New Design for Cafepress: Hate Running / Love Running

Here is my new Hate Running / Love Running design for Cafepress.
Yeah. You hate running, but you secretly love running too.
Buy a bumper sticker and orient it depending on how you really feel.

Also available on a variety of clothing and accessories.

Visit my store here to check it out.

The Loot: Part 1. Maratac Copper AAA Flashlight

Welcome to part 1 of The Loot in which I highlight some of the stuff I got from Santa. Shown above with my profits from this website (just joking, there are no profits) is my brand new Maratac Copper AAA flashlight! Thanks Santa!

This tiny AAA LED flashlight is a perfect size to carry around everyday. It has a clip and lanyard loop for versatile carry options. The light twists on and has two settings, low and high. The high setting is surprisingly bright to me for the size. If you are a stat junkie or just ready to buy one for yourself, go here. 

Stainless steel and titanium are wonderful metals, but a little boring. Aside from scratches these materials can look brand new years later. Hence this real copper flashlight. It comes out of the foil pack shiny and unscratched. Like a penny, it will start to patina with time. It's about having a little character with your functional tool. I can't wait to see a change in the finish and will post photos when it does!

Dear CBS, your racist Asian stereotypes are all wrong.

I watched Mike and Molly last Monday and among the crude tasteless jokes was a line about their Asian neighbor eating pets and building railroads. Now I understand that there's less risk for you making racist jokes about Asians than African Americans, but here's some pushback from me.

As an Asian born in the United States in a city with few Asians, I grew up with constant racism, from being asked for rice to having nonsensical "ching chong" sounds yelled at me. It lowered my self esteem, increased my sensitivity and elevated my anger.

Twenty five years later I see that you continue to perpetuate the racism and stereotypes that I grew up with. I see it in your shows such as Mike and Molly and 2 Broke Girls. How disappointing that so little has changed. People watch your show with the racist stereotypes. Some are offended but others laugh and continue to believe it is acceptable.

Not only are your racist Asian stereotypes unacceptable, they are just plain wrong. None of my ancestors have worked on a railroad. I have resisted eating any of my pets. I am a little lazy. I never listen to my parents. I am terrible at math, once getting a "D" in calculus. Despite thousands of dollars invested, I can only play one tune on the piano. And no, it's not Chopsticks. I am not a doctor, dentist, engineer, dry cleaner, or restaurant owner. I drive rather decently.

There are still things for me to work on. I do like Martial Arts. I sometimes pronounce r's as l's when I'm tired..And in public I'm a little shy and have a hard time voicing my opinion. But I'm working on it.

So I'm saying I dislike the racism on your shows, especially against Asians. I don't have to watch them and either do others.

Triple Aught Design Spotter's Guide

I hope this helps those who have trouble identifying Tadgear's Shagmaster Hoodie in the wild.

buy once for life: snow peak stubby titanium spork

I was thinking about spoons one day...yeah, you too?

I was thinking no one really wears out (metal) spoons (except for Bobby DeNiro in Red Lights). You may lose them, throw or give them away but you never really wear them out from all that eating. I've tried.

My two year old titanium stubby spork has gained scratches but remains up to the task.

Why cant everything be like a stubby titanium spork and last forever?

1. Simple. No moving parts.
2. Durable materials. Titanium.
3. (multi)Functional. It not only does the job of a spoon and a fork, it is a pleasure to use.
4. Beautiful. In all the above aspects.

It is important if something is going to last forever you want it to be beautiful and fun to use.

I'd like to see DeNiro bend this one.

One year ago today

In praise of fleece

If it's getting cold in your area, get some quality fuzzy cozy fleece pants!

I did and I wear them all the time (now my area is warm).

Heck, while you're at it get some quality fleece socks and a hoodie too!

Small investment, huge comfort!

Do they make fleece undies?

Another Satisfied Customer

(thanks Mom!)

Get your own.
look for the links to my stores on the right column of my blog

The next car

Well I've just hit 144k miles on my car and I'm averaging...26.2 mpg. Hehe. While I plan to keep it until it wears out, that has never stopped me from dreaming about the next car.
In no order:

2014 Mazda Miata - supposed to be lighter, better mpgs, turbo 4 cyl

NC generation Power Retractable Hardtop. No more fabric tops for me!

Scion FR-S - a "Miata coupe". Premium fuel, boxer four, four seats.

Mazda2 - cheap practical fun

Mazda CX-5 - mini SUV supposed to be fun to drive, manual transmission.

Any diesel, manual transmission car Mazda ends up bringing over here.

First gen Scion xB. The "I need a cheaper than Mazda2, fun used car."

Free books...without the boogers!

Books are awesome! A plethora of them occupy my home (hey is that occupy movement still going on?). The bad part is buying books can be expensive and they take up a lot of space. You also only end up reading a few of them again.

I love the library but let's face it, often the book covers are sticky, and the pages often have mysterious stains and ...boogers! While I have nothing against mining for nose gold I do endorse their proper disposal (cat's back).

