JeffDauler.com

Just trying to waste time in a somewhat useful way.

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WASTE SOME TIME, NICE SPRING DAY EDITION

March 30, 2010  

Grannies vs Teens: Who’s Scarier On The Road?

What’s more obnoxious, teens sexting while driving or Grannies trotting along the highway at a little over 21 miles per hour?  Both are frustrating as hell, but one is clearly more dangerous. According to www.theautoinsurance.com, more teenagers are involved in fatal crashes, but the Grannies take the cake in CAUSING fatal wrecks.

Say Hello To My Lil Friend

This is great … but it’s not real.

From TMZ.com: That hysterical (or horrifying) version of “Scarface” is making the rounds,with grade school kids playing all the parts and spewing the f-word,”fudge!” Yeah, it’s not an actual school play.  Instead, it’s the work of director Marc Klasfeld and Rockhard Films, who did the videos for Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface” and Adam Lambert’s “For Your Entertainment.” It was produced in L.A. within the last few weeks and the audience members were a mix of cast family members, colleagues and friends.  As for Lil Tony and his co-stars, they were selected through a casting agent known for finding child actor look-alikes for adult stars.  The fake scar was a nice touch.

Being Productive At Work

I found some great suggestions on how to be more productive at work on Zen Habits.  My favorites (the ones I practice or will try to put into practice) are below, and the rest can be found right here.

Start early. Going into work early was one of my favorite tricks.  It was quiet, before the phones, chatter and meetings started, and I could get a lot of work done in peace. By the time everyone else was getting started, I’d gotten two or three big tasks checked off.

Write shorter emails. If email takes up a lot of your day, the simple change of limiting yourself to 3-4 sentences per email will make a big difference. First, it’ll drastically shorten the time it takes to write or respond to emails. And second, it’ll shorten responses to your emails, which means you’ll spend less time reading email.

Limit meetings. The fewer the better. Some top Google executives just do 5-minute meetings — anyone who attends these meetings had better be prepared, and concise. If you can get out of meetings and just get the notes, or find an alternative way to communicate, it could save you hours per week.

Automate. The fewer repetitive and routine tasks you have to do, the more time you’ll free up for creating and important work. So automate wherever possible: have people fill things out electronically, or get info from your website instead of emailing or calling you, or use a service that automatically processes payments or ships your product, and so on.

Clear your desk. This can be done in a few minutes. Clear everything off the top of your desk. Only put back a few essential items.  Everything else should be: filed, given to the appropriate person, given a permanent spot in a drawer, or trashed/recycled. Make quick decisions and then get back to work.

Schedule big blocks of creative time. Not everyone can do this, but when possible, put a big block of 3-4 hours in your schedule for creating or doing other important work. Make this time inviolate, and don’t allow meetings or other things to be scheduled during this time. Be ruthless about clearing distractions and doing the work you love during these blocks, taking breathing breaks as necessary. Rejoice in your creativity.

Now get off this website and get productive!

Cell Phones and Airplanes

I always thought cell use is prohibited on planes to force passengers to use ultra-expensive in-flight calling. The FCC, which does not have a stake in the phones installed on planes, banned cell phone use on planes because of concerns that their signals could cause disruptions and interfere with aircraft navigation systems.

Oops.

ASK ME ANYTHING

March 22, 2010  

I just answered a few more questions from my Formspring ‘Ask Me Anything’ page.  Here are a few of ‘em:

Q: You ever gonna have kids?
A: Maybe someday.

Q: Why do all really hot girls have really terrible personalities? I try to strike up a conversation with a girl in my office and she responds like she’s doing me a favor. Sheesh. Any advice?
A: I know some hot girls with awesome personalities and nasty girls with nasty personalities. Move on.

Q:Why do you think people refuse to look at lessons from history….instead striving for a social utopia?
A: Studying history is essentially the analysis of errors and mistakes … and humans don’t like to do that.

Q: Have you ever found a hat that fits?
A: It’s rare, like a unicorn.

Q: Do you think as a man your opinion would matter on the subject of abortion?
A: Of course it matters, can’t make a baby without two people.

Q: Have you ever upgraded Jessica’s wedding ring since now you’re making a lot more money?
A: Nope, but her ring was stolen last year and we have to get a new one that will probably be a tad nicer than the one I got 10 years ago!

Q: Do you think the Braves will do well next season?
A: I hope so. It would be a cool way to send Bobby out.

