s Border Song is just wonderful, too.

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Table Stakes

We are nearly four weeks post-surgery for Nova’s knee, and she’s starting to feel frisky.  She now nags me regularly to go for walks, but I think it is just too soon to do much of that.  We have a FaceTime call scheduled with the surgeon soon.  I'm curious to hear what he has to say about ramping up her activity.

Unrelated, but worth sharing:  Fate forced me to change how I manage my email, and I’m pleasantly surprised with the result.  Hey.com offers wonderful innovations in both email and calendar interface.  On the email side, all first-time email senders are screened, giving you the power to reject all future emails from that sender.  This has drastically reduced my overall email volume, resulting in a surprising measure of peace of mind.

Yesterday I watched Food Inc. 2, a follow-up produced by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser that revisits the numerous issues in our system of food production and distribution that result in poor health, lower nutrition, exploitative labor practices and monopoly profits for the handful of mega-companies that sit atop key parts of the system.

I watched it reluctantly, to be honest.  Its uncomfortable to be reminded of the many ugly truths, especially when one feels powerless as an individual to affect meaningful change.  But my tail was dragging a bit, having received my second dose of the shingles vaccine on Friday.  Watching the film fit my energy level and I knew it would yield some good material to write about.

I won’t beat you over the head with all of the negative realities that we must navigate on a daily basis.  They are out there, and if you mindlessly buy and consume food, you will reinforce every single one of them.  I highly recommend watching the movie, to be a more-informed consumer.

Instead, I will share some simple guidelines that will allow you to “vote with your wallet” and support practices that yield more holistic benefits to all concerned:

• To the greatest extent possible, eat minimally processed food.  Fresh fruits and vegetables, canned or frozen are fine too.  Basic grains and legumes.  

• Purchase proteins that are ethically raised and processed.  No factory farmed meat, poultry or seafood.  This can cost more - offset that higher cost with more plant-based proteins.

• Buy local and seasonal as much as possible.  The outdoor farmer’s market opens soon - make sure to visit it often and purchase a lot of your food there.

The importance of cooking a home cannot be overstated.  To encourage this, my Sunday Supper recommendations moving forward are going to focus on easier-to-cook, more modular recipes to hopefully make it a bit easier for you to do this.  At the bottom of this email is a list of all the recipes I developed for the Maamos Kitchen meal kit program - email me if you would like any of those recipes, I’m happy to share them.  

On the personal health front, I continue to shed weight steadily, and I attribute this to cooking and eating more simply.  I’ll take the risk of jinxing myself by sharing that it really has been easy.  Its funny how the basic truths consistently yield results.  Eat more like your grandparents (maybe even great-grandparents)!  Your body will reward you with better health.

Sunday Supper
This One-Pot Chicken Tinga recipe will yield a lot of flavor and volume to jumpstart your week with good food.  This Kale Caesar Salad looks great, too - it would be easy to add some cooked chicken thighs or breast to this.  (My favorite local source of chicken is Copia Farm - their self-serve market stand is totally worth a visit if you haven’t been there yet.)

Sunday Music
This song came into my head earlier this week.  I tried to manufacture a reason for titling this week’s essay In Spite of Ourselves, but couldn’t figure it out.  This beautiful duet between John Prine and Iris Dement is so fun, poignant, and real.  When John died in 2020 of COVID-related complications, artists far and wide honored him by covering his songs in this NPR Tiny Desk (Home) concert tribute.  Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Totally Worth It

Many weeks ago one of my great friends from college texted to see if I wanted to join him in watching the eclipse.  He lives in Asheville, North Carolina now, but grew up in Centerville and still has family there.  He came back to Ohio to see his family and witness this rare event.

I blocked out the time on my calendar, but as the date approached I began to wonder whether I should make the trek to Wapakoneta.  The news reports indicated that there would be lots of traffic.  I was worried that I would endure a long slog there, only to discover that all the parking had been taken, and not be able to actually connect with my friend (and other friends from college who had joined in the fun).

Ultimately I decided to simply write the day off and go for it.  If it turned out to be an inefficient boondoggle, so be it.  How many more opportunities would I get to spend the day with these people?  Another eclipse in our region won’t occur until September 14, 2099.  I just committed to going, and was willing to accept whatever might happen.

Traffic on State Route 33 west out of Dublin was S L O W.  So slow that I contemplated abandoning the effort.  Was this going to be the slog I feared?  Traffic eventually opened up, though.  Cruising through Indian Lake, it was impossible not to see the destruction left behind by the recent tornado(s) that hit the area.  I’ve never seen trees damaged like that.

When I arrived at the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum, there was ample parking, and I was able to easily locate my friends.  We spent a wonderful few hours catching up, soaking up the sun, and making sophomoric jokes until the Moon started to creep in front of the Sun.  As the percentage of coverage got to nearly 100%, I was surprised by how much light we still had around us.  We enjoyed about four minutes of totality, where the Moon fully obscured the Sun and we were able to view it directly without glasses.  We marveled at the corona surrounding the Moon with its glorious halo.  It was truly awe-inspiring.  No wonder earlier humans freaked out when witnessing this amazing event in the past.

We waited about an hour for traffic to clear before we went our separate ways.  It took me nearly three hours to get home - a full hour more than normal traffic flow would require.  But it was totally worth it.

It made me wonder how many experiences we forgo out of fear.  Fear of discomfort, fear of being inconvenienced, fear that pursing something won’t live up to expectations.  So we do nothing instead, or stick to familiar activities.  The uncertainty actually adds to the payoff, when things go well.

I think I would benefit from a higher boondoggle ratio.  You might consider it, too.

Sunday Supper
FYI - I made all of the items I suggested for last week’s Sunday Supper.  Every last one of them.  It was a glorious Lebanese feast.  This week we’re jumping fully into Spring.  This Dairy-Free Creamy Asparagus Soup looks wonderful, as does this Risotto with Spring Peas, Ham and Fontina.  This Roasted Salmon with Ginger-Lime Butter also looks amazing.  For a sweet finish, this Double-Caramel Flan will do the trick.

Sunday Music
This Sunday I scanned my mind for voices I haven’t heard in a while, and landed on the truly lovely Lianne La Havas.  This NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert from the COVID era is just pure, stripped down, raw, beautiful talent.  Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Go-Givers

Welcome to Springtime.  After a busy week mostly spent getting to and returning from Atlanta, I regrouped a bit on Friday, then spent as much time as I could cleaning the yard up yesterday.  The front lawn received its first mowing of the year.  Thankfully the good folks at Wright Brothers Power got my leaf blower back into form (the coil was shot), so I could clear all the tree seeds, twigs and branches that last week’s storms deposited over everything.  I’ve never asked them whether they are related to the Wright Brothers of Dayton, Ohio…I’ll try to remember to check into this the next time I’m over on Church Street.

One of my friends used a term this week that has stuck with me:  Go-Givers.  They are like go-getters, but are more other-centered.  They think more about how they can be helpful to others.  There is a book titled The Go-Giver.  I haven’t read it, and can’t vouch for it.  But I find the term evocative.  Pro-actively helping others without a quid pro quo mindset is a good way to roll, in my opinion. 

It brings to mind the notion of karma.  In Indian and Buddhist traditions, karma refers to the principle of cause and effect - where both intent and actions influence the future.   When it comes to karma, it’s not enough to do a good deed - the intent behind the action matters, too.

One needn’t have a specific outcome in mind when doing something nice or helpful for others.  We’re wired for reciprocity.  If someone does a good turn for me, I’ll look for a way to do the same - for the person who was kind to me, or sometimes just for anyone.  The lesson of doing kindnesses is that it is more than enough to pay it forward to anyone, even strangers.  

A quote attributed to the American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist and writer Ram Dass:  “We are all just walking each other home.”  I’m not sure I’ve seen a more succinct way of saying how I aspire to behave.  The universe is estimated to be about 13.7 billion years old.  The 90 to 100 years we all aspire to live are a blink of an eye when compared to this timescale.  We might as well be fruit flies.  Our time here is so brief.  Why not be kind, generous and helpful?

