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Well I thought I’d do my first book review. My dad pointed me to this book and I admit I was skeptical at first. Usually tiny books like Who Moved My Cheese and FISH! tend to be a blend of BS and “well duh” common sense. After all, the truth is complex and really hard to put in a 100 page book. The Kaizen Way is actually an excellent book and I’ve managed to create pockets of change in my own life by adopting the philosophy of small almost microscopic life changes. I find it’s a good complement to GTD. Often people are overwhelmed by the amount of change GTD requires. Kaizen can help you on the path of GTD without a mental breakdown. I heartily recommend this book, it won’t take you more than a day to read it, or you can read it Kaizen style like I did over a two month period. Everyone knows that the secret to doing a big insurmountable task is to break it into smaller tasks. It’s amazing though that so few of us do that. It’s also amazing how rephrasing a problem can make a huge difference. Replacing “I wish I weren’t so messy,” with, “What’s the smallest thing I can do to make my space less messy.” can totally change a moment from failure to success. Just getting rid of one piece of clutter can turn that whole moment into a positive success instead of looking at the rest of the mess and thinking only of the negative. I think the other important lesson learned is that life shouldn’t be about trying to obtain that brass ring. What if you woke up and all your goals were acheived? Would you be transported to a state of instant happiness? Probably not. The real point is to find joy and success in every small moment and action.

Hi all. I’m making some mix CD’s for Meschter. I’d like to mail them to him before he ships for Iraq at the end of this month. I’ve mixed down two miscellaneous CD’s, but I wanted to make two theme CD’s as well. One would be the best BritPop mix ever, and the other one would be the best war protest songs ever (the irony is too delicious). I’m having a hard time coming up with a complete list of songs for either. So I’d really like everyone’s help in compiling these CD’s

Here are a few songs I thought of for the war protest songs.

• Blowin’ in the Wind, B. Dylan
• With God on Our Side, B. Dylan
• Wasteland of the Free, Iris Dement
• Oliver’s Army, Elvis Costello
• Shipbuilding, Elvis Costello
• War on War, Wilco
• Born In the USA, the Boss
• What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye

The BritPop CD is going to be a LOT harder. There’s just so much… Here’s what I’ve thought of so far.

• Girls and Boys, Blur
• I Am the Resurrection, Stone Roses
• Sit Down, James
• Here’s Where the Story Ends, The Sundays
• Whatever, Oasis
• Common People, Pulp
• Creep, Radiohead
• Road Rage, Catatonia
• Beautiful Ones, Suede
• There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, Morrissey

There are loads more that I’m forgetting, but that’s why I need you to help me out. Post your suggestions in a timely fashion so I can get these CD’s out quickly!

nikefree.JPG

Well I feel like a complete corporate shill endorsing a nike product. Maybe they’ll give me a dumptruck load of money like LeBron James for my endorsement. Or maybe not.

I like these shoes because they remind a lot of the Air Span, a shoe they made in the early 90’s. The Span was a shoe that was low to the ground, very comfortable, and super light. The Free is like a cross between the Span and the Huarache, another novel running shoe they made in the early 90’s.

The Free defies current conventions of what makes a good running shoe. It has very little cushioning and it has no heel counter (the plastic cup around the Achilles). The shoe itself moves with your foot and it feels like being barefoot, but with arch support.

Nike warns that these shouldn’t be your full time running shoes, but I see no problems with running in them all the time. Of course I don’t do major mileage like I used to, but I’ve taken three mile runs with no problems so far. And some even think that the excessive gizmos they’ve put in shoes have even led to an increase in running injuries.

When I discovered the Span in high school, they discontinued it the same year. At the time, I went out and bought as many pairs as I could find. I hope Nike keeps the Free for a while. However I might start stocking up on Frees now.