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Today we announced my return to EveryoneSocial as CEO. Very excited to be back and working with such a remarkable team.
Helping another man
On Selecting A Lawyer
Having a good lawyer is essential to the success of any young company, especially startups. Problem is, I've seen too many young companies get sucked into thinking that they need a big, name-brand firm. You know, the firm that handled that big acquisition, public offering or whatever. In reality, hiring one of these firms can be a serious setback for a budding venture. Here's why:
- You're going to end up working with an associate, a couple years out of law school; the partner sells you, the associate works with, just like any other agency/consultancy
- No matter who's doing your work, you're going to get charged up the butt; I recently saw a bill from a mid-tier firm charging $700/hr for basic work done by an associate!
- Just because it's a name-brand firm, doesn't mean the work quality will be good; twice in the last year I've seen shoddy work and poor service from the Valley's most storied law firm (you fill in the blank)
- Things will always take longer than they need to, and if you want to speed them up it's going to cost you more; it's pay-to-play
- Bigger firms and teams aren't usually solution-oriented; I can't recall working with a name-brand firm that really understood our business and helped us find solutions to our problems
- To the above point, there's a chance that their lack of solutions, slow pace, penchant for wordy documents, etc., may actually put an important deal of yours at risk (time is the killer of all deals!)
- Chances are greater than not that they will overcharge you; be sure to review all their bills, line by line
- Lawyers don't source deals for you; never have I seen an key deal/acquisition/partnership/etc. sourced from a lawyer, however that won't stop them from tempting you with this possibility
Here's my point: big firms are not oriented to work with small companies. Fundamentally, big firms are big firms because 1) they need a large, multidisciplinary teams to represent big clients with complex (big) deals and/or 2) they're simply interested in having as many revenue-generating clients as possible, which of course has an inverse relation to quality.
Your best bet is to find a small firm or sole practitioner that has experience working with companies like yours. You'll receive better counsel, spend less, get more done more quickly, and look good in the eyes of whomever you're dealing with (investors/partners/acquirer/etc.). Happy to share some recommendations if you need; just send me an email.
Hold on to your butts – The last 22 years of San Francisco real estate
In the last three and a half years there's been more appreciation than in the seven year period from 1993 to 2000 (aka bubble 1.0). A proverb comes to mind: Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.
Ethical integrity of a profession
Food production and sustainability
Some rules for hiring in a startup
Since 2004 I've hired around 60 people for a variety of roles in two software startups (I included a complete list at the bottom of this post). Some hires turned out amazing while others did not. Considering how critical people are to building a company, I wanted to put down my current framework for hiring.
Finding the best people
When I'm looking to hire someone, I have one primary goal: I want to hire the best person possible. By best I mostly mean someone who is going to progress our organization forward the most. The more they do that, the more critical a member of our team they'll be. How do we find these people and avoid the others? Below are my thoughts.
- Are they a missionary or mercenary? At the highest level, we always want to hire missionaries. John Doerr gave a talk at Stanford in 2005 about the difference between missionaries and mercenaries (I've included the video at the end of this post). Even when you're in a startup and have scant resources, there are people out there who want to suck you dry. Paying someone a high salary, granting lots of equity, or including a rich benefits package will not make someone more effective at their job. To the contrary, the folks who push for that up front probably aren't going to work out. Why? Because they're about themselves and a startup is about a shared cause d'etre. Stay away from the mercenaries. They promise, and take, and rarely deliver.
- Do they have previous startup experience? Another simple, gating factor for me is if the person has previous startup experience. In my opinion there are three types of people in the startup world: those who have founded a startup, those who have worked for a startup, and those who have done neither. I really want people in those first two categories and generally steer clear of those in the latter. Startups are crazy places. Things don't always make sense; you need to simultaneously make forward progress and remain open to making course corrections, sometimes big ones. People who haven't worked in a startup are not usually comfortable in this environment.
- Are they familiar with your space? There's a value to involving someone who is familiar with your market. Maybe they worked on a similar product, sold to the same people you're trying to sell to, marketed to a similar audience, or developed partnerships with like players. Having a new hire producing results as quickly as possible is always one of my biggest goals. Hiring someone who's already familiar with the territory gets them to that point more quickly.
- Has someone on your team previously worked with them? I pay more attention to people who have worked with someone on our team. I think the challenge is to separate those who are looking for an "in" through a personal connection (i.e., they need a job) from those who can stand on their own. Further, I've learned to place a higher value on a personal connection if it's coming from someone on our team who I already think is stellar. Chances are, they're not going to want to work with someone who isn't.
- Are they smart and thorough? Both these items are critical in my opinion. To the first quality, I want to hire the absolute smartest people I can find, no matter the role. That could be a head of engineering, a sales lead, a freelance designer, or a kid just out of college with no prior experience. Smart people can figure things out, and at the end of the day that's a huge reason why you're hiring someone - you're certainly not hiring them to create more work for you! But, of course intelligence doesn't count for everything. That's where thoroughness comes in. Thoroughness in my opinion means owning something. When people own stuff, they complete it to a better degree. I want to look at someone's work and be surprised. I don't want to think "well, I could have probably done a better job".
- What do your team members think? Bad things have happened when I or my co-founder and I have unilaterally made a hiring decision. It just doesn't make sense to do so. You're hiring someone who's going to be a member of your team. Don't you think at least some of your team members should have a say? Culture and trust are two big factors in determining the effectiveness of a team. Hiring someone without involving others does a couple things. First, it erodes trust. You're saying "I'm going to make decisions that affect all of us without involving you". Second, it puts your culture at risk. What if that person doesn't mesh, you judged them wrong? In my experience only good has come from involving our team in the vetting process.
- What other projects/commitments are they involved with? Especially if you're hiring someone part time or for a trial period as discussed below, find out what else they're working on. Do they have other commitments? If so, how ridged are they and what are the particulars: how many hours per week, when does it end, who's involved, what's their role, etc. As we all know, context switching is hard; it means the quality of that person's work is going to be less, that its going to take them longer to get up and running, and that they may not be able to develop momentum of their own. No matter how good they appear, I don't want to hire someone who isn't going to be able to give my team and project the hours we need.
- Find out what they really want to do. So important and often overlooked. Before you can ask this question of the potential hire, you need to clearly understand what you want of them. Why are you hiring this person? Do you have a specific role that you want to fill? If what you have in mind doesn't match up with what they have in mind, it'll be like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. Sometimes coming at this sideways is the best approach: ask the person how they see themselves at your organization, what do they really want to do, especially looking forward. Usually people will be pretty straight forward with what they're looking to do.
Some additional thoughts
The above points have helped me find great people who have developed into valuable members of our team. However, sometimes that hasn't happened and it wouldn't be a startup if we didn't have to change course once in a while. The three points below are some additional control factors I like to have in place for after I've made the decision to hire. Working off the premise that you're only really going to be able to understand if someone is a good fit after you've started working with them, I always want to leave some exits open.
- Don't belabor the process - There's a limit to the amount of time I spend doing background on people. There's only so much you can understand about someone without having worked with them. If you abide by the two points below - building in a trial period and not being afraid to let someone go if they're not working out - there's no reason not to take a chance. As with any opportunity, time is always a factor; you may miss your chance if you don't act.
- Build in a trial period - As a continuation on the above point, I rarely if ever hire someone full time, right at the start. You want to make sure this person is going be a good fit and vice versa. Even after going through all the filters listed above, I still assume that I don't actually know if someone is going to work out until their boots are on the ground. Some folks can be hard to trial with - e.g., sales people, executives - however I still do my best to involve them as much as possible before brining them on full time.
- Don't be afraid to let someone go - When someone isn't working out, for whatever the reason, my experience is that they don't get better. Further, giving them time (which is usually just an excuse for you not wanting to take action) can have a deleterious effect on the rest of your team. Take action quickly, for your sake and theirs. There is always someone better to be found!
Hopefully you've found at least a few points in here to be of use. They're what I've learned over 10 years, two software companies, and a good number of blunders. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say that to date, maybe 25% of the people I've hired I'd be interested in working with again. Maybe 15% have been truly great. How to increase those percentages is something I'm constantly thinking about.
Another, purely selfish reason I'm interested in improving my ability to hire great people: I love working with them. Great people make everything worthwhile. In a startup you will spend more waking hours with your team than you will with your significant other/family. I want to really enjoy working with my team, to be confident in their abilities, to have strong rapport and trust, and all the rest. If that's not there we're not going to do our best work.
