Swapping Posts and Twitter for Post and Beam

20% DISCOUNT AT THE JIMI STORE RIGHT NOW. USE ‘LABORDAY‘ AS CODE ON PURCHASE PAGE

So, we did a little experiment this summer: Escape the grey foggy summer of San Francisco for the green hills of Vermont. While the VT locals complained that it was a wet summer, we felt 85º and rain beat out 58º and fog. I’m calling it a success.

The trip was many and varied. It included a short, but active trip to NYC where – as I hoped in an earlier post – we got to visit the High Line. Amazing perspective on the city, albeit for a short burst between Chelsea and the Meat Packing district. Again I say, if you’re anywhere near, go see it. Also met the Head of Innovation at the MTA. A great bloke, who in function is something akin to James Bond’’s Q. He showed me some very cool stuff they’re developing, which I can’t talk about or he’ll send an MTA assassin to hush me up.

I also saw my first drive in movie, drove a motor boat (that had only  two speeds – stalled or full throttle) while hanging on to a fully inflated air mattress  (the first time I’d done both), and raised my first post and beam house. When I say raised my first post and beam house, what I mean by that is: I, along with a bunch of my in-laws, followed instructions dispensed by my brother-in-law, Hunter, who actually knows what he’s doing.

I grew up a builder’s son, but definitely don’t have the manual skills I envy. My father-in-law (who is cut from the same cloth as me -”measure once, cut twice!”, “there’s nothing a six inch nail/duct tape can’t fix”) and I were gobsmacked at the level of precision and skill involved in this work. No nails, just great skill, incredibly sharp tools, and wooden pegs. Check out the joints below! I feel sincerely lucky to have swung a hammer on this job, not had my full 200 lbs fall off the beam I was walking along and be out from in front of computer. If you’re looking for a post and beam house call Hunter (guy in above pic on the right), he’ll sort you out.

Hope your summers were good. We’ve got a big plans for Jimi including new colors/designs, and a startling new product I’ll let you know about soon. Thanks for taking the time to look in.

Cheers

Mike

Dad Week. Last Day. Day 5.

So here’s a Dad movie double-bill for Father’s Day – The Hangover and Food Inc. I’m seeing the first one tonight, but from what I hear maybe you should see Food Inc. first, have a stiff drink (or two), then go see The Hangover.

And while they’re not going to make it in time for Father’s Day we’ve still got the Dad’s discount on all Jimi items over at the Jimi Store until Sunday. To get 20% off go here, and use ‘pops’ as the coupon code on the purchase page.

And the final Father’s Day Jimi care package goes to Marsha.

Happy Father’s Day to all dads Sunday.

Dad Week. Day 3 & 4!

Yeah, kind of blew it yesterday, so Day 3 gets to be lumped with Day 4, but we’ve got winners for both days – Jason & Brandi, who have got some Jimi care packs coming their way. Thanks for your stories.

Here’s a thought for all you Dads from Garrison Keillor for Father’s Day – saddle up!

And while they’re not going to make it in time for Father’s Day we’ve still got the Dad’s discount on all Jimi items over at the Jimi Store. To get 20% off go here, and use ‘pops’ as the coupon code on the purchase page.

Cheers!

Dad Week. Day Two. Dad’s Yellow…

This is a story about George Flotard. Not only a great Dad, but a man who knew how to turn a phrase. Fortunately a gift he passed onto his daughters. Thanks Sarah and Rachel.

I was in the thick of it. In and out of the hospital twice a week for chemotherapy, radiation, transfusions, you name it. Dad and I were constantly in the car. Our apartment was headquarters, where I brought in the pies, and the books, and the model planes, and the ice cream.

We were driving over the Montlake Bridge about to take a rare, non-hospital day drive to Barnes & Noble.

Dad: “Ray, I’m yellow.”

Me: “What do you mean you’re yellow?”

Dad: “Do I look yellow to you?”

Me: “What?” Dad: “Look at my arms!”

Me, driving, reaching over to touch his purpled, bruised, vellum-like skin: “No. Wait. Yes. You are kind of yellow. Oh my god. You’re yellow.”

Here’s where I know that his liver is failing. That I need to call Phil, my rock, our nurse practitioner at the UW Medical Center, that we’re coming in. So much for a non-hospital day. Who knows how long we’re going to be in there or how much more dad’s tiny body can take. This is life as we’ve known it for the last several years, an unexploded bomb. I dial Phil and leave a message.

