Through these efforts I’ve begun to notice a greater appreciation of clean and minimalist ideals.  Put simply, I like it when things are clean and not cluttered.  This goes for not just my bathroom sink and landscaping – but for everything.  I get frustrated at the cluttered, slow, clunky and sometimes confusing interfaces on most TV / Cable providers.  I get annoyed when I see marketing materials that try to cram in every buzzword possible instead of being clean, clear and concise.  I abhor applications that eschew clean and easy interfaces for the sake of cramming in unnecessary (and ultimately unused) features and options.

A couple of weeks ago I ran across a proposal for a remake of Adium, the popular IM client for Mac.  Titled “Adium Reborn“,  I instantly fell in love with the clean and minimal interface.  There would be nothing to get in the way of using the app – exactly as it should be.

The more I think about and consider this line of thinking, the more I realize that when I go through periods where finding motivation is difficult, I allow clutter to pile up around me.  The clutter makes it ever more difficult to be motivated and to find inspiration.   It frustrates me.  I avoid it like the plague, and in doing so allow it to get worse – perpetuating the cycle until something gives and I can’t take it anymore.

The solution for me – inasmuch as there is one – is to recognize this cycle and identify it when it’s happening.  I need to deal with the clutter early and with a vengeance to short circuit the cycle and – with any luck – find further motivation and inspiration to do more.

Professionally, as a product manager,  I should strive to push the teams I work with to produce products that are clean, simple and effective.  The product should never get in the way of doing the work.

If it does, we’ve failed.

Shortly thereafter,  Ann convinced me to give it another shot and go for a run with her.  This time I had someone helping me to keep a reasonable pace, and for the first time in my life I ran a mile without stopping.  Then I ran two, and a third.   I remember the feeling of elation at having done something so basic as running a mile without stopping.  I wasn’t running particularly fast… but I was running, and not walking.

Over the next couple of months I did ever increasing distances mixed with shorter and faster runs.  I set many personal records along the way – both in distances run as well as pace per mile (and pace per 5k, 10k, etc).  I continued to improve – eventually joining Ann for one of her 8 mile training runs.  She was training for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon, and I planned on watching and snapping photos of her as she crossed the finish line.

Early last week Ann and I signed up for the Indy Monumental half-marathon in November, and I was looking forward to running my first half marathon – content in the knowledge that I would have plenty of time to prepare and confident that I could run it.  Then something unexpected happened…. An opportunity arose for me to join Ann and run in the Mini.  I took it.

And so this past Saturday morning we woke up early, donned our running clothes, and made our way to Downtown Indy.   We were both nervous – seeing as it was our first real running event.  As we got to the assigned corral,  the nervousness seemed to wash away and was replaced by excitement and good cheer.   Everyone seemed to be in good spirits – the atmosphere was fun.  Beach balls were flying everywhere and what I thought would be a long wait to get started seemed to fly by in a blur.

As we crossed the starting line and began running I remember thinking “this is it… we can do this!”.  We were fairly far back in the pack, due to how Ann registered and we ended up in a “race walk” zone,  full of folks who were walking.  At the start it made it very difficult as many of the walkers were not making it easy for us to pass them, so we had to “thread the needle” frequently in order to not get stuck behind large packs of slow movers.    The first mile was the worst for that, but things quickly opened up enough for us to run a bit more freely.    Ann, with her GPS watch,  kept us on our target pace – frequently telling me to slow it down.  In the excitement I had a tendency to speed up.  Ann keeping me on pace ended up saving me at the end.

By mile 4 my left knee hurt and I could feel blisters forming on the sides of my feet.  I knew my knee would be fine as it had done this before and is a result of lack of cartilage behind my kneecaps – I had been warned this would be somewhat painful at times, but that I wouldn’t do lasting harm.   The blisters had me a little worried, but ultimately ended up not being an issue.

Somewhere around mile 5 – at a water station – Ann noticed a discarded cup being blown by the wind that was sliding across the ground past us in the direction we were running.   She quipped “Hey! that cup is running faster than I am!”,  causing another running to start laughing pretty hard.  Comic relief – both from things we noticed from other runners or from antics of the spectators – helped quite a bit.  It provided a welcome distraction from the run itself.