Q: You said you’d like to be a police officer. Do you think you could shoot a criminal or see a dead body?
A: I would have to learn to be OK with all of that if I did.

Q: What’s the best way to search for a job?
A: Network network network!

Q: I got denied for a job recently and, without my knowledge, my mother wrote them a nasty letter. I’m 27 years old and have no idea what to do from here. Any suggestions?
A: Wow! If I were you, I would email that to Tracey@Q100Atlanta.com and come on the Bert Show to talk about it!

Q: How long is your current contract with Q100?
A: Through 2/2013.

Q: Do you think curse words are just words and shouldn’t be taken so seriously?
A: Depends on the environment.

Q: I love to drink, but the other day I got pretty wasted on martinis. Any suggestions on how to snap out of my hangover fog?
A: Another martini.

Q: How often do you work out…if at all?
A: Does walking the dog count?

Do you want to ask me something totally anonymously?  Check out http://www.formspring.me/jeffdauler and fire away!

BRAZILIAN CHEESE BREAD, OR PAO DE QUEIJO

March 21, 2010  

Now that our various home-improvement projects are wrapping up, I’m excited to start cooking and eating at home again … even though we’ve discovered a handful of great restaurants all a few minutes from the house in the past couple of months:

Fuego Mundo, Joli Kobe (for lunch and brunch) and Taco Mac; all at the Prado.
Blue Grotto for sushi.
Teela Taqueria for Mexican.
Hearth for pizza.

We’ll still patronize those places often, just not AS often.

I hopped into the kitchen this afternoon to make a little Brazilian Cheese Bread. This is practice for a dinner Jess and I had in Panama that I want to recreate later this week.

I stumbled across this recipe and liked it for three major reasons: easy, simple ingredients, and it can be prepared in advance of baking.  The recipe here is exactly as it was on SimplyRecipes.com, but I’ve added some commentary noting how I minimized clean-up and utensil use. I’m proud of my kitchen efficiency skills, although Adam Murphy’s restaurant report card might raise an eyebrow.

In addition, it looks and sounds fancier than it really is.

1.  Set your oven on 400.

2.  Assemble these things:

  • 1 egg
  • olive oil (1/3 cup)
  • milk (2/3 cup)
  • tapioca flour (1 1/2 cups) – I found this at Whole Foods and it comes in a box, not a bag. It was on a lower shelf.
  • queso fresco (1/2 cup, shredded and packed) – My Kroger had this.  You need about 6 ounces.
  • salt (teaspoon)
  • a blender
  • a mini-muffin tin
  • spray Pam for baking or something else to coat the muffin tin with
  • big measuring cup (at least 2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup measuring cup
  • teaspoon
  • cheese shredder thing
  • spoon or butter knife

3.  Use the shredder to shred about 6 ounces of the cheese … if should be enough to fill the 1/2 cup container if you pack it down a bit. (Remember … more cheese is always better than less!)  Dump the cheese in the blender and you are done with that measuring cup and shredder … put ‘em in the sink.

4.  Use the big measuring cup to measure and add the tapioca flour, the milk, and the olive oil.  Crack the egg in there and add the teaspoon of salt.  You’re done with the teaspoon, but you may want the measuring cup again.  Rinse it well and dry it out.

5.  Use the pulse feature on the blender to mix all the ingredients until it’s like pourable and lump-free, like smoothie.  Pause the blender from time to time and use the spoon or butter knife to scrape down the sides.

6.  Coat the muffin tin with the non-stick stuff of your choice.

7.  I pour about half the ’smoothie’ into the measuring cup to make it easier to manage, then use that to fill each muffin cup.  I fill each one to just a touch below the rim.  Put them on the center rack of an oven that’s pre-heated to 400 for 15 minutes.  You’ll need a couple of minutes after 15, but start checking them at 15.  About 17 or 18 is good.

8.  While they’re cooking, dump the rest of the mix into the measuring cup for second batch (or for later … mix will keep in your fridge for a week) and rinse out the blender. Load up your dishwasher, wipe down your workspace, and that’s it.

TOTALS:

  • time: less than 40 minutes
  • prep time: less than 15 minutes
  • dishes dirtied: 7
  • clean-up time: less than 15 minutes
  • servings made: 19

Note: I made my first batch at 385 using convection bake, and the second batch was at 400 and regular bake. The second ones came out better, BUT I only had enough mix left to fill every second cup in the muffin tin. Not sure which had more of an impact on the end result – the baking style or spreading out the breads.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you try this, and how it comes out!

