Coffee Thoughts

Analog Love

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:56:29 +0100

I got a classic Argus C3 for Christmas from my dad. At first, I didn’t know what to expect. It was old and clunky and the parts didn’t move so well. But it looked cool as hell. So I took it all apart and spent a couple hours cleaning the insides with q-tips and alcohol and then lubing it all up with baby oil. Voila!

Now that I’ve gotten my first roll of photos back, I’m happy to say it takes lovely photos! One thing that made me nervous was that a few times, the shutter release caught on my finger as it was releasing. This made the exposure longer than it was supposed to be, but it resulted in giving those photos a lovely glow!

If you get the chance to buy one of these cameras, I’d highly recommend it!

Bergen in the Sun

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:13:48 +0100

After forever, there was a day of sun in Bergen. I think it happened the day after I caved and bought rain boots. I had the morning off so I decided to set out early and spend as much time outside as I could stand. Walking and taking pictures, that was the plan. I really wanted to take pictures because all my film cameras struggled in the low light of cloudy Bergen and my poorly lit apartment. I hated to use a flash and I’m no good with them anyway.

So out I went with a loaded camera. An Olympus XA2, it’s really fantastic, especially with 100 speed film.
Immediately after stepping out the door, I felt the strong tendrils of sunlight warm me. It was Fall in Norway and I was wearing a jacket, but as I walked in the sun I was tempted to take it off. I was tempted to take everything off and run naked through the streets, proclaiming the glory of the sun. Humans need sunlight and the more skin I bared, the more sun I’d get. I needed to stock up. Who could say when I would see its yellow glory again? The plan was pure logic and surely people would follow suit, but I wasn’t brave enough to try.

Instead, I set about snapping photos of little animals casting long shadows. I photographed the city, the streets in a new light. Everything seemed fresh. Old felt new. Familiar streets looked foreign as the sun shined into the darkest corners and deepened the shadows that remained.
On a bench in the fountain park I sat, jacketless, and read a few chapters in my book, snapping occasional photos of passersby.
It is a real phenomenon in Bergen that when the sun comes out, the population of the city nearly triples.

Bit By The Polaroid Bug - Thoughts on SX70 and Impossible Project Film

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:16:02 +0200

At the beginning of the summer I got myself a Polaroid SX-70 as a birthday present to myself. I also picked up a bunch of Impossible Project film when they had the super cheap “poor pod” sale.

I’d heard all sorts of stories about how difficult it could be to get a decent image with the experimental film, but I was up to the challenge. I decided to take a picture of all the people I met during my vacation at home.

I’ve been through maybe three or four packs of it now and I gotta say, I’m hooked. It isn’t the easiest film to work with, and not really anything like the old 600 film I have used before, but it works. I can get used to covering the film from light, and even shoving the photos under my arm for the first couple minutes of their life. That’s ok. I can even deal with the photo never really coming out how I pictured it would. That’s part of the fun.

The part I like the least, however, is that some of the films, especially the earliest batches, tend to deteriorate over time. Not necessarily days, but weeks or months after the photos are taken. The silver shade ones especially, tend to drift toward muddy brown. Apparently they sell a dry age kit that consists of a ziplock back and some silica gel (the stuff that comes in new shoes), but I didn’t feel like dropping cash on it. Instead, I’m trying the home-brew method of storing the photos in a (hopefully) airtight box full of rice.

As for the SX-70, all I can really say is wow. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed looking through a viewfinder quite so much before. Everything looks so beautiful through its lens. It can focus super close, has amazing, smooth bokeh, and is bright and clear. Especially after I peeled off the ND filter I had over the lens for the first 3 packs of film. Here’s the thing, you can use px600 and px680 film in the SX-70 no problem if you only crank the brighten/darken wheel all the way to dark. In fact, I find I get much better results doing that than with the ND filter. For starters, you enjoy the luxury of faster film so less nerve-wracking long exposures.