It’s interesting to observe how money and status can affect behavior.  We’ve all heard the term “F-You Money.”  If you won the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot yesterday, how much would your behavior change?  Let’s assume that you could keep the windfall a secret.  No one is treating you differently.  How differently would you behave?  It’s an interesting thought experiment.

Compared to just two generations ago, I feel pretty close to being a Powerball winner.  My circumstances are quite different from those of my grandparents.  And I think Lori and I may have boosted our children into a slightly higher orbit.  That’s what humanity does - we all stand on the hard fought-lessons and accumulated blessings of those who came before us.

Sunday Supper
I made a bunch of this Chaat-Spiced Chex Mix for my friends this week, using 2 TBSP each of all three versions of Maanis Spice Blends.  It's super-easy and much more vibrant than the traditional Chex mix recipe.  With the weather warming up, I think we should light the grill and enjoy some Mediterranean food.  This Shish Tawook recipe is fantastic, as are these Kefta Kabobs.  Pairing these proteins with some Tabbouleh salad (I substitute quinoa for the bulgur wheat, for my Gluten Free Goddess (TM)) is a great idea.  And if the grill is lit, I gotta make some Baba Ganouj.  Make some, or all of these for a great Sunday feast.

Sunday Music
This Sunday my mind goes to Tom Waits. I consider him to be one of America’s greatest songwriters - right up there with Randy Newman, George Gershwin and Aaron Copland.  His deep, gravelly voice can sometimes overpower the beautiful melodies that underpin his music, so here I offer three different female artists covering Waits tunes:  Rachael Price (lead singer of Lake Street Dive), performing Take It With Me with Chris Thile on mandolin.  Madison Cunningham covering Hold On.  And the lovely Diane Krall performing Jockey Full of Bourbon at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 2010.  To wrap it up, here is Waits himself debuting the song Take One Last Look, performed live on The Late Show With David Letterman, around the time of Letterman’s retirement.   Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Dreaming & Doing

Happy Easter, to those who celebrate!  The holiday hits differently in our home these days.  Long gone are the Easters where our little cherubs were dressed in dapper pastel-colored clothing, wandering the yard in pursuit of Easter eggs.  We have an old Hi8 video of one such Easter egg hunt, many years ago when my grandmother was still alive.  In it she cackles with excitement as people tell her “warmer” and “colder,” guiding her to the egg with her name on it.  I enjoy hearing the voices of loved ones no longer with us, but it does remind me how much our memories can fade over time.  It’s good to be able to refresh them with saved moments like this.  

Things are a little extra muted this week in our home because our dog Nova underwent TPLO knee surgery on Monday.  She is healing well, but still requires lots of quiet recovery here at home.  You won’t see us on our normal walks up and down Newark-Granville Road for a while.

Since it is the end of the first quarter of the year, I set aside some time this past week to reflect, and set goals for the next 90-day interval.  In the past, the demands of parenting and business just kind of pulled me along without an observation of a formal goal-setting ritual.  Today, I highly value this exercise.  In the absence of such a process, I probably would be wandering aimlessly.  Without slagging the past, I am grateful for this present mode of operating.  I like the sense of agency that it creates in me.

Having a clear, compelling vision of the future helps me fill the void of empty nester hood with purposeful action.  Cameron Herold calls this a “Vivid Vision.”  A bright, detailed picture of the future of your own creation that provides inspiration.  It serves as a great catalyst that alters my day-to-day behavior.  Those daily actions create micro results that add up over time (the point of last weeks essay).  There is a somewhat spooky mechanism at play here - the more detailed and compelling one’s vision is, the more likely it will change our behavior, increasing the chances of it becoming our new reality.

I find myself resisting the term “manifesting,” because it feels a bit woo-woo.  Yet, there is something to this term.  Self-fulfilling prophecies happen, and we can activate this mechanism to our benefit, at least sometimes.

I do recognize what a luxury it is to be able to take time for reflection and develop a bright, vibrant picture of the future that spurs me to action.  Someone with two kids, no spouse, working three jobs would be hard-pressed to pull this off.  Even with a spouse and just one job, I often didn’t.  On the other end of the spectrum, those of us who have achieved a higher degree of financial independence have ample time to dream about the future, get excited by these dreams and take decisive action.  The paradoxical nature of this may be disappointing, but it’s unavoidable math - the value of both money and time compounds.

Another observation I have made about this whole notion of goal setting - it can be counter-productive if one becomes too fixated on their vision.  It’s like the awesome power of the Sun - it is best to let it illuminate your path, but if you stare at it, it will blind you.  While I am personally seeing the immense value of getting into that detailed, future-focused head space, I also recognize the risk of staying there, never translating the vision into present-day action steps that carry me forward.  A patient focus on process will likely deliver the desired outcome.  Perhaps not on the desired schedule, but we can get there eventually by staying persistent. 

It’s a dance, a dynamic back-and-forth.  We have to create that whitespace where we can dream in detail about the future.  AND THEN we have to put the blinders on, hitch up the plow and get to work on the small daily actions that will carry us toward that destination.  If you can, I encourage you to put on your dancing shoes and give this a try.

Here’s to a productive Spring.

Sunday Supper
I’m keeping things simple this weekend.  Lori and I will be getting some smoked ham from Ray Ray’s for Easter, along with some sides.  Many people have Easter meal plans, I imagine.  So I’ll offer up this Grilled Bratwurst, Beer & Cheddar Soupas a counterpoint.  Maybe whip this up on Monday to start the week.  It reminds me of some wonderful house-made pretzels and beer cheese sauce that I enjoyed with a friend at the now-closed Boxcar Restaurant in Avon, Colorado a few years back.

Sunday Music
This Sunday I share a live performance by a great musician who you most likely know, but who I think you will agree stays out of the limelight these days.  I give you this wonderful performance by the inimitable Harry Connick, Jr.  Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Radical Consistency

Friday night Lori and I had the pleasure of dining with friends at the Columbus fine dining institution, The Refectory.  We had only been there one time previously, many years ago.  It was a group event, with a set menu.  So I didn’t feel like we had ever had the “full” experience.  It would be easy to assume that a French restaurant that has been around since the late 1970s might be a bit stodgy or dated, but nothing could be further from the truth.  It has clearly evolved with the times, offering a range of ways to enjoy their cuisine without breaking the bank account, and delivering a truly enjoyable experience - thanks in part to their amazing wine cellar and great sommelier, Taylor Wolf.

Owner Kamal Boulos started working for the restaurant under prior ownership in 1976, eventually purchasing it in 1991.  His steady presence in the front-of-house all these years, combined with the 30+ year tenure of chef Richard Blondin have built a rock solid foundation of consistent excellence that is second to none.

The restaurant is a study in consistency.  Many entrepreneurs are highly creative and easily distractible - chasing the latest bright, shiny objects and often drifting from their Core Focus.  Not so with the leadership of The Refectory.

I have experienced the benefits of consistency personally with regard to dieting this year.  With just one week to go in the first quarter of the year, I have lost a little weight each and every week - except for this past week - which has nothing to do with our visit to The Refectory (my weigh-in was prior to this).  I’m down 14 pounds since the first week of January, and I intend to keep going.

I won’t get into the details regarding what my protocol is, except to say it is super basic - but something I observe it each and every day.  In addition to building my confidence and giving me a stronger sense of agency, I’ve experienced other benefits, all of which are tied to this change in eating - better sleep, more consistent energy throughout the day, and a higher degree of focus as I work.  I feel good physically, and it feels like I am living each day more in line with all of my priorities.  The year is off to a great start.

This somewhat magical feeling, when improvement in one area of life leads to unexpected halo benefits in other areas - this same mechanism applies to many different things.  Better diet leads to better sleep.  Better sleep leads to better daily energy.  Better daily energy leads better daily focus.  Better daily focus leads to better parenting and decision making, impulse control, etc. - creating a positive virtuous cycle that can be very powerful.

Abraham Lincoln is quoted as having said “I walk slowly, but I never walk backwards.”  It speaks to the ratchet effect of capturing and preserving improvements, however small - not giving them away, but adding to them as much as we can.  Some days are successful simply because you held your ground.  I picked up a couple of pounds in the last week, but I promise you the numbers will go the other way, in spite of the amazing meal we enjoyed Friday night.  I may not wipe away the entire weight gain in one week, but things will move in the desired direction.  I promise.