How ’bout me, blogging like Martha Stewart?

 

HAPPY ST. PADDY’S DAY, MY FRIENDS

March 17, 2010  

BABYSITTING GRANDMA

March 11, 2010  

(From DontEvenReply.com.  A site very much worth a visit, unless you have a deadline.)

ASK ME ANYTHING

March 11, 2010  

I just answered a few more questions from my Formspring ‘Ask Me Anything’ page.  Here are a few of ‘em:

Q: I recently grew a mustache. Do you feel the special powers of the stache that I do?
A: I have a goatee, so I am more powerful than you.

Q: Where in Atlanta would you recommend I go if I were hoping to just “run into” you sometime, but not be a crazy stalker person following you around? I want to be one of those fans who comes up to tell you    how much I love your contributions to TBS!!
A: You just did!  I eat out a lot, but I don’t have any regular places. Maybe Taco Mac, Sandy Springs?

Q: I love you guys but I’m funnier than all of you. I wanna be on the show.
A: Tell me a joke, then.

Q: I got my wisdom teeth taken out today but it doesnt hurt yet.  Is that normal?
A: I don’t know, still have all of mine. Do you still feel wise?

Q: What’s your favorite non-mainstream band?
A: Needtobreathe, but they will be mainstream soon. They’re incredible!

Q: Do you think you will be a millionaire before you die?
A: Yes.

Q: Does anyone on the show use fake names for themself or their family?
A: No. We all use our real names.

Q: Who was the first girl you kissed, and how old were you?
A: Her name was Laura or Lauren, and I was around 12 … I think. There was a girl in second grade, and that was just a peck … I think.

Q: What happened to Father Crunk?
A: He’s around. We just talked about getting him back on with us.

Q: Describe the most challenging obstacle you’ve ever had to overcome. (Big Microsoft interview question, btw!)
A: Public speaking to a small crowd. Seriously.

Q: Do you have audio from the interview you did with Tom Cruise?
A: It’s on my website.

Q: I’ve noticed that you reference Simon Cowell alot when asked about people you would like to meet. Why is that?
A: I think he has a good story and has made his own success. I respect that.

Do you want to ask me something totally anonymously?  Check out http://www.formspring.me/jeffdauler and fire away!

WHY I DON’T MISS SYRACUSE

March 7, 2010  

When Jessica and I were in Panama (about 90 each day, with beautiful blue skies) my parents got about 20 inches of snow.

They sent these pictures.

 

No, I don’t miss it.  Not even a little bit.

ASK ME ANYTHING

February 20, 2010  

I just answered a few more questions from my Formspring ‘ask me anything’ page.  Here are a few of ‘em:

Q: Do they serve beer at Disney?
A: They sure do!

Q: What’s your secret to putting on the “happy face” (in your case voice) when you aren’t so happy? I suck at doing this and am told I need to learn, although I don’t always agree with the stigma of “wearing your heart/emotions on your sleeve”
A: I don’t have one. I can’t fake it. It sucks.

Q: Can you please tell me the name of he phone psychic you spoke with last year and how to get in touch with her?
A: Natalie Tomlinson:  http://www.natalietomlinson.com/

Q: What’s the purpose of your life?
A: I don’t know yet.

Q: Whatever happened to Denzil and Suzie?
A: Denzil was working at Dave-FM, and Suzi was in L.A. doing radio. Not sure where either is now.

Q: How do you find the time to do all that you do and still get enough sleep?
A: I don’t know. I’m always behind, and I don’t get enough sleep!

Q: I think I came up with a great idea for a reality show. Who do I talk to? And how do I protect it?
A: You’ll never be able to protect it 100%. And the rest is luck.

Q: Can you please identify “the” question you want to be asked within the answer, when someone finally asks it?
A: Sure. IF it gets asked.

Q: What are some of your favorite t.v. shows?
A: The Office. Soprano’s. West Wing.

Q: What song is stuck in your head right now?
A: Lady Antebellum, Need You Now

Do you want to ask me something totally anonymously?  Check out http://www.Formspring.me.jeffdauler and fire away!

FRIEND OF A LOST FAN?

February 2, 2010  

FLASHBACK: A FEW GOOD MEN

January 27, 2010  

In 2004, Tom Cruise was promoting Collateral, and I asked him about a classic movie scene.  It is, to this day, one of the top 3 experiences of my career.

tom_cruise_col

LISTEN HERE:

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