AntSaint

New "We the Savers" Website from ING Direct

"All good things come to those who save" – and ING Direct's new site, We the Savers, is built to bolster exactly that mindset.

There are forums and some bits and baubles, but the meat, the main thing, behind We the Savers, is the "declaration" – the reminder to yourself that when it comes to money, you've got to ultimately spend less than you bring in, if you're ever going to get ahead.

Check it out. Take it to heart. And get saving.

We the Savers »

Dear Bloglines

Stop resetting my feed counts. There are not 3000 unread posts in here, and I'm tired of resetting them manually and missing stuff I might've wanted to read.

You are on notice. I were half as cool as Stephen Colbert, you would get a dreaded double-wag of my finger.

Now to prepare an alternative to jump ship to... maybe Google Reader?

Best Burritos in Eugene

Eugene is a great town for a great burrito. Here are some of my favorites for burritos:

• Las Brasas, 541 Blair Boulevard. (541) 338-0807
• Lonches to Go (try the fish burrito), 901 River Rd. (541) 461-7920. They've also had write-ups in the August 2008 Eugene Weekly Chow and The Register-Guard
• Mucho Gusto (again, try the fish burrito). They have locations Eugene's Oakway Center and just across from Valley River Center; there's also a location in Medford.

What are your favorite burrito joints?

twitter.com/antsaint

Thought I'd give Twitter a whirl, and have been in there for a wee bit now. I'm still a bit cool towards Twitter, but am warming up to it for these reasons...

• Good way to talk here and there with colleagues, but outside of email and IM.
• I can follow Felicia Day, Brent Spiner, Tim Ferriss and even Darth Vader. That's just cool.
• Twitter actually is a neat community, and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. A little.

Follow along: twitter.com/antsaint

Korean Beef Bulgogi

An old colleague of mine gave me this recipe years ago, and Jodie and I had a chance to do it up recently. It's an amazing dish, one that can also easily be done up when having folks over for dinner too. The meat can be marinaded for as little as 3 hours, but for best results, marinade overnight. You can prep veggies and make rice while the meat cooks.

Ingredients & Directions

Combine in a large glass bowl:

• 4-5 Tbsp. white sugar
• 3 tsp. black pepper
• 4-6 chopped green onions
• 5-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 6 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce

Then take 3-5 lbs. London broil, chuck tender or similar cut, and thinly slice crosswise into 1-2" strips. Add beef to mixture in bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and preferably overnight.

When ready to cook, first start some rice cooking in a separate pot or rice cooker. Heat wok or deep skillet to medium-high heat. Once hot, add beef and scrape in as much sauce as possible. Stir occasionally, cover and boil for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Prep vegetables (to be added near the end of the cooking time). Great veggies to add include 1/2-1 lb. sliced mushrooms, 2 large broccoli heads and stems (if cooking with stems, add those 5 minutes before adding other vegetables), 3 thinly sliced carrots , misc greens.

In a small bowl, combine 3-4 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2-3 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce and 2-3 cloves minced garlic.

Uncover pan and cook down liquid until most liquid is gone and meat is just starting to sizzle. Add vegetables and stir regularly, cooking 5-7 minutes. Pour in sauce from small bowl and stir to add "glaze" to dish. Serve over rice.

At table, serve with condiments including sweet chile sauce, chile garlic sauce, and soy/rice vinegar mixes to taste. Great with dark beer.

Blog, Video and More at New White House.gov Website

In addition to the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the White House has also relaunched its website.

Additions include sections for video and a blog. There is a lot of messaging around the site about this administration's focus on "transparency", and I'm looking forward to seeing a White House that embraces not just the web, but social media as well in putting information out there to the public.

Here's to seeing what the next 4 years bring.