Go to The Refectory, the next chance you get!  I can’t imagine anyone not loving it.  And think about what cornerstone behavior you can improve on that might create a virtuous cycle in your life.  It can happen!

Sunday Supper
This Roast Pork with Jalapeño Gravy looks lovely.  I’ll be making this today, along with a sheet pan of Crispy Roasted Potatoes and this Roasted Root Vegetable Salad with Sweet Lime Dressing.

Sunday Music
This week I discovered Jacob Collier by way of Chris Thile’s Instagram feed.  Here is a trio performance by Thile, Collier and Madison Cunningham that is just beautiful.  And here is a full 2-hour performance by Collier in Lisbon, Spain, 2022.  Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

White Space

An article in The Wall Street Journal really spoke to me this week - These Professionals Aren’t Retired, They Just Have Zero To Prove (this is a free link, so you can read it yourself).  It describes a number of very successful people who are embracing  a “post achievement” lifestyle with family, health and passion projects taking priority over corporate ladder climbing.

The article quotes 44-year old Rachel Barak, co-founder of the marketing firm Said Differently as saying “A lot of serial entrepreneurs are scared of the white space in their lives, and I’m really excited by that white space.”  I share Rachel’s excitement.  Entrepreneurs might create such white space when they sell their businesses, or leave high-flying corporate positions - but it can be created by other life events. 

The kids leaving for college and the passing of my mom created such a space in my life, which I’ve been navigating for the past couple of years.  Embracing my creativity has been important.  Reading, writing and talking to lots of great people have been immensely helpful in figuring out how to realize the potential represented by the white space.  Volunteering has also been informative, and now occupies a dedicated position in my weekly routine.

Late last year I decided what I am going to focus on during this next phase of life.  In addition to maintaining my media buying practice for key long-term clients, I am adding the role of Entrepreneur Coach to my repertoire.  Actually, the term used by the organization I am affiliated with is called Professional EOS Implementer.

EOS stands for Entrepreneurial Operating System, and was developed by a great fellow named Gino Wickman.  A long-time entrepreneur, Gino saw the need to simplify the complexity that many entrepreneurs are surrounded by, and assembled a comprehensive set of simple tools to help them and their leadership teams achieve more of their goals.

After talking with both my inner circle of close friends, and interviewing numerous EOS Implementers across North America, I determined that this would be an excellent way for me to contribute to the world and leverage my twenty-five years’ experience as an entrepreneur.  I self-implemented EOS in Maamos Kitchen, and know numerous people who have done the same in their businesses, to great effect.

One of the keys to EOS’ success is that it requires entrepreneurs and their leadership teams to create white space for themselves - going offsite about five days each year to reaffirm their vision for the future, getting on the same page regarding how they are going to create that future via a series of 90-day sprints.  If you consider that there are 52 weeks each year, a business that operates Monday - Friday has 260 days to get things done.  Taking 5 of them to work on the business (instead of in it), heavily focuses the way they use their precious time and energy during the other 255.  Basically a 2% time investment into planning and goal-setting amplifies the impact of the other 98%.

When all is said and done, achieving different outcomes requires different behaviors - whether it’s personal or organizational.  EOS is all about breaking down those goals into clear action steps that carry us in the right direction.  I’ve seen the compounding effects of steady, modest change - and I’m looking forward to helping entrepreneurs and their leadership teams create this momentum in their lives.

There’s nothing magical about it - we all can become more intentional about what we’re doing, and why.  Stepping out of the day-to-day current of life, creating some white space to think and dream is a great way to ensure that you make the most of this precious time we have here on Earth.

Sunday Supper
This being St. Patrick’s Day weekend, I must suggest this Oven-Braised Guiness Beef Stew w/ Horseradish Cream.  These Grasshopper Brownies would be a good finish, in the style of McDonalds’ Shamrock Shakes.

Sunday Music
Aoife O’Donovan’s name is so darned Irish.  So I have to share this recent beautiful performance of her song All My Friends.  And for a longer Sunday listen, here is the group Carrtoons’ recent live performance at NPR’s Tiny Desk.  Enjoy!

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send it to them. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Women Work

Friday was International Women’s Day, an event whose origin goes all the way back to 1909 in New York City.  This served as a catalyst for me to reflect on the many strong women in my life, those with whom I have crossed paths over the years, and the gradual ascendance of women in our society throughout my lifetime.

Last year, undergraduate students in U.S. colleges and universities skewed 55% female.  The ratio of women to men in college started tilting toward women in 1980, and has steadily increased since then.  This appears to translate to at least some increased gender equity in leadership positions.  U.S. News and World Report reports that women now hold about a third of the executive positions in the U.S.  However, the Women Business Collaborative offers that only one in five of the highest “C-Suite” leaders are women, with nearly 80% of U.S. women executives holding posts in HR, finance and legal departments, not the operations roles more likely to lead to CEO opportunities.  Pew Research Center reported that the share of women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies reached an all-time high in 2023 of 10.6%. 

A 2019 McKinsey report revealed that companies with more women in executive roles generated 21% higher profitability.  Women get things done.  I would assert that, all other factors being equal, selecting the female candidate for a leadership role is a better bet.  Women have responded to the extra societal friction that they face in numerous ways that have made them collectively more resilient and high-performing. 

The U.S. has done a better job than some other countries at closing the gender gaps, but trails behind others.  The 2023 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum reports on the Global Gender Gap Index, a benchmark of gender parity across 146 countries, looking at four key dimensions:  Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.  The U.S. ranks 43rd of 146 countries when these dimensions are combined.  Nordic countries of Iceland (1), Norway (2), Finland (3) and Sweden (5) lead the list, with New Zealand at number 4.  You can access the entire report here. 

While we have more collective work to do, I see high-performing women all around me. Whether it’s Sally Heckman leading First Federal Savings, Amy Albery leading Wallick Communities, or my own brilliant wife, Lori Fuhrer, as a Director at her law firm, Licking County has no shortage of impressive women.  You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting someone like Kathy Patton, who has coached athletes at 5:00 am for going on two decades and runs Iron Heart Consulting.  (Why would anyone want to swing a dead cat, anyway?  That’s gross.  It turns out this phraseology originated in reference to swinging a cat-o’-nine-tails in the tight confines of a ship at sea.)  Lori’s close childhood friend and my graduate school colleague, Holly Walters, has ascended to the top echelon of Toyota North America, where she currently serves as Chief Information Officer, through incredibly hard work, dedication and intellect.  These women inspire me and give me hope for our future.

Here’s to Women! Do something extra nice for a woman in your life as a small thank you, OK?

Sunday Supper
This week’s Sunday Supper recommendations works both as a time-intensive dinner plan, but will also yield ample leftovers to carry you into the week ahead.  This is what I’ll be cooking today, too.  First, let’s braise some Barbacoa, a spicy Mexican approach to chuck roast.  While we’re at it, let’s put on a pot of Black Beans and let them simmer all day.  Fire up a pot of long-grained rice, and sauté a bunch of bell peppers (any color) and onions.  The next thing you know, you will have produced all the elements for making some fantastic tacos, or burrito bowls, Ala Chipotle (but even better).  Obviously, supplement with your preferred toppings, like salsa, shredded cheese, guacamole, or whatever else appeals to you.  To satisfy my sweet tooth and welcome our son home for a Spring Break visit, I’m making this simple Baked Lemon Pudding for a sweet finish.  Enjoy!

Sunday Music
I’ve shared this performance by Aretha Franklin at the Kennedy Center’s honors for Carole King previously, but given this week’s theme it feels like a two-for-one special, acknowledging two amazing women at once.  Similarly, here is a performance by Dolly Parton & Olivia Newton-John of Parton’s classic song, Jolene.  Is there any woman more at the top of their game right now than Taylor Swift?  I think not…this drop-in performance of her song Better Man at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville back in 2018 shows just how much talent she has paired with amazing skill development.  And lastly, for no particular reason besides it caught my eye, is Olivia Dean performing her song, Dive last year.