From memory, the folks I've hired include co-founders, designers, business development managers, board members, advisors, investors, lead sales reps, front-end developers, back-end developers, assistants, patent attorneys, business attorneys, interns, pr reps, mobile developers, mobile designers, communications designers, heads of marketing, inside sales reps, copywriters, heads of finance, and seos.
John Doerr on missionaries vs mercenaries
Annette Moser-Wellman
Last month a mentor of mine, Annette Moser-Wellman passed away from complications associated with a rare type of tumor that had developed behind her heart.
Anette and I had been introduced a number of years ago, when I was living in NY, running my first software company. At the time, Annette was a visiting fellow at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business and had asked to interview me for a paper she was authoring on the competencies of news organizations. The first time we connected was over the phone. Sometime later we met for coffee back on Bainbridge Island, where our families live. Graciously, she offered to make herself available for future conversations, to be a resource for me in my own career.
From then on we'd usually meet in person, once or twice a year, always at Bainbridge Bakers, earlier in the morning, right after she was getting out of the gym. I always enjoyed our conversations. We never really talked about business stuff, which was almost always the topic of conversation with my male mentors. With Annette, our conversations were personal: how was I developing, was I being challenged, what really made me happy, what was I actually good at, where did I want to go. Annette asked hard questions, which I rarely had a quick answer to. Even though it could be months between our conversations, she always gave me more than enough to think about.
I will miss Annette a great deal; she was a remarkable, thoughtful woman. Her approach to leadership, business, and life was refreshing and something that I will continue to apply to my own life and in my dealings with others. My thoughts are with her husband and two daughters.
Annette's full obituary, published in the Seattle Times on October 27, 2013 can be found here.
Story of a Northwest tech-bachelor – An animated short
Neil Gaiman on the future of publishing: be dandelions!
Here's the original article about Neil's dendelion's comment, written by Cory Doctorow from BoingBoing.net.
Far better it is to dare mighty things
My brother passed along this Theodore Roosevelt quote after hearing it from Dr. Charles Elachi, Director of the JPL (Mars Curiosity Mission) during a talk at Harvard's GSD.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." –Theodore Roosevelt
Charles also mentioned during his talk that the JPL is developing a nuclear-heated drill head to bore into the icy moon of Titan in order to explore the vast oceans beneath the crust. Dare mighty things…
My Getting Things Done System
Happy New Year!
It's that time of year again! Time for personal reflection, review, resolutions, planning, and maybe even some organization. For me, that means deciding what objectives I'm going to focus on over the next year, putting together high-level plans around those objectives, and developing/reviewing my system and routine for how I'm going to do the work.
For the last couple years I've employed David Allen's Getting Things Done system for tracking and prioritizing all the stuff I need to do. Perhaps like you, I've always been suspect of "systems" – more than anything, they're usually unactionable. That said, I've found the GTD system to be fantastic. It's simple, didn't take more than a couple days to learn and implement, and it's genuinely helped me become better organized, less stressed, more creative, and more efficient at my work.
I'd like to share my current GTD system with you: the tools I use, my daily and weekly routines, and the general organization framework I employ. I especially recommend this post for anyone who uses or is thinking about using the Things app (a productivity app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad). Employing GTD and Things as the primary organizational system and solution in my life produced the single biggest productivity gain I've had in the last couple years.
GTD – A Quick Review
As a quick refresher, the Getting Things Done system is about two objectives: 1) helping you capture everything you need to get done – now, later, someday, big, little, or in between – into a logical and trusted system outside your head and off your mind and 2) disciplining yourself to make front-end decisions about all the inputs you let into your life so that you will always have a plan for "next action" that you can do or renegotiate at any moment.
If you'd like to learn more about the GTD system, I recommend buying David's book (it's a quick read, couple days tops) and checking out his site, davidco.com. From here on out, I'm assuming you have at least a basic knowledge of GTD, its principals, and implementation practices.
The Tools – Few And Simple
Things for Mac, iPhone, iPad – My master filing system. Things for Mac, iPhone, and iPad is the GTD app. It's elegant, simple, and can be configured to support any GTD implementation you can come up with. Further, it's available for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and will automatically sync your data across multiple installs. In short, it is hands-down the best solution out there to serve as the centerpiece of your GTD implementation.
Notebook and notecards – For when I'm not in front of a Mac, iPhone, or iPad. There are times when I don't have any of these devices with me or when I just prefer to use pen and paper. I always carry a small notebook and a number of blank 3x5 index cards with me wherever I go, for whenever an idea hits me).
Filing box – For mail, bills, and other papers. I would really prefer not to get any mail, but as Kramer found out, that's impossible. For physical items (bills, mail, letters, tickets, records, clippings, etc.) I use a small, portable filing box. Every piece of paper I accumulate goes into an inbox folder placed at the front of the box, which I go through during my weekly review (more on this below).
File System – Projects and Areas
Projects – Groups of tasks. A project is a container for a set of tasks; a chain of stuff that needs to be performed to get to the end goal. Just as I create tasks for anything I need to do, I also create projects for anything I'd like/need to do. Sometimes I create a project because I know I want to do something, but I don't yet know what the tasks will be. Other times I'll create a project while doing my daily or weekly review because I realize a bunch of tasks should/could be grouped together. Here are my basic rules with projects:
- Project list should include all projects you want/need to do
- Keep the project list ordered based on priority
- Any project that's not due this week is marked as inactive
- Sacred calendar rule applies to project due dates (i.e., don't assign a date unless it has to be done by then)
- Review project list (inactive and active) during the weekly review
Areas – Distinct tasks. During my daily review (detailed below), everything starts out in the inbox, then gets filed into a project or area. Next, when I'm reviewing each area, I'll decide if each task should be trashed, scheduled, someday'd, today'd, delegated, or left to be dealt with next. From a filing system standpoint, my goal from the beginning has been to try and have as few areas as possible. As you'll see below, with the exception of For Blog, the areas I'm using are the basic set prescribed in the GTD book:
- Read/Review
- Agendas
- At Home
- At Office
- At Computer
- Errands
- Calls
- For Blog
Daily Process – First Thing Each Morning
Recording my tasks – All day, every day. Everything (as in 100%) goes into my Things inbox. I may enter a task from my phone, or when I'm at my computer, or in my notebook; no matter where/when I'm entering a task, it will eventually (by end of day) end up in the Inbox folder of my Things app.
Review the Inbox – Each morning, ~5min. Each morning, after making my first cup of coffee but before doing anything else, I review my inbox. The goal of this review is to get the inbox to zero – to have all the tasks filed into the appropriate project or area. That's it.
Review Projects and Areas – Each morning, ~10min. After getting my inbox to zero, I turn my attention to projects and areas. The goal here is to review everything marked as next (I ignore stuff already filed as someday or scheduled during my daily review) and determine if it should be left as next, filed as a someday, scheduled, or trashed. Once that's done, I like to do a final sweep and prioritize the items still marked as next based on the order in which they need to be done (just a simple stack rank).
Prioritize Today – Each morning, ~5min. The final step in my morning routine is to prioritize what I'm going to be working on that day. Since I've already defined the next steps for everything I'm working on, choosing what gets done today is more a matter of deciding how much I think I'll be able to handle that day (also taking into account hard tasks such as scheduled events, deadlines, etc.).
In terms of prioritization and assuming my morning isn't filled with meetings or deadlines, I like to put the biggest items on the list at the top (the tasks that require the most thought and time). The morning is when I'm fresh, have energy, and can generally avoid distractions. The afternoon – when I'm tired and looking to be done – is when I'll hit the smaller, easier items.
Weekly Process – Every Sunday Morning
Defining my weekly OKRs – Sunday morning, ~30min. Sunday mornings are when I go through everything. For me, this process starts with defining my weekly Objectives and Key Results. Generally speaking, I'll end up with upwards of 18 key results from my OKRs, each of which I'll turn into a project in Things. I'll then spend a minute or two brainstorming tasks into each of these projects (what's the chain of stuff I need to do to achieve the key result).
This portion of my Sunday routine is really the only time of the week when I'm thinking about my larger objectives – things I or my teams are trying to complete over the month, quarter, or year. Combining my OKRs with GTD during this review ensures I'll have defined the next steps I need to hit on any day of the upcoming week, regardless how crazy things get.
Reviewing everything else – Sunday morning, ~30min. Aside from putting down my OKRs and creating projects for the key results, I also do a complete review of my GTD system. This weekly review follows the same flow as my morning routine with a couple of exceptions:
- I review all my tasks, including those marked as someday or scheduled
- I review all my active and inactive projects
- I review the physical items in my filing box inbox and either create tasks for them or trash them
As espoused in the GTD book, one of the important factors in successfully implementing GTD is a regular, complete review. By the time I'm done with my Sunday review I've checked up on everything. If I don't get that holistic picture, my stress will increase and I'll lose confidence in the system.
Things That Keep Me Going
