GRIZZLY PEAR

written snapshots

Category: Notes

  • Kids on the Slope, Shiniciro Watanabe, 2012

    Given my appreciation of Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo), I should have pursued this show years ago, but I wasn’t interested after hearing that this was a kids show. A few months ago, we were looking for something to watch and we were intrigued by the fact it centered around jazz.

    While technically true, this series is better described as a teen romance drama with a jazz motif. Even though teen romance is even more distant from my preferences, and I still enjoyed it. With only twelve episodes, the plot moves at a good clip. Midway through, there is a a moment that has “all the feels” and is fully earned. I’ve revisited that moment a few times on youtube.

    As someone else has quipped, the problem with teenagers is that they’re children in an adults bodies, injected with a whole bunch of hormones. As a teen drama, this show has a whole lot of that in spades, with other complications due to a lack of communication between the characters. Then again, I don’t think there would be a show without such snafus.

    Fortunately, I avoided love drama in my own teens, however I didn’t appreciate the freedom that I had at that age without the responsibilities of a family. Then again such a realization is only made after the passage of time. In the moment, one only feels trapped in the constraints of the present without the benefit of hindsight that comes with age. Then again, that might have been a good thing, I could have been overwhelmed with too many options.

    Then again, those days aren’t coming back so I shouldn’t rue the past. Hopefully my future is still wide open. Plus, I don’t have to worry about finding a life partner!

    As I revisit this post before publishing, I appreciate having watched the show, but feel no urge to re-watch it. It is highly recommended if you dig jazz and don’t mind some romance, but I don’t consider this a must watch classic. Then again, I just got sucked into watching an hour of random youtube videos while editing this post. In comparison to such unstructured silliness, this show is a better use of one’s time.

  • Our Pancakes, August 2021

    My bread is constantly evolving from one recipe to another, but my pancakes have remained consistent. The recipe hasn’t changed much from I posted it three years ago.

    ±240g (1 cup) starter
    1 egg
    1 tablespoon sugar
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon baking soda or baking powder, whatever you got.

    2017

    Nowadays, I throw in two eggs, add a second tablespoon of sugar, and use less the salt. But really, it’s basically the same recipe from 2017. Pancakes have always been a loose recipe to use up old sourdough starter that would otherwise be discarded.

    This weekend, I made the ultimate step in the recipe. Try to see what’s missing.

    ±240g (1 cup) starter
    2 eggs (seperate the yolks and whites)
    2 tablespoons sugar
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1/4 teaspoon salt

    2021

    Yup, we’ve gotten rid of the baking soda!

    The girl wanted to have pancakes on Saturday morning, but I didn’t have sourdough starter to cook with. When I make non-sourdough pancakes, I usually add extra baking soda to push the good rise.

    However, my wife hates the chemical flavor from baking soda, so I googled “pancakes without baking soda”. The top hit worked out perfectly. The short process:

    1. Separate the egg whites and yolks.
    2. Thoroughly mix all the the ingredients (including yolks) except for the egg whites.
    3. Beat the egg whites till you have stiff peaks.
    4. Gently fold in the egg whites into the batter.
    5. Cook on medium-low heat.

    The pancakes went over so well, I prepared sourdough starter for pancakes on Sunday morning as well! Saturday’s non-sourdough pancakes tasted just like cake, while Sunday’s sourdough pancakes had a little tang. Both came out great!

    In making pancakes two days in a row, we were also honed in on the perfect cooking temperature (just a hair above dead center between medium and low).

    It’s slightly more hassle to beat the eggs, but the effort is worth it to avoid the baking soda. I’m curious if there are any more changes to be made.

    Then again, maybe I’ve landed upon the final recipe.

  • OPM.07 (notes on) The Hávamál, Codex Regius, 13th Century

    Moderate at council should a man be,
    Not brutal and over bearing;
    Among the bold the bully will find
    Others as bold as he.

    Thank you for reading. Please subscribe if you’d like the next letter in your inbox.