When we got to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I found myself extremely excited.  I had taken pictures here as part of the IMS Photo Ops staff for a couple of years, but this was my first time participating in an event that at least in part took place there.  Running around the track was a lot of fun… and really gives you an appreciation for it’s size.   Halfway down the first straightaway Ann mentioned that she wasn’t sure she could finish.  I told her she could,  and that I would help her.  It was also about this point where I learned why Body Glide exists,  and why nipple chafing is no laughing matter.  That’s a lesson I’ve still not recovered from.

Crossing the Yard of Bricks was particularly thrilling, and I knew that the end was growing ever closer – at that point we had more miles behind us than in front, and so we pushed on.   Exiting the Speedway, a lady behind us was telling her friend that it was at that point the previous year – her first running the mini – that she knew she could finish it.  Hearing that provided a little boost of encouragement that helped both Ann and I press on.

Around mile 10,  Ann started running out of gas.  Her breathing and cardio were not an issue – but her legs and knees were sore and walking felt oh-so-good at the time.   She stopped and walked.   I pushed her to continue running as I jogged beside her, and after 30 seconds she picked up running again.   As soon as we hit a gatorade station, though, she stopped and walked again.   It took a little bit longer of  telling her she can do this, and that we didn’t just run 10 miles to walk the rest – but she started again.   I wasn’t going to let her quit on me, and I certainly wasn’t going to walk – I knew if I did that I would not be able to start running again.

As those last few miles ticked off I was ever more thankful that we were close to the end.   When I finally saw the finish line I knew we had done it, and everything seemed to get a little easier.   As we neared the finish Ann took off in a sprint.  It took me by surprise as I didn’t know she had it in her.  I sprinted after her, and caught up mere seconds before we both crossed the finish line together – logging exactly the same time for the race: 2:52:02.

It certainly wasn’t the fastest in the world… but our goal wasn’t to hit a particular time, but rather to finish and prove to ourselves that we could.

And we did.  Ann achieved what she set out to achieve, and I tagged along for the ride – accomplishing a goal I hadn’t realized was a goal until last week.  In the process we went from being unable to run a mile without stopping to completing 13.1 miles.  I couldn’t have done it without Ann, and I know she appreciated having me there to push her to keep going at the end.

As we recover from the run we’ve been looking forward and attempting to answer the question “what now?”.  Our answers share some similarities,  but differ a little.  We both want to improve our pace, and endurance.   Ann wants to run a few shorter races – 5k and 10k’s – which I will probably do as well.  We’ve already booked two more half marathons – the Indy Monumental half marathon and next year’s 500 Festival Mini.  I’m setting my sights on running a full marathon sometime in 2014 – most likely the Indy Monumental full marathon.  It has become apparent, however, that we’ve both caught the running bug.

I’ve got an intense cycling season ahead of me as well – kicking off with the Tour de Cure Century in June (thanks to everyone who has donated) and ending with the Bike MS Century in September.  It’ll be a long time in the saddle, but will be a whole lot of fun in the process.

But change was needed.  I was overweight, horribly out of shape, and had terrible eating habits.  I was fast on my way to heart disease and diabetes – all from not taking care of myself.  It turns out I didn’t particularly feel good, either; I simply didn’t know what “good” felt like.  I was blind to all of this because I didn’t want to believe that I was that bad.  I made excuses, ignored facts, and told myself I was fine.  I convinced myself I was healthy and that I didn’t need to change.

Then the illusion crumbled.

One day three years ago, I got on a bike and rode.  I wasn’t a cyclist – I just wanted to enjoy the remaining good weather as Summer dwindled and turned to Fall (then Winter).  This simple act caused an enormous impact by disrupting my carefully crafted self image.

I rode not because I wanted to lose weight, or improve my health.   I rode because I found it to be fun.  It was an enjoyable way to experience the great weather.   I kept doing it because I kept enjoying it.  Before I knew it – things started changing.  My clothes were a little looser.  I had more energy. I was beginning to crave the ride.  It wasn’t entirely about enjoying the nice weather or just having fun – though I still did and still was – but rather I felt better when I rode than I did when I didn’t.

