TSA #10 – Organize your life: Inbox edition

Jan 23, 2012 by Ben

Part of the aim of these Truly Simple Actions is to make your life better.  I’m going to throw a sub-section into these around organizing your life.   There are many simple things we could do each week to help organize the space we inhabit and there in turn make our lives a little better.  Here is a big one.

Not big in the amount of time it takes to do, but big in the impact it will have on your life.  Everyday we are bombarded with advertising, messaging, memes, and actual letters from friends.  Unless your recently new to email, you probably receive too much of it.  If you are spending any amount of time deleting unwanted email, you are doing it wrong.

The Truly Simple Action of the week is to organize your inbox.

Your inbox should only be filled with messages you want to receive from people you know.  Period.  Full stop.

If you are spending time removing unwanted messages, then its time to fix that.  The good news is that email systems today have incredibly easy tools built in to help you achieve this goal.  I’m going to use Gmail as my reference.  I believe they are the best email out there today and if you are frustrated with yours, it may be time to switch.

This is a simple 2 step process.
Step 1: Remove everything you don’t want
Step 2: Filter everything else

Lets jump right in and get started with step 1.

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Stand up for what you believe

Jan 18, 2012 by Ben

The government is trying to push through two pieces of legislation aimed at curbing Internet piracy. Both of these proposals would do little to effectively combat piracy but would censor the internet in a harmful way. It would also cause great harm to companies working on the Internet today and any young companies trying to start their business online.

These bills are brought forward from Hollywood, an industry that refuses to adapt to new technology and would rather just sue competition out of business verses innovate.

I have been fortunate to work both in Hollywood and within the technology sector and can tell you stories first hand of these lawsuits that have destroyed good companies.

I firmly believe the Internet should not be censored. I also believe that hollywood lobbyists should not be allowed to buy the laws they want passed.

Take one minute today and call and wrote your senator and congressman. Simply tell them that you do not want the internet censored and you do not support SOPA or PIPA. Tell them that if they vote for these bills you will not vote for them.

Its just that simple. I have already called. Please take a minute and stand up for what you believe in.

Here is what you can do right now.

Call your local representative & Sign the online petition

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

Ben…

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TSA #9 – Adopt some grandparents

Jan 16, 2012 by Ben

If you are lucky enough to have your grandparents still around, go spend time with them.   If your grandparents are no longer around, adopt some new ones.

I was recently watching this really cute cooking show featuring 96 year old Clara showing us how she makes her spaghetti and it reminded me of my Nana.  Her mannerisms are similar and my Nana always used to make me the best spaghetti.

While both sets of our grandparents are no longer with us, we are very fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood that is filled with wonderful older people.   They have adopted us as their neighborhood grand kids and we have adopted them as our new grandparents.

I help them setup and fix their computers and they bring us fresh baked treats.  Its a wonderful arrangement.  Actually they do a lot more for us.  They are always watching our house, our dogs, and always there to help lend a tool or help with a project.

We’ve been meaning to take them out to dinner to thank them for watching our dogs and finally took the time to do it last night.  So my wife and I took two sets of our neighbors/adopted grandparents out to a cute German deli/restaurant for dinner and it was the best thing in the world.   We both asked each other why we haven’t done that sooner and how could we do it once a month moving forward.

We talked about their time in the military and all the places they have lived.  I always enjoyed hearing the stories of my grandparents and loved hearing their time of service and how they lived.  We shared a meal and laughed together as we shared stories.

This weeks Truly Simple Action is to take some time to spend with your grandparents, if you are lucky enough to still have them with you.   If your grandparents are gone, just adopt some new ones.   Invite over your older neighbors for dinner or perhaps go volunteer down at the local senior center.

I cannot wait to do this again soon and often.

Ben…

TSA = Truly Simple Actions
The goal of the TSA project is to improve your life and help make this world a better place, one simple action at a time.  Take time this week to do this one simple thing.

Previous TSA’s:
TSA#1 - Buy a meal for someone who needs it
TSA#2 - Go do something fun
TSA#3 - Enough with the plastic bottles
TSA#4 - Learn something new
TSA#5 - Celebrate Christmas
TSA#6 - Start off the new year with a clean room
TSA#7 - Improve
TSA#8 – Tell someone you love them

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Best cookie in the world – Take 1

Jan 14, 2012 by Ben

I set out on a quest the other night.  To make the best cookie in the world.  I was craving a good cookie, but also had a brilliant idea.  I set out looking through the various cookie recipes and made some plans as to what to try.  Here are the results from the first attempt.

