Steven's Thoughts

Meat

Steven — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:41:58 -0500

I am currently reading The River Cottage MEAT Book, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It is a joy to read about somebody who has true passion for his produce and really took the time to understand meat. This is not only a cooking book, but as Thomas Keller says "a cooking book with a conscience." The first nine chapters are about understanding meat and only the remaining six are about the cooking.

He elegantly starts the book with a Meat Manifesto:

Think about the meat you eat. Good quality? Bad quality?
Think about the animals. Did they live well?
Where do you get your meat? Butcher? Mail order? Supermarket?
Think about how you cook your meat.
Are you adventurous with meat?
Are you thrifty with meat?
Finally, if you accept there is a moral dilemma with the way we treat animals, then you must accept there is a moral dimension in your dealings with meat.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves eating, and loves eating meat, but for all of you who want to think about the above questions.

My expectations are disappointing me

Steven — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 13:32:45 -0400

Every morning I go through the struggle with my son, Sebastian - the morning rush to school. Sebastian, put on your clothes, eat your breakfast, brush your teeth, put on your shoes. It is a daily aggravation for us. I expect him to gets ready on time, so that I don't have to rush him. The worst of the mornings is that I turn into this person that I don't want to be. Most parents probably know what I am talking about, but the problem obviously is not him (he is only eight), but maybe my expectations.

I expect that he does everything without me nagging him.

I found this post by Royale Scuderi on expectations that were helpful to me:

- Expectations exceeded bring good feelings

- Expectations unrealized bring bad feelings

- Expectations met bring nothing but more expectation

Instead of expecting Sebastian to do everything "right" in the morning, we are trying a morning agreement. We discussed that we both don't want to be late for school and that we can agree on a few basic things to make our mornings more pleasant and get us to school in time. We are making an agreement of mutual promises. Sebastian understands the importance of promises and is big on keeping them, because he wants me to keep mine :-)

I am sure that our morning will not be completely changed, but maybe my expectations will change and in turn the mornings will be a little more sane.

Steven — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:26:32 -0400

It is so easy to fall into a rut. We have a decent paying job, a good standard of living and because of that we don't want to rock the boat too much. I think it is important to remind ourself, why we are here and what motivates us. There is so much that we can accomplish. A quote from Seth Godin reminded me this morning of that.

“How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” – Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog

My 6 year old son's playlist

Steven — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:21:14 -0400

My six year old son Sebastian loves music. We always listen to it together, but he definitely has his own favorites. This is Sebastian's current playlist:

The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name

The Raconteurs - Consoler of the Lonely

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

Vampire Weekend - A-Punk

MGMT - Kids

MGMT - Electric Feel

The Fiery Furnaces - Even in the Rain

Anarbor -You And I

Michael Jackson - Human Nature

Jackson Five - I want you back

Best Albums of 2009 So Far

Steven — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:11:32 -0400

I have a running 2009 playlist the following albums and specifically these songs made my list:

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion: favorite song - My Girl (even though their show in Park Slope was pretty bad)

Wilco - Wilco (The Album) - favorite song: Country Disappeared (could not get back in time from Munich for the concert in Coney Island)

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - favorite song: Ulysses

The Fiery Furnaces - I'm Going Away - favorite song: The End is Near (show was pretty good at the river)

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest - favorite song: Two Weeks (missed them at the river)

Peter Bjorn and John - Living Thing - favorite song: Nothing to Worry About (they are amazing live)

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - favorite song: Lisztomania

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! - favorite song: Zero (not going to see them at Radio City)

Wonderful Quote

Steven — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:23:14 -0400

"Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and , so far as their fortunes may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth."

- Nathaniel Hawthorne,

"The Custom-House"

What Recession?

Steven — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:02:00 -0400

One of my favorite local restaurants is David Chang's Momofuku.

I have been trying to get a reservation at his 12 seat chef's table

restaurant, Ko, since it opened about 2 years ago and it is always

booked.

Are we really in a recession? Or maybe it doesn't apply to foodies.

Recession music

Steven — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:59:32 -0400

Just like everyone else out there the economy has gotten to me - but what's strange is how a financial crisis can affect almost everything in my life - even the music that I enjoy the most now - 80s influenced indie pop.