Aside from making sure you get the new releases as soon as possible, there is another solution! Free library e-books! It's just recently become available in my red neck of the woods. I can use my library card to check out books and download it to my digital device.

So now I can check out books without running to the library. And I can read on my iPad with confidence that the only boogers I encounter are my own.

Just Opened! (under new management): theevildrsin shop

Day two of stickermania...

The big news is i have consolidated all my stickers in one store...theevildrsin shop! Click on the link for official theevildrsin merchandise and accept no imitations. The permanent link is on the right column of my blog. I've kept some separate stores of more popular designs as well.

I've spent the past couple days tweaking my designs, layouts, ad copy, improving the quality for you, my loyal fans!

More to come and thank you for your support!

New Sticker Wednesday: SWIM!

Hey I made a new sticker! and it's Wednesday!

The Earth is about 70% water, so you better know how to SWIM!

$4.50 for a quality sticker designed by yours truly. To buy, click on the link below the image.



Buy a SWIM sticker...

Beach Photos

water bottle

photos of my new, custom 12oz stainless steel water bottle.
when i say custom i mean: 1) i accidentally dropped it on concrete and put a few nice dents in it. 2) i used a scouring pad to take off the huge logo on the bottle. no free advertising.

(EDIT July 31, 2012) Wait! speaking of no free advertising...full post to follow, but in the meantime if you are interested in a Klean Kanteen bottle, I consider this one of the purest versions. click link below. Full disclosure - apparently if you purchase from this seller through this link I will get some sort of commission. Thanks!
Klean Kanteen 27 oz Reflect Water Bottle - Brushed Stainless

Final Thoughts about Klean Kanteen's Wide Mouth 12oz Bottle; It's Not Good Enough for Me

My holy Grail of water bottles would be an all stainless steel bottle and lid, wide mouth, interior threads, made in USA? Is that too much to ask? Apparently so. Let me know if you find one.

I decided to give up on my 12oz WM Klean Kanteen with loop top for the following reasons:

1. To use design vocabulary, I think the lid sucks. It always drips water on me when I unscrew it, perhaps due to the flat stainless steel under the lid. The gasket molds easily, which tells me this is not an all stainless steel environment for your liquids. The gasket cannot be removed to be cleaned or replaced easily. Yes I believe in very low maintenance but I don't think many people wash their bottles every single day.

2. External threads on the bottle. Not fun to drink from. More nooks and crannies for mold to develop.

So I'm a little thirsty right now ( i drank water almost exclusively from that bottle) while I wait for the UPS truck ( I have a Pavlovian response when I hear a UPS truck in the neighborhood ) to bring my new bottle. I already know it's not perfect ( not made in USA, not wide mouth) but it may solve my other complaints.

We shall see.

Olympic swimming

It was fun to watch the Olympic swimming trials on tv last night, especially since im into swimming right now. More on tonight!

I've been focused on freestyle most of this time but I've now decided to practice the other strokes more. Butterfly, back, breast...after all, it does take different strokes to move the world...

I got a hat.

Goruck Tac hat ( goruck.com ). It's just a hat. Baseball cap style. Made in USA of quality materials and workmanship. I like that it has no logos unless I want it to. It's just a piece of gear, nothing to fetishize. Should last me a long time. And I don't have to think about hats anymore.
I have the best.

Minimalist Movie Review; Fracture

During this movie I couldn't stop turning to my GF and saying "this is a great movie!"

Basically Anthony Hopkins reprises his role as Hannibal Lecter minus his misunderstood habit of eating humans. This time he is a genius millionaire businessman trying to get away with murder. I couldn't help wanting him to succeed.

It is fun to watch how Hannibal's mind works and also look at all his designer possessions including his house and Porsche Carrera GT (V10 engine).

If I become a millionaire, remind me to get an outdoor pool...

Minimalist Movie Review; The Grey

(Being a Minimalist Review, I'm just going to tell you if it was worth seeing and then throw in a few comments.)

This movie review almost didn't happen because I used up all my Liam Neeson jokes reviewing his last few movies. Thankfully, my girlfriend lent me one of hers; Liam's "particular set of skills" doesn't include wilderness survival.

I thought it was worth seeing despite the long anticipation due to waiting for the redbox release. The GF enjoyed it as well.

We have been inundated with survival shows from Les Stroud, Bear Grylls, Cody Lundin, and Man Woman Wild (never be in a survival situation with your spouse. SHE will tell you you're skinning that badger wrong). In order to satisfy the armchair survivalists, The Grey hits us with Three survival situations at one time: plane crash, arctic environment, and stalked by territorial wolves. Boom.

This movie reaffirms my belief that fire is the only thing that separates us from the animals and is why...I'm carrying the fire.

Teva Zilches Stink

My Teva Zilches were a little dusty so I hosed them off and set them in the sun to dry. Still a little damp, I gave them a whiff...Whoa!!! FOOTY.

These sandals stink when wet! what happened to the antimicrobial footbed? I don't think it works. The rubber footbed on my Feelgoodz sandals work SO much better smellwise.

I had to confirm the stink so I allowed my girlfriend to give them a smell. Her horrified look confirmed my suspicions and warranted a quick apologetic hand drawn card.