One question I often ask myself, when I feel that my camera addiction gets out of hand, is if I had to chose just one camera to keep and get rid of every other camera, what would it be. It is such an incredibly hard question. But, I can definitely say now that if the film were as affordable and readily available as, say medium format film, then I would definitely choose this camera. Instead, I’m stuck having no idea as my camera collection grows and grows.

A Brief Moment on a Latvian Train Between Riga and Jumala

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:10:45 +0200

Now we are sitting on a Latvian train to Jumala (or something). I bought another Zorki 4 camera just because it has lug bolts (for a strap). I also got this little notebook and pen.

The train bangs loudly on the tracks reminding me of an old wooden roller coaster I once rode. One door swings ajar on its hinges while one sliding compartment door supports itself on the floor.

I point out the window and remark how the nature looks like Africa. The comment is half in jest, but it really does have a wild feel to it. Just like the city.

The trees are overflowing with hanging leaves, the grass is tall and untamed.

The roller coaster begins again as we depart from our first stop. The further we get from the tourist center of the city, the more things seem to be in disrepair. Crumbling brick buildings, reminiscent of castles of old.

I wonder what this town had looked like when all the buildings were new. Or if there ever was a time when everything was new, and when that time might have been. Surely not while Latvia was in the Soviet Union. Or maybe.

The train passes uncountable numbers of empty, vast factories with broken windows and crumbling walls. It’s hard to imagine those places filled with workers and machinery and energy.

23

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 22:33:09 +0200

I’m at a stage in my life where I feel like I’m being pulled in many directions at the same time. There are so many possibilities that I’m afraid to do anything so I don’t close all the other doors. I feel that right now, I am at the point where I choose what I will do and what will define me for the rest of my life. I have to decide if I’ll take a hard, high-risk approach or try to do something safer. And the worst part is just how long this decision takes. Like right now, I’m somewhere in between the risky and the safe and I can’t chose which side of the fence to jump down on.

But the thing is, what I do now, that doesn’t have to be what I do forever. It’s really hard for me to internalize that. A job that I work now, a place that I live now, that isn’t set in stone for the rest of my life. Things are always changing. Sure, taking some opportunities makes you lose out on some others. But the alternative is taking no opportunities and losing out on all of them. Honestly, I’m writing this to help myself, mostly. Hopefully, by saying it out to the world, I’ll really take it to heart. I’m 23, I’ll figure something out.

For now, traveling around hasn’t been so bad. Soon, I’ll start a one man company so I can start accepting freelance payments. Not a bad start. Maybe starting a small company like that will help me get some useful experience for eventually opening a coffee shop. I know that sometimes I want everything to happen now, at this moment, but some things are worth waiting for. At least for a little while.

The Simple Life

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:58:10 +0200

In Norway, it is customary for people to own or share a cabin in the woods or by the sea where they can visit from time to time to get away from the daily grind. To the cabins, you can bring books or magazines, the kids bring Yatzee. You can pick blueberries in the woods. You can go for walks in nature. You can swim in the pond. You can sit and enjoy the feeling of being alive.

Most cabins don’t have electricity or even running water. You carry your food and water in your backpack and you take your trash with you when you go.

The times I have spent in cabins like this have been sacred to me. They have been brief spans of life at its most perfect. Living simply, close to nature.

Everyone Should Take Self Portraits!

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 04:21:59 +0200

Photographers are a dime a dozen these days. Everybody knows that. Give a kid a camera and internet access and he can have a million photography portfolios and just as many followers. That doesn’t make the kid a great photographer.

To me, a great photographer will show you something you’ve never seen, or shows you something you have seen in a new light. A great photographer will make you think and can tell a lot with just one image. To me, a great portrait photographer doesn’t just take a picture of someone, but rather captures a bit of the subject’s personality whether they (the subject) realize it or not. A great portrait photographer gets the image, just when the subject opens up for a brief moment and lets their true self out. Sometimes that moment never comes. Sometimes the photographer misses it when it does.