    ~

    (notes on) The Hávamál

    In this polarized moment, it is easy to forget that we share more than we diverge. Each individual is unique, but we are all human, and functioning societies have evolved to rhyme with each other.

    Proverbs blend the universal with the specific. These sayings give us a glimpse of the humanity of those outside our tribe, separated by distance and time.

    Recently, a friend shared some quotes from the Havamal on social media. The memes didn’t fit my mental stereotype of hard-charging, harder-drinking Vikings. Intrigued, I dug up a translation by W. H. Auden. The Havamal was indeed a delightful compilation of such proverbs, akin to the wisdom books in the Bible.

    Given my love of aphorisms, I was particularly drawn to the first half – a mix of world-weary proverbs advising honor, caution, cynicism, and practical wisdom. The second half changes in tone and holds a visionary power, especially the passage of Odin sacrificing himself to himself.

    To be fair, it isn’t all roses; a couple of passages are demeaning towards women. However we are not slaves to the ancients, and these sayings can be recast as relevant as gender-neutral warnings to be wary of our own urges.

    As our society becomes more secular, we risk identifying ourselves too tightly with our professions. We see ourselves as vessels of our income-generating activities. Even worse, we might view others in light of their utilitarian offerings.

    These proverbs remind us that each person is a tapestry far more richer than a canned response to “what do you do?”

    In my three years as an Owner Project Manager, I have been constantly reminded this is a relationship profession. The final goal is an edifice of glass, steel, and concrete, but the art is in working with people who carry their own hopes, dreams, and fears.

    At our best, an OPM should push this temporary tribe towards excellence in moment, leading them towards greater opportunities in the next project.

    A kind word need not cost much,
    The price of praise can be cheap;
    With half a loaf and an empty cup
    I found myself a friend    .

    ~

    One Question

    What are are the references of wisdom in your life?

    To ask well, to answer rightly,
    Are the marks of a wise man:
    Men must speak of men’s deeds,
    What happens may not be hidden.

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    Three Links

    Peter Hayashida wrote a lovely meditation his career and life in general as he was wrapping up his work at UC Riverside.

    Writer CJ Chilvers has a post of Personal Publishing Principles. Each of us should do create a similar manifesto for our work.

    The Voyager satellites included a golden record of sounds from earth. It is also posted on youtube.

    … and a photo.

    Mahjong Tiles, Las Vegas, August 2021
    My son spent an afternoon building up and knocking down walls of these tiles. My grandparents gave me this Mahjong set twenty-five years ago.

    ~

    Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • Wander’s Hávamál, (Jackson Crawford translator) 2019

    The Wander’s Havamal is a clean, easy read. The language is crisp and contemporary, heads and tails clearer than the public domain translations on the internet.

    My only quibble is that they chose to separate the poetry from the explanitory notes. I understand why endnotes are necessary for ebooks, but I hate splitting this information between separate pages in physical books. Ideally, they could have followed John Minford’s Art of War, rendering the translation twice, cleanly and then with commentary.

    That said, the commentary is worth reading. Dr. Crawford is a linguist so his notes are centered around the language and the challenges of translation, providing a glimpse into the challenges in bringing us the wisdom of the past.

    In all, this is a great translation for a modern reader. I plan on borrowing it again from the library to go through the commentary in detail. However, I don’t think I’ll be picking up my own physical copy until it is reformatted.

    Whatever you do, go check out Crawford’s unique rendition of the first 79 stanzas in the Cowboy Havamal.

    I have to admit that I haven’t revisited the poem much since I first wrote this post. However, this remains “on the rotation” along with Ecclesiastes, Tao Te Ching, Analects, the Bhagavad Gita, and the I Ching. There is too much to read out there. Of the making of books, there is no end – even if we limit the library to texts older than a millennium!

    Conversely, it is terrifying that this poem only survived via one book in Iceland. One rues what wisdom has disappeared through the ages, like tears in rain.