I started noticing physical changes too.  I wasn’t out of breath as often,  and my clothes weren’t so tight. I started noticing that my face was getting skinnier – I hadn’t noticed it had gotten so big.  I also had an interest in other forms of exercise that I had previously scoffed as pointless.  I decided to attempt a couch to 5k program and start running, as well.  Before long – others took notice and started commenting on how I was slimming down.

Over the winter I went back into a hibernation of sorts and put weight back on,  but this time I was aware of it and not at all content with how I felt.  My brush with physical activity and the benefits it provides had left it’s mark.  That spring I bought a carbon fiber road bike and spent the year riding much more than I had the previous year – but I gave up on running.   My knees were giving me trouble (which I later attributed to not having been fitted on the new bike) and running aggravated them.  It was a minor setback – but I continued seeing improvements in my health over the course of the year.  I was getting better – but still wasn’t great.   I hit a plateau and stopped seeing progress.

The following year (last year) I figured out the reason for the plateau was simply that I wasn’t pushing myself.  I had gotten comfortable and stopped trying to improve.  I completed my transition into a cyclist and started pushing myself to go further and faster – and saw immediate gains.   My health continued to improve as I pushed myself with aggressive goals and a lot of riding.  I went into this winter having scheduled myself into a training program that would keep me riding at least twice a week with a goal of avoiding the inevitable weight gain from the winter months.  I started running again as well, to provide cross training and another way to stay in shape.  It worked.

Despite all of this – however – I was missing an essential component.   The piece of the puzzle that would allow me to step it up to the next level.  I had been tackling my health from the physical fitness standpoint – but not the culinary standpoint.  For the most part I was still eating whatever I wanted and not paying close attention to nutrition.   I reasoned that the physical activity was counter balancing a crappy diet, allowing me to eat anything without fear.

As it turns out – that’s not entirely true.   While it did help me avoid ballooning back to my previous weight (230 pounds) – I still had a too-high percentage of body fat and a risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.  It also wasn’t providing my body with the right kind of fuel for the intense workouts I had been putting it through – causing me to under-perform.   When Ann suggested we alter our diet to contain significantly less quantities of meat and an enormous increase in vegetables and other protein sources I was skeptical.   I like meat and couldn’t really wrap my head around the idea of enjoying food that doesn’t contain any… but I found myself more open to the idea than I would have been in the past.  And so we tried it.    We found recipes for vegetarian dishes containing vegetables we didn’t even know existed.   We spent more time in the kitchen than we have since we got married.  We had fun finding new things to try and cooking dinners together.  We found that these dinners actually tasted great.  More importantly, though, is that I’ve found I have even more energy and am becoming a leaner, more powerful, cyclist.   I finally hit critical mass.

It was a slow progression – for sure.   I went from no-exercise couch monkey eating fried and fatty foods to amateur cyclist and runner eating a diet low in fatty meat and high in fruits and vegetables.  I went from 230 pounds to less than 185 pounds. I went from XL shirts and size 38 jeans to medium shirts and size 34 “slim fit” jeans.  Moreover – I’ve done it in a way that is sustainable by slowly adjusting my habits until I’ve reached an ideal.  This is no quick fix.  This is no magic pill.  This is simply living a healthy and sustainable life with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.  All of those things they kept trying to teach us in school, and scientists keep trying to tell us as adults.  The things that we tend to ignore while we search for the next quick fix,  fad diet, or pill that will make us skinny. This is not easy.  You will face setbacks.  You will have to work at it.  It won’t come naturally – especially if – like me – you’ve neglected your health for years.   It is worth it.

The best part is – I don’t have to say no to the “bad” foods all the time.  I can still eat a burger and fries.  I can still enjoy a soda,  beer, or the occasional half bottle of wine (don’t judge me!).  With a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine doing those things won’t hurt you.  I actually feel more free to enjoy life now.

Thankfully – not all was lost.  I had another brew in the fermenter practically begging to be bottled or kegged. The prep work complete – the kegging will happen this evening and by the end of the week I’ll have the beer flowing once again.

This did, however, lead to a train of thought that (I hope) will ultimately lead to a display on the front of my keggerator and will tell me how much beer is left in my keg.  The plan – as it stands today – is for the display to tell me this both in pints remaining, but also with a bar gauge that will be fully shaded when the keg is full, and will gradually empty as the beer is consumed.  Since I have two kegs I will either need to build two of these, or build one that can toggle between the different kegs.  I also want to add a thermometer to it if possible, so I can tell the temperature of my kegs.