Not one for high maintenance, I threw the sandals in the washing machine for a hot wash. Minutes later, pulled from the machine, I didnt detect a smell. I'll wait for them to dry out and check again.

And yes, if I can convince her, I'll ask my girlfriend to perform the old sniff test...

 

Click on the link if you want some Zilches that will eventually stink. Hey, I still like them. Just make sure to wash occasionally. Apparently I get a small commission if you buy through the link.

Teva Zilch - Male

Going lighter.

less clutter in your life = less clutter in your mind.

I recently bought a used backpack at a Garage Sale. It was the best mistake I made recently. It's a very nice pack at a decent price but I DIDNT NEED IT. In fact I haven't used it once since getting it.. If my old pack didnt fail recently, I probably wouldnt have been as tempted by this pack.

This mistake reminded me that I need to go lighter.  I dont need to have a bunch of stuff I never use for "just in case". So thus re-inspired, Goodwill now has a bunch of my extra clothes, toys, and random, well, stuff. I havent missed any of it yet and doubt I ever will.

Summer to do list

Summer is here? What are you going to do?

Swim outdoors
Hang out at the pool
Grill
Bike
Eat ice cream
Go to the beach
Sit on the porch
Paddle
Read
Eat produce from the farmers market
Drive in the mountains with top down
Sweat
Lemonade stand

Lightning Quick Movie Review: We Bought a Zoo (Man)

What if Jason Bourne never regained his memory of being an assassin? Apparently he'd buy a zoo.

Eight years after being found in the ocean by a fishing boat, Bourne (played by Will Hunting) has two kids (one cute, the other an angst-ridden artistic delinquent) and a recently deceased wife (I'm guessing assassinated by Treadstone)*. In desperation to save his downward spiraling life he, yes, buys a zoo.

I enjoyed and recommend this film however keep in mind there are fewer fight scenes and car chases than the previous Bourne thrillers. One fight scene does demonstrate how Bourne has forgotten his fighting skills when he is easily disarmed by a bear (played in part by the actor Tank from Legends of the Fall).

Worth $1.29 from Redbox.

*(sorry about all the parentheses. Bought in bulk at Costco and gotta use before they go bad)

Merlefest 2012

If I went back in time 20 years and told my younger self that I'd be going to annual bluegrass festivals and enjoy it, I'd punch my older self in the face. Yet this past weekend I attended my third Merlefest. Somehow we managed to attend on the coldest day of the month. The weather kind of sucked but ensconced in my TAD Shagmaster hoodie and way overloaded with gear, we still had a great time!

Mando Mania
My favorite part of Merlefest. This event is marked by performances of some of the most talented mandolin players and Chris Thile.

The first time I saw Chris Thile I almost rushed the stage to come to his aid. I thought he was having a seizure. No, this is him just crafting some good tone.

What does Sam Bush think of all of this?

Yeah, me too Sam.

Munigeo

What is it with me mowing and finding animals? It's beginning to become a habit...

I almost ran over this guy. I think he was a little freaked out.

Turtle soup tonight!

Just kidding...I've had enough turtle for a lifetime.

Munigeo Update: Robin Egg

When we last left Egg Bedly Jr. he had been placed in a foster robin nest. The Munigeo staff was just informed that Eggy hatched and along with his stepbrothers and sisters is now feasting on pre-chewed bugs and worms from harried and arithmetically challenged parents.

Another happy ending! Good luck to you Eggy!

Munigeo is dedicated to photographing and protecting nature within a block radius and maybe sometimes beyond. We have innovated wildlife saving devices such as the REI, or Roaming Egg Incubator, enabling safe transport of eggs at the appropriate incubating temperature. Thanks to all the vets and wildlife experts that help us.

Munigeo: Robin Egg Update

IT LIVES!
After five days of warming the found robin egg (aka Eggy, aka, Egg Bedley Jr.) on the low setting of a heating pad it was time to see if there was anything alive inside. Using a flashlight, the Munigeo staff were shocked to see a mass inside, moving in a strange rhythmic beat. Upon further study it was found this rhythm translated in morse code to "TURN THE FREAKING LIGHT OFF! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!".

Quite shocked, the Munigeo staff realized they would have to bring in some pros to insure Eggy had every opportunity possible to survive. After numerous calls by the staff graphic designer, a veterinarian was located that had ties to wildlife rehabilitation experts.

THE TRANSPORTER
The next step was to insure Eggy was safely transported to the vet. To make sure Eggy was kept warm and protected, Munigeo turned to a designer with countless years of experience in keeping his eggs warm...theevildrsin.

A few minutes later, the Roaming Egg Incubator* (TM), or REI, was ready for action, able to keep a patient warm for up to ten hours without maintenance.

The REI was a success! Eggy was safely transported to the vet and kept warm until he could be examined. The vet agreed with Munigeo's findings - Eggy was a viable embryo.

EGG BEDLEY JR FINDS A HOME
The vet found a wildlife rehab expert with a robin nest and eggs. Eggy now has a new home! Stay tuned for further updates as Eggy hatches.