Me: “Phil it’s me. Um, Dad’s turning yellow. He looks jaundice. Orange even. I don’t know, maybe it’s his Kidneys? Let’s check the Coumadin levels? We’re in the car. Call me back. Should we come in? I think we should come in. We’re on our way”. My poor sweetheart. Here we are, stopping and starting in traffic, his bookstore dream curling out the window like smoke. I look through the rain on the windshield then look at him. The last thing either of us wants to do is go in, but we know. Sarah my sister is pregnant. And we do most things so he can make it “to see the kid”.  I’m holding his hand and rubbing his ear like I do when we drive. Then I turn his arm over and the other side is white. I look at the road.

Me: “Dad. Were you in my bathroom?”

Dad: “No. Why.”

Me: “Did you use my cream?”

Dad: “What! I needed cream. Why?”

Me: “Because you’ve tanned yourself”.

Like Italian marble, like the cliffs of Dover, like a veal farm in Vermont, I am white. I can try all I want to be a sleek, Bain de Soleil, Hermes scarf wearing beach alien, but I am a 35 year-old bottle redhead who lives above Safeway with cellulite and a dying dad. I have absolutely zero personal space and nowhere is sacred. Not even my bathroom, where my little 72 year old Andy Capp New Yorker pop walks around with modeler’s Crazy Glue all over his pants and hands, finally decides to moisturize.

This story is awesome for several reasons:

A. I am the cliché that wasted money on Jergen’s Glow.

B. My dad got tan.

C. I flipped a “bitch” on a bridge like I was Shirley MacLaine in Terms Of Endearment.

D. Leaving Nurse Phil the abort mission message, that dad is “sun-kissed”, and not in fact, having a toxic episode.

E. Ultimately, he happily caned his way around Barnes & Noble looking vacationed.

D. This is one of many tiny vignettes that made me adore my father, and know I will miss him every day of my pale and wonderful life.

Thanks for the great stories everyone. BTW Dawn wins our Day Two Jimi care package. And if you want to get a great deal on a Jimi for your Dad (20% off) go here, and use ‘pops’ as the coupon code on the purchase page. Cheers!

Dad Week. Day One.

I couldn’t resist kicking off Dad week with a short quote by Denis Leary from his monologue ‘Are You Man Enough?’ I first heard it in his stand-up movie ‘No Cure For Cancer’ from the early nineties. A profane, but brilliant two hour rant I must have watched 50 times.

…  My dad once cut off his thumb with a power saw, duct-taped it back on, and drove himself to the hospital smoking a Camel un-filtered on the way. …

Stacy was randomly chosen as today’s winner for the comment she left with us last week. Stacy, give our best to your husband, and wish him a happy Father’s Day from us.

See all the comments in the previous post. Please feel free to add your  own comment to that post, or just below.

Please keep the stories coming…

And don’t forget, we’ve got a 20% discount at the Jimi Store all the way up to Father’s Day. Just use the word ‘pops’ in the coupon code box on the purchase page.

Happy Father’s Day.

Dad Week is Coming!

Leading up to Father’s Day we’re looking for great stories about Dads. Dads who’ve done something unexpected, meaningful, funny, or just a story about your old man being a great bloke. Please leave your story as a comment below and for every day of Jimi Dad Week we’ll randomly pick a storyteller to receive a Jimi care package (a Jimi wallet for you and your Dad and a couple of Jimi accessories).

And if you want to thank your Dad yourself, what better way than with a Jimi. We’ve got a 20% discount at the Jimi Store all the way up to Father’s Day. Just use the word ‘pops’ in the coupon code box on the purchase page.

Even if you don’t hook up your Pa with some Jimi love, don’t forget to give him your best on Father’s Day.

Cheers

Mike

What do you get the city that has everything?

I should start this by saying that I’m a pretty unabashed fan of New York City. To me it’s like a really great book you don’t want to finish or an album you don’t want to overplay. I don’t want to know everything about it. Yet. That way I figure it will always have some allure left for me. It will always be exciting to go there.

Now to add to my list of reasons to find an excuse to visit is the High Line . A mile and a half of elevated rail line, designed to take freight trains off the streets of Manhattan, it had been transformed into an urban park (opening in June). Cool Hunting has a great video presentation about it, which features Robert Hammond, one of the founders.