Staying focused on the next step. If there's one thing I want to be able to do better in my life, it's to realize more of my ideas. This has always been the case for me and it's probably the case for you, too. There's so much stuff I want to do! I want to start a pickle company, I want to write a sci-fi/fantasy novel, I'd like to start a school. Same thing goes for my personal life. I'd like to live in another big city, I'd like to have a family, I'd like to sail around the world, I'd like to become more involved with my community.
"There are only two problems in life: (1) you know what you want, and you don't know how to get it; and/or (2) you don't know what you want." –Steven Snyder
From what I've experienced, the problem isn't that there's never enough time, or that I've got too many projects on my list. The failing point is almost always that each of these goals require lots and lots of steps from start to finish, and the second I start losing track of what the next step should be, things fall apart. I become overwhelmed and no progress is made. Remembering that no matter how large or complex a project is, that it's only ever about that next step is critical to keeping me motivated and focused.
Being OK with saying NO. I over commit all the time and I don't even think of myself as someone who does that. I'm not that kind of guy! Regardless, I still do it. As I've looked back over the past year, over committing myself to too many things was one of the main reasons why I didn't make the progress I wanted to on a number of key projects.
The other thing I've learned is that saying no is very much about personal standards and principles. Do I want to do more, mediocre work, or less, quality work? Am I willing to let people down because I couldn't give them or their projects the attention they needed, or do I value being able to deliver on the promised date?
Startups are notorious for being environments in which people say yes far more than they should. A number of years ago, Fred Wilson over at Union Square wrote a great piece on saying no, everyday. In a startup, everything needs to be done, and it needed to be done yesterday, and tomorrow there's going to be more, everyone is freaking out, and no one is thinking. Been there many a time. I for one am going to be saying no a lot more this upcoming year, to the benefit of my companies, my teams, and everyone else involved with something I'm doing.
Keeping up with the regimen. It's so easy not to do something. Unfortunately, when it comes to stuff you're responsible for, little to nothing good happens when you do nothing. In my opinion, there are two keys to successfully GTD'ing your life: 1) defining what your system is going to be (your organizational structure, your review cycles, etc.) and 2) sticking to it day in and day out.
While and important step, defining the system is relatively easy. The GTD book outlines the basic framework and you fill in the blanks. Sticking to your system all day every day is where the rubber hits the road. I think the value of GTD becomes self-evident after a week or two, however I think in order to really embed it in your life, you need to fully commit to it for a year and review your entire system (the methodology, schedule, etc.) on a quarterly or yearly basis.
Primer on Objectives and Key Results (OKR) management system
About a year and a half ago my co-founder and I decided to employ a system called Objectives and Key Results to set and track goals within our company. Creating plans and tracking results is something that's generally lacking in the startup world, especially with very early stage companies (pre-venture/positive cash flow). Big business planning methodologies (across years, dividing resources, etc.) really aren't relevant, and as a result most new companies (if you're like the ones I've started or worked with) end up doing nothing. What's needed is an agile system for planning and measuring.
The general architecture of what eventually became the Objectives and Key Results system was developed by Andrew Grove, the former President of Intel and author of High Output Management. It was later popularized (early 2000's) in the tech world by John Doerr, a partner at Kleiner Perkins who encouraged his companies (Google and Zynga) to employ it as their planning and tracking system. These days Mark Pincus, the founder and CEO of Zynga is the most vocal proponent of the OKR system (you'll find reference to OKRs in virtually every one of his earnings calls since they've gone public).
However and ever since we've started employing OKRs within our own company, I've continually come up empty handed in my search for information on the subject. Perhaps John Doerr and Mark Pincus have some secret manual, but there's little public information to be had on how to implement OKRs effectively. Having used the OKR system in our company for the past year and a half and having worked with others to implement the system in their companies, I'd like to share some of our experiences. , I believe the OKRs to be a solid and simple system to help you and/or your team to achieve great things. What's needed is a data and elucidation.
This is the first of a number of posts I plan to do on the topic of OKRs. My goal is to share how we've implemented them, the specifics of our process, what's worked, what hasn't, and the results we've been able to produce. This first post is an attempt to outline the high level benefits and principals associated with the OKR system. Future posts will get into more specifics.
- Establish "long term" objectives
As you probably well know, time scale is different in a startup. Startups often require change and adjustment on a (very) frequent basis; few are the successful companies that, years later are still doing the same thing they set out to do on day one. As such, building a business in a rapidly changing environment means that it's pretty much impossible to create an actionable plan that spans more than a few months.
But, just because it doesn't make sense to plan beyond a few months doesn't mean that planning isn't important. The OKR system prescribes setting goals (objectives) and the specific metrics by which you'll track them (key results) on a quarterly basis. In my opinion, monthly or bi-quarterly planning probably makes more sense for startups still searching for their product/market fit. Since we started employing OKRs at our company, I don't think we've gone a single quarter where we haven't made significant adjustments to our objectives before the quarter was up.
A successful CEO-for-hire and friend of mine has a simple rule regarding board meetings that I think also applies to OKR planning intervals: a company that hasn't reached positive cash flow should have (lite) board meetings every month, whereas a company that has reached positive cash flow should have (more formal) board meetings quarterly. If you haven't reached positive cashflow, consider planning your OKRs on a monthly/bi-quarterly basis.
- Make everyone an owner of something
One of the best aspects of OKRs is that it's a system designed to get everyone involved and on equal footing. As Mark Pincus has said, "it's about making everyone the CEO of something" – from the top management team on down to members of the support staff. The principal is a good one: everyone in a company should understand what the company's objectives are and be responsible for helping to achieve those objectives, in whatever capacity they're able.
From a planning standpoint, I think there's still a need to take a bit of a top-down approach. Within our company and others I've worked with, the CEO/founders take the first step by setting their own OKRs, which represent the top-level objectives for the company (e.g., grow revenue by x, ship a product, establish y partnerships, etc.). Next, the CEO/founders review their OKRs w/ the top management team, each member of which will establish their own OKRs, and so on and so forth all the way down the company.
- Encourage people to think big
Whatever the interval, when you and the members of your team set your OKRs the general rule is that each person should have three objectives, each w/ three key results. When John Doerr encouraged the Google team to start using OKRs, it was meant to be a system that would enable them to do amazing, world-changing things. The idea is this: objectives should be lofty enough that at the end of the quarter, when you score everything up, a successful result for any given employee would be 70% achievement. Achieving anywhere around 100% for one or more intervals means that person's objectives weren't big enough.
Clearly, not every company is pursuing something as lofty as organizing the world's information, however and no matter what you do, the idea of getting everyone on your team to be thinking about and setting big goals for themselves is powerful. Like many aspects of the OKR system, it's a cultural thing; no employee wants to have their role and tasks solely defined by their superior, nor is that an effective way to manage. OKRs empower everyone to bring their own ideas to the table in a manner that supports the company's overall objectives and holds each person accountable for their results.
- Be completely transparent
While the OKR planning process may require a somewhat top-down approach, when all the OKRs have been established for a given interval they should be made accessible to everyone in the company to review whenever they choose. We've found a good solution to be a shared Google spreadsheet, with pages for each team and their members (Management, Product, Sales, Marketing, etc.). Again, this is a culture decision: making everyones' OKRs available to anyone within the company is a powerful statement of leadership's commitment to transparency. No matter who you are, if you want to know what anyone's objectives are, all you have to do is look.
Something I'm still trying to figure out is how we can better keep the OKRs in front of everyone, when they're not looking at the spreadsheet. We look at the spreadsheet twice a week: once on Monday to set that week's OKRs and then again on Friday to review and score them. However, it's way too easy to not look at (and forget) the OKRs after that Monday review. More on this later.
- Establish a regimen
If all you did was put down OKRs at the beginning of the quarter and review how you did at the end of the quarter, chances are you and your team wouldn't come anywhere near achieving them. During the quarter, we set, review, and score OKRs on a weekly basis. These weekly OKRs are essentially children of the quarterly (parent) OKRs; added up over the course of a quarter, these children OKRs are how each one of us go about achieving our quarterly objectives.
Within our company, I ask my team members to put down their weekly OKRs on Sunday. Just like the quarterly OKRs, we each put down three objectives, each w/ three key results. Each of the objectives and set of key results should be focused on supporting the achievement of one of the quarterly objectives. Monday mornings at 9am we do a call to review (and if necessary, adjust) the weekly OKRs we've put down. Friday afternoons at 3pm we get back on the phone to review and score them.
Hopefully this provided you with a good, high-level understanding of the elements and benefits of the OKR system. With your help, I look forward to working out the specifics around how to more easily and effectively implement OKRs within any company. Till the next post!
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/business/31corner.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
- http://blog.anthonyrthompson.com/2010/01/objectives-and-key-results/
- http://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/quarterly/speed/start-up-speed-kristen-gil.html
- http://www.quora.com/OKRs-Objectives-and-Key-Results