As always, Munigeo roams a block radius to bring you the latest wildlife photos and adventure within a block radius.

*Available for order. Leave a comment if interested.

I found an Easter egg!

In an incident of profuse irony, I found a real egg in the yard while mowing, one day after Easter. An unbroken, blue robin's egg. There are numerous reasons to believe this egg won't hatch. It may be unfertilized. Already cooled off in the night air. Killed or deformed in the fall.

Yet still it sits on an electric blanket in a basket in the hopes that something will hatch. Even if it hatches life is not guaranteed. It would be a herculean task to feed it the right amount of food as frequently as required. Plus I'm not good at regurgitating worms. They get stuck in my teeth...

Life is hard. Not for you and me who have food, clothing, shelter. Our complaints are mostly about the gravy. We feel sorry for ourselves while other animals never do. They just live, struggle, starve, kill, and die.

There is probably no Easter miracle for this egg but I can still do what I can and hope.

April Update

Gear: For a little over a week the Teva Zilch Sandals have been working well protecting the ground from my feet. Though considered a minimalist sandal the sole is still leagues more substantial than my Soft Star Moc3's. The sandals may get better as the soles wear down a little.

Swimming: With my flowing locks shorn I've decided to play around with not using a swim cap...one less item of gear for swimming. The water feels nice on my scalp but apparently I have ears Dumbo would envy and they have more drag than a RuPaul reality show. Also it seems that I've chosen the coldest week in spring for my tonsorial endeavor and now I'm cold!

Reading: Just started reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Unsurprisingly, I am already enjoying it. For some reason while I was reading the first 15 pages I started rethinking a design project from school and came up with 3 versions that might have been better. I'm hoping that this book continues to inspire me. Right now it says to me passion and personal vision over security and compromise.

Footnotes: Teva Zilch Sandal

My new Teva Zilch Sandals. I think it's a good looking and comfortable sandal for being quite light and minimal. Note the unconventional big toe loop. I imagine this sandal may not fit a lot of people (Morton toe) but it works for my foot model-grade feet. I plan on wearing them when flip flops wont do.

Questions to be answered as time goes on...

When will it start smelling (of desperation and foot sweat) and how easy to wash?
When will the velcro wear out and how to resolve?
How will I resole it?
How well does it run?
How does it fare in a water environment?

Stay tuned...

If you want to get some Zilches of your own, try this link if you want. I earn some kind of commission if you end up buying from that link.
Teva Zilch - Male

and now some stuff

Gadgets.
On the heels of my anti-stuff rant comes a post about buying stuff. I'm typing this post on an iPad (though not the new one) using a wireless keyboard. It took a few seconds to get used to and is working well. Pro tip...use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the cursor around and save you from having to reach and touch the screen when typing. This set up will come in handy to blast out a quick post whether I'm on the move or just sitting at home without needing the laptop.

Footwear.
Warm weather is here and my toes ache for a breath of fresh air while at work or on the run. My Soft Star Moc3's are awesome as always but I'm just keeping an eye out for some sandal action. With my precious REI gift card burning a hole in my pocketses, I looked online to see what was available. Chaco has a new slightly lighter sandal. Hmm, interesting but still heavy. Ha! Teva has something called the Zilch, a minimalist sandal. Not too ugly but has a toe loop, a strap across the forefoot and ankle. My ankle bone seems to be located a little lower on my foot which enables straps or edges of shoes to rub my ankle badly. But I'm willing to give this a try, especially with REI's stellar 100% satisfaction guarantee. I will make sure it fits well indoors to insure they can be resold as new if I need to return them. Stay tuned for an update next week when I get them in! If it works out I'll probably be wearing these exclusively for awhile.

Cars.
Relax. I didn't buy a new car. One of the most anticipated cars for enthusiasts is coming out - the Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ. Now we know it will cost $25K for the Scion, and get 22/30 mpg for manual transmission and require premium fuel. It is a lot of car for the money but it is still a lot of money compared to a used Miata. You can have as much fun on the street and track in Hiroshima's finest for $5k for a used NA generation, using regular gas and get an average mpg of...26.2.

Tax Returns Done!

Blam. My tax returns are sent off and done for another year. Just waiting for confirmation from State.

Here's how to do your tax returns theevildrsin way...meaning max efficiency balancing time, cost, and stress.

1) Get Turbo Tax, whatever edition best suits your needs. I split the cost with my GF. Install it on a functional computer. ;) Turbo Tax is worth the cost for a tax illiterate for me. It really does go step by step to minimize confusion and mistakes. It also checks your possible errors and audit risk. Also, it is great if you can carry over data from last year to speed things up. I E-filed the Federal returns and then promptly didn't worry about them anymore. Got confirmation the next day that it was accepted.

time/cost/stress
one hour data entry, one hour debating / 1/2 cost of Turbo Tax Premier + $6 gas to work on it at parents house / low stress aside from some debating.