Last night, Sienna and I went to see The Ting Tings at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and we felt transported back to an early 80s night club. What was so great about the concert? Was is it the lead singer's awesome, shiny leotards and her puffy dress, that only a skinny 26 year old bleached-blonde can pull off, or was it the playback of the plasticky sounding keyboard that was not even on stage? I think it was much more simple. It was my craving for comfort music.

A few weeks ago I posted on my Facebook status that I couldn't believe that I had started becoming a lover of pop music and listed acts such as: MGMT, Santigold (formally known as Santagold) and CSS. Many of my friends strongly disagreed with classification of these bands being pop.

I guess they are right. It is not pop as in what today's popular music is (billboard's top 100). It is not pop in 2009, but it was considered pop in the early 80s. Now people consider this music scrappy, dance-oriented indie pop. Anyway the point is, I am reverting to comfort music. Music of my childhood. The electro overtone of a cheap sounding synthesizer, is giving me the warm and fuzzy.

When we left the venue we ran into a friend who was with a cute young chick who was excited to keep the night going with some drinks. And that's when I realized that if my music taste was stuck in the 80s, my responsibilities are right here in 2009, and we politely said no thanks and good night and went home to relieve the babysitter.

I guess if 80s pop is all that I need to help me through this rescission I'm doing OK.

Quality of NYC Public Schools

Steven — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:08:47 -0400

Just in the last week two parents asked me about the quality of education Sebastian is received in the New York public school system. I am positively surprised how good the experience is.

When Sebastian was in Pre-school I agonized about where to send him. I knew that there were great private schools in the city, but I strongly believed in supporting the public school system.

But I was still concerned whether a public school could provide more than an adequate education. I wanted and still want Sebastian to have a great education.

Well, I have to say Sebastian is definitely learning. He loves reading and enjoys writing stories. And he is getting his math basics down. But more importantly he is surrounded by teachers who care about his individualized educational growth.

One of the latest initiatives that impressed me about his school are his individualized goals. Sebastian, together with his teacher, have created specific objectives for him. So now he, his teacher and his parents are all on the same page of what he should be accomplishing in the next month.

My verdict after one and a half years of NYC public schooling is that kids can get a very good education. My six year old son is proof.

It is hard to make money

Steven — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:56:54 -0500

Ever wonder how some people you know, or you may have heard of, made so much money in such a short period of time? Ever feel stupid for working so hard? Ever feel like you have been working for years like a dog, and achieved moderate success, but business continued to be such a grind year in and year out?

For years, my partners and I have been trying to figure out why every year we've been in business we've had to hustle to keep it going. In the last couple of years I've come to the realization that being of value to my clients, and building a real business, was always going to be hard work. In recent months, I also started to understand that the source of some people's instant success has been based on one, or two, bogus and unsustainable business concepts:

Excessive leverage
In a few cases straight out fraud

Excessive leverage:

Leverage is an important part of any business and our economic system. A company, like kasina, borrows money to supplement existing funds for investment in such a way that the potential positive outcome is magnified and/or enhanced. Leverage could allow us to potentially hire new and/or better people, or invest in an office in London and Shanghai, that we otherwise would not have the funds to invest in today.

Excessive leverage, on the other hand, is a powerful friend during an up market, but can quickly put you out of business during a down market. Most investment banks were leveraged by a ratio of 30 to 1. Government sponsored mortgage giants Freddie and Fannie were using leverage closer to 100 to 1 because of their supposedly stricter lending standards and implicit government backing. Most entrepreneurs would be able to make a lot of money if given 100 to 1 leverage.

Fraud:

Last week Bernard L. Madoff, a legend on Wall Street, was a arrested for essentially running a Ponzi scheme. The NYT reported that his funds for years claimed to produce consistently positive returns in up and down markets. One of them reported of having $7.3 billion in assets in October and claimed to have paid more than 11 percent interest each year through its 15-year track record. In reality, he paid returns to certain investors out of the cash received from other investors.

I feel a little less stupid these days about working so hard to be successful. The current financial crisis has changed the way our country does business and it's going to be very hard, if not impossible, to make a quick buck. The people who are going to succeed and make money are going to make money as a result of years of hard work. They will survive by busting their asses to add value to their customers or clients.