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thread nests
Despite dutiful care and feeding of my trusty Bernina I have battled thread nests all week. It started after a service call to "tune up" the machine. Not so tuneful.
I have changed needles, cleaned out lint, twisted, turned and massaged the tension knob, substituted new thread, pulled both ears while twirling counterclockwise on one foot and muttering oaths of loyalty to the Bernina sewing gods -- all to no avail.
Another trip into the service center she goes. Tonight will be devoted to tear out.
Now where, oh where is Mr. Tweezerman?

subset: commoncrawl


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Mizrachi Drapery Workroom
After 30 successful years of business, the owner of Mizrachi Drapery Workroom wanted to update his branding and build a new website to show their work. We designed and developed a website that celebrated their craft. For here, we went ahead and designed marketing collateral aimed towards the designer demographic.


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Launching a podcast is no small feat, but you can definitely make it happen. I'm going to tell you some key milestones you must hit to launch and grow a podcast to 1,000,000 downloads and beyond.
Have you struggled with identifying your podcast and how you will differentiate it in such a crowded space?
Do you have a cohesive plan to build a platform once you launch?
How will you continue to grow an engaged and loyal audience in order to pave the way to 1,000,000 downloads and beyond?
Allow me…
Note: this post is by John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur on Fire. In the past seven months he has launched his podcast and held some of the top spots in iTunes ever since. If you have a podcast or are looking to launch one soon you won't want to miss out on John's advice.
Identifying Your Podcast
Before you do anything, be sure you can answer the following questions:
- What is the topic of your podcast?
- What niche are you trying to fill?
- Who is your avatar?
Being able to answer these key questions is the foundation to building the best platform possible, which will provide your podcast with the support it needs and deserves.
With EntrepreneurOnFire, I knew the topic of my podcast, the niche I was trying to fill and my target audience very well. How?
I was my own avatar.
My own "aha" moment helped me answer all of the questions above, and it also helped me discover how I was going to differentiate myself in what is a very crowded space.
I realized there was a void when it came to daily podcasts that delivered inspiring, motivating and relevant content to an entrepreneurial audience. I was zipping through months of content in a single week. I found myself searching for interviews with Entrepreneurs who were willing to share their own journey to success. I knew if I wanted it, others must want it too.
So I set out to launch and grow EntrepreneurOnFire.
I would differentiate myself by being the only podcast that produced daily interviews with inspiring Entrepreneurs, sharing their failures, "aha" moments, and what was exciting them now. My mission was clear, and all that remained was execution.
Building Your Platform
Once you settle on a target market it's time to begin building your platform. Here are four actionable ways you can start building awareness and an audience:
1. Attend a Conference
If there is a conference or gathering you can attend to meet people who are either in your industry or who are potential members of your audience, make it a point to attend. Meeting those who are already established, or who may be able to share advice and tips with you are invaluable. These are the types of relationships that will help build your name and your audience before you've even launched your podcast.
I attended Blogworld in NYC two weeks after I decided to create EntrepreneurOnFire, which was about three months before I launched. The connections I made and the information I gleaned from being present has proven to be gold. Attending this conference not only helped me meet those already in my industry, it also afforded me my initial interviewees who have contributed in major ways to my success today.
Action Tip #1: Find one conference in the next three months that is relevant to you and your niche. Book it and prepare yourself to rub elbows with those who may become supporters and mentors.
2. Create a Website or Make Your Current One Podcast Ready
It's important to have a headquarters where your audience can gather and enjoy the content you're going to be producing. A blog is a great home base for your listeners where they can:
- Listen to your podcast (I recommend the plugin PowerPress)
- Find out more about your podcast
- Connect with you
- Learn about your products and services
- Sign-up for your email list
- Gain access to your resources
Of the six items listed above, getting people to sign up for your email list is the most important because email is still the best way to stay connected with your audience.
Action Tip #2: Have a great giveaway for people who subscribe to your email list that's relevant to your podcast. At New Media Expo, Pat Flynn called me up on stage and recommended I write an eBook detailing the top tips from past interviewees. Four days later, "10 Incredible Insights From 10 Incredible Entrepreneurs" appeared on EntrepreneurOnFire.com, and my average subscriber numbers jumped from 15 a day to over 25. Thanks, Pat!
3. Use Social Media
When used properly, it works. Create a Facebook page so you can gain fans, start a Twitter account for followers, and reach out to like-minded people through LinkedIn and Google+ to let them know you're launching a podcast. I went from zero Facebook fans to over 1,700 and from zero Twitter followers to over 10,000 in four short months, all driven by EntrepreneurOnFire.
Action Tip #3: On Twitter, when you post your Stitcher Radio link, a widget appears, and your followers can play your podcast right from their Twitter stream!
4. Build Your Content Library
Having content in the bank is very important. Before I launched EntrepreneurOnFire, I had 40 interviews recorded and ready to go. Don't be scared off by that number – I went a little overboard because I'm doing a daily show – but most podcasters who are weekly can hover closer to 6 episodes in the bank.
At EntrepreneurOnFire, I dedicate every Monday to eight interviews. This allows me to focus the rest of my week on all other things EntrepreneurOnFire.
Action Tip #4: Consistency is KEY when launching your podcast. From the very start, let your audience know what your release schedule will be, and STICK TO IT! You will gain and retain loyal listeners by following this tip, and let's face it: that's what we are all looking for.
Grow Your Audience
The business model I built for EntrepreneurOnFire is based on releasing a daily interview with an inspiring and successful entrepreneur. My first task each morning is to email EntrepreneurOnFire's spotlighted guest the link that will allow them to share their interview quickly and easily with their massive audience. This ensures that every single day thousands of people are being exposed to EntrepreneurOnFire for the first time, and hopefully, some will become fans.
In order for this tactic to really take off, I knew I needed to have some really big names on my show. Remember my mention of attending Blogworld in NYC and locking down some of my initial interviewees? Pat Flynn, Adam Baker and Derek Halpern were a few of them, all whom encouraged and supported my vision to create inspiring, motivating content.
With their help spreading the word to their audiences, not only was I able to build instant credibility in my niche, I was also able to grow an incredibly loyal audience who could count on me to provide consistent, passionate content on a daily basis.
Once I had the download numbers to accompany these big names, I was able to start reaching out to even bigger names. I very quickly found this tactic had an amazing snowball effect. When you're talking about Barbara Corcoran, Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss and Gary Vaynerchuk, you're talking about massive audiences.
So if you're looking to launch and grow a podcast to 1,000,000 and beyond, buckle up, and get ready for a crazy ride. I launched EntrepreneurOnFire in September 2012, and currently, we're getting over 175,000 unique downloads every month. I'm not quite at a mil, but I'm well over halfway there, and it feels insanely awesome.
If you have the focus, motivation and drive that it takes to hit the key milestones mentioned above, then I know you can launch and grow a podcast to 1,000,000 downloads and beyond.
What questions do you have about launching your podcast? I will answer each and every one, so let's hear it!


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TRENTON, Feb. 6 — The New Jersey Senate found itself in an unenviable spot on Tuesday morning.
The Senate president, Richard J. Codey, declared that he would keep his colleagues in session from 11 in the morning to 11 at night, through the weekend, until they passed a property tax bill supported by the governor and Democratic legislative leaders. The measure would, among other things, give 95 percent of all property owners in the state up to a 20 percent tax credit and limit increases in local property taxes to 4 percent.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine and the state treasurer, Bradley I. Abelow, had already begun summoning leading legislators — Democrats and Republicans alike — to the governor's office during a late-night session Monday when the bill stalled, and called them in again on Tuesday morning. They showed the lawmakers the numbers — just how many homeowners in their districts would benefit from the tax credits.
Yet implied in these exchanges was much more than the inconvenience of being chained to their desks in the Senate chamber for the rest of the week. The message was that the governor and Democratic leaders would make sure that any "no" votes would be widely publicized in their districts in this election year.
The tag team of the governor and the Senate president succeeded when the Senate — just an hour after Mr. Codey's warning and five minutes after Governor Corzine met with State Senator Robert W. Singer, a Republican from Jackson Township — voted 28 to 10 to approve the measure. Mr. Singer had relented, and other Republicans joined him in voting for it.
"This was a test of wills and the people won," Mr. Codey said, smiling broadly after the sudden reversal of the bill's fortunes. "I knew we would eventually win."Continue reading the main story
At a news conference later in the day, Governor Corzine called the passage of the measure a "bipartisan victory," and added that showing lawmakers how many households would receive the tax credits was indeed persuasive. "It is very easy to look at the numbers and wonder why someone would not vote for this," he said.
The dramatic vote on the measure, which sailed through the Democratic-controlled Assembly last week, sent the bill to Governor Corzine. He is expected to sign it, along with a half-dozen other bills that together form the heart of the property tax relief program.
The measures provide the $2.2 billion tax credit program, impose a 4 percent cap on annual increases in local property taxes, create the office of an appointed comptroller to try to ferret out waste and fraud at all levels of government, and institute changes intended to lower state and local governments' pension burdens.
Tuesday's events capped two tense days during what was expected to be a routine vote on the cornerstone of the property tax plan. The situation turned into a battle after four Democrats who were expected to support the measure withdrew their support.
Mr. Singer, fresh from his meeting with Governor Corzine, explained that he initially withheld his support because he agreed with the four Democrats who had complained that the bill's caps on local property tax levies were too porous to provide any real spending restrictions on municipalities and school districts and because t the measure — denied relief to households with incomes over $250,000 a year. He said he thought that provision might be unconstitutional.
The Democratic holdouts, as well as many Republicans, also argued that the package, while providing for credits in this election year, did not guarantee that money for them would be available in future years.
But earlier Tuesday morning, Mr. Singer said, as he was working out at a gym in Howell Township, he encountered friends and voters who repeatedly asked if they were going to get their tax credits. When Governor Corzine later showed him how many people in his district — many of them elderly and retired people living on fixed incomes of less than $100,000 a year — would be affected, he said, he changed his mind.
"It showed that my district gets the lion's share of the 20 percent credit," he said. "I can't say no to them and provide no relief this year just because we have no certainty about next year. We'll deal with next year when next year comes."
The bill provides that households with incomes of less than $100,000 a year would receive the maximum credit, 20 percent; those with incomes of $100,000 to $150,000 would get 15 percent; and those with annual incomes of $150,000 to $250,000 would get 10 percent.
Senator Nia Gill of Montclair, one of the four Democrats who refused to approve the measure on Monday, continued to criticize it after the vote. She maintained that denying credits to households earning more than $250,000 a year was unconstitutional, even though the state attorney general, Stuart Rabner — when queried by Republicans — said last Friday that the measure's formula was constitutional.
The three other Democratic senators who opposed the measure were John Adler of Cherry Hill; Shirley Turner, whose district incorporates poor areas of Mercer County as well as wealthy areas like Princeton; and Wayne Bryant of Camden.Continue reading the main story


