Posted Dec 21 2008
This could be a post about butchery, and to a small extent it is. But not meat! I’ve been mulling over some ideas for awhile now, and I want to start acting on them now. No cause for alarm.
As it is, I am overwhelmed with freelance web design projects. That’s a good thing. But based upon personal referrals alone, I have enough work to satisfy myself for this next year. So I don’t want to continue using this site to promote that aspect of my work directly.
Along those same lines of thought, I’m going to discard some topics–the movies, old site news, etc. Essentially, trimming the fat. I want to focus on cooking, camping, and some photos (maybe some videos–I’m really liking the video medium right now). Focus is always a good thing.
So, in short, expect a few small changes. I’ll work on the navigation tabs so they point to the most relevant topics here. That’s been bugging me for months. It made sense at the time, until I figured out that a) I don’t want to employ any help right now b) 3 creative projects at once is more than I can handle myself after a long day at the office. I’m really holding off on thematic changes I want to make until I complete my client projects. They probably appreciate that!
Happy Holidays!
Edits: 2008-12-22:Already made most of the changes, and am holding of on major thematic changes.
Edits: 2008-12-22:Feedburner imported to Google, RSS URL changed to http://feedproxy.google.com/danbauer.
Posted Dec 21 2008
The 3 P’s of gear: primary, peripheral, and prepared. Choosing the right tool for the right job, and knowing when you need the tool or when you don’t.
Roy makes an excellent point on Camping Blogger about separating essentials from the non-essentials of camping gear. A lot of gear is oriented towards Extreme Backpacking, ultra-light and…commensurately expensive. When camping, keep in mind you’re unplugging from the comforts of home. Taking a shrewd look at what you can do without (peripherals), can save you a great deal of money. It can mean the difference between getting out and camping versus just “planning to”.
As a quick aside, I’m noticing more friends and associates from the techno-corporate world are enjoying camping these days. What better compliment to the confines of cube farms and elevators, than to be out enjoying the natural world? Giving a bunch of techno-geeks a whole new genre of gadgetry to collect gives rise to peripherals in my experience. A generous appetite for toys camping essentials exists among those already prone to laptops, PDAs, smart phones, and other computer-age toys productivity tools.
I completely agree with Roy, but let me tell you–I’m an admitted gadget geek. I do little to spare myself the expense. But my philosophy is not that I have to have the best or most expensive gear right away. Rather, that I carefully choose primary items carefully, with value and utility in mind. A lot of my peripherals are chosen based on the trip, so many more remain at home. An important part of my philosophy is that I may actually bring along 7 sources of making fires, but leave the grill behind. I’ve seen people bring a grill and nothing to ignite it. Which brings us to the 3rd P.
A third (and binding) philosophy of gear is simply being prepared. Check out Nutnfancy’s Snow Hike gear list. I can’t say enough good things about his videos, and if you want to talk about prepared, he personifies it. Nutnfancy may not save you any money, but he’s always ready to laugh at death in the wilderness! Preparation–knowledge, planning, and practice.
Posted Dec 20 2008
Cold and icy here in Lincoln today, so I thought it time to do a chicken soup ala Dan Bauer. I think my Mom makes better. Her secret is do the vegetables once to make the broth, strain them off, and then add new ones to make a vitamin and flavor-packed miracle broth. But that’s her recipe, and I digress. You will see in one of the photos that my buddy Snoop thought it smelled quite good…
On to the recipe
