Latham House Tavern: Blackberry margarita. Yum.

We tend to undervalue the ordinary tools we use every day while we notice — and write about — what is changing, what is new. That’s why it’s called news. This article is spot on: Adactio: Journal—Dev perception.

Photographers who write about cameras get better at selling camera equipment. Those who get to know their subjects produce valuable documents that enrich the lives of many.

In the same way, developers who focus too heavily on their tools will not be thinking about the problems their users are trying to solve. We could use a lot more boring technology in the world that just works for people. I know many people who would find a web site that just works the way they expect to be something very exciting indeed.

Shoot. I thought I was getting the chair with the difficult instructions.

If you give your kid a labeler for his birthday…

Things might get out of hand quickly.

The stickers are real! Yay! Yay! Yay! I am unreasonably happy to be getting these.

Lucky’s Coffee Garage: This place has that elusive combination of great coffee and relaxing vibe.

A very special ten-year-old asked his parents for a chocolate cake with orange frosting for his eleventh birthday. His mother found a recipe, procured the ingredients, and baked three layers of chocolate cake in pans borrowed from a friend.

The rest was left as an exercise for his father. His father, it should be noted, has tried many times to make butter cream frosting. Most of those tries have ended in failure. The special ten-year-old’s mother deflected questions from friends and relatives while grating orange zest and providing moral support. The father proceeded to conquer his fears of butter cream frosting. See photo journey below.

What became of the butter

You know good things are happening when you have this much butter out.