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Letras de canciones y video : Original Video
► Website: http://www.rammstein.com
► Shop: http://shop.rammstein.de
Premiere: January 29, 2001
Shoot: 13th to 15th January, 2001
Location: Babelsberger Filmstudio, Potsdam
Director: Jörn Heitmann
Single: Sonne
From the Album: Mutter
The video shoot for the song SONNE was produced in Potsdam at Babelsberger Filmstudios from the 13th to the 15th of January 2001. It was the first time Jörn Heitmann directed a Rammstein video.
SONNE, the first single from the album MUTTER is released soon thereafter. Beside the original and an instrumental version of the song, the single contains the track ADIOS and two remixes by Clawfinger.
Rammstein was formed in 1993 by an ensemble of factory-weary proletarians raised in East Germany. They took their name (adding an "m") from the location of a German tragedy where 80 people were injured and killed as the result of a crash during an American Air Force air show. The literal translation of "Ram Stein" is a battering ram made of stone.
Word of Rammstein's horror/romanticist blend of theater and music – spread quickly – one-time Olympic swimmer Till Lindemann would sometimes sing entire songs engulfed in flame from head to toe. The band's first album, HERZELEID (English: Heartache), elaborated on the foundations set by the band's live reputation. Scaling the German charts, and remaining there until the release of the second Rammstein LP some two years later, the album also introduced the band to the world outside of the Germany/Switzerland/Austria region.
As Rammstein's second album, SEHNSUCHT (English: Longing), was released, the band was playing headlines shows across Europe to crowds of 10,000 to 30,000 people. SEHNSUCHT entered the German charts at number one immediately upon its release and came very close to doing the same in Austria and Switzerland. Within weeks, entries on other countries' charts had SEHNSUCHT rubbing elbows with The Prodigy, Radiohead, and The Rolling Stones on Billboard's cumulative Eurochart. From there the fever spread, transcending any perceived language barrier.
MUTTER followed in 2001, REISE, REISE in 2004, and the live collection VOLKERBALL in 2006. LIEBE IST FÜR ALLE DA followed in 2009. A limited edition of the album was packed in a metal suitcase that also housed six sex toys, one for each member of the band.
~ Ed Nimmervoll, Rovi


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Archive for October, 2015
Kyle Smith Profiled for Teaching Award
Professor Kyle Smith was recently interviewed by UofT News for receiving the university's Early Career Teaching Award. Smith describes his teaching: No matter what course I am teaching, I make […]
Richard Last Awarded Banting Postdoc
DSR graduate Richard Last (PhD, 2013) has been awarded a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship and will be conducting his research at York University. Last's project titled The Disappearance of Guilds from […]


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One of the downsides of running a business which is advertised online is that periodically someone will try to take advantage of you. Which sucks, but, you know, it comes with the territory. If you pay attention and have some limits/standards, you can avoid getting burned.
But it's still disappointing.
Who wakes up and decides to impersonate a deaf person (they also claimed to be in the ICU elsewhere) just to try to rip someone off?
Anyway, two things to take from this:
- If you find or sell work online, be careful. If something seems off or weird, trust your gut and ask lots of questions. In this case, the person didn't seem to really be reading my texts, and of course the actual scam, wanting me to funnel money for them. (For anyone who hasn't seen this before: they want to send a check or credit card payment which takes a few days to clear, but you have to send someone a money order immediately. By the time their payment comes back as fraudulent, your cash is gone.)
- If you are one of my clients who found me online, without the benefit of a friend's referral, thank you so much for your trust. I'm very aware that hiring a photographer is always a huge act of trust (that they will carry through with their promises, that their product will be of the promised quality). Giving that trust online is an even bigger leap of faith. It means the world to me, and nothing is more important to me than delivering on that trust.
I won't say something like "this ruins my faith in people", because it doesn't. Almost everyone who reaches out to me is not only who they claim to be, but wonderful people that are a pleasure to work with.
Y'all are great.


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LCDQ Legends: Short Films
Remember the LCDQ Legends event that I was a part of this past spring? Well I am thrilled to share with The Window Transformations, a short film about the installations and the designers behind them. Camera crews followed eleven of us around that week as we scrambled to create, capturing the process from inspiration though installation. The video brings back wonderful memories, and really speaks to the sense of community among the participants of LCDQ. I was and am so incredibly honored to be chosen to take part. Enjoy! https://vimeo.com/134205418
All of the films from this spring's event, including each of the key note talks, can be found on the LCDQ website. Who is already looking forward to next year!?


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Join us at Maret School on Saturday, March 10, 2018!
All families at Horizons partner schools are invited to take part in Maret School's annual Build-A-Book program, which will take place on Saturday, March 10, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Jerdine Nolen, author of many popular children's books, including Balloon Farm, Raising Dragons, and Calico Girl, will inspire young readers, writers, and illustrators as she talks about her books and writing process. Following her presentation, students and families will enjoy Build-A-Book activities and refreshments in the Atrium.
The program is free to all.
I was born in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, along with five sisters and two brothers. My siblings and I had a lot of fun, and we had a lot of fun together. Growing up in a large family you always have someone to play with. You could always get a good softball game going. Or, Red Rover, which was one of my favorites. We also loved going on exploring expeditions around our home. Even then, I had a wild imagination.
I can't remember a time when I wasn't writing and collecting words. My Mother encouraged me to do that. She was eager to hear my new list of "favorite words." Cucumber was a word I preferred above the rest. Then, one day, I became smitten with the word chutney. "Chutney, chutney, chutney." I would chant that one over and over again. I even made up a little chutney dance to go along with the chant.
Writing is fun work. I love it. It takes patience to get the right story. Once you have the story idea, it is important to revisit and revise the work to make it the best that it could be. It is like sculpting or wiring the pieces together in a way so the words on the page have enough life—they could stand up and walk around all on their own. That is why my motto is, Hold fast to your dreams as you would your balloons!
--Jerdine Nolen
Read more about Ms. Nolen on her website
Maret School
3000 Cathedral Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.


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The 2016 Golf Classic raised a lot of funds for VARHA and the golfers had a great time! Feel free to share and save any of the photos posted below.
Thank you to everyone that sponsored, donated to, or volunteered at the golf classic!
Major Sponsors
UPMCNorthwest, Whalen Contracting, Inc., Zap Engineering, and Allegheny Toyota
In-kind donations
Hot Dogs and Buns - Shop 'n Save, Adult Beverages- Stubler's Drive Thru, Soft Drinks - Pepsi, Hole In One Sponsor - A. Crivelli, Hole In One Sponsor - Allegheny Toyota, and Golf Tees - Springfield Restaurant Group
Hole sponsors
Allegheny Tool & Supply, Bill & Marilyn Gabrys, Bill & Robin Lutz, Callaghan's Pharmacy, Christopher Simms, Community Ambulance, Diane E. Hasek, Esquire, Electralloy, G.O. Carlson, Franklin Beer, Franklin Eagles #328, Friedhaber's, Gene Rexford, Heritage Elder Law, HFM Partnership, Hilltop Beverage, Jim & Marilyn Ham, Joe, Deb & Malachi Carrico & Becky the Donkey, Lowry Auto Body, Mary Jo & Bill White, McIntyre Landscaping, Northwest Savings Bank, Reck Construction, Richar & Associates, Tony & Patricia Kolencik, Whalen Contracting, and William R. Lutz
Basket donations
Allegheny Toyota, Benjamin's Roadhouse, Bill & Marilyn Gabrys, Charles & Jaclyn Faunce May, Clark's Donuts, Connect Hearing, D. Shawn & Becky White, Dr. & Mrs. David Femovich, Dr. & Mrs. Stuart Shapiro, Dr. Gamello, Dr. Nebel, Eloise Beach, Fox's Pizza, Georgia Speck, Hamelly Bruestle Fed Ex Contractors, Jean Smith, Jessica Rosen, Jill Rhoads, Joann Dillard, Matthew Kirtland, Northwest Savings Bank, Pennzoil 10 Minute Quick Lube, Pizza Joe's, Red's Place, Springfield Grill Group, Wanango Golf Club, and Yellow Dog Lantern
Amanda Barber, Becky Badgett, Cindy Ruditis, Cory Eckel, Devin Pelletier, Donna Myers, Eloise Beach, Jaclyn Faunce May, Jill Rhoads, Joe Eckel, Kim Pelletier, Pam Swasta, Patty Brown, Phyllis Smith, Rebecca White, Shaun Burris, and Suzanne Fodor


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On Monday, May 9th we hosted another great concert with Jon Troast. As mentioned, we changed venues and took Jon out of our living room and down to the church. He performed live (and amplified) at Redeemer Church in downtown Modesto. It was a great concert full of old favorites, new songs from his recent release and even brand new un-recorded music that he sampled for the audience.
As always, Jon took requests from the audience, provided the stories behind the songs and entertained us with his wit and humor of life on the road as a traveling musician. We counted about 75 (See Official Concert Pic Here) in attendance at the concert. I'd guess that about half of them were brand new to his music and the other half knew his music and sang along with him.
The afterparty involved a bunch of guests back at the house hanging out around a campfire on the back porch. Every visit is fun with Jon. Since he stays with us, we always have fun catching up with him and his life in Nashville. The littlest Fletcher's love having Jon around the house and I think Kenj just enjoys having an adult that she can talk with. It's always a bummer to see him leave and we look forward to his next tour through California!
As Jon took requests from the audience, someone asked him to sing "The Andy Song." It's a personal favorite for obvious reasons. One of the Mangokids caught it on video and made a quick movie. Enjoy!
Quietly making noise,


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Top tips for buying a van with high mileage
There are many vans for sale, but if you are looking to buy a van that is affordable, you might need to look at a van that has high mileage. The problem is that with high mileage come lots of troubles and parts that you need to repair. However, if you know the tips for the things to look for when you are buying your high mileage van, then you will have a van that is still in good running condition. Here are some of these tips that you need to know, when you are buying a van with high mileage.
How many miles are you going to add to those mileages on the van
Before you are looking at vans for sale, you need to know how much you are going to use your van, and how many miles you are actually going to add to the mileage already on the van.
If you are going to ride the van a lot and you are going to add to that mileage really fast, then you should really be careful for buying a van with already high mileage. If you need to know more you can visit this site here. The more mileage the van will have, the bigger the change that you are going to repair the van quite often. However, if you're planning not to use the van that often, then you can think about buying a van with high mileage.
Business or pleasure
Are you going to buy the van for sale for business or for pleasure? If you are going to buy the van for business, then you need to consider the fact that your clients might be getting really bad services, because you are going to repair the van all the time. It is important to think about the clients that you're going to disappoint with a van that is breaking all the time. You can't start a business with an untrustworthy van that can break down at any given moment.
However, if you are going to use the van for pleasure only, then it will not really matter if you are buying a van with high mileage or not.
Repair costs
The one negative thing about buying a van for sale that has high mileage is the fact that you are going to spend money or repairing costs. And, depending on how much mileage the van really have, it can really cost a lot of money for repairing a van.
You might even spend more money on the van to repair than to buy a newer, lower mileage van. And, the newer van might be more economical, and will not break down as easily.
There are a couple of things that you need to take into consideration when you are buying a van that has high mileage. It might be a great buy, if you are not planning to put more mileage on the car, and if you're not using the van for running your business. However, you might want to consider buying a better van for sale, when you want to ride the van all the time, and running a business, using the van.