The plan as it stands today is to take a scale and modify it so that it sends it’s output to an Arduino,  and have the Arduino output to a 2-line LCD display that will be mounted to the front of the keggerator. The Arduino will be programmed to interpret the output of the scale to determine volume of beer based on weight.

There are several tricks to getting this to work.

• First – the scale must have a tare function to zero out an empty keg before I fill it.  This will allow me to determine the weight of the beer itself.
• Second – the scale must be very sensitive, allowing it to accurately detect changes when a single pint is removed from the keg.
• Third – the scale must be low profile. There’s not a lot of clearance left between the tops of the kegs and the ceiling of the refrigerator, so I don’t have much space to work with.

I know very little about electronics, Arduino, or how to actually make ANY of this work – but I do have some friends who a.) like beer and b.) have the requisite skills and knowledge to help make this dream a reality.  It just so happens that their help will benefit them in “free” beer.

I will update as the project moves forward and we build a proof of concept.   I’m excited to see where this goes and to learn more about both electronics and the fun things you can do with Arduino. Once complete, I shall never again be left blinking in surprise wondering why my glass is full of foam, not beer.

The first of the century rides I’ll be tackling is the Tour de Cure,  which is a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association.  This is the first major ride I will be participating in with Team Nebo Ridge, and I couldn’t be more excited for it.  Not only do I get to ride with some great people – I get to do it on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where I’ve spent countless hours photographing race cars (Indycar and Nascar).  For a change I’ll be one of the guys out on the track – which is insanely exciting.

Each of the Team Nebo Ridge riders has a goal of raising $200 for the American Diabetes Association, and I would like to ask for your help in reaching that goal.  I have an online donation page on the Tour de Cure website HERE to make it easy.  Any amount helps,  and supports me as a rider as well as all of the individuals who live with Diabetes.

I will continue to post updates on my progress this season as I tackle the challenges ahead and tackle goals I previously wouldn’t have considered possible.

There are several answers, really.  The first,  most obvious and basic answer is “because it’s fun”.  I enjoy doing it. If I didn’t enjoy it or if it ever got to a point where it was more work than fun, I would likely stop.  But in my opinion, that’s a blow off answer.

I also ride (and run) for the health benefits. Before I started riding regularly I weighed well over 200 pounds,  and had frequent occurrences where size large shirts were just a tad too tight on me (but I would wear them anyway because I refused to buy XL).  A recent weigh-in has me under 190 and as I write this I’m wearing a Medium. I feel better than I have at any other point in my life. I have more energy than ever. I look better than I have in the past 15 years, and my confidence has increased significantly as well.

But those are superficial reasons.

My bike (and now my running shoes) is my therapist.  When I have a crappy day at the office, a nice long ride on my bike often calms me down and allows me to look at things from a different perspective.  It’s peaceful.  It’s just me, my bike (or shoes), and the road.  I feel free from everything else I have going on.  It’s exhilarating.  The harder I push myself, the better I feel afterwards.  It’s my outlet for the stresses and frustrations I face on a regular basis.

But while I enjoy riding (and running) alone,  I also enjoy doing it in groups. I joined a cycling team for the sense of community and belonging. I’ve met many other people I otherwise would not have.  I’ve had plenty of great conversations across countless miles. I bonded with my former boss over our love of cycling (and have enjoyed many rides with him, and his son).  Recently with my move back into running I’ve been able to enjoy several runs with my wife – yet another activity we can enjoy together.  These moments where I can share something I absolutely love doing with others who love it as well are some of the best moments of my life. I would have missed out on them completely were it not for cycling (and running).

And so there you have it.  That’s why I’m a cyclist (and runner).

The training was grueling at times, but totally worth my time.  Not only did it keep me active over the course of the winter (something I’ve never done before),  but it helped me improve as a cyclist in both endurance and power.  A pleasant side effect was that the mild bout of seasonal depression that seems to hit me every year around the end of the holidays was notably absent this year.