2) E-file state tax returns. Turbo Tax charges $19.95 to E-file your state tax return. You can save that money and go the the post office if you want. I debated for awhile and decided to spend the money to e-file just for the experience. Plus I will consider the $19.95 a tax for filing state returns with no pants on. Seriously. Turbo Tax does not require you to set up an account (or wear pants) and does not charge extra fees aside from that $19.95. Then you have to go to your state's department of revenue website and make a payment if required for your taxes. No service fee if you do a bank draft. Best part is I will get an email confirmation from both places, something you don't get if you mail it in.

time/cost/stress

10-15 mins / $19.95 / very low stress, no pants.

Done.

Special shout out to my GF, Dad, Mom, and BroMad (TM) for advice, moral support, and food!

TurboTax Premier Fed + E-File + State Tax Year 2011 417416

Another reason to visit my blog

For all you people (4) getting blog post feeds, youre going to miss out on the new feature on my blog. my photo slideshow from our very own MUNIGEO photographers!

Right now it's just pics from existing blog posts but i will soon add random photos that I may not dedicate a whole post to.

Enjoy!

Minimalist gear reviews

Silence.

March is an example of what happens when a failed minimalist has a blog that reviews gear.

I have much more than I need so buying new stuff is going to be sporadic. And I'm ok with that. I think too much about stuff already. I have a list in my head of things I want when the things I have wear out. I need to just assume my stuff is going to last for a long time and not worry about it until I need to. The good thing about me buying quality stuff is it lasts for such a long time.

Swimming
I've said before that the great thing about swimming is it is easier for me to focus on working on technique rather than wondering what gadgets I can buy for this hobby / sport. I see so many people that bought watches, kickboards, pull buoys, fins, hand paddles, etc. And guess what? Most of them are not very good. They need to focus on technique and worry about the other stuff later. I'm still working on my technique.

A word about my swim gear. Goggles, suit, swim helmet, watch dial to count my laps. water bottle. That's all I have. Really, only the first two are needed. I use my girlfriend's fins and the pool's pull buoy. No interest in buying my own. The chlorine really kills my suit though. I switched to a dark color to prolong use. This Speedo Solar suit has made I about six months. My new Sporti Euro Brief is about ten dollars cheaper and it would be great if I can get it to last this long. It sure is small though...also will try just rinsing the suit and not using it in the hot tub to lengthen is life.
As a novice I never knew suits, goggles, and helmets were wear items. Chlorine just eats them up.

Internet addiction
I think I need to reduce my use of the internet to healthier levels. I think I've been addicted to it since it became available on mobile devices. It's great because anytime you have a question you can look it up immediately. It's horrible because when ever you are bored, it's like smoking...light it up to give you something to do.

So I've reduced the number of people I follow on Twitter, which does make it a little more boring and more like a news feed. I reduced the number of apps on my iPod Touch homepage. I already visit far less car blogs than I used to. I put retail websites bookmarks in a folder marked "consumer" so I will visit them less often.

Will any of this make a difference? What will I find when this form of entertainment is reduced? Boredom? I don't know but that's the nice thing about life. I have an opportunity to tweak it, try to change things if I want to, and learn a lot about myself in the process.

Cars
What is the longest you've owned a single car? My record is my current car...7 years and counting. I plan on owning it until it is too expensive to keep running. I checked and my family has owned the same car for up to 12-13 years! geez. As a car enthusiast I wonder if I would get bored having the same car for so long, but I really like my car so I might make it.

Leap Day bonus post

I figure the least I could do was give you a bonus post for this extra day this year. It's a clearinghouse of random thoughts and quotes.

I hope you're doing something cool with your extra day this year!

Yesterday I read a Surfer interview with Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia. Here's a few quotes that I thought were good...

"Personally, I try to lead a simple life. I don’t walk around with my hat on backward looking like a surfer. My Patagonia clothing, some of it is 20 years old. Just because I have a clothing company doesn’t mean I have closets and closets of brand new clothes.

Sure, it’s a consumer society, but you don’t have to be part of it. I hardly ever spend any money. Consumerism is just people trying to make themselves happy by consuming. And that’s wrong. Doesn’t work.

The secret to happiness is to be working at your passion. If you want to be miserable, lead a desperate life like everybody else where they drag their asses to work everyday because they hate their job"

hmm...some of my Patagonia clothing is about 15 yrs old. The synthetic stuff takes awhile to wear out!
If I could do whatever I wanted to and get paid, what would I do? My quick list was driving, writing, and designing.

Those Chouinard quotes are nice but my favorite Quote of the Day comes from a B movie highlighted on the CBS Sunday morning show last weekend.

"What about the damn piranhas?'

"They're eating the guests, sir."

The semi-annual birthday post

Looked in my blog archives and noticed that I wrote about my birthday last year (http://theevildrsin.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-bday-bidettemperatures-high-of-60.html) so here's one for this year...

Birthday temps
Well it wasn't as warm this year (mid 50's) but it sure was sunny.

Birthday presents
My girlfriend got me some Soft Star Shoes Moc3's early and I got to wear them for about a month before my actual day. Thanks!

Birthday wishes
Got a call from my parents but not my bro.