But when you merge the photographer and the subject into the same person, you remove what I see as the biggest barrier to taking a genuinely good portrait. When the photographer takes an image of themselves, they don’t have any need to put on a different face to suit the person they are posing for. And once they accept the camera as an extension of themselves, the self portrait merely becomes a look within.

If I had a two hour conversation with a stranger and then saw a self portrait that person had taken, I’m sure I’d learn ten times more about them from the portrait than the conversation.

Almost this time last year. We hadn’t seen each other in...

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:43:00 +0200

Almost this time last year. We hadn’t seen each other in four months. Noses red from rubbing against each other as we kissed, making up for lost kisses. Our first breakfast together after four months of being apart. Smiles as big as our appetites. We’ll be seeing those smiles again soon. Just over thirty days. Those smiles. Red noses. Appetites. Breakfast.

'That Guy'

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:57:00 +0200

Today I have the utter un-pleasure of being ‘that guy’ during my 22 hour journey between Europe and America. You know who I’m talking about, the guy who nobody wants to be near. The guy who sweats profusely from under his arms and half the airplane can smell the acrid over-caffeinated acidity of it. The guy who farts uncontrollably as he sleeps. His head lolls on your shoulder uncomfortably and no matter how many times you shove him away he always manages to settle right back on you, each time feeling heavier than the last. The guy who stares idly at you from across the queue without even realizing that he is making you uncomfortable and self-conscious. The guy who stands up—after sitting eight straight hours next to you on the tight airplane seats— and has a large wet sweat mark on the seat of his pants.

I’m that guy for the duration of your trip. Don’t worry, you won’t be him this time because I’ve filled the spot for this trip and my connection flight too.

Moving at the speed of life

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:47:12 +0200

Things have been moving pretty fast ever since I finished school. That was almost a year ago now. Wow. To be honest, in the beginning I was afraid that things were moving way too slow. I was always waiting for something. Waiting to leave for Norway, waiting to get my visa, waiting to hear back from jobs.

Now everything is changing. I’ve gotten a job in the kitchen of a local sushi bar and it’s not bad at all. I’ve also been talking to a wedding photographer here and we’re thinking of establishing a trendy wedding video service. We’re doing a test in just over a week. I’ve even applied for an opening at the local newspaper to be a film critic. And I am tentatively helping teach a film course at the end of April if we get enough students. Obviously not all these things will pan out, but I’m really amazed at the opportunities that will reveal themselves when you just start digging.

But the best part is just how much I feel I have changed since coming here to Bergen. For example, when I had first arrived, I was intimidated by everything. I was searching for jobs on just the internet and too afraid to just talk to people. I guess life is just more intimidating from the couch than when you’re out there living it.

So my newest goals are pretty easy. I am going to give this wedding filming thing a shot. I’m going to continue to do writing and photography in my spare time and eventually get published in one or the other (hopefully both). And finally, I’m going to build up my portfolio in writing, photography, and film because they are all very location independent and easily freelance-able skills that I would like to work with.

When I came out here with a film degree, I really didn’t expect it would do me any good at all, but most of the opportunities that I’ve run into were in some way or another related to it. Very strange, and kind of a relief considering how disappointed I would be if it was useless.

Anyway, next step, developing film using coffee. Hopefully I’ll get into a darkroom soon and can post the results.

P.S. Please pardon the stupid title. :)

Be Awesome And Establish Yourself In A New Place

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 01:25:00 +0100

It’s been almost seven months now that I’ve been living in Bergen and I wanted to share a few things that I’ve learned that I wish I knew when I arrived here rather than all this time later. To be honest, I really can’t believe that the time went by so fast.

Back in August 2010 when I first arrived here, I only knew one single person in the entire city and that was my girlfriend Maria who was just as new here as I was. She was starting a new school but I had no network here at all. I didn’t yet have my working visa and I wasn’t going to school so I really didn’t have any established ways of meeting people. I’m not the kind of person who is brash enough to just walk up to random strangers and strike up conversations. Nor do I drink often at bars (even if I could afford it in Norway!) so that is out of the question.

It took some time, but I now feel pretty well established here and this is how I did it.