Working on the Novel

These past few days I've been re-establishing the work-on-my-novel groove that I tapped into during November's National Novel Writing Month. Here are the steps I've been taking:

• Taking some time each day — even as little as 10 minutes — to work on the novel. This could be as simple as jotting down some notes on scene ideas, but no matter, it's a little bit of time, each day.
• Map out character interactions, feelings, tensions that could be explored and developed.
• Outline the novel's action. What would the story be like if it were purely linear? Or linear but bouncing back and forth between different character interactions occurring at the same time? What would the story be like if the story jumps between past and present, progressing the main story but filling in back detail and history?
• Keeping my confidence up. Writing a novel in 30 days (well, ok, it was a bit less for me) has been a huge confidence boost. I remember that achievement, while also looking ahead at all the work between now and the day that I know I have a finished draft, ready for publication.
• Speaking of publication, I'm keeping that in mind, but not too much. This is a book I've always wanted to write, and I'm finally, actually writing it. I do want to see it published, but right now, what matters is the writing. And then the re-writing. And then some more re-writing. And then we'll see.

What is the Future of the Register-Guard?

I remember getting the newspaper (and working for one too, many years ago), but it's been a long time since I've anything with newsprint but put it in my woodstove. Nor am I alone; newspapers are struggling for readers and for a future strategy, and Eugene's Register-Guard is no exception. They recently discussed the challenges facing the paper, as well as what they are looking at as a long-term web and print strategy: Home | "Register-Guard aims to serve print readers, grow online" | The Register-Guard.

"The Register-Guard will continue to focus on a seven-day-a-week newspaper for “print loyalists,” while searching for new ways to reach younger readers through a variety of online offerings, Editor and Publisher Tony Baker told the Eugene City Club on Friday"

What I would hope to see is increased local and state coverage, and less national and world coverage — there are plenty of sources for these. The R-G has made a lot of steps in this direction, particularly with blogs and video. While for now they're continuing with a print edition, I wonder how many more years it will be before that print newspaper is no more?

First Meeting of New Green Lane Business Community Jan. 15

What? Green Lane, Lane County's first business network for sustainability, is having its first event on January 15th from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at Northwest Community Credit Union at 3660 Gateway Street, Springfield, Oregon.

• Who's feeding us? Northwest Community Credit Union
• Who's bringing the wine? Meriwether Wine
• Who's bringing the beer? Oakshire Brewery
• How much does it cost? $10 (this will be applied to your annual membership if you join)

Here's the scoop. Lane County is on a mission to assist in building a stronger economy, a happier planet, and a thriving community. Green Lane exists to support all three, through offering education, supporting community, and networking to the business community. Green Lane wants to make sure that your big or small business, your friend's business, your up-and-coming business, finds what you're looking for when it comes to sustainability and business.

Who is Green Lane? Green Lane is currently a volunteer group of professionals who are passionate about energy efficiency and renewables, community economic development, waste reduction and recycling, and the enhancement and development of Lane County's social equity (aka we're your neighbors and friends).

Membership Fees? Yes. Green Lane is currently self-funded and is looking for small fees from members to help Green Lane provide thorough and helpful resources to the business community. Fees are annual and range from $35 for an individual, $50 for a nonprofit, and $100 for a for-profit business.

Why?

• Networking. Find other greenies who can help, and who can help you.
• Education. Learn about greening your business and what's going on in the world of sustainability, locally and globally.
• Community Building. Interested in putting your business and Eugene on the map for the greenest city? Not only will this support a stronger Eugene economy but it will support a stronger community as well.
• Come join us, meet others who are new, passionate, and/or seasoned veterans of the sustainability movement at Northwest Community Credit Union.

Want to attend? RSVP Katie Wilson-Hamaker via email at katie at wilsonhamaker dot com, or call 541.337.3855.

Willamette Street Bar and Grill Opens at 5th & Willamette, Eugene

The new Willamette Street Bar and Grill sounds like an interesting mix of gourmet food, grown-up atmosphere and economy prices – sounds good to me:

 

Home | "Willamette Street Bar and Grill opens downtown" | The Register-Guard.

"Everything at Willamette Street Bar & Grill is made from scratch, she says, adding that her customers have enjoyed the restaurant’s adult — rather than raucous — atmosphere"