Birthday activities
Girlfriend and I went for a swim.
Watched the movie Drive.
Took a walk in the Moc3's.
Watched the Oscars.

Birthday food.
Eggs, bacon, muffins.
Jimmy Johns.
Oreo ice cream cake. (cake #1)

Day 2.
Belated call from the bro.
Angus burger with the parents. (MCD).
UNO. birthday edition.
HT ice cream cake. (cake #2)
red envelope.

Until next year...

New Sticker Thursday!

Wow wow wow! Three posts in one day? Boy are you lucky! Well when theevildrsin creativity candle is burning, it burns at a full 16 lumens...and smells like sugar cookie.

Today is New Sticker Thursday! because I made new stickers and it's Thursday...

As I creep and crawl in traffic while commuting to and from work, I see all these giant SUV's with these oval stickers that say 26.2 and 13.1. It just plain makes me angry. Isn't it hypocritical or at least ironic to wield on your 8 passenger SUV that you are driving alone, a sticker that proclaims you are into running for long distances? Blasphemous! Shouldn't that be on your $40 running shirt instead?

Today, that problem is solved. I fixed it for you. Two stickers you can justifiably mount on your Tahoe without any irony.

Blammo. 13.1....Miles Per Gallon. Available at http://www.cafepress.com/13point1mpg


26.2...miles per gallon...for your hybrid Tahoe. suuuure. Available at http://www.cafepress.com/26point2mpg

Each sticker is $5.oo. A small price to pay for truth.

Minimalist Running Shoes Go Toe to Toe - Vibram Five Fingers Classic vs. Soft Star Shoes Moc3

hmm. this time rock beats paper...

The UGLYSHOE (TM)* throwdown - road test

*don't get me wrong. I think all these shoes are beautiful. In the way your mom says you are beautiful...on the inside...No really, form follows function. Comfort is beauty. My eyesight is 20/20 with my shoe goggles on...

I've now had a chance to jog in both shoes around the MuniGeo (TM) test loop, an approximately 2 mile paved loop of neighborhood roads and sidewalks that includes hills, straights, a little gravel debris, and currently a discarded feather duster with a lone feather and a smushed squirrel (soon to be featured on MuniGeo (TM)).

First, the defending champ. VFF classic

+ allows toes to spread as much as possible. Look at the photo! The VFF is much wider!
+ 3mm sole feels very cushy compared to 2mm Moc3. Heel and forefoot felt very protected against inadvertent impacts

- suprisingly and almost against logic, with material around each toe, I felt very confined compared to the more shoe-like Moc3's.
- 3mm sole also feels clunky compared to Moc3's
- toe pain in crotch of toe running downhill

Now the contender. SSS Moc3

+ amazing groundfeel with 2mm sole.
+ with no material surrounding each toe, feet feel amazingly free.

- 2mm sole means easy impact injury due to a misstep.
- shoe is a little narrow, not allowing my feet to spread as far as I want.
- I can feel the seam connecting the upper to the sole.

The winner? Soft Star Shoes Moc3!
It is not perfect. I would love for it to be a little wider. And missteps can cause injury but that is my fault. This really is the ultimate minimalist, minimalist running shoe. For now this will be my primary outdoor shoe when I am not wearing sandals.

What's next?

More UGLYSHOE (TM) throwdowns including:
-running on trails
-wet weather, drying time
-funk test, washing
-new contenders??? Invisibleshoe, the ultimate minimalist running sandal?
-make your own UGLYSHOE (TM)?

If you want some VFF's, try this link. I get a commission if you buy through this link.
Vibram FiveFingers Womens Classic Multisport Shoe - Tan In Size: 36

How to Get Things Done

I woke up yesterday and checked the forecast - supposed to be very sunny with temperatures just hitting 60F. I figured since it was going to be nice, I should do several things (in order of priority: get catfood, go on a run in my UGLYSHOES (TM), and change my car oil. What did I get done? Read on.

First, some motivational quotes...

I'm not always motivated. But when I am, I drink DOS EQUIS.

The only easy day was yesterday.

Just do it.

Get Motivated.
Some things are easy to get done due to immediate external motivating forces. Like cats. We were out of catfood. I love my cats and hate hearing them whine, so no matter what I was going to make sure I got catfood before dinnertime.

External motivating force - four whining cats. high.


Some things are a little harder to get done because of lower levels of external motivating forces. I didn't need an oil change immediately, but I decided since the weather was unusually nice for winter, I would go to the parts store and get the materials for an oil change. However, even though changing your own oil is relatively easy, it is still a pain. I wasn't excited about doing it and DIY oil change doesn't save a whole lot of money. So I called the local oil change place and made an appointment for the afternoon.

External motivating forces - need to eventually change oil - low.
unusually good weather day - medium
save a few bucks by doing it yourself - low, so have someone else do it.

Some things are a lot harder because there are very low levels of external motivating forces. I kind of hate running. I even designed a sticker to prove it. (Buy one!) I already went for a run the day before. I am in decent shape.