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There's a lot of nostalgia in the Florida citrus industry these days for the 2004 hurricane season.
That's not to say Florida growers hold fond memories of the destruction wrought by hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne, which wiped out more than half that season's citrus crop.
But this week in particular, they recalled the ease at which the U.S. Department of Agriculture's hurricane disaster relief program worked more than a decade ago. It provided about $500 million in relief to Florida citrus growers.
"It's not nearly as simple as the 2004 program," said Joe Davis Jr., a Wauchula-based grower, after a two-hour meeting with USDA officials on the new $2.63 billion Wildfires and Hurricane Indemnity Program, or WHIP, at the Highlands County Agri-Civic Center in Sebring.
Marcinda Kester, executive director of the USDA's Polk County Farm Service Agency in Bartow, needed most of that two hours to review the details of applying for WHIP, including the records and information an applicant needs to provide to determine eligibility, as well as fielding questions from nearly 300 growers in attendance.
Kester made the same presentation Monday evening in Lake Alfred and got a similar reaction, said Mike Sparks, chief executive of Florida Citrus Mutual in Bartow, which sponsored the series of four meetings this week on the WHIP program's mechanics.
"It was well received (in Lake Alfred), but the most glaring issue for growers is how much different the WHIP program is from the 2004 program," Sparks said.
Basically, the 2004 hurricane relief program was based on how close one of the hurricanes came to an owner's grove and the average crop losses within four designated zones away from the storm. Growers did not need to prove actual crop losses to get hurricane assistance.
Growers now need to document their losses to get WHIP assistance based on the previous several years of production in each grove, according to Kester.
"I'm very appreciative of the program and all the people who worked to get it," said Kyle Story, a Lake Wales-based grower whose family also runs a grove management firm. "I think it's a fair and equitable program."
It's also a program his family company appears to benefit from, although that remains to be determined, he said. The county-based Farm Service Agency offices will not begin taking applications until July 16.
"I can live with it (the complexity), but it's going to be a challenge for Florida growers," Story said.
John Barben, an Avon Park-based grower and former Florida Citrus Mutual president who lobbied for federal hurricane assistance since Irma, also expressed appreciation for the federal help and concern about the complex application process.
"We're getting help from the federal government. We worked long and hard to get it. The growers need it," Barben said. "One thing about the WHIP program is that it's based on a grower's individual losses, so it's fair."
One thing citrus growers can do before the 90-day application period is register their operations with the local Farm Service office, including proof of ownership and parcel numbers, Kester said.
Many growers who've received federal assistance in the past have already done so, but growers who have not registered cannot get WHIP benefits, she added.
How WHIP works
The WHIP applicant will have to provide some basic information about their grove acreage, including number of trees by variety (orange, grapefruit, etc.) and date of planting for each tree, Kester said. Trees planted within four years before the hurricane are not eligible for assistance.
Growers will have to provide up to five continuous years of harvest data with each application, she said. If they don't have that data or there's a gap in the five-year span, the USDA will use countywide averages instead.
There is no income ceiling to get benefits, but growers are divided into two classes based on whether they get more or less than 75 percent of their annual income from farming or ranching, Kester said. Income data must go back three years and be certified by an accountant.
Applicants deriving less than 75 percent of their income from agriculture are eligible for no more than the minimum WHIP benefit of $125,000, she said. Applicants will get that minimum even if their losses under the WHIP formula are less than that amount.
Growers who can show they get 75 percent of their income from agriculture will be eligible for up to $900,000 in WHIP benefits, Kester said. No single person or company can get more than $900,000. Benefits also are capped at 85 percent of actual losses for growers with crop insurance and 65 percent for uninsured growers.
The program also requires a grower commit to purchasing crop insurance for the next two citrus seasons, Kester added.
Because so many growers have not yet received a determination of their crop insurance payments, WHIP will pay out 50 percent of the expected federal benefit upon determining eligibility, she said. The balance will come after insurance payments are resolved.
Kester pledged determining eligibility will take "weeks, not months" after application.
Block grant program
Citrus Mutual estimates Florida growers will get $100 million in WHIP benefits from the program, Sparks said. Because that's far less than the estimated $760 million in Florida citrus losses, the USDA created a $340 million block grant program to cover other losses.
State agriculture officials are still working out the details of the block grant program's mechanics, said Matt Joyner, an official with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. But Joyner gave some expected highlights.
One will offer benefits for replanting or rehabilitating trees damaged during Irma, including the cost of new trees and irrigation systems, fertilization and other grove caretaking costs, he said. That benefit will be capped at $15,000 per person or company.
A second part will compensate growers for production losses in the 2018-19 citrus season and more, Joyner said. That's based on the Florida citrus industry's experience following the 2004 hurricanes, when it took four years to regain lost production.
Benefits from both block grant programs and WHIP cannot exceed 85 percent of losses for insured growers and 65 percent for uninsured growers, he said.
The third program would give growers subsidies for purchasing two years of crop insurance if they commit to purchasing a total of at least four years of coverage, Joyner said.
A grower who fails to follow through on the four-year commitment would have to repay all his WHIP and block grant payments, he added.
Source: Kevin Bouffard, The Ledger
PM-19-048 WFRP Plan of Insurance Modifications for 2020August 30, 2019
USDA Resources Available for Farmers Hurt by 2018-2019 DisastersSeptember 9, 2019
PM-19-049 Pasture, Rangeland, Forage and Apiculture Modifications for 2020September 3, 2019
Strong Claims Response Helps Farmers Deal with Tough SpringSeptember 4, 2019
Hemp Crop Insurance Coverage Available for 2020August 28, 2019


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Guest Artists
Dale Wolford, saxophone
Sunday, October 9, 2016
"Dawn in America"
McAfee Performing Arts Center, Saratoga
Dale Wolford has been hailed by critics nationwide for his "great sound and phrasing…the melodic lines soulfully tear at your heartstrings." (Saxophone Journal), "fresh and expressive, with genuine impulses of feeling." (San Francisco Chronicle)
Working with pianist Ivan Rosenblum for over 20 years, as the Wolford/Rosenblum Duo, Dale has premiered many new works including the Sonata for Saxophone & Piano by Gunther Schuller. The Duo has released two compact discs, including Laughter and Tears—A Jewish Saga on the Centaur label. Dale is also currently a member of the Premiere Saxophone Quartet, dedicated to promoting new music for the saxophone quartet via performances and recordings. He has also performed and/or recorded with Philip Glass, Bernadette Peters, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Composer's Inc, Santa Cruz New Music Works, the Morosco Saxophone Quartet, the San Francisco Saxophone Quartet, the Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra and is a frequent guest soloist with area orchestras and bands. He has performed in the San Francisco, San Jose Symphony, Sun Valley orchestras and recently as a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra in San Francisco as well as on tour to Copenhagen, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Dale has also taught at San Jose State University., University of California, Berkeley, University of the Pacific, California State University—East Bay, California State University, Stanislaus and Chabot College. In addition he has been a board member for both the California Music Educators Bay Section and the Music Teachers Association of California. He is currently a Yamaha Performing Artist.
Beth Delaney Miller, soprano
Sunday, October 9, 2016
"Dawn in America"
McAfee Performing Arts Center, Saratoga
Patrick Beth Delaney Miller is a native of Spokane, Washington, and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2001. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in flute and vocal performance from Washington State University and a Master of Music degree in vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has appeared as featured vocal soloist with numerous ensembles, including the Washington-Idaho Symphony as Winner of the Young Artist Competition in 1999, the Spokane Falls Community College Orchestra, and the Spokane Symphony's Clarion Brass Ensemble.
Enlisted in the Air Force National Guard for the past 19 years, Technical Sergeant Miller has served as a member of the 560th Band of the Northwest, the 561st Band of the West Coast, and is currently assigned to the 562nd Band of the West Coast at Channel Islands ANGS, performing on flute, piccolo, and vocals.
In 2010, Ms. Miller joined and performed with the ensemble Sanctus Virtuosi, a group of classical musicians dedicated to raising funds to aid in the fight against human trafficking. Through this, she began collaborating with Erin Downey, pianist, and Daniel David Feinsmith, composer, on several recording projects and performances, including the world premiere performances of "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Come, Thou Fount" in 2013, and of "I Am the First and the Last" in 2015.
Ms. Miller is currently a music educator in the town of Hillsborough and resides with her husband and three daughters in South San Francisco.
Dr. Jeffrey Benson, guest conductor
Sunday, December 4, 2016
"The Night Before Christmas"
McAfee Performing Arts Center, Saratoga
Jeffrey Benson is currently Director of Choral Activities at San José State University in San José, California. The Washington Post hails his choirs for singing "with an exquisite blend, subtlety of phrasing, confident musicianship and fully supported tone…that would be the envy of some professional ensembles."
Dr. Benson recently made his international conducting debut with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the SJSU Choraliers in Limerick, Ireland, and he made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut in 2015 with the SJSU Choirs and the New York Festival Orchestra. Choirs under his direction have been invited to perform with the Rolling Stones, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, the Los Angeles Festival Orchestra and the Skywalker Orchestra.
Dr. Benson is a published composer and arranger with Colla Voce Music and Santa Barbara Music Publishing, under the Charlene Archibeque Choral Series. He is also the Artistic Director of Peninsula Cantare, a community chorus based in Palo Alto.
Benson received his Masters degree and his Doctorate in Choral Conducting/Music Education from The Florida State University and his Bachelors degree in Music Education from New York University.
Andrew Metzger, tenor
Sunday, December 4, 2016
"The Night Before Christmas"
McAfee Performing Arts Center, Saratoga
California based tenor Andrew Metzger fosters a varied repertoire, to which he recently added the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème. Possessing a confident and energetic stage presence, the tenor also excels in comedic roles such as Count Almaviva in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Nanky-Poo in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. Concert highlights from the 2016-2017 season include the tenor solos in Orff's Carmina Burana, Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Mozart's Solemn Vespers, and Handel's Dixit Dominus. In March the tenor will sing the role of Scrawny in The Coyotes and the Rabbits, a children's opera by Hèctor Armienta. Mr. Metzger is a graduate of the Opera San Jose Summer Program and the OperaWorks Advanced Artist Program. He holds an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Redlands and a B.A. in Music from Santa Clara University.