They were pretty spectacular and here’s how you make them.

Here’ s the usual cookie ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 small box of vanilla pudding

And here’s the brilliant idea.  Instead of chocolate chips I had an idea to use Frango’s.   I’m not a big chocolate person, but I LOVE Frango’s.

They used to be sold at a store called the Bon Marche that went out of a business a few years ago and now you can find them at Macy’s around the holidays.  I bought a box for my wife because they are awesome and because I wanted to eat a few of them.   After eating a few way too many, I had the great idea for an amazing chocolate chip cookie made with Frango’s.

First you need to blend the oatmeal.  These aren’t oatmeal cookies, but they have oatmeal in them and it makes them extremely soft and chewy.

Throw it in a food processor and process into a fine powder.

Now add your box of vanilla pudding to this mix.  I saw this on a few other recipes and thought I’d try it in the mix.  Set that mixture aside and grab your big mixer.

Add in your brown sugar

and white sugar

mix it up

add your butter

and eggs

Real vanilla from Mexico is awesome.  Use it if you have it.  If you don’t have it, go to Mexico and get some.

Throw the vanilla in

Then add the flour

finally add the oatmeal mixture

Now for the magical chocolate chips made from Frango’s…

I chopped them up into different sized chunks

I knew I was onto something good at this point

Preheat the oven to 375.  Mix the choloate into the dough and spoon out onto your baking sheets.

bake at 375 for 10 minutes and voila.

yeah they were pretty damn awesome.  Soft, chewy and a hint of mint.

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1-A-Week: Week 1 & 2 – Beginning again…with shoes

Jan 14, 2012 by Ben

I have not started off well this year with posting my continued 1-A-Week project updates.  With the time constraints of the new job I may not be posting these each week as they are not the most compelling content, but rather a reminder as to what you could get rid of each week and/or hopefully some helpful hints on how to do it.

I still plan on keeping with the program until I run out of stuff to get rid of, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

For weeks 1 and 2 of January its all about shoes!  I never get rid of shoes until they fall apart and my wife never gets rid of shoes ever.  This is always a fun topic of discussion between us so I was shocked, SHOCKED I SAY, when she handed me a pair of her shoes to get rid of for her.

So my old pair of shoes will get donated and her’s, while still in great condition, but just don’t fit her, will go up on eBay for some lucky person to own.

Ben…

1AW is a project by which I’m getting rid of at least 1 thing each week that I do not need, want, or use anymore. Doing at least one thing per week helps me reduce the clutter in my life and make room for what is truly important.

What are you getting rid of this week?  Leave a comment and let me know.

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A pipe dream

Jan 14, 2012 by Ben

I love this bookshelf.

I don’t know where I’m going to put it yet, but I will have one…someday.

You can buy this on Etsy or I imagine it wouldn’t be that hard to build yourself.

Ben…

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TSA #8 – Tell someone you love them

Jan 9, 2012 by Ben

I’m going to try to post these on Monday’s so you have the entire week to think about and hopefully practice these Truly Simple Actions.

For this week, its a tried a true piece of advice that you’ve probably heard many times before, but we still don’t do it enough.  So this week, simply tell someone that you love them.  That’s it.

Call your mother or father.  Text your brother or sister.  Email an old friend.  Just tell them you love them and really appreciate them being in your life.  That is all that is required.

Today is my 13 year anniversary.  I try to tell my wife how much I love her, but I could always do it more.  It is one of those things that you never tire of hearing when told to you and it always makes the other person feel good.

Make someone feel good this week.  Tell them you love them.

Ben…

TSA = Truly Simple Actions
The goal of the TSA project is to improve your life and help make this world a better place, one simple action at a time.

Previous TSA’s:
TSA#1 - Buy a meal for someone who needs it
TSA#2 - Go do something fun
TSA#3 - Enough with the plastic bottles
TSA#4 - Learn something new
TSA#5 - Celebrate Christmas
TSA#6 - Start off the new year with a clean room
TSA#7 – Improve 

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