If you know anyone who might like this essay, please send them a link to this page. 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

The Work Never Ends

“Sir, is this your bag?” The TSA officer asks you.  “Yes” you answer, your mind scanning for what could possibly have drawn notice.  You remember that you had a Nalgene water bottle in the bag on Monday when you traveled to Dallas.  You tell the agent that this is probably what the sensors detected.  He empties the water out of the bottle and returns it to you, while you struggle to put the boots you shouldn’t have worn to the airport back on your feet.  An old friend, and many new friends stand waiting as you wrap up this amateur traveler interlude.

It is 1:00 am by the time you pull into the driveway.  You thank Uber Jack for shepherding you home, and tiptoe into the house.  While brushing your teeth, you hear Nova shake her head, flippetyflappityflip, and know that this probably woke Lori.  Momentarily they both greet you in the bathroom.  You hug and chat and crawl into bed.  You conk out by 1:30 am or so.

The alarm rings at 6:30 am.  You rise and dress, take the dog downstairs and start a pot of coffee.  When it’s ready, you and the dog jump in the car and drive to the kennel.  On the way back through town, you stop at Station, order a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich, then sit down with your crew and catch up a little bit. 

You’re home by 8:15 am and Lori is in the shower.  You packed your bag for North Carolina on Sunday, because you knew you might be brain-dead by now, too mentally gassed to do it properly.  (You were right.)

You hit the road by 9:00 am.  Lori drives, because you are sleep deprived and hope to catch a few winks on the way down.  But you’re chatty at first, discussing the week as you head down State Route 37 toward Lancaster.  You hang in there, knowing that it’s easy to get off course while taking the back way to I-77 via State Route 33.  In fact, your chatting throws you off course, but you make it to I-77 South eventually.  You recline the seat and try to zonk out.  It’s nice to close your eyes, slow your breathing, and let your mind wander.  Perhaps you drift in and out, but this is not the sleep you need.

You pull in to the Tamarack Center down around Beckley, bladder full.  Aunt Rachel has texted you to let you know that she’s already there.  You hug, and excuse yourself for a bathroom break.  Then you see that she’s brought Uncle Paul with her, which is a great surprise.  You order some food, sit and chat.  Catch up on things, especially the various aches, pains, and diseases being managed all across the family tree.  You hug your goodbyes and return to the car.  It is 38 degrees and raining now.

Lori resumes her role in the driver’s seat, and you quickly return to slumber.  This time the sleep is deeper, thanks to the empty bladder, the food in your belly and the white noise of the rain hitting the windshield.  You’re in Durham a little before 6:00pm.

You text your son as soon as you arrive at the AirBnB.  He appears in about 3 minutes (he lives very close by).  There he sits, 24 years old on this very day.

You look at him, and you see the little baby you brought home from University Hospital in 2000.  You see him toddling around in an Ohio State onesie, fat rolls creasing his legs.  You see him playing with toys on the floor, while the Twin Towers fall on the television screen.  You see him dressed as a bumblebee, a costume of his own design and construction using nothing but duct tape.  You see him singing in the high school choir.  You see the picture he texted you from his seat in the auditorium the day he graduated from Butler.

You take him in, and all of these memories, and for a second you think “My job is done.  Look at this guy.  He doesn’t need me any more, and he’s turned out pretty great.”

And then you remember who you were at the age of 24, and who you are now at 55, and you know that the good work never ends.  You helped get him to 24, but he’s taking notes on how to get to 55.  He may not know it, but you are leaving him breadcrumbs.  Just like your father did for you.  You need to show him what 70, 80, 90 looks like - if only so you can continue to bear witness to this amazing life standing before you.

Sunday Supper
This Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup spoke to me.  It said “I should be featured in your weekly newsletter, Neal.”  This Shredded Kale with Pine Nuts, Currants and Shaved Parmesan will knock your socks off, too.  It is reminiscent of something we enjoyed from Pizzeria Toro on Friday.

Sunday Music
If you haven’t seen Joni Mitchell’s recent performance of Both Sides Now on the Grammy telecast, you should check it out.  It hits a lot differently now that she is 80 years young.  This nearly 2-hour long live performance in Boulder, CO some 31 years ago by Jazz greats Pat Metheny (guitar), Joshua Redman (saxophone), Christian McBride (bass), and Billy Higgins (drums) is also some great Sunday listening (though this is a YouTube link, it is audio-only).

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Winter’s Last Gasp

Driving home from a meeting in Columbus this past Thursday afternoon, dark clouds were piling up in the distance.  Beautiful bolts of lightning ripped out of the clouds, though I never heard any thunder.  This activity must have been very far away for the sound not to have reached me.  It made me think that maybe Spring was here.

It was another week of focused, gratifying effort.  The later part of the week, a portion of my energy was focused on baking Freddie the birthday pie that he had requested, then delivering it to him in Cleveland before taking him out for a celebratory dinner Friday night.  Duty had called Lori elsewhere, so we drove into town separately.

By the time we sat down at L’Albatross, a French brasserie and bar located on Case Western Reserve University’s campus, I was ready to let my hair down, relax, and bask in the glory of my now 21-year old progeny.  Hearing him recount his comings and goings of the semester was wonderful.  So much of it whizzed smoothly over my head, beyond my ability (or desire) to grasp.  This young man is smart.  His capacity for knowledge and the voraciousness with which he is accumulating it is a joy to see.  I was too spent to even try and stay in-sync with some of the things he was enthusiastically sharing.  I’m just a pie baker, what can I say?  The point for me wasn’t the details.  It was the enthusiasm, and there was plenty of that.  My most significant contribution to the conversation may have been to offer “Dr. Frankenstein had a small lab, too.”

After dinner, Lori and I returned to Granville, each in our separate vehicles, connected via cell phone the whole way home.  We de-briefed on our respective weeks and reveled in what we had just witnessed over dinner.  Pleased as punch for how thing are working out for both of our boys.  We hit the hay later than usual Friday night.  I slept like a six-year old after his first day at Disney World.

Waking after sunrise (a rarity) on Saturday, I was surprised to see how much snow had fallen over night.  I immediately looked at the near-term weather forecast to see when temperatures would climb above freezing, and was glad to see I wouldn’t need to shovel.  Mother Nature made this mess.  We can let her clean it up.  I appreciate it when it works out this way.

Next week will be another busy one.  I have plenty of preparations to complete this weekend.  I’m glad that shoveling snow is not one of them.

Sunday Supper
I was pleasantly surprised to see pork and sauerkraut featured on the menu at L’Albatross Friday night.  It didn’t occur to me that the Alsatian region of France would produce cuisine that I associate with Germany, but it made sense once I thought about it.  This recipe for Choucroute Garnie à l’Alsacienne from Serious Eats will produce a very similar meal to the one I enjoyed Friday.  If you lack the four hours this recipe requires, these Maple Pork Chops, paired with this Braised Sauerkrautwill accomplish something similar in less time.  Wear your lederhosen while cooking to get the full experience.

Sunday Music
You probably know that I often lean on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series to uncover interesting Sunday music offerings to share.  Every year NPR welcomes open submissions from bands interested in performing in the series.  The submission deadline for 2024 was this past week.  It has become a normal part of bands’ promotion of their work that they share their submissions via social media.  So here are five such submissions for this year.  Let’s see if any of them get invited to perform at NPR headquarters in the year ahead:  REBBY, Scott Li, Blimes, Mumblebee, and Bandits On The Run.  Enjoy!

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Renewing My Vows

Well, Mother Nature dumped five inches of white, fluffy exercise on my driveway Friday night.  Lori and I had it cleared in time for me to make my standing 9am Saturday appointment at the chiropractor.  There are worse ways to start the weekend than getting one’s back straightened out.

A couple of follow-ups to recent essays:

First, a reader kindly sent me this article from the New York Times regarding the slow progress in venture-backed business ventures focused on producing lab-grown meat:  

Second, I stumbled across this very interesting article regarding news media business models, and what might be the most sustainable way forward.   

You might find both of these articles enlightening.

Some time ago, probably more than a year, I injured my left ring finger at the gym.  Something popped, and I quickly removed my wedding band, for fear that my finger would swell and be constricted by the ring.

It has sat in a little cubby of my office desk.  Every once in a while, I would try to slip it on, and it was just a bit too snug to trust that I could remove it if I needed to.  So it continued to sit there.