    Yet again, we moderns are drowning in knowledge. Fate has placed us in an age with all the world’s wisdom at our fingertips and then gave us the addictive algorithm of social media. The gods show no shame, toying with mortal fools in this technological era.

  • Jazz, Henri Matisse, 1947 (George Braziller, 2nd ed)

    The Pareto principle states that you get 80% of the value from 20% of the effort. In this case, the book is literally 20% the size of the original and 10% the cost of the full size reproductions.

    Yes, you get 80% of the value out of the book. The images cutouts are lovely and paper cutouts are perfectly suited for miniaturization since they aren’t very detailed. Furthermore, Matisse hand wrote his text in a huge script which still looked large in this compact edition. As a book, there was minimal translation in making it a smaller book.

    However, art isn’t an 80-20 game.

    Something doesn’t feel quite right with the book. It’s partly because the translation was located in a separate section. Even though Matisse claims that the writing was not important, flipping back and forth detracted from the experience. The publisher also reformatted this reprint to be in a landscape format there are four pages visible on each spread. Even worse, the publisher messed around with the spreads and altered the page order.

    The biggest problem is that when you are so tantalizingly close to the artist’s original intentions, its impossible to shake the disappointment of not crossing the finish line. In this case the missing 20% is a big deal. Ideally, an English edition would have been printed full size with a slightly expanded page size to include a small typeset translation of the writing on each page.

    Then again, we live in a world of limits. This little edition was still a good deal. The full size editions are out of print and cost a few hundred dollars on the secondary market. Jazz is great, but not at that price. I’ll just wait for the next publisher to print a fresh batch of full size copies.

    I should note that my edition is now personalized. I was reading Jazz and also sketching my boy playing with his toys in the playroom. It was late at night and I fell asleep on the carpet. He stopped playing, found the pencil, opened up the closest book, and went to work.

  • Bubble Machine, WhizBuilders, 2020

    We bought a fish-shaped, hand-powered bubble machine. It’s an orange piece of garbage with a green hand crank. By avoiding another battery-operated toy, we learned why everyone else uses electricity.

    After trying to make the contraption work, we dug up an old bubble wand. As always, blowing bubbles worked perfectly.

    It is easy to chase the next new toy, but the old ones are quite sufficient. We just need to remember to play with them.

    Then again, this incident highlighted the differences between our two kids.

    The girl happily chased and popped the bubbles. The boy insisted on taking the stick and blowing his own bubbles.

    For $15, it was a total waste of money and a great bargain for the memories of a balmy summer night.

    It’s been a year since I wrote this post, and we never got it to work. Last week, the kids broke the handle of the crank. I guess this is the official demise of this ill-fated toy. Rest in peace.

  • OPM.05 (Morning Mottos)

    The start of the new school year reminds me of distance learning last year. My daughter’s school posted a video every morning with news and a recitation of the pledge of allegiance.

    This daily practice was a powerful mantra, sinking into my subconscious of a government worker.

    This letter collects mottos from key institutions in my life, starting from the federal government down to mottos I’ve chosen for myself.

    I highly recommend going through such an similar exercise for yourself. It doesn’t take long and it is powerful to regularly contemplate the sayings that were important for our predecessors.

    Thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you’d like the next letter in your inbox.

    A Few Mottos to Start your Mornings

    United States of America


    I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

    United States of America, Pledge of Allegiance


    In God We Trust

    Official Motto of the United States of America


    E pluribus unum

    Front of Great Seal of the United States
    (Out of Many, One)


    Annuit cœptis

    Novus ordo seclorum

    Reverse Side of the Great Seal of the United States
    (Providence favors our undertakings)
    (New order of the ages)

    State of Nevada

    All for Our Country

    State of Nevada, Official Motto
    (Replacing the territorial motto “Volens et Potens”, Willing and Able)

    Battle Born

    State Nickname on our flag
    (Most folks think this is our official Motto)

    “Home” means Nevada, “Home” means the hills,
    “Home” means the sage and the pines.
    Out by the Truckee’s silvery rills,
    Out where the sun always shines,
    There is a land that I love the best,
    Fairer than all I can see.
    Right in the heart of the golden west
    “Home” means Nevada to me.

