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It’s no secret that I think Kerry’s a prat. He has failed to provide leadership in the Senate, has done nothing remarkable in his political career, and seems to pander to every special interest he can find. I really don’t think he can make things any better. I know with a Republican majority in Congress, he won’t get any of his tax, health, or education plans passed ( and he knows it too). I don’t like Kerry’s rhetoric on how he’s going to track down and kill terrorists ( I have this vision of him going out with his over/under and shooting terrorists ). All in all I find him absurd.

But I was watching the Daily Show yesterday, yes I am one of those “stoned slackers” Bill O’Reilly warned you about, and Madeline Albright was on the show. I have a lot of respect for her and her opinions. She travels a lot and has connections all over the world, so she’s on my short list of people to listen to when she talks about what’s going on in the world. She made a very good case for Kerry that I hadn’t thought of. Albright said that in her travels almost everyone she runs into is puzzled and troubled by what the U.S. administration is doing, but they know what the American people and the American government are different. Just because W. and his administration are against the world, doesn’t mean Americans feel the same way. However if we re-elect Bush it’s like saying to the world, “Hey we approve what Bush has done, we hope he does more of it, we don’t care about you, and screw you we’re #1″ That’ll will all sorts of hearts and minds.

I couldn’t care less if W. becomes president and runs our country into the ground. Frankly I think we deserve it for being such knuckleheads for following him without question. But I do care what the rest of the world thinks. Americans deserve to live under the consequences of our own electoral process, but the rest of the world shouldn’t be punished for it.

I love fall because I can start wearing coats again and finally have a place for my phone, keys, wallets, etc without schlepping it all in my pants’ pockets. I have very few brand loyalties, but I thought I’d start a “Things I Like” category to share the brand loyalties I do have. Most people who know me find me to be disatisfied with almost everything. I usually come out against more things than I’m for. So it’s extra special when I actually like something. Well one thing I love are Barbour Thorn Proof Jackets. Filson jackets and Navy peacoats are nice too, but I have a special affinity for Barbours this time of year. I currently wear a Beaufort a great coat to wear in the Fall. The dense waxed cotton outside is water resistant enough for light rain and is still very breathable and comfortable. The hand pockets are lined with moleskin (nice and comfy) and the utility pockets come with drain holes in them. Every detail is perfect, from the inner cuff liner which keeps water from running down your sleeve when you raise your arm, to the nylon lined game pouch in the rear to the special hidden pocket for your wallet. The overall coat is subtle but smart. It looks just as good on the farm as it does over a suit.

The thing I like most about Barbours are how durable they are. They have massive brass zippers and buttons and every seam is stitched and waxed several times over. I still have my first Barbour from college ( I won’t say how many years that’s been, but a few). You can trade in your coat and upgrade for a new one, or you can pay to have your coat repaired at the factory (who does that for a coat these days!?!?). The outside material is what’s really cool. The weave is so dense that when a thorn catches on it, it pulls the thorn right off the branch rather than create a run in the fabric, hence the name thornproof. I wouldn’t recommend running through a rose garden with a Barbour, but if you ever had to, you’d make it out on the other side just fine.

Barbour has had to bend to modern pressure just like everyone else. They now make hi-tech microfiber jackets. I’m sure they’re light, waterproof and just fine, but I’ll never buy one as long as they make the original.

Well my GTD system is working pretty stably. My Inboxes are regularly empty (it’s a painful process), new material is being neatly filed away, and I feel like I have a game plan to get ahead. I feel more effective than ever before. I’m not forgetting things or wondering about what needs to be done. However what needs to be done freaks me out sometimes. Being more effective means you do a lot more… So what more needs to be done: (more…)

Well I ordered a T5 Torx bit driver to disassemble my Treo and do the foil hack. This actually worked surprisingly well. The speakerphone is still lousy, but most cell phones have lousy speakerphones so I don’t care that much. The buzzing has gone away, and that’s all I care about. It seems to be a little more reliable as a phone as well.

Having a palm PDA again is really nice. I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m completely comfortable with the Treo’s controls and have started to use Bonsai, Todo, and the Calendar as my GTD system.

I got a JavoEdge skin case for my Treo. It’s not completely lousy, but I wouldn’t recommend getting one. On the plus side it does protect the Treo well and all the buttons and connectors work well with it on. However the Treo won’t fit in the cradle with the Skin Case on! Taking the case on and off is like changing out of a wet suit, it’s tough. Also the neoprene rubber sticks to everything. It’s hard to get in and out of a pocket and it’ll turn your pockets inside out when you pull it out of your pocket. Plus lint and hair easily stick to the Skin Case, making it less than desirable. The $35 price is way too much for something that has too many issues. I might try to mod my skin case to work with a cradle. I ‘ll post it if I do.

Progress is being made at marklabs. I spent a lot of money and got my home workspace setup. My home and work tickler files are made. I’m working on a stripped down “quick and clean” GTD implementation. I’m trying to make it as simple, quick to implement, and scalable as possible. E.g. my tickler only uses 17 folders. Works good enough and doesn’t have the undo complication of 43 folders. I think one can get obsessed trying to make complicated GTD systems using fancy software and writing custom scripts and never getting it built. The first thing that I think needs to be setup is a clean, distraction free workspace. So my home workspace is now setup. It’ll be a launchpad for getting the rest of the system started.

Note the file drawer is within arm’s reach of my chair. The labeller is ready to go, and my inbox is already stuffed. So how did I manage to accomplish this workspace? (more…)

So here is my strategy for Phase 1 of GTD migration. I’m not doing the massive initial collection, at least not now. Similar to a military campaign, ideally the commander would like a fort, but sometimes an encampment is all that’s possible. And if you need shelter right now, a bivouac is your only choice. So until I can get a GTD “encampment” here’s my “bivouac” to get me through the next couple of weeks. (more…)

Well as I mentioned earlier, I’ve joined the whole GTD movement, cult, conspiracy, whatever as an attempt to gain some control back in my life. For as long as I can remember I’ve been a disorganized person. In elementary school I’d have so many papers crammed in my desk that my books wouldn’t fit in my desk. I would jam my books in like a trash compactor and just crumple my papers. I do a very similar thing now by piling all my stuff around me. So somewhere in the detritus is a lot of unimportant stuff with a lot of stuff that got 90% finished and stuff that’s really important that should have been done last week, month, year… In all fairness I was never taught how to organize, I was just told that I should. My parents are very neat and tidy people, and they never could understand why I was such a mess, and maybe that’s what crippled me. Their organization comes naturally, whereas I had to read a book20 years later to tell me what to do.

So I’m starting a new endeavor and going to blog about. I hope my online friends will help encourage me and keep me accountable for Getting Things Done. (more…)