Recognize the seeds of motivation and take advantage of it
So how do you motivate yourself when external motivating forces are low? You look for the seeds of internal motivation, seize them and make them grow! You say you are not motivated? Not true. The seed of motivation in your head sounds like this:

"Wow, I really ought to ..."

Now when you hear this thought, you have two choices. You can go back to sleep, watch tv, etc...OR you can seize that thought and develop it into action. That thought is the beginning of your motivation. Don't wait for it to go away. Take that thought and build on it until you must act.

"Huh, the weather is supposed to be nice today. I really ought to go on a run. It would be nice to run in warmer weather so I can run in shorts and a t-shirt instead of all the winter layers. I had a nice run yesterday, I wonder if I will run as fast today. I could test out how my UGLYSHOE #2 compares to my UGLYSHOE #1..." And BAM! I went on a run.

Plans are good but seize opportunities
I planned to get my oil change yesterday afternoon. While I was out getting cat food, I decided to pop by the car service place next to the grocers and check their rates and availability. Turns out it was cheaper and there was no line so I decided to do it now. Oil change done!

Professional Procrastination
Be lazy, but be good at being lazy. I am lazy, but I am good at it. I know how to prioritize, when something has to get done, how long it takes to complete, how to work under a last minute pressure, and HOW NOT TO WORRY WHILE PROCRASTINATING. The last part is pretty important. If you are going to worry about something the whole time you are putting it off, you might as well do it now. Procrastination creates its own external motivating force because when you wait to the last minute there is no question you will need to get it done.

Make A Deadline
This goes with being a professional procrastinator. Write down your deadline. This is why I hate to do lists. They usually don't have a deadline. It's just a list of things to get to. Get yourself a calendar (not a digital one) that shows the whole week or whole month (preferred) in one view. It should have plenty of writing space. Write down the due date for all the stuff you need to do. When you finish it, check it off or cross it off. It feels so good when you check it off. Trust me. I know it sounds cheesy but it works. What if certain things (like personal self improvement goals) don't have a due date? You create one. Then check it off. You better believe I checked off cat food and oil change on my calendar!

Create a Habit
What are things you do regularly that need no motivation, internal or external? I would argue that it is brushing your teeth. Yes, we brush our teeth for health and social reasons but it is so habitual for me I don't mentally tell myself I NEED to brush my teeth. I just do it. Whatever you want to get done, turn it into a habit.

Epilogue
It was about 3pm yesterday and I was feeling good. I was laying on my back in the sun. I accomplished my to do list for the day - cat food, oil change, run, and in addition some loads of laundry. Time to relax. I saw a couple of jets in the sky with contrails. I looked at the trees in the yard, including a couple that had ivy spanning up to the treetops...

"you know, I ought to try to chop that ivy sometime before it kills the tree. The weather is good right now, but I'm enjoying laying in the sun. But the weather is perfect, no mosquitoes, no poison ivy..." seed of motivation! take advantage!

BLAM! I'm up, I'm up! I'm looking for the tree pruners and it's not where I expected.
"I can't find the tree pruners...I'd have to look in the garage...I'll do it some other time..."
I pushed myself to go to the garage. Darn, I found them. So now I had to go cut some ivy. I cut ivy for awhile, but then I found some thick roots that could not be clipped.

"Damn, too bad...I'd need my shovel (e-tool) or my maul to cut these. I'd have to go back in and get them. next time..." you are motivated now! keep going!

I dragged myself back inside and found the tools and continued to work on the tree. Awhile later, forearms and hands sore, I finished one tree. I hope the ivy dies now that the roots are chopped. I looked over at the other tree. I've already done well. Got one tree done. I have all the tools out already! I have time! Keep going!

An hour before, I was on my back in the sun, looking at the sky. An hour later, I have hopefully saved two trees from being choked to death by ivy. I drag all the tools in and stumble into the shower and minutes later emerge warm, clean and relaxed.

Shoe Goggles part 2: Soft Star Shoes Moc3 Introduction

I was on my way out the door to jog to the vet's office (I sorta dislike jogging just for the sake of exercise. I would rather have a destination or errand in mind). I glanced at the mailbox and lo and behold! I got a package from Soft Star! The shoes are so minimalist they fit in the mailbox!

Back inside, I shucked off my VFF's and opened the USPS bag. Wrapped in tissue paper with a Soft Star sticker (tried to salvage the sticker for my water bottle but failed. darn.) were my Moc3's.

For all the technical specs go to the Soft Star website (softstarshoes.com). The Moc3's look like ninja slippers and are super light weight! I put them on and immediately felt comfortable! no fit issues. The perforated black leather uppers smell like quality leather. The stretchy "breath-o-prene" lining attached to the leather hug my feet but not in a constrictive way. The reflective stripe on the back of the slipper adds a little sporty flair and the little green tabs at the heel bear the Soft Star logo, refreshingly unobtrusive branding.

On my very short test jog I was able to test the shoe on a variety of surfaces: asphalt, concrete, gravel, and grass. The soles, which are cut in a foot-like pattern are 2mm Vibram rubber and not as sticky as the VFF rubber. My guess is Soft Star is forgoing a little grip to get more durability for the super thin soles. These thin soles basically allow you to feel EVERYTHING, and on gravel was a little painful for a novice like me. I also noticed a little pressure on my achilles when walking (not running) due to the breath-o-prene, which is necessary to keep the shoe on. I will see if this is something that i will just get used to.