1. Find out about clubs, meetings, groups that are of interest to you. I started by going to a weekly meeting to play Magic cards (call me a nerd haha) but when that didn’t pan out and my unemployment fund dwindled, I looked into film clubs. Eventually I decided to

2. Volunteer for something. That’s when I found out that the local film festival was about to begin. So I volunteered. I worked a couple days, met some people with similar interests, got some free movies, free drinks/parties in the city. It was a great time. Now I’m also volunteering for another film festival and have met some great people in the process.

3. Get a job. This one is pretty obvious, but now that I’m able to work it’s a great way to establish a network.

4. Use email and the internet. It’s not always the easiest thing in the world to find out about events, volunteer opportunities, jobs, etc but using the internet is a huge help. Don’t be afraid to call or email people directly and when looking for jobs or volunteer opportunities, realize that most of the time people will ignore your emails so contact as many people as possible and use call their phones when possible. Or better yet, go in in person.

Also utilize social networks to get in contact with people of similar interests.

5. Don’t be a shitty friend. Making new friends and contacts is definitely a challenge, especially when you’re not such a social butterfly, but what’s even more challenging is being a good friend. Keep up with your new friends, remember their names, return their calls/texts, and take initiative. It’s easy to have a lot of people that you’ve met once, but turning those acquaintances into actual friends is where the real work comes in. I remember after hanging out with a couple of guys from the film festival, it felt really awkward asking for their phone numbers so we could keep in contact, but it’s totally worth it. Unless you work with them, chances are people that you meet will just disappear into obscurity unless you maintain contact. Facebook can be useful for that too.

The most important thing is not to be afraid to take chances. You’re in a new place and there are most likely plenty of people around who would make great potential friends and contacts. Worst case scenario, you meet someone and you don’t click or whatever, you never have to see them again. Best case, you make a new friend who might introduce you to their network and eventually you have a whole bunch of new friends.

This is my first time ever moving to a new place without the safety net of being placed into a network from the start. Because the last time I moved to a new city I made a lot of friends quickly through my school, I just assumed it would be the same here, but it really took a lot of work this time. Even still, I only have a few friends that I keep in contact with consistently. I’m still working on it too, but these are just things I wish I had known going into it all.

Cheers.

Five Days in Barcelona

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:11:20 +0100

I lost seventy Euros in Spain. That’s how I always start the story. I took the money from the ATM, and then I reach into my wallet about an hour later and the money is gone.

I suppose everyone who’s ever lost money before has a similar story, but mine’s made even more mysterious by the fact that my ‘wallet’ was a security wallet, tucked deep within the front of my pants. Unless muggers in Barcelona have begun borrowing invisibility cloaks from Harry Potter I think I would have noticed any man, woman, or child who got close enough to dig their gritty hands into the front of my pants, fish out my money, and even have the guile to zip the pouch back up. This made it all the more difficult to attempt to explain it to my girlfriend.

“So I’m walking, money safely tucked in my pants, when this little seven-year-old midget reached down into my nether region with hands so small and delicate that I had no chance of feeling it. I’m sorry, honey, I really didn’t stand a chance. Kids in these countries are taught to steal before they’re taught to read.”

“Wait,” she says, “was it a child or a midget?”

“Both!” I shout, thinking that a child-midget must have enough magic to pull all kinds of trickery if he or she desired.

“I don’t think his arms would be long enough,” she replied. She would need a little more convincing, but she’d come around. After all, what were the alternatives?

“Sorry honey, I thought I put the money in my pocket, but instead I missed and threw it on the ground and didn’t have enough mental ability to notice.”

No I couldn’t say that, not even if that’s most likely what happened.

They say one of the greatest skills is being able to admit a mistake when you make one, but I disagree. I think an even greater skill is never making a mistake to begin with. That would negate the need to admit anything and totally one-up the admitters.