They held a competition to suggest the best use for the disused line. A couple of belters were a mile and a half long lap pool, and a 1.5 mile long roller coaster. I’m already working on a reason to be in NYC this summer.

“First the mental institution, now rain…”

This is one of my favorite movie quotes. It’s from Dudley Moore’s character, in Crazy People. He plays a burned out ad exec who is committed to a mental institution by his best friend. Upon his arrival it starts to rain, which prompts this comment. In the same vein, an amazing one-two punch brought to us by Global Warming! Not only is the Arctic melting with the ensuing rise in water levels, threats to wildlife etc., but that melting is causing the release of more greenhouse gases. Check out this video.

That’s obviously not good, but what about making enery from the methane? I don’t know too much about it, but I know PG&E was doing something here in Northern California with cow dung! Then I found this. Katey Walter, the narrator in the LA Times video above, and researcher at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, “has spent the past few years mapping and measuring hot spots of methane emission in the rapidly melting regions of Alaska and Siberia”, is a bit more hopeful in this piece. This problem could actually turn into a resource. As stated here, ‘If life gives you methane, make methane energy’. Jimi Nation salutes you Katey. We’re sending you a Jimi!

Earth Day, Double Jimi Giveaway and Do Robots Dream of Shoes Made From Tires?

What? Yeah sorry about that. My attempt at a Philip K. Dick homage! So this is it the crest of Jimi Earth Week – Earth Day. And we’ve got a couple of great recipients for the Jimi wallet ‘Hey Thanks’ today. Yeah we decided to double up as it’s Earth Day. Shai Agassi who is reinventing the electric car (already) – that’s where the robot comes in, and Alastair Onglingswan who is making shoes from recycled tires and putting them on the feet of kids without shoes. Nominated by Dave Berger, and IC respectively – who’ll be getting Jimis too – these are really compelling stories -  more just below…

Firstly, I just wanted to take this chance to thank you all for taking part in Jimi Earth Week and remind you that this is your last chance to get 20% off all of our products at the Jimi Store including the Jimi Game Shell, which carries game cards and SD cards for the amazing new Nintendo DSi, the great digital camera accessory - Jimi Multi Media case, JimiX, and the whole Jimi wallet range of colors including the all new White. Just use the coupon code ‘white’ on the purchase page at the Jimi Store to get the discount.

So here’s what IC had to say about Alastair: Send one to my husband, Alastair Ong. He has tirelessly started a company that recycled rubber tires and inner tubes into sandals at http://www.greensoulshoes.org. For each one that he sells he gives one away to an underprivileged child in need! So he’s doing good for the earth and good for the world. There’s a nice summary about them here.

And Dave’s comment about Shai Agassi: Dude, just got round to reading the Ny Times magazine from Sunday, and I couldn’t put it down! Read about this guy, Shai Agassi, who has a great new approach to getting electric cars on the road. Really surprising idea. Seriously! Surely thi sguy deserves a jimmy??? (sic). Having just read this piece in the NY Times Magazine, it’s hard to argue! Shai’s Better Place concept is a really fitting way to close out Jimi Earth Week.

And just a closing thought on ‘being green’, eco etc from the bully pulpit of jimination.com. I went to a pre-screening of a new Sundance Channel show called Eco Trip last week, and afterwards met David de Rothschild the show’s presenter/’protagonist’. He’s a really down to earth bloke (yes in spite of his last name) who said he wants to present green/sustainability issues in a way that isn’t worthy or elitist, because there’s been enough of that. Here, here brother! That’s what we’ve tried to do at Jimi since day one, with our Made With Respect policy. Namely, attempt to build the most sustainable products we can, turn people on to the idea of making stuff in a more responsible way, and always realize we could do more. Somewhere between the worthy eco-elite and the green-washing corporations is the rest of us. So we say do what you can – do your best. Life’s pretty challenging for everyone these days, the last thing you need is to feel gnawing guilt about forgetting your canvas bag at the grocery store that one time! Happy Earth Day.

Jimi Products

Earth Week (Day 7), Jimi Giveaway and Alternatives!