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Elegant & historic Landmark building! Conveniently located on the corner of Church Street in downtown Hendersonville. Property has been beautifully renovated for energy efficiency while maintaining all of the charm of the 1920's. Gorgeous stain glass accents, window seats, hardwood floors, windows above exterior doors, antique milk slots and more. Building features rooftop terrace with 360 degree views, an electric car charging station, elevator, reception area with controlled access, and security system. There are 5 total units, one being a penthouse. All suites have private balconies. Close to I-26. 30 minutes to Asheville. Call List agent for more information.
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Hello! Here's a card I made today for the featured stamper over at Splitcoast Stampers. I cased a snowman Christmas card and made the first of my Easter cards. I just love working with bunnies, chicks and the colors of spring!!
I used a favorite old bunny from Whippper Snapper Designs called Curious Bunny. I stamped him in Versifine Onyx black onto watercolor paper and colored him with a brush and reinkers. I used crumb cake for his body and a combination of blushing bride and crisp canteloupe for the pink bits. The grass is painted with Pistachio Pudding . Behind him are two die cuts-Impression Obsession grass. It's nice tall grass at about 2.5" tall. The grass pieces are shaded with pistachio. I used an MFT banner (fishtail flags) for the tag and just cut it the length I wanted.
My card base is Pool party. On top of that is a layer of PTI's new color Tropical teal The top layer is PTI's rustic cream. Those layers are sewn together with pink thread. I wish the thread showed up more. I should have 'scribble stitched' around it a second time. Oh well, I'm pretty happy with the end results.
Thank you for visiting!!


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We will come to you, to help you with your computer needs. We offer an in-store service plan for $149 along with a $20 monthly fee, which provides your computer maintenance, classes, and trouble-shooting. We understand that your time is valuable-let Nerdstogo take care of all of your computing needs by performing the maintenance that your computer needs. Together, we can work to keep your computer working at its top-performance abilities.
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It is sometimes necessary to show more information about features displayed on a map. For instance, a user may want to see a restaurant's business hours or sale price of a house. This information can be displayed very effectively using a callout.
A callout is anchored to a geographic location on the map. As a user navigates the map, the callout remains anchored to the same location. The callout can display text in two sections: title and detail. The callout also has an Accessory button. This Accessory button can be used to show another view that gives more information about the feature. The callout can also display an image of 40x40 pixels to the left of the text.
A callout is an instance of AGSCallout. A map has only one callout at a time that can be accessed through the callout property on AGSMapView.
Customizing a callout's appearance
You can change some visual properties of the callout such as its background color, width, text color, visibility, appearance of the accessory button and so on. These elements are exposed as properties on the AGSCallout object.
//don't show the accessory button
mapView.callout.accessoryButtonHidden = true
//or use a custom image for the accessory button
mapView.callout.accessoryButtonType = .Custom
mapView.callout.accessoryButtonImage = UIImage(named: "<my_image.png>")
//Change color of background, title and detail
mapView.callout.color = UIColor.blueColor()
mapView.callout.titleColor = UIColor.redColor()
mapView.callout.detailColor = UIColor.greenColor()
Alternatively, you can completely change look and feel of the callout by setting the customView property to embed your own view. The example below shows a callout containing a map, some buttons, and few lines of text.
Displaying a callout in response to a tap on a feature
Whenever a user taps on a feature in the map, the callout's delegate is consulted to check whether or not a callout should be displayed for that feature. The delegate not only controls the display of the callout, it can also customize the information presented in the callout by modifying properties on the AGSCallout object.
The feature must belong to a layer that supports hit-testing. These layers implement the <AGSHitTestable> protocol, for example, AGSGraphicsLayer. If a layer does not support hit-testing, the map cannot detect whether a user tapped on a feature, and consquently cannot initiate the process to display a callout for it.
By default, the callout's delegate is uninitialized. This implies that there is no information to show in the callout and the map won't display a callout even when a user taps on any feature. To display a callout, you need to set one of your classes as the callout's delegate. You do this by making your class (typically a view controller) adopt the <AGSCalloutDelegate> protocol and impelementing one ore more methods defined in the protocol. In the example below, we implement the callout:willShowForFeature:layer:mapPoint: method to display the feature's name and address in the callout -
class MyViewController:UIViewController, AGSCalloutDelegate {
func callout(callout: AGSCallout!, willShowForFeature feature: AGSFeature!, layer: AGSLayer!, mapPoint: AGSPoint!) -> Bool {
//Specify the callout's contents
mapView.callout.title = feature.attributeAsStringForKey("Name")
mapView.callout.detail = feature.attributeAsStringForKey("Address")
mapView.callout.image = UIImage(named: "<my_image.png>")
return true
Note that the method implementation returns YES at the end. This instructs the map to go ahead and display a callout. If you don't want to display the callout for some features, for example if they are missing the address attribute, you can return NO.
If you want to temporarily disable callout for all features on the map, you can set the allowCallout property on AGSMapView to NO. When you do this, the map no longer consults the callout's delegate whenever a user taps on a feature.
There will be times when you want to customize the information in the callout depending upon the type of feature for which it is being displayed. To make handling such situations easier, you can specify callout delegates on a layer-by-layer basis, instead of centrally on the callout object. To do this, you need to set one of your classes as the layer's calloutDelegate, adopt the <AGSLayerCalloutDelegate> protocol, and implement the callout:willShowForFeature:layer:mapPoint: method.
func callout(callout: AGSCallout!, willShowForFeature feature: AGSFeature!, layer: AGSLayer!, mapPoint: AGSPoint!) -> Bool {
//Specify the callout's contents
return true
If you're only interested in showing a feature's attribute values in the callout, the API provides an AGSCalloutTemplate class, which is a convenient implementation of the <AGSLayerCalloutDelegate> protocol. AGSCalloutTemplate allows you to specify title and detail text for the callout using tokens. Tokens are attribute keys enclosed by ${ } characters. Attributes keys are automatically replaced by attribute values for the graphic when the callout is displayed.
let template = AGSCalloutTemplate()
template.titleTemplate = "${CITY_NAME}"; //show the value for attribute key 'CITY_NAME'
template.detailTemplate = "${POPULATION}"; //show the value for attribute key 'POPULATION'
let layer:AGSGraphicsLayer = ...
layer.calloutDelegate = template
AGSCalloutTemplate is best suited for attribute values that are strings. It does not provide the ability to localize numbers or dates. Furthermore, it does not provide the flexibility of specifying an image or a custom view for the callout.
Displaying a callout programmatically
The map has a property called allowCallout that specifies whether or not the it will attempt to display a callout when a user taps on a feature on the map. By default, this property is set to YES, in which case the map first checks if the layer that the feature belongs contains a valid calloutDelegate. This callout delegate is then given the opportunity
Although the map has the ability to automatically display a callout whenever a user taps on a feature as described above, it is sometimes useful to initiate the display of the callout through code. For example, you may want to zoom to a feature and display a callout on it in response to a tap on a table view cell.
You can display a callout programmatically using methods on AGSCallout. The showCalloutAt:screenOffset:animated: method allows you to display the callout at any arbitrary location on the map. The showCalloutAtPoint:forFeature:animated: method allows you display the callout for a particular feature.
Responding to a tap on the callout's Accessory button
The callout is best suited for displaying a small amount of information on the map; one or two lines of text. However, there will be times when more detailed information will need to be displayed. To achieve this, the callout contains an optional accessory button that developers can use to present additional view controllers.
When the accessory button is tapped, the callout's delegate is informed by invoking the didClickAccessoryButtonForCallout: method. Depending upon whether the callout was originally displayed for a graphic, the location symbol, or an arbitrary location on the map, the callout's representedObject property contains the relevant id<AGSFeature>, AGSLocationDisplay, or AGSPoint objects
func didClickAccessoryButtonForCallout(callout: AGSCallout!) {
//Handle tap on the accessory button when callout was displayed for a graphic
Dismissing a callout
A callout is automatically dismissed, when a user taps on the map away from the callout. However, if you want to dismiss a callout programatically, you can invoke its dismiss method.