I know a lot of people who, when something bad happens, brings in little bits of good things that happened around the same time to excuse away feeling ashamed or embarrassed. I do it too. It’s really hard not to. So when I lost the 70 euros, I thought to myself: “hey Nick, it’s not so bad. Think about how cheap the plane tickets were. And the hotel too. Hell, that 3 euro chicken kebab wasn’t half bad either. It would cost at least twice that in Norway!”

It’s weird, but that kind of give and take logic actually works a bit. It works even better than the “maybe someone found it who needed it more” logic.

I’m not sure why I always have to justify things in my head and make everything even out. I feel like it would be so much easier to just accept the ups and downs without comparing them.

But on the subject of ups and downs, I got some really sweet photos in from Barcelona and maybe even sweeter ones from the smaller nearby city of Sitges. I’ve got nothing to complain about.

Happy Accidents

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:00:06 +0100

I ran across a dilemma while using my Zorki camera this fall. I swear I had taken somewhere around 30 photos on the 24 roll and somehow it just kept going. Obviously something wasn’t working properly, so instead of taking photos I may or may not ever see, I just decided to remove the film, but I didn’t get a chance to develop it until just yesterday.

Turns out, something had happened with the film advance mechanism and the 30 photos compressed down into 18. Some were totally normal, but the beginning ones were crazy! Some double and some triple exposures. Definitely not your average vacation photos.

Strangely enough, I really love some of them. They’re weird and quirky and totally perfect.

It makes me wonder how much stress and anxiety is just a product of perspective. If I was a professional photographer shooting a wedding and that happened I would curse my unlucky stars. But instead, I’m just pleasantly surprised.

Thoughts on Ebook readers after a couple weeks with a Nook:

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 02:48:30 +0100

I have noticed some things I like about the Nook over a book and vice versa.

The Nook lacks:

- browsability. You can’t flip through an ebook like you can with paper.

- durability. Gotta charge it. Can’t drop it. Dust, etc.

- personality. Each paper book has a distinct look, feel, weight, and smell. Ebooks lack these. This is just personal preference, but I miss those things.

- shareability. Although Barnes & Noble is implementing a new lending system, the borrower must also have a Nook. Due to licensing, there is no way to resell a “used” ebook after completion.

The good stuff:

- travelability. As someone who is always on the go these days, I can’t overstate the importance of fitting all your books into something the size of one.

- affordability. Ebooks tend to be cheaper than their hardcover (and sometimes softcover) counterparts. There is also the option to rent ebooks from many public libraries.

- sustainability. Read books without killing trees.

- added features. The Nook has wifi and a web browser. Handy if I need to check email or look something up. It also plays audio books and music if you’re into that stuff.

So there you have it. That’s my take so far. The travelability alone is enough to make me love it. It probably saves me some 5 kilos in my checked luggage.

Turn Your iPod Touch into a WiFi iPhone (With Free Calls and SMS)

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 01:51:22 +0100

I probably shouldn’t be sharing this because maybe if too many people start doing it Apple will make it not work anymore, but it’s just too good to keep inside.

As you may know, I’m back in the USA for a few weeks over the holidays and such. Well obviously, living abroad I haven’t kept up any sort of cellphone plan here in the States. I do, however, have an iPod Touch (4th Generation) and so I figured there must be some way to use it as a phone, right?

Right!

Using only free tools I am able to call and text any phone in the US or Canada for free from my iPod (anywhere where I get wireless internet). Here’s how it works.

First you need a Google account. If you have Gmail then you’re set. Next, go to Google Voice. You should be able to login with your Google account and and get a free number. I’m pretty sure they’re past beta and you no longer need an invite.

It might ask you to setup a phone to ring when someone calls your Google voice number. Just cancel that, you don’t need to.

If you are only interested in texting then get the Google Voice app and you’re done.

To add the calling (and receiving calls) features go to the settings option on the Google Voice homepage and click “Voice Options.” Now check off the box that says “Google Chat” under the “Forwards To” option. It should show your Gmail address underneath.

Finally, download the Talkatone app for your iPod. Login with your Google account. Talkatone gives you the option to call using Gchat’s Call Phones option (which is currently free within the US and Canada) and all the calls will go through your Google Voice number. Pretty freaking sweet, if you ask me.

