Tony's Originals

This is a personal account of how I regain my productivity when I've dug myself into a productivity hole at work.  Hopefully some of what I do works for you.  Some of the remedies are taken straight out of the pages of Lean and Agile. Occasionally, I look at my inbox, my ticket queue, my project backlog, and I say to myself: I have so much, so much to do, I don't even know where to start. This is the point where I sometimes just give up and react to whatever gets in my face.  It usually doesn't end well for me or the people I'm trying to help.  A different approach is needed. Tactic One: Give yourself permission to relax and get some space to think. Get a cup of coffee and go somewhere quiet, lock yourself in an enclave, take a walk.  Get away and collect your thoughts.  Staring at the endless stream of IM's, Emails, Stories, and Tickets isn't going to help.  In fact, if you're feeling overwhelmed right now, go ahead, take a walk, sit outside and admi

8 bits of information that can help you be successful in this fast-paced tech world we find ourselves in. Format, idea, and presentation shamelessly ripped off from Tom Sachs. If you haven't, check out 10 Bullets . Seriously. 0001: Respect The One Image Credit: Jack Keaton The One is singular, focused, determined. The One should not be disturbed when accomplishing their mission. The One creates the space it needs in order to achieve their goal. The One is sometimes predictable, but can also occur spontaneously. It is important to understand the signs of being The One, and seeing The One in others. What The One looks like in real life: Image Credit: Alper Çuğun Image Credit: Vandenberg AFB Image Credit: Vnik (ShutterStock) What The One looks like online: Image Credit: Google Image Credit: Apple           Image Credit: Microsoft Respect The One in others by giving them space. If you have a q

Ingredients 2 Sticks of Butter 1/4c Heavy Cream 1c Sugar 1/2c Packed Brown Sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips optional: sliced almonds (about 1c) optional: walnut pieces (about 1c) Equipment Cookie Sheet Frypan (18" or so) Parchment Paper Technique Melt everything but the vanilla in the frypan over medium heat.  Stir gently, until everything is blended together.  It will start to bubble.  Stir occasionally to keep the sugar in suspension.  When the whole pan is bubbling away, watch carefully over the next 10-15 minutes or so.  It will undergo a couple of color changes.  When the toffee is starting to get to the second color change, it will be a medium brown color.  To test it's hardness drop a bit into a glass of ice water.  if the piece is nice and hard, add the vanilla (and almonds), give it a final stir and pour onto the cookie sheet that's been covered in parchment. Allow to harden for about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the

Bear Claw Porter Style:  Robust Porter OG:  1.064 Type:  All Grain FG:  1.016 (est) Rating:  0.0 ABV:  6.29 % Calories:  209 IBU's:  25.45 Efficiency:  75 % Boil Size:  6.00 Gal Color:     24.2 SRM   Batch Size:  5.00 Gal Preboil OG:  1.060 Boil Time:  60 minutes   Fermentation Steps Name Days / Temp (none)   Grains & Adjuncts Amount Percentage Name Time Gravity 2.00 lbs 14.81 % Biscuit Malt 60 mins 1.036 9.00 lbs 66.67 % Pale Malt (2 Row) US 60 mins 1.036 8.00 ozs 3.70 % Chocolate Wheat Malt 60 mins 1.033 8.00 ozs 3.70 % Weyermann Carawheat 60 mins 1.037 0.50 lbs 3.70 % Lactose 60 mins 1.030 1.00 lbs 7.41 % Wheat, Torrified 60 mins 1.036   Hops Amount IBU's Name Time AA % 1.00 ozs 14.39 Fuggles 60 mins 4.50 1.00 ozs 11.06 Fuggles 30 mins 4.50   Yeasts Amount Name Laboratory / ID 1.0 pkg American Ale Wyeast Labs 1056   Additions Amount Name Time Stage 0.50 oz Cinnamon Powder 15 mins Boil   Mash Profile Step-Mash (130-147-

A hopped-up Rye Pale Ale.  Plenty of citrus notes from the Cascades, and complex earthy flavors from the Rye.  Good refreshing finish, leaving the mouth wanting more. Ingredients Fermentables 9.0 lb American 2-row  1.0 lb Vienna  1.5 lb Organic Rye Hops 2.0 oz Whole Centennial 2.0 oz Whole Cascades 2.0 oz Pellet Cascades Yeast Wyeast 1056 American Ale Method I use a 9 gallon kettle with 2 ports for the thermometer and spigot The Mash Dough in @ 100F to 5 gal water for 30 minutes Heat to 140F for 30 minutes Heat to 158F for 30 minutes Sparge with 1.5 Gallons 170F water The Boil 00:00 add 1.0 oz Whole Centennial 00:30 add 1.0 oz Whole Centennial 00:55 add 1.0 oz Whole Cascades 00:60 flame out - add 1.0 oz Whole Cascades  Fermentation O.G.: 1.048-1.052 F.G.: 1.010-1.012 Primary (4-7 days) Pitch yeast - after krausen subsides transfer to secondary Secondary (4-7 days) Add 2oz pellet cascades Bottling Use 5 oz (

This recipe is for a big, dark, citrusy ale with plenty of hop. Similar to an hopped-up India Pale Ale in flavor, but dark in color due to the use of Carafa III malt. I first brewed this with a double decoction mash technique. This is a technique I plan to keep, as it develops deep chocolate and caramel flavors which offset the dry hop and citrus notes nicely. About the Black Jackrabbit: The Black Jackrabbit (Lepus Insularis) is a native of Mexico and more specifically, Espiritu Santo Island. Black jackrabbits have a black head and body, with highlights of white and grey along the belly and tail. This recipe makes 5 Gallons. Predicted Characteristics: OG: 1.073-1.068 FG: 1.010-1.012 ABV: 7.6% The Ingredients Grain Bill 13lbs American Pale Ale Two-Row Malt (~3L) 1lb Caramel/Crystal Malt (~10L) .75lbs Carafa III Malt (~475L) Hops 3 oz Centennial Hops 2 oz Cascade Hops Adjuncts 1 oz Sweet Orange Peel Yeast Wyeast Northwest Ale Yeast (1332)