I had some errands to run in Columbus on Saturday, and I finally had the forethought to call the jeweler who made our wedding bands and explain that I needed to get the ring re-sized.  We set an 11am appointment.  I arrived at the appointed time, and was glad to be greeted by the jeweler (Bill).  Bill made our rings twenty-seven years ago, but  I’ve seen him at least a couple of times since, thanks to a purchase of earrings that I made for one of our anniversaries a few years ago.

Of course I know virtually nothing about the craft of jewelry making, or metallurgy, or welding, soldering, materials science…I walked in thinking that Bill could heat up the ring, stretch it out a bit, then cool it down and hand it back to me.  No such luck.  It turns out my finger has grown more than a couple of sizes, so there is a more elaborate plan now in place to accommodate my plumper digit.

Bill’s son Andy works with him, and they both talked through different scenarios, some of which went straight over my head.  But in the end I am certain that we landed on a smart, enduring solution that will get this ring back on my finger.

A lot of things have changed in the world of jewelers since 1997.  Bill and Andy showed me a laser welder that they now use, and the tiny filaments of gold that they use in that process.  No matter how the tools change, their craftsmanship remains unimpeachable.  As they were mulling over their proposed solution, I looked through the various display cases at the many beautiful pieces, all classic, avoiding the ostentatious.

It was impossible to fully grasp just how good an artisan Bill was when we initially chose to buy our rings from him.  But this weekend, standing in the same showroom where we made that choice many years ago, I felt extra good about working with someone who has stood the test of time so well as a craftsman and an entrepreneur.

It will feel good to have the ring back on my finger.  I don't go out or travel a ton, so haven’t really worried that some people might notice its absence, and draw inferences as to the strength of my marriage.  But certainly the thought has crossed my mind from time to time.  It’s time to get it back on my hand, and remove all doubt.  The only thing that has endured better than the ring is my marriage, and for that I am immensely grateful.

Sunday Supper
After proposing numerous recipes from the genre of “Football Food” last week, I promised to return to the traditional go-to of the Sunday Supper section:  A large hunk of roasted meat.  This one is a doozy:  This Braised Brisket from the New York Times Cooking section (it is a gift link, don’t worry about a paywall) evokes memories of my childhood.  

It uses the flat portion of the brisket, braising it for six wonderful hours in a sauce composed of fresh ginger, onion, garlic, ketchup, red wine, soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, Coca Cola, ground cloves and black pepper.  I made it Saturday, so that it could cool and I could then skim the fat off the surface of the braising liquid before serving it to guests tonight.  

Entering the house after the evening dog walk, the smell from the kitchen was absolutely divine. The plan is to serve it over mashed potatoes, whipped as thoroughly as Secretariat in the home stretch at Churchill Downs with optimal portions of butter, salt and cream.  Add a little green salad, and that’ll be a fine Sunday Supper.

Sunday Music
I learned last week that musical pioneer Mojo Nixon, welder of roots music with punk rock died on February 7th at the age of 66.  There was no one like this chaotic, anarchic inventor of the “psychobilly” sound.  Here is his performance of Elvis Is Everywhere on the Arsenio Hall Show back in 1987.  And here he sings Don Henley Must Die on a show called Random Acts.  Rest In Peace, Mojo.

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Be More Thoughtful

Mother Nature gave us a Spring Preview this week, and it was nice.  The snow drops on the hill by that dilapidated old house near the golf course popped wide open by Thursday.   An early reminder that the plants in my flower beds and yard will soon spring forth, pulling me out of the house to tame them.

A couple of weeks ago, two different friends sent me a note suggesting that I watch a Netflix series titled You Are What You Eat.  So, I watched all four episodes.  

The premise of the program was built around a research study conducted by a scientist at Stanford University.  In it, the researchers took 22 pairs of identical twins, feeding each twin either a vegan diet (no animal products whatsoever) or an omnivore diet (which included animal protein, and dairy items like butter, cheese, etc.).  In terms of things like calories and macronutrients, each diet was virtually identical.  

The series is worth watching regardless of the non-surprising spoiler I’m about to share with you:  The people who consumed the vegan diet lost more weight and had healthier blood markers for things like blood sugar, insulin, etc. - despite the similarity of macros in each diet.

So eating a vegan diet may result in healthier people.  I can buy that.  The series also served as a reminder that the large-scale systems that produce most of the meat, poultry and fish for society are pretty darned nasty.  

The close confinement of the animals leads to a steady dosing of antibiotics, which leads to more drug-resistant bacteria in the world.  And the math behind large-scale animal production’s environmental impacts, including waste run-off, deforestation and carbon footprint do not pencil out in terms of feeding an ever-growing human population.  We simply can’t keep doing things the way we are currently doing them.

The scale and seriousness of the challenge requires us to approach it from two sides.  Consumers need to modify their consumption choices, and producers need to modify their production methods.  I generally feel that consumer choice drives producer action.  So near-term change largely hinges on our individual purchase decisions.

The Netflix series does point out some hope for new technology that either mimics meat, or literally replicates it in a sterile, high-scale laboratory setting.  Across a sufficiently long time-scale, I expect humans will be eating lab-produced proteins that are indistinguishable from today’s status quo, avoiding the high-density confinement feedlots, animal cruelty, and greenhouse gasses produced today.

I end up landing in a spot where I often land when I take the time to think about this stuff:  Less is more.  Eat less meat, but make sure the meat you do consume is of the highest quality.  Maybe someday I will become vegan - or take a tech-enabled offramp that allows me to eat lab-grown proteins that make sense.

It’s just a matter of time.  As we bridge the gap between now and then, this documentary series is a good reminder that we can and should be more thoughtful about how we select our foods.  Occasionally we should give some of these newfangled options a try, to support those efforts at innovation.

In general, more thoughtfulness can benefit us in so many ways.  Let's consider shaking up our auto-pilot patterns and thoughtfully re-imagine our choices from time to time, shall we?

Sunday Supper
Well, the Super Bowl is being played tonight…you don’t have to be a fan of football to be a fan of football food, though.  Why not indulge in some Frito Pie, Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings, or Baby Back Ribs with Sweet & Sour Glaze?  Next week we can roast a nice hunk of meat and make some mashed potatoes…

Sunday Music
This Sunday I share with you this wonderful performance at NPR’s Tiny Desk featuring Joshua Redmond and a new-to-me vocalist, Gabrielle Cavassa.  Enjoy!

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Citizens’ Agenda

After weeks of cloudy, gray days, the sun finally reappeared in our part of the world this week.  The air is still crisp, but the birds’ songs hint at Spring.  Personally it was a week of great productivity and focus.  Regardless, most things take longer to accomplish than my mind can imagine.  I got lots of things done, with much more still to do.

I continue to be a “good boy” in terms of diet, exercise and weight loss.  I wrote last week about avoiding sweets. I continue to be disciplined on this front - but I need a little bit of help from you to maintain this, I think.  Our youngest son’s 21st birthday approaches, and I offered to make a dessert of his choosing to celebrate.  We’ll be visiting him in a few weeks.  After our visit, he will be hosting some friends at his apartment, where they will enjoy this dessert that I prepare.  He chose Christina Tosi’s Gooey Butter Pecan Pie - a cake/pie hybrid that involves multiple components, and a recipe that I have no experience making.  To be certain that I deliver a well-executed dessert to the birthday boy for his party, I’d like to make a test pie some time in the week ahead, and I’d like one of my readers to eat it and offer feedback.  If you are interested in receiving a free pie, baked by yours truly, simply send me an email and you’ll get your name entered into a random drawing.  I’ll select the winner early in the coming week, and we can mutually arrange to get the pie to you.  Sadly, this contest is limited to people who live within a thirty-minute drive from my house.  So, my Finnish readers are unable to participate.  :-)

This being a presidential election year, coverage of the primaries and the likely re-match of Donald Trump and Joe Biden are taking up a lot of the oxygen in the media these days.  I saw a post on X (formerly Twitter) recently that I feel is worth sharing.  Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu), journalism professor at New York University, posted about how coverage of city elections in Dublin, Ireland followed the “Citizens Agenda” model that Rosen has championed these past few years.