The penultimate day of Jimi Earth Week and Alternatives, MA has been randomly chosen as today’s recipient of a Jimi wallet. Nominated by Hùng Q. Pham – who’ll be getting one too – they provide skills training and support to people with developmental and psychiatric disabilities, more below…

First I just wanted to remind you that is the last day, but one of the  20% off Sale on everything at the Jimi Store – like the whole range of Jimi wallet colors shown below. Just use the coupon code ‘white’ on the purchase page at the Jimi Store to get the discount.

Here’s Hùng’s detailed nomination for Alternatives: I’m not sure if I can nominate an organization, but I’m going to put in a good word for the organization I work for, Alternatives. Alternatives, headquartered in Massachusetts, “offers a wide spectrum of residential and vocational services of the highest quality to people with developmental and psychiatric disabilities. Our mission is to provide the necessary skills and support so that each person may lead a satisfying and successful life in the setting of his or her choice with maximum use of community networks.”

So, why should a non-profit, human service agency be recognized for doing something “good for the Earth”? Well, it’s two-fold.

First would be the the good we’re doing for the people we serve. Assisting people who have been ’shunned’ by society (in the past, these people have largely been placed into institutions, away from the community) and re-integrating them through teaching them the skills, and providing the supports they need. It is a strong community (and Earth) that cares about ALL of it’s citizens, including people with disabilities.

Second, is the “going Green” aspect of the organization, spearheaded primarily by the decision to renovate the history Mill buildings we owned. The renovation created a new space for our admin offices, a community plaza and theatre/conference center, houses one of our programs, and 3 apartments for clients to live in. And it was done with the environment in mind.

Everything, from the design to implementation was done to minimize harm to and maximize the use of the environment. Bricks and wood from razing portions of the old buildings were re-used; A giant dying tulip tree on premise was cut down and turned into lumber to be used; the design utilizes sunlight and when we need to use lights, the entire complex is fitted with CFL’s. 75% of the building was reused. These are just few of countless examples of reuse and keeping the environment in mind.

The building was also designed to be self-sufficient, with the use of: Photovoltaic (solar panels), Geothermal Wells (for heating and cooling), and a water turbine. The turbine will be installed this summer, with the other two technologies already in place and being used. We’ll be producing about 80% of our energy needs, and should we produce energy in excess, it will be sold back to the grid. The building itself is LEED certified.

But in addition to the “bricks and mortar” aspect of Green, we have internally developed a Green Committee with the goal of reducing our carbon footprint, agency-wide, by 26%. Already, a majority our programs (we run over 40 of them across the state) have begun using CFL’s, installing low-flow shower heads, recycling, etc.

You might ask… “Why would a non-profit human service agency do all this?”

One of our highest priorities is to live in a more collaborative and diverse community with a strong sense of place. We believe that the Mill, with its many events and activities, will significantly contribute towards this end. As stated previously, a strong community cares about all of its citizens, including people with disabilities.

As a non-profit, we have a responsibility because of our tax-exempt status to be as cost-effective and efficient as possible with our resources, including being better stewards of our environment. The Mill – using energy from the River, the Earth, and the Sun — will be self-sufficient.

Lastly, besides providing valuable services, most non-profits only relate to the larger community through their fundraising activities. Alternatives certainly fundraises, but we are also giving back to the community in a significant way through the Mill project. Because we are taking a leadership role in the environment, the arts, and historical preservation for the community, we believe community members will be much more open to provide real opportunities for the people we serve to obtain the homes, jobs, and relationships that they deserve. It is all about reciprocity!

After all the hard work and the dust settling (from renovation/construction), the project and the multi-faceted vision is gaining national attraction (recently featured in Behavioral Heatlhcare, a national industry magazine).

So it might not be on a grand global scale of developing awareness, but I think the simultaneous awareness around people with disabilities and the environment is great and it proves that no matter what you do, or who you are, you can make an impact on the Earth.

And if nothing else, I’ve let a few more people know about a great organization and the great things its doing. Just like every time I pull out my Jimi wallet and get comments and questions wherever I go. I tell them that it pares things down to the essentials, is environmentally friendly, and just overall a cool product. I’ve let a few more people know about a great product and great things that company is doing. Kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Wow, that’s quite a compelling submission! With that in mind, let’s have one last push for some knockout nominees for the last day of Jimi Earth Week/Earth Day itself. Thanks for taking part and your interest in the nominees.

Cheers. Mike

The Jimi Wallet Range