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Breaking it In
I'm going to re-tool this site a bit and post more in-depth about photography and design. What can I say, the spring sunshine has inspired me! I want to go out and shoot at least 2 times a week, hopefully 100 shots per session.
As a birthday present to myself, I bought a new lens. It's a Canon 50mm f/1.4. It's a prime lens with a wide aperture, and I got it particularly for the wide aperture, for shooting indoors, and for the narrow Depth of Focus and "Bokeh" effects that are possible at wide apertures.
Taking it for a spin.
I've been shooting with this lens for over a week, and every time I use it, I find new ways to exploit it to make good shoots. A lot of times, especially indoors, I shoot manual-mode, so I have full control over the aperture and shutter speed. It's more tedious, but it's been the way I've gotten consistenly-exposed shots indoors. Of course, I realize all the shots I'm posting today are outdoor shots.
Here is a closeup of some tree bark, showing off the very narrow Depth of Focus. I love exploring textures in closeups, and while the 50mm is not a Macro lens, the DoF effects really show when shooting as close as the lens is capable (about 12 inches).
This is probably my favorite shot so far. Since the arrival of Spring, the light at dusk has been amazing, even more so when they create a halo effect around the plants, like so.
And it really wouldn't be a photo-post without my favorite subject, Thor. I love the colors and the blurred-out background. I just barely missed Thor in the DoF, so he is not as tack-sharp as the grass by his feet. Still, I like this shot quite a bit.
I don't think the new lens has changed how I shoot, but I think it's allowed me to shoot the way I've been wanting to with my other lenses. I have a very good Image Stabilized zoom lens for a lot of my outdoor shooting, but when I need to shoot indoors, or when I shoot portraits, I will be using my 50mm for sure.


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Intro : F(xxx565) G(xxx787) A(xxx9109) B(xxx11,12,11) A G A G F
"If I may trust your love," she cried, "and you would have me for a bride,
Am D
ride the wild plain and bring a flask of water from the Mustang Spring.
Bb G C
Fly as on the eagle's wing 'cross the Llano Estacado."
He smiled and left without a word, grabbed up saddle, bit, and spur,
cinched his horse and rode away through prickley pear and old Maguey,
vanished with the dying day on the Llano Estacado.
All through the night he galloped on, daylight broke, he rode along,
spurred his horse and drew no rein across that dry, forsaken plain
until the Mustang Spring he gained on the Llano Estacado.
Crazy with love – Enamorado! Alone out on the Llano Estacado.


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Midwinter in Southcentral Alaska is a great time to hone avalanche skills. These are photos from recent Level 1 and Level 2 avalanche courses I taught for the Alaska Avalanche School. Despite what the Alaska armchair pontificators have said, we found plenty of snow and great skiing.
Our Level 1 crew at Hatcher Pass. We spent three nights at the Independence Mine Visitors Center, all hanging out and making new friends.
Sully found some facets! Sully is a new AAS instructor who brings much energy, snow knowledge and snowmachining experience.
Instructor Sean McManamy orchestrating trip planning sessions before heading into the field.
Mid-winter sunrise over the Chugach Mountains at 9am. It's going to be a beautiful day!
Decision making time. Do we go to Birthday Pass or not? Fluffy snow, blue skies, moderate danger, group of seven, hmmmm....
Level 2 instructor meeting with Eeva Latosuo and Tucker Chenoweth at the Hatcher Pass Lodge. We're practicing our good-instructor behavior: no-beer-until-after-meeting.
Stability tests at Gold Cord.
The queen of stoke, Brooke Edwards skinning Sunnyside at Turnagain Pass.
The snow was wet after a recent rain event. We spritzed Gatorade on the snow and let it soak in.
Fifteen minutes later Justin Libby cut a profile to look at the flow channels in the snowpack.
Midwinter light at Turnagain.
Tincan and Lyons Creek through the clouds.
Back at the Forest Service Visitors Center Cody Pittman and Elizabeth Powers enter observations into Avy Lab to send to the Chugach Avalanche Information Center.


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Bohemia Apartments Prague is coming with interesting tips on where to go with your small children to play, which interesting place to visit and also where to eat.
Prague offers all visitors a sufficient number of events and entertainments of various kinds. One of these entertainments which have always attracted people of any age and education are the locomotives. Do your children and you like it too? Then we will spend hours in the largest model railway in Czech Republic with unforgettable experience.
Railway Kingdom in Prague in the business complex Angel City was opened July 1, 2009 and has gradually expanded. Today it covers an area of more than 3100 square meters. And what you see here? Of course, hundreds of meters of track and dozens of model trains. With a model train, you can ride to Jested tower, Karlstejn Castle or Prague Castle. All trains run according to time schedule. Outside of model trains you can see models of cars, models of important buildings and places in Czech Republic, you can experience the atmosphere of the alternation of day and night.
There is also cool children's corner. This is a surprising amount of toys, car simulator, or even gaming console X BOX. The cinema can watch the big and small programs with a railway theme where among other interesting things you can learn from the history of rail transport. Attraction for visitors will surely be an area of 114 m2 separate exhibition of urban model of Prague on a scale of 1:1000. Why attraction? The model is supplemented by a new special audio-visual technology. Using cameras so visitors can zoom in and see individual buildings, urban areas, historical monuments. On your own eyes you can see the development of Prague from the Romanesque period to the present.
An interesting final destination for you, lovers of model trains, could be our invitation to a restaurant Výtopna right on Wenceslas Square No.56 which is just a step from our Bohemia Apartments Prague Wenceslas Square Residence. Sitting here will bring you an unusual experience. The tables are surrounded by 400 meters long track, after which move trains passing through various villages, tunnels and bridges. And because the track leads in the middle of each table, ordered drinks and snacks brings a train (ideal concept how to save on live personal :-). The restaurant is air-conditioned place and there are smokers and nonsmokers.
Not only model trains lovers but also lovers of a good food enjoy Czech cuisine in particular. Will find a fun with your children. Children's menu is in the form of coloring book and your kids can paint them if they want.
So what do you think? Did you take a ride? Did you win? Did you eat? Tired of hooting, whistling and gnashing? Then it's time to relax. And where? Try one of the luxury suites at Bohemia Apartments Prague which offers pleasant and even affordable high quality of accommodation in Prague.


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Possible side effects of Wobenzym N include mild digestive problems, such as gas and diarrhea, as stated by Wobenzym N Canada. Users can minimize side effects by taking smaller doses of the supplement.
More than 200 clinical studies focusing on Wobenzym N since 1960 have support the supplement's safety and effectiveness as of 2015, according to the product's official website. More than 100 million people have consumed the supplement with no adverse effects.
The standard dosage for preventative measures is three tablets consumed two to three times per day on a somewhat empty stomach, as confirmed by Drugs.com. The supplement includes a combination of the antioxidant rutin and proteolytic enzymes to modulate the immune response.
Wobenzym N includes ingredients such as papaya, pineapple and trypsin, so users should consult a doctor before using the supplement if they are allergic to these or any other ingredients listed on the bottle, as confirmed by Wobenzym N Canada. Individuals should not take Wobenzym N if they are pregnant, are breastfeeding or have bleeding disorders, and they should not take it in combination with aspirin, anticoagulant drugs or antibiotics. Approximately 160 studies show that any excess enzymes ingested are not toxic and are simply excreted through bowel movements.


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What is Keyholding and Alarm Response?
Keyholding and Alarm Response is a service which gives you peace of mind. If your intruder alarm or CCTV system activates out of normal working hours, 24-7 Security will dispatch the closest branded patrol vehicle to deal with the incident so you don't have to.
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It has been a while since I knit a jumper, or even anything on a similar scale. Last year I think I knit almost exclusively socks! I had definitely caught the bug. So when I started the Ondawa jumper (designed by Michelle Wang for Brooklyn Tweed) I was not really in the right frame of mind to just go marching right in, which is exactly what I did. A tip from mum: read through the pattern first.
The pattern, if you don't know it, is fairly complicated. There's a lot of different cables and twisted stitches going on, sometimes at the same time. So you have to pay attention, at least until you've got the hang of it! I didn't help myself here by watching old episodes of Gilmore Girls.
The hem went fine, it was just when I got to the main pattern that I started making mistakes. So you know all that sock knitting I did, it was all in the round. So was the hat I made earlier this year. Ondawa is knitted straight. I totally forgot that everything has to be reversed when knitting the wrong side, even the order of the charts (I know, seems obvious, right?). There I was, happily knitting away and completely confused about why I couldn't see the pattern coming through…time to frog.
Now that common sense has returned to me, it seems to be going well. I have the odd cable going the wrong way, probably when Lorelai did something particularly entertaining – which is most of the time.
To continue without frustration I just need to make sure I make a note of what row I last finished on, a task I have helpfully neglected several times already, and which I have just remembered I've done again… That and watch my measurements, as my row gauge is a tad off. Now that I've gone through the chart a couple of times it feels a lot more natural, and I can spot mistakes easier! Just another four inches until the next stage, and I'll update you on the progress later.