Rosen rightly suggests that the public is better served by the press when it covers political candidates in terms of their alignment with the priorities of the electorate, rather than the typical “horse race” type coverage, citing polls indicating one candidate is leading over another.  To translate my understanding of Rosen’s central point, who cares which horse is leading the race if neither horse is interested in the priorities of the electorate?  

So here was the Dublin Inquirer’s explicit approach to covering the 2019 city elections:

“So here it is, our list of issues our readers want us to ask candidates about, known as our readers’ citizens’ agenda.

Readers tell us they want us to ask candidates what they would do to:

1. Increase the supply of social and affordable homes.

2. Make the renting of a home in the city more affordable.

3. Improve public transport.…” 

The list was somewhat long, but you get the idea.  

By diligently covering candidates based on their interest in engaging with the issues of the electorate, rather than their relative status in the polls against their opponents, journalists are in a much better position to cover the stakes of the election, rather than just trying to predict the election's outcome.  (Rosen calls this "Covering the stakes, not the odds.")

As we wade into what are likely to be murky media waters this year, I encourage you think deeply about what your personal version of a Citizens’ Agenda might look like - then seek out and amplify journalism that addresses that agenda.

Be warned - this is quite a bit more thoughtful an exercise than simply re-tweeting something you see in social media that jibes with your personal mental map.  Lord knows there will be plenty of shareable echo-chamber items, as there always are.  I’m talking about issues that you view as important, the extent to which each candidate has views/policy plans around those issues, and how those candidates’ positions match with your personal preferences.  This is what I hope to see more of in the weeks and months ahead.

As voters, we have a job to do.  Let’s do it well.  

Sunday Supper
I made this White Chicken Chili this past week, and it was great.  Pairing it with this salad would get some vegetables into your life:  Warm Kale & Caramelized Mushroom Salad.

Sunday Music
Today I share a throwback performance by Broadway performer Carrie Manolakos - her cover of Radiohead's Creep made her a viral sensation back in April of 2012.  In addition to this song, check out this video overview of Manolakos' career thus far.  There is so much talent everywhere.  Enjoy!

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Sugar Low

Before I ruminate on sugar’s effect on my life and the lives of my fellow humans, I wanted to mention a couple of new television shows involving David Chang.  I watched both of their premiers, each of which came out this past week.  Dinner Time Live, with David Chang premiered at 7pm this past Thursday.  It is Netflix’s first live-streamed cooking show.  The second show, Chrissy & Dave Dine Out, features Chang and his co-hosts Chrissy Tiegen and Joel Kim Booster, along with celebrity guests that change with each episode.  The first episode’s guests were late night comedian/host Jimmy Kimmeland his wife Molly McNearny.  They dined at Pizzeria Bianco.  I enjoyed both shows, but am a bit more interested in how the “live” aspect of the live show on Netflix plays out over time.

Since returning home from Texas on 1/9, I’ve done a great job instilling some new eating habits.  I’m cooking almost everything I consume, avoiding sugar, and limiting my intake into an 8-hour window each day.  I’ve found that food journaling, counting macros, etc., drives me bonkers and I can’t stick with it.  But I’ve been able to stick with this simpler approach. Its yielding some positive results - I’ve lost some weight, and have been sleeping really well.

But I do miss the sugar.  If I’ve ever been addicted to anything, its probably sugar.  Sugar intake spikes dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps us feel pleasure.  Cocaine spikes dopamine too, to a much higher degree.  I’m not sure whether neuroscientists agree about sugar’s addictiveness, but its effects on my own biochemistry seem to qualify.

I’m not alone in this love of sugar - 38.4 million Americans have diabetes, with another 97.6 million classified as “pre-diabetic.”  Together, these two groups make up 41% of the U.S. population.  This is an oversimplification.  I know that multiple factors are driving diabetes in humans, not just sugar intake.  Still, all one needs to do is walk the aisles of any retailer (not just grocers) to see that candy is for sale everywhere.  This is not un-related to the diabetes epidemic.

Increasingly, walking through a grocery store reminds me of walking through a casino.  The entire environment of casinos is designed to attract one’s attention toward gambling, and to entice us to spend a lot of time engaging in it.  A massive portion of grocery stores is devoted to selling candy, sugar-laden beverages, cookies, pastries and frozen treats. In casinos, the house wins more often than not.  I wonder what percent of grocery store visits include a processed sugar-centric item in their basket...

There was a brief moment when I considered starting a home-based dessert business.  I enjoy making desserts, and am pretty good at it.  I thought it might make for a good side hustle.  There is plenty of market demand for such things.  Upon reflection, I chose not to pursue it.  Spending more time around sweet treats wouldn’t be good for me.  And I wouldn’t feel great about making money selling them.  It feels akin to selling cigarettes.  I don’t want to profit off of others’ ill-health.  

There is a quality argument to be made for my home-made hand pies, versus something highly processed liked a box of Pop Tarts.  But at the end of the day, that buttery, flaky hand pie is still packed with sugar.  For me at least, such treats should be a rare indulgence.

I’m not sure when I will enjoy a nice homemade dessert again.  I know I won’t hold out forever.  If you know me, you know that I’ll share pictures when it happens.

Sunday Supper
While home for Winter break, our youngest son requested Mexican Egg Rolls for supper.  This is something I made quite often while he was growing up.  I was glad to reinforce this childhood sense memory for him.  The egg roll is a great vehicle for different delicious fillings, of course.  So in addition to the Mexican version, here is a Reuben Egg Roll option, Buffalo Chicken, and Cuban style recipe.  Perhaps something to enjoy while watching the NFL conference championship games today.  Now that I think about it, this is basically the Stuffed Bread lineup that we used to offer at Maamos Kitchen!  Man was that good.

Sunday Music
Its possible that I have shared this concert previously, but a friend reminded me of it recently and I feel compelled to share it today:  The late, great Stevie Ray Vaughn performing with his band, Double Trouble on Austin City Limits back in 1989.  We lost Stevie in a helicopter crash August 27, 1990.  What an amazing talent - enjoy!

One last publishing note:  I'm in the midst of rearranging some of my online subscription services - so be on the lookout for an email from me that looks a bit different than this one.  I will be testing an alternative email service soon.  I'm unsure whether I will ultimately take the leap, but am considering it, and will likely deploy a test soon.

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Neal

Bounce Back

I did, finally, get around to making that cassoulet recipe that I mentioned a few weeks ago.  It was fantastic.  It's use of pureed onion, parsley, thyme and salt ensures maximum flavor throughout the dish, and is a technique I will likely use as I improvise soup making in the future.  It was a great dish to cook last Sunday.  The reheats carried us deep into the week.

After the variety of the holidays, and my recent trip to Fort Worth, I now crave a few weeks of consistency.  What a great week this has been in those terms.  I worked with focus, slept well, ate well - did all of things I intended to do.  This is not to say that I accomplished everything I set out to accomplish.  It is a rare week when I do that.  I mostly overestimate what I can get done in a week.

Last year taught me the value of simply hanging in there - getting back to “normal,” however one might define that, as quickly as possible after straying.  For example, I added the daily practice of Morning Pages to my routine last year.  As with all new habits, there were fits and starts.  If I fell out of the routine for a day or two (or more), I didn’t beat myself up. I didn’t try to write extra pages to atone for my lapses.  I simply wrote my pages for that day, with the intention of doing it again the following day.

Somehow I was able to quiet my inner-critic.  Rather than all sorts of harsh, negative things, I told myself “Everybody slips.  Get back on the horse.”  I got better at treating myself the way I try to treat other people - with kindness, and generosity of spirit.  It has been really helpful - and sneaky.  It’s only recently that I sensed a noticeable difference between today’s inner reality, and that of one year ago.  It has taken time to create observable improvement.

In professional golf, there is a statistic called the “Bounceback Percentage.”  It measures the rate at which a golfer makes a birdie immediately after scoring over par on the previous hole.  If you know anything about golf, you know that birdies are quite rare, at least for amateurs.  To me, bouncing back really means getting back to par at the next opportunity.  You have to be pretty thoughtful about how you set “par.”  It is easy to set the bar too high.  In my experience, this is a recipe for disappointment.