    Refrain from Home Means Nevada (State song)

    State of Nevada Department of Administration

    Vision
    To provide excellent service.

    Mission
    To serve Nevadans and help our customers by providing efficient and effective solutions.

    Priorities
    Be responsive to customer needs.
    Continually improve leadership and promote teamwork within the Department.
    Support customer goals through innovative solutions and strategies.
    Improve efficiency through continual review, automation, and improved transparency.
    Support agency performance through workforce development.

    (my bold)


    State of Nevada Public Works Division

    Vision
    State agencies will occupy exemplary facilities.

    Mission
    To provide well planned, efficient, and safe facilities to state agencies so they can effectively administer their programs.

    Philosophy
    We work as a team to build consensus, we take pride in our work, and we serve with humility.

    (my bold)

    Other Mottos

    Fiat Lux

    University of California, Berkeley
    (Let there be Light)


    Letters, Science, Art

    Rice University Seal


    Inspire. Create. Innovate.

    Nevada Learning Academy


    齊天大聖

    “Qitian Dasheng”, Sun Wukong’s self adopted nickname
    (“Great Sage Equal to Heaven” is utterly ridiculous but I am fond of it as a reminder to go break eggs when an omlette is necessary)


    盡忠報國

    “Jinzhong Baoguo”, Marshall Yue Fei’s tattoo
    (Utmost Loyalty, Serve the Country)


    Festina Lente

    Italo Calvino’s personal motto, among others
    (Hurry Slowly)

    Personal Mottos

    To tinker and delight, together.

    Personal Mission Statement


    Notes on my production and consumption

    Grizzly Pear tag line


    Prompts to stretch the curious Owner PM.

    OPM Letter tag line

    Mantras are great. Who would disagree with “liberty and justice for all”?

    So why are the pledge and the flag such contentious symbols? Because our aspirations also remind us of our current failures, and partisans have exploited these gaps to create divisive chasms of identity.

    But we shouldn’t abandon a mantra due our shortcomings. Instead, lets use these regular reminders of our shared destination to fuel our efforts in closing the gap between ideal and reality.

    ~

    One Question

    Is there an awesome motto that I’ve missed? If so I’d love to hear it!

    Hit reply and let’s chat!

    ~

    Three Links

    Cal Newport neatly summarizes Quentin Tarantino’s writing routine, which rolls a daily rhythm, eschewing raw frenzy.

    How Mimi Dixon navigated our fraught culture to launch the Colors of the World crayons with Crayola.

    Yumi Janairo Roth has a cheeky installation project with professional sign spinners working Sol Lewitt quotes. It reminds me of the Marquesse Scott video that introduced me to this niche.

    … and a photo.

    “…by the rocket’s red flare…”, Mount Charleston, July 2021

    ~

    Thanks for reading this OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!

    Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
    Justus Pang, RA

  • Pandemic Hot Zone (solo-play), Matt Leacock, 2020

    One night, I went wild playing with Pandemic Hot Zone against myself.

    I started with the solo-play variant published on Z-Man’s website and tweaked the difficulty upward by adding additional Epidemics, as suggested in a recent Boardgamegeek thread.

    The first game with the solo-play rules as written was as easy as playing the base game.

    I added a fourth epidemic for the next two games, both times with six crisis cards in the deck with the seventh crisis card turned face up to signify an Epidemic. I beat both plays easily.

    Over the past year, we’ve had plenty of warnings before our various flareups of COVID, so having advance notice of an incoming epidemic isn’t a thematic game-breaker. So I amped it up to five epidemics, with two face-up crisis cards standing in for epidemics with the other five crisis cards in the deck. I barely beat this version.

    I then had an epiphany – if I’m playing with face-up cards as Epidemics, then any card will do. I started to use the action reference cards as my extra Epidemic cards.