I am very happy with how the shoes feel so far. They allow my feet to spread out naturally. My goal is for the Moc3's to be my everyday shoe when I'm not wearing sandals. This will include running, walking, hiking, work, and ninja.

Some things I expect to find out as I use this shoe more:

will the leather at the toes abrade with use?
how long with the soles last?
will I be able to resole them?
how long will it take for them to start stinking?

stay tuned for more updates!

Get Rid of Your Useless Stuff

Hey, all that stuff you have laying around that you never use? get rid of it. I know, you're saving it "just in case". Well if that just in case hasn't happened within the last year, it's time to let it go.

I'm being a little hypocritical because I've kept tons of things for "just in case". You're reading about a person who left a whole non functional automobile at his parents' house for a large number of years...Raw materials like wood, foam, leather, clothes that can't be worn in public anymore, sheaves of papers and "inspirational" reference images for future designs, books I never read anymore, and toys that have some sort of value either collector-wise or psychological.

Well, the nice thing about a new year is that it is a good (if somewhat arbitrary) timepoint to make a change. And I'm going to try to get rid of some stuff. I am absolutely not trying to be a minimalist but moreso to free up my house and my mind of clutter.

With that in mind I dropped some stuff off to Goodwill. Some clothes, books, and a few toys I never use. The low hanging fruit. I figure a few more donations and it will psychologically get a little tougher. Another thing, if you don't have enough motivation to do it for yourself, do it for people in need. Think of the people Goodwill can help by selling your crap.

The key is to make a start.

Then don't give up and keep chipping away at it.

Thoreaudown

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes. - Thoreau

Beware of all enterprises that require clothes. - theevildrsin

There are tons of enterprises that I get interested in that require a lot of equipment. And I've gotten sick of them. Examples of stuff I've dabbled in: Rock climbing, Ice climbing, Camping, Biking, Fancy Sports Cars, any hobbies of "collecting".

As a consumer with interests in design, it is hard for me not to get caught up in the gear. I need to focus more on the actual activity. And many actually don't require as much stuff as I think.

I like swimming. I really don't think much about my swim helmet, goggles, and suit. I don't really lust for more gear. In fact, I even think about getting rid of the helmet. I am such a beginner swimmer that I am more concerned with my technique and aerobic ability than any small improvement new gear will make. However, the big ticket item is paying for a place to swim. Having a free outdoor place to swim would be so great.

So what do you think the purest, most gear bereft enterprise is?
You may think soccer, running, basketball, etc.

You are all wrong.

It's martial arts.

I'm not talking about ninjas with swords and Chinese throwing stars. I'm not talking MMA with gloves, pads, and an octagon. And I'm not talking about yoga with your cute little mats (it's also not a martial art).

Pure martial arts. no gear needed. no special clothes. no shoes. no special space. no team.

Just your body and your mind.

Bam. Namaste.

Shoe goggles: Comfort IS beauty

I like shoes. How many shoes should a "minimalist" have? none.

or one. for each foot.

Actually I think the real answer is the fewest possible to be able to do everything one needs and wants to do. so for me...

1. Barefoot as much as possible without health and safety issues. pool / gym shower fungus, ringworm, etc.
2. flip flops for everyday non winter casual use and the poolside / gym shower fungus thing.
3. Athletic shoe - running, hiking
4. Shoe acceptable for work and less casual activities.
5. Apocalypse boot - something to wear while riding motorcycles and fighting zombies...

I'm fine with one shoe covering more than one category but often what happens is you get with flexibility is less actual performance / quality.

I'm a little sick of my Vibram Five Fingers. I used to enjoy the "groundfeel" of them but now even they feel restrictive, with each toe surrounded and the heel tightly cupped. I think it's a result of getting these cozy LL Bean Wicked Good Moccasins. I have always preferred wearing sandals (flip flops) but you really can't run in them and a lot of workplaces don't allow them. And Chacos are damned heavy and strappy. I'm sure they would be comfortable though.

I'm tired of feeling my foot crammed in a shoe. I need space to spread out! And I need one that I can wear for more activities like running, longer distance walking, hiking, and a casual workplace. And not have to wear socks.

Strike One.
I ordered some Patagonia Pau Shoes. Nice leather and wide toe box. Also resolable. However, it bites me on the ankles and has a very loose fit for me overall. And the resoling costs $80!

Then I started thinking about Made in USA and I started doing research. New Balance was the only company I really knew of that made some shoes in USA. Unfortunately, their minimalist shoes are made, ahem...elsewhere.

In my search I also found a company called Soft Star Shoes (softstarshoes.com). Minimalist shoes made in Oregon from US raw materials. This sounds promising. I ordered the Soft Star Moc3 which is a slip on minimalist running shoe. It most likely will not be resolable. They are on their way to me and if they fit well I will keep them and start using them everyday! Either way I will let you know.