The good news is that this is all iterative - set goals, translate them into daily measurables, and see how it goes.  Eventually you will develop a sense for your capacity - and perhaps more importantly, you’ll develop a sense of what really, truly matters to you.  Many goals I have set were based on vanity, or on what I thought other people might expect or value.  When push comes to shove, we can only be consistent at the things that are truly important to us.

I’m not really into New Years Resolutions anymore.  But I do set annual goals, translating them into daily and weekly measurable behaviors that will carry me in the direction of those goals.  Now that we are about three weeks into the New Year, some of us may be fading a bit in our commitment to whatever changes we have articulated for ourselves in this New Year.  If this describes you, please believe me when I say keep going.  Building new “normals” for yourself does not have to be heroic.  It can be boring.  It can be simple.  Just start doing new things, abandoning some old things along the way.

Last year I wrote 554 journal pages - far from the 1,095 I would have written had I been "perfect" every day of 2023.  But if you had told me last January that I would write 554 journal pages longhand by the end of the year, I can assure you I would have been pleased by the prospect.  Page count is now kind of secondary.  What matters is that the practice of journaling is now available to me whenever I want it.  I fully appreciate its benefits, and can feel its absence.  Whenever I drift away from it, I am drawn back - not out of shame, guilt or self-criticism.  But because I know how it will benefit me.

So, it was a good string of days.  Let’s have another good one today.

Sunday Supper
This Sunday, French Onion Soup is calling to me.  As with so many good Sunday recipes, this one requires a fair amount of time, but not a ton of active work.  This Roasted Root Vegetable Salad would be a great accompaniment, and these Black Sesame Rice Krispies Treats look amazing to me as well.

A quick kitchen note:  For Christmas, Lori arranged for an early January sharpening of all our knives by Lou, owner of The Finest Edge.  His truck serves as a mobile sharpening shop.  He paid us a visit, and does great work.  Check out his website to see his schedule (he offers lots of different drop-off/pick-up options).

Sunday Music
This week I’m pleased to introduce you to a new singer-songwriter named Kat Eaton.  Based in London, it feels like I’ve discovered her work on the early edge of “breaking through” into the mainstream.  I could not find any long form videos of her performing, but I offer you these individual songs to enjoy this fine day:  Both Sides Now (cover of the Joni Mitchell classic), Bad Advice (original song from her latest album), and Addicted.  You can find more of Kat’s work at her YouTube page, or her personal website.  When her career explodes, we'll know it's because she landed on our cultural radar.  Enjoy!

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Wild And Free

This week found me in Fort Worth, Texas, for the quarterly gathering of my entrepreneurial peer group.  We each laid out our goals for the year ahead and talked through whatever obstacles we see on the horizon.  We also ate some amazing food.  The chicken enchiladas at Paloma Suerte were ridiculous.  The sauce was so delicious, I was looking for extra rice to soak it all up after the enchilada was long gone.  Lonesome Dove was even better.  The Elk-Foie Gras Sliders, Hamachi Tostadas and Blue Corn-Lobster Hushpuppies were all outstanding starters, followed by a shared bowl of Texas Red and then the Butter Lettuce salad.  I ordered the Berkshire Pork Chop, with the express understanding that I would share it with my friend, in exchange for some of their Roasted Garlic Stuffed Beef Tenderloin.  It was all just so great.  I learned later that the same restaurateur owns both establishments (Tim Love).  Well done, chef!  This was a truly impressive one-two culinary punch to experience on back-to back evenings.  I highly recommend visiting Fort Worth.  Hotel Drover makes you feel like a Dutton.  We even visited the World’s Smallest Honky Tonk (it was really more of a hinky tink).

On Friday Lori and I had the good fortune to see Nate Bargatze perform his deadpan absurdist style of comedy at Nationwide Arena.  It was truly special.  Seeing him on stage, performing in the round, reminded me of how Mark Twain used to travel the country, speaking to large groups, making them think and laugh.  I sometimes think of comedy metaphorically in terms of the martial art of judo - once a comedian gets you off-balance, they can just keep you laughing and laughing.  Bargatze had us laughing throughout his set, but it was different than when we saw Dave Chapelle perform five years ago.  Chapelle bowled us over, held us down and barely let us breathe.  Equally talented, just different styles.  In my opinion, Bargatze is at the pinnacle of the craft right now.

Then last night, we had the privilege of seeing the great American troubadour Martin Sexton perform at Union Square Music Hall (formerly 31 West).  We have seen Sexton perform many times, and keep coming back for more.  His shows often feel like gathering around a campfire for a communal, hootenanny-style singalong, with a little bit of church choir thrown in.

Being surrounded by my amazing friends, and able to witness the greatness of artists like Bargatze and Sexton all in one week…it really charges up my batteries in a profound way.

These lyrics from Martin’s song Wild Angels captures how it all makes me feel:

We are born with all this music in our heart
We tend forget a little each day right from the start
In a dream I rolled on back the clock and found another way
To remember the words

That we are wild angels
Believing in our childhood dreams
We’re just trying to find our way back to
The source of the stream
We are wild and free

Sunday Supper
On this cold, blustery January day I see no reason to not lean into the flavors of the week and offer this recipe for Texas Red Chili for my Sunday Supper recommendation.  This Butter Lettuce Salad w/ Avocado Buttermilk Dressing would be a great complement.

Sunday Music
Before I get to the music, I feel compelled to share this recent skit from Saturday Night Live, when Nate Bargatze hosted the show.  It is the perfect melding of Bargatze’s style into the SNL sketch format.  As for the music, this performance by Martin Sexton from last May will let you see what you missed yesterday in Newark.  Enjoy!

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

A Novel Approach

I’ve been reading a very interesting book:  Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned, by Kenneth O. Stanley and Joel Lehman.  The authors' research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has yielded new perspectives on what it takes to achieve important breakthroughs in terms of innovation.  I think they also apply to decision-making in life.

What they have learned basically boils down to this:  Trying to “train” an AI to become better at a specific task yields inferior outcomes compared to allowing the AI to simply wander around.  Eventually the “wanderers,” who haven’t been steered in any particular direction stumble upon superior solutions compared to those who received some direct “coaching.”  I can’t really do their technical work justice, so I won’t try.

The book offers a couple of general frameworks that are easy to understand, though.  The first is a metaphor.  Think of life as a journey across a river, in a fog.  The fog limits your vision - you can’t see all of the stepping stones across the river, but you can see a few.  As you step on one stone, new options are revealed.  In this metaphor, all we can do is choose the best option available to us, based on our current location.  This should thaw any “analysis paralysis” that we might experience.  Make a choice and keep moving!

The second framework is one of perspective.  It compares two modes - the first is the comparison of the status quo (now) to our desired end-state (future), and selects options that move themselves toward their goal.  In the second mode there is no target end-state, no specific desired future that we are driving toward.  In Mode 2, we simply choose the most novel options available to us (when compared to the status quo).  So in Mode 1, all of our choices are intended to move us toward some "North Star."  In Mode 2, we are simply trying to maximize the novelty of each choice.

Intuitively, I like what this implies, and it jibes with my own life experience.  The person who is fixated on creating some future state is always experiencing some degree of dissatisfaction until they arrive at their destination.  The person with no "North Star" hops to the most novel available stone, enjoying the ride to whatever new options that may appear.  This speaks to the eastern philosophical notion of non-attachment.  By not attaching one's self to a particular outcome, it is harder to be disappointed.  The authors go further - they believe that the end state tends to be better for the Mode 2 operators.  They both enjoy the ride more, and arrive at a superior destination.

Consider the story of Johnny Depp - he was a musician, playing in a band, with no aspirations of becoming an actor.  His girlfriend was a hair stylist, doing this work on movie sets.  As he became more familiar with people in the movie business, he saw it as a novel stepping stone, and jumped onto it.  You can’t pre-plan or engineer Johnny Depp.  Johnny Depp just happens - and is far more genuine and interesting than someone who is currently dreaming and scheming of replicating Depp’s accomplishments.

To whatever extent this more intuitive, seemingly aimless approach to life is superior, it is not prescriptive for everything.  Companies can and should still do annual planning, striving for 10% growth, or cost reduction, etc.  Refining existing systems incrementally is perfectly rational, and should still be done in most instances.