    I played twice more, the first with seven crisis cards and the second with five crisis cards. I lost both games, but to test the concept, I did a couple of critical takebacks that allowed me to play through the end to confirm that there were foreseeable paths to victory if I had played more carefully.

    Ultimately, this is a promising way to play the game solo. Z-man’s solo-play version is clearly superior to a setup where one is playing multiple characters. I’ve played 230+ games of Mottainai against myself, so I have some authority on this subject.

    The key question to be answered in future sessions is whether I will use seven or five crisis cards. I suspect that the two fewer crisis cards make a harder game since the epidemics hit a little faster. (Keeping five crises cards would also allow me to eliminate the hand limitation and grounded flight crisis cards which constipate the gameplay.)

    Unfortunately, the answer is neither. I haven’t played any solo-play sessions of Pandemic Hot-Zone since I wrote this post. I played with the kids a couple of times, but they didn’t find it too compelling (they may be too young). Fifteen bucks isn’t a bad price for a night’s entertainment, but it didn’t turn out to be a great deal either.

  • Nanofictionary, Andrew Looney, 2002, 2017

    Draw a card. Discard a card. Use the characters, problems, settings, and resolutions to create a very short story.

    Rory Story Cubes is simpler with the roll of the dice, but it creates disjointed stories. Nanofictionary adds just enough structure to make coherent stories.

    (Random hint, after watching a webinar on writing stories – add a second problem to compound upon the first problem to develop the narrative).

    This game is not well rated on boardgamegeek.com, but those users lean towards heavy analytical experiences, not silly story games.

    Despite its low rating, this game hits the mark. It has a simple goal and does it well.

    I’ve tried many story games over the years. Nanofictionary’s seemingly obvious simplicity is proof of its great design. It finds the right balance between into formless narrative and rules fussiness, hitting the sweet spot.

    Like many polished designs, it looks easy (a notion furthered by the crude illustrations on the cards). However, it must have taken an exhaustive exploration to create something that works so well but appears simplistic.

    The Looney’s are not good at game development (see my scathing notes on Loonacy), but they managed to pull it off this time. Go check it out if you’re in the mood.

    A few years after college, I had an epiphany that all things around me are designed by another human. It should be an obvious notion, especially for an architect.

    I am still awed whenever I ponder this basic fact. Almost everything surrounding us is utterly artificial.

    The simpler it is, the more artificial.

    Done right, it’s sublime.

  • My Bread, July 2021

    I’ve gotten into a good rhythm baking loaves with our Lodge Cast Iron loaf pan. The recipe is quite simple.

    50g starter
    150g to 200g water
    250g bread flour
    5g salt

    You might notice the wide range of water in this recipe, anywhere from 60% to 80% hydration. It doesn’t seem to matter.

    The key is to knead the dough hard at the start.

    When I first got into making sourdoughs, all the recipes recommended gentle folding to get big artisan holes.

    Having stooped to using the humble loaf pan, such pretensions are unnecessary, so my current process now aims for consistency.

    To start at the beginning.

    Bring out the starter and wake it up. If past its prime, refresh it.

    Once the starter is happy, mix the dough without salt. Let it autolyze for 20 minutes to an hour.

    Add salt and knead it (using wet hands in the bowl). Let it sit for half an hour. Knead it again and wait. Repeat again and again, until the dough starts to feel poofy.

    By now it’s nighttime, so throw the batch into the fridge.

    The next morning take out the dough. After the dough has woken up (usually a few hours) pour it into the loaf pan.

    Once the dough has proofed well past the rim of the pan (a few more hours), preheat the toaster oven to 450f, and then bake it on convection for 40 minutes at 325f.

    So far the loaves have been remarkably consistent. Admittedly, these instructions are still extremely fuzzy and subjective. That’s life with sourdough. Fermentation is a dance.

    Of course, writing this self-congratulatory post guarantees my next loaf will bomb. Fortunately, this hobby lets us eat our mistakes.

    Well Proofed

    Baked