To be able to receive calls, have people ring your Google Voice number and make sure Talkatone is running or running in the background (i.e. if you open the app and then click the home button or sleep button).

So there you have it, your iPod Touch can be a WiFi phone that calls and texts for free.

I haven’t tested compatibility with any iPod other than my 4th Generation one, but I assume any one with a microphone should work.

How to extend your life

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:49:35 +0100

I’ve never really been one to make new years resolutions, but this year I actually gave it some serious thought. I decided that this year I would make at least one real resolution. This meant figuring out what I really want in life, or at least what I wanted for the year. The resolution I chose was to not take anything for granted. Not the good stuff, and just as importantly, not the bad stuff. Nothing.

I made this my resolution because no matter how amazing (or difficult) life can get, I have the tendency to get used to it. Maybe it’s something built into human nature— to accept the good, accept the bad and carry on. Or as the Brits say “keep calm, carry on.”

In all that carrying on, there isn’t much room for enjoyment, for love, or much emotion at all. If you keep calm, you might avoid some stress, but without getting angry or stressed then the good stuff doesn’t mean so much. Results of hard work don’t seem so rewarding, or even lose their meaning entirely in the face of total calm.

But these are just thoughts and musings. Just words. Let me put them in perspective.

In 2010, after graduating from university I moved to Norway to live with my wonderful girlfriend. I had just finished the book of my 365 Days photography which funded my plane ticket over and I was pumped about getting a sweet job with my shiny new degree in my shiny new city, living together with the girl of my dreams instead of almost 5000 miles away from her.

Well things didn’t go exactly according to plan, big surprise, and I ended up having to wait much longer than I expected for my visa which would allow me to work. In fact, I’m still waiting (though hopefully just for a few more days, fingers crossed). This left me with a lot of free time on my hands, more time than I’ve had since I studied abroad (that’s another story for another time).

In that time, I had the chance to practice ukulele, watch a season of Dexter, and to really think about what I wanted and where I was going. I decided to consistently teach myself new skills starting with computer science. I had a burning desire to not waste any moments of my free time, lest I fall into a lazy comatose state of vegetation. In other words, I was scared and I was going to spend every minute busy so I didn’t have to think about it. And I didn’t think about it. Instead, I just got used to my situation. As soon as that happened, the days flew by. Boom. Over.

And now to deliver on the title:

Have you heard the saying that time seems to go faster by the older you get? Feels like it, doesn’t it? Ever wonder why that is?

Think about it like this, do you remember when you were a kid and driving 20 or 30 minutes to grandma’s house felt like an eternity. Grandma lived A MILLION MILES AWAY. Kids don’t take anything for granted. They don’t have enough experience to realize the trip will take just as long as it ever has and that wining and complaining won’t change anything. They see all the scenery whizzing by the window and measure each moment as it passes.

As adults, we see 30 minutes in the car as nothing. We drive hours to work every day as a routine. We take for granted the passage of time, and train ourselves to be indifferent to it. We take for granted everything that passes by because we’ve seen it before or at least it’s not so different from something else that we’ve seen before.

People tend to think of time in increments. As soon as you’re 5 or 6 years old you’re thrown into schools where each semester, each year classes change, classmates change, rules change. Every year is distinct and meaningful. The passage of time is easy to measure.

When you’re at a dead end 9-5 job, 20 years can feel as fast as a semester of college (or so I’m told). How do we change that? How do we slow down our racing perception of time?

Simple, slow down. Create measurable increments for yourself in your personal life, in your work life, in your hobbies. And most of all, don’t take anything for granted.

The Gift They’ll Never Forget: YOU

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:26:00 +0100

What’s better than getting a Christmas sweater or the newest season of The Office this holiday season?

Having some memorable life experience!

Everyone’s been stuck in their 9to5 jobs all year, coming home to veg out on the couch. Why not help them out this year by giving them (and yourself) the gift of a memorable life experience?

It’s not that hard, really. And they’ll probably never forget it.