I can see this Mode 2 approach applying really well to young adulthood, when one is embarking on their life’s journey.   They have a nice long time horizon to let this approach play out.  This allows me to ease up on any  “Tiger Dad” tendencies I may have, and adopt the likely approach of someone who has a bumper sticker on their car that says “Not All Who Wander Are Lost.”  Who am I to say what stones my adult children should be selecting as they cross the river of Life?  Why not let them choose the stones that are intrinsically more interesting?

At a minimum, I think it will always be beneficial to take a moment and appreciate how far we've come, even if we are far from our desired destination.

Sunday Supper
I purposely chose not to stand on a scale during the holidays.  I indulged with the full intention of reigning things in after the first of the year.  Well, here we are - so this Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Anchovy Tahini and Za’atar Chickpeas is right up my alley this week.  It's a pretty convenient sheet pan meal - if you are looking for additional protein, you could easily add in some boneless chicken thighs, adjusting your cook time to accommodate.

Sunday Music
This Sunday I am pleased to share this live performance by Carlos Santana at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, Nevada.  I had the privilege of seeing Santana perform in Las Vegas many years ago with dear friends - a great memory!  Enjoy.

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Every Second Counts

What a nice Christmas it was.  The holiday gave me the time to indulge in a cooking project that has interested me for a long time - making fresh pasta, by hand.  I had purchased some dried pasta to have as a “Plan B” if my efforts came up short.  Fortunately, it all turned out well.  I used this recipe I found on YouTube.  In addition to wide, pappardelle-type ribbon noodles, I also created some ravioli stuffed with a filling of ricotta cheese, smoked salmon, lemon zest, dill, parmesan, salt and pepper - similar to the filling in this recipe.  We sauced the ribbon pasta with a meaty red sauce and meatballs.  The ravioli was sauced with this simple alfredo sauce recipe.

In the quiet of the evening on Christmas, I stayed up late to re-watch two episodes of some of the best television I have seen in a long time - The Bear, available on Hulu, a digital streaming service.  It tells the story of the many dysfunctions influencing a ragtag group of people trying to re-launch a restaurant in Chicago.  The first episode I re-visited was episode 6 of season 2, titled Fishes.  It is set on Christmas Day, a few years in the past.  The mentally unstable matriarch (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) is frantically trying to cook the Italian-American classic Feast of the Seven Fishes for a large gathering of family and friends.  Rather than accept help from her highly-talented chef son, she insists on doing everything herself, leading to a major meltdown.  The ensemble cast brought together for this episode delivers a transcendent performance - the tension of the day ratchets up and up, finally crescendoing as the viewer knows it must.  I was able to enjoy this despite the inherent tension in the story.  It is just so darned good.  

Episode 7, titled Forks is as quiet as episode 6 was loud.  It tells the story of cousin Richie, who does a one-week “stage” or internship at a critically acclaimed Chicago restaurant.  The restaurant is unnamed in the episode, but I later learned that it was in fact Ever, a Chicago restaurant featuring the artistry of Curtis Duffy, who grew just down the road in Johnstown.  The series’ lead male character, Carmy, arranges this experience for Richie as a way to broaden his experience in the industry, as they prepared to re-open their renovated restaurant.  Richie begins the episode thinking that Carmy has sent him on this adventure as some sort of punishment, only to later realize that Carmy is genuinely trying to help Ritchie to grow in his role at the restaurant.  A key aspect of the high-end restaurant where Richie spends his week is the highly disciplined, regimented way that the entire team approaches each day.  Beneath a clock in the kitchen is a plaque reading the phrase “Every Second Counts” and this phrase serves as a mantra for the staff.  It is (I think) a less-than-subtle message from the show’s writer for all of us to consider. 

As I look back on 2023, I am pleased with how I spent my precious time.  I increased the time I spent reading and writing.  I also got into a regular routine of volunteering my time to a couple of elderly people who could use some companionship and assistance - a way to honor my mother, by extending the same type of care to others that I was able to do for her.  

Looking into the New Year, there is one significant new initiative in the works.  I’m not ready to share it just yet, but am open to the changes it will likely require of me.  I’m excited by the possibilities that lay ahead, and welcome whatever adversity that might present itself.  I’m not inviting the universe to dump on me…just acknowledging that we can't anticipate everything that comes our way.  We might as well welcome it rather than bemoan it, or wish it were otherwise.

Tomorrow is our annual New Year’s Day pork and sauerkraut feast.  The menu never changes, and it always blows me away.  Probably because we only enjoy this food one day out of three hundred and sixty-five (we actually get an extra day this year, as it is a Leap Year).  Tonight we will sip some wine, watch a movie and turn in early so that we can start the New Year with energy.

Here's to enjoying our remaining down time, and starting the New Year strong!  Cheers.

Sunday Supper
Like last week, I imagine we will be enjoying some sort of takeout or other convenient food as we prepare for tomorrow’s big meal.  This simple White Chicken Chili would be great to enjoy either today as Sunday Supper, or in the week ahead as we return to less indulgent fare.

Sunday Music
I'm not sure why, exactly, but I find myself thinking of the great jazz pianist Keith Jarrett today.  At this link, you will find a beautiful 46-minute improvisation that he performed in Norway in 1972.  Jarrett is one of a kind, able to do things as an improviser that no one has ever attempted.  Perhaps that makes his music extra appropriate as we head into a New Year.  Life is improvisation, isn't it?  His ability to perform was stilled by two strokes that he suffered in 2018.  Thankfully there are many, many hours of his wonderful performances recorded for posterity.  Enjoy! 

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Plenty

Compared to Thanksgiving a few weeks ago (a well-oiled machine, in terms of planning and execution), Christmas has not gone according to plan.  One of the boys got stuck at school a bit longer than expected, which slowed down our purchase of a Christmas tree.  Lori and I have socialized a bit less, preserving our energy for family matters.  And my eldest son decided to make and give focaccia bread as gifts to friends for the holiday, forcing me to revise my own kitchen plans and setting a new record for the number of household fire alarms triggered by smoke from the oven (3).

For a little while, these curveballs had me feeling kind of bent out of shape, a bit grumbly.  So I took the dog for a walk, and called a friend.  As good friends often do, she reminded me of the obvious:  The holiday plan is just something in my mind.  I can revise it, and no one will really know, or care.  It's a good thing that Henry likes to cook, even if it requires a fan to remediate the smoke, and a counselor to calm the dog made anxious by the fire alarms beeping.  This conversation, as well as time spent with good friends Friday night set me straight.

We have it so good.  And being together is really the only point these days.  The boys are no longer boys, Santa no longer holds sway.  There’s no snow this year.  It’s relatively warm, but wet and grey.  It’s not going to be the romantic, snow globe version of the holiday this year.  So what?

Rather than cooking a big, expensive protein and fancy side dishes we are keeping the food more casual - pasta bar and salad, at the ready all day.  We’re keeping it simple.  Let’s just hunker down, mangia and read a good book or watch a movie.  How many people around the world would love nothing more than to do just this?

Maybe it's the weather.  Maybe it's missing my parents.  Maybe it's just the Sunday blues, given a Monday holiday.  This isn’t a big, deep depression.  It's just a blasé, “meh” kind of feeling this year.  It turns out that every month has at least twenty five days.  If you're not bursting with joy on December 25th, it is perfectly OK.  It is not only hard, but probably counter-productive to try and manufacture feelings that you think you're "supposed" to have for the holidays.  

Anyway, I’m counting my blessings.  They lift me up.  Counting yours too is never a bad idea, you lucky son-of-a-gun.  I hope the holiday is whatever you need it to be, friend. 

Sunday Supper
Given that we are prepping for tomorrow’s eating today, I can tell you that we are ordering takeout tonight.  But here are three solid recipes for heavy appetizers that might serve you well:  Pepper Jelly Meatballs, Conecuh Sausage Pigs In A Blanket (FYI - Ross' Market carries this brand of sausage) and Cacio e Pepe Cheese Puffs.

Sunday Music
Renowned NPR interviewer Terry Gross sat down with musician David Byrne this week to discuss some of his favorite Christmas music.  The interview and playlists of the songs in your favorite streaming format can be found here.  This NPR Tiny Desk concert from The Polyphonic Spree will get you in the spirit, too.   Enjoy!

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,