A small trip to a nearby city or town.

A photo adventure to somewhere you’ve never been.

An intimate chat over coffee at a new cafe.

Heck, even go to the bowling alley.

It’s amazing how good it feels to have a shared memorable experience with someone you care about. These expereinces are the glue that hold people together and strengthen relationships.

What is also amazing is how great you can make someone feel by giving them the most simple of gifts: your attention.

So this Christmas, turn off your laptops, your iPhones, your Nintendos. Be present and be amazed.

Train Yourself: Learn to like it

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:14:01 +0100

This probably sounds incredibly cliché and maybe even a bit stupid, but I had a profound realization this morning while I was sipping my delicious espresso.

For starters, I don’t usually make espresso most mornings. Usually I have plain regular coffee. I save espresso for either special occasions or times when I really need a boost.

So here I am sipping my espresso when the realization hits me. This tastes really good. Not just that, it tastes smooth and delicate and I might even compare its warm embrace to that of a favorite blanket. It sounds crazy, but I’m serious.

Then I thought back to the time before I liked coffee at all. We’ve all been there, when you have to drink flavored coffee or layer on the cream and sugar. Heck, most of America is STILL there. Anyway, I used to need cream and sugar to enjoy coffee too. The thought of black coffee was horrifying, let alone the taste. I used to wonder why black coffee tasted so bad when it smelled so good. I’m serious.

So now you might be wondering how I went from that to now enjoying my black espresso and complaining about how adding cream or sugar only takes away from the coffee’s flavor.

The answer is actually really simple. I trained myself.

Training yourself to like something is probably a lot easier than you think, all you really need is a desire. It’s like mom used to say when you tell her you hate vegetables: “learn to like ‘em!”

I trained myself to enjoy black coffee before I came to study in Norway just a couple years ago. The reason was simply that I didn’t expect cream and sugar to be widely available in cafes here. All it took to train myself was simply starting to drink black coffee a couple months before I got on the plane.

Yeah, it tasted bad to me at first, but every time I had coffee I forced myself to drink it black. After a while it was a habit and, even if it wasn’t my preferred method of coffee intake, I was used to it.

After a bit more time, I started to taste other subtle flavors in coffee that weren’t there before. I even began to taste the paper filter from my coffee maker (thus moving to a coffee press).

Now here I am enjoying the delicate taste of black espresso without the slightest desire to add anything to it.

This may all seem rather irrelevant if you don’t care about coffee, but I’m starting to believe that you can train yourself to like anything. Exercising, reading, eating vegetables, taking risks, public speaking, anything that might seem scary or unpleasant I think you can train yourself to love. These things might even end up being your favorite things somewhere down the line, it’s just your natural reaction to dislike change that prevents you from seeing it right away.

So try it! Next time you find yourself doing something you don’t enjoy but would like to, open your mind to the experience and and maybe, before you know it, you will love it.

Note: This is NOT an excuse to train yourself to accept anything but the best from yourself. It is not in any way a method to promote laziness. Quite the opposite actually.

Minimalist Fiction : My New Publishing Platform

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:59:42 +0100

As some of you may know, one passion of mine is writing short stories. It is something that I don’t really publish or talk about too often because I haven’t really had a platform for it. Until now.

Today, I am launching minimalistfiction.com. The concept is really simple: I write stories based upon art from the online community.

When I see art (photos, paintings, etc) or hear songs, I often get an image of a story in my mind. The stories are usually nothing too elaborate, but rather a concept that I can build upon. With Minimalist Fiction, I will be fleshing out these stories and publishing them on the site for your enjoyment and my peace of mind.

One of the things I love about the internet is the insane abundance of creativity, art, and information. I hope that through my efforts, I can give exposure to such artists, while practicing my own art. It’s this cooperation, this collaboration, that makes this project so exciting for me.

The best content becomes the best from constant criticism and reiteration. I welcome any comments or questions you might have.

Visit minimilast fiction.

what university did you go to in RI?

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:30:28 +0100

The University of Rhode Island…