At the end of the training I was invited to join Team Nebo Ridge as a club level rider and beginner racer. I’m excited to be part of TNR and look forward to meeting the other members over the course of the year and the friendships I hope will develop as a result.  I also look forward to learning from more experienced riders on the team, and becoming a better cyclist as a result.

The most notable change I’ve observed is my toughness when it comes to riding in cold temperatures.  Previous years I would not ride because it was “too cold” if the temperatures were in the 50s.  I’ve been out this year with temps in the 30s.  I’m no longer afraid to push myself outside of my comfort zone and into challenging myself to endure and improve.

And so this year I have adopted a challenging schedule that will push me well beyond what I ever imagined I’d be able to do:

• In late April I will ride in my first race(s) ever.  I only kind of know what I’m getting myself into and have no idea whether I will like this or not. I’m going to do it and see if it’s something I’d be interested in pursuing further.
• In June I will be riding with TNR in the Tour de Cure,  which is a 100 mile century ride on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to raise money for diabetes research.
• In July I will be riding with TNR in Ride Across INdiana (RAIN),  a one day, 160 mile, ride across the state.  I’m expecting it to take me at least 9 hours to complete.
• In September I will be riding another 100 mile century ride, this time for Bike MS.   I do not know if TNR will be fielding a group or not.   I’m currently registered as an individual rider.   This one is to raise money for MS research.

It’s a fairly hefty schedule that should prove to keep me busy the entire season.   I’ll be doing many training rides along the way and plan on using any opportunity to get out on the road.  I’m looking forward to an awesome year and many, many miles.

DIY Keggerator

Since I married Ann almost four years ago, she has continuously pushed me to embrace DIY.  She grew up on a farm in a family that did nearly everything themselves.  If they didn’t know how to do something they wouldn’t (and still don’t) let that stop them – they figure it out and get the job done.  I’m in awe of many of the things they can accomplish, and I see that same “get it done” attitude in Ann every day.

I’m also happy to note that the same attitude is starting to rub off on me.  A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to start kegging my beer.  I was tired of having to bottle every batch I made (and not having enough bottles),  and the joys and benefits of kegging were very compelling. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little giddy at the thought of pulling a glass of draft beer after a long day at work, as well. 

The problem was – I had nowhere to keep the keg(s) cold.   Kegs – even the 5 gallon Cornelius Kegs used by home brewers – are big.  Add in a CO2 tank, and all of the lines (gas and liquid) and that’s quite a bit of space. The obvious answer to this problem is “Keggerator”!

Pre-built keggerators, however, are expensive ($500 for a cheap one!), and honestly kind of plain.  Add to that the components that DONT come with one (CO2 tank, Keg) and you’ve got another couple hundred dollars, easily.  You’re looking at upwards of $1,000 for a decent setup.

After reading up on kegging (via Brew Your Own’s Guide to Kegging – a great read if you’re interested in kegging) I decided to do something I would never have considered before marrying Ann. I decided to build a keggerator.

 Here’s how I did it:

The first step is to find a refrigerator that you don’t mind drilling holes in.  The idea is to find one for cheap,  that still works and doesn’t need a whole lot done to it to clean it up.  For me this ended up being a lot easier than I expected.  A friend at work – who also brews – was willing to sell me an old refrigerator in good working order for $40.  It was the perfect size for what I wanted to do and the price was definitely right.  I’m sure a similar refrigerator could be found on craigslist, ebay or wherever. The dimensions of mine are 28″x28″x60″, and includes a top mounted freezer (great for frosted mugs!). It has enough space inside for up to three kegs plus a CO2 canister (5lb, though I’m sure 10lb would probably fit too).

The second step is to get the necessary parts for the conversion.   I built mine with two taps, and space for a third in between (should I decide to add one) – the parts list looked like this:

• Beverage line – 6ft (x2) (plus four clamps)
• Gas Line  short length – enough to get to kegs (x2) (plus four clamps)
• Liquid quick disconnect for ball lock (or pin lock) kegs (x2)*
• Gas quick disconnect for ball lock (or pin lock) kegs (x2)*
• 4″ shank with nipple & neoprene beer washer, beer nut (x2)
• Perlick Perl forward sealing faucet (x2)
• 5lb CO2 tank (filled)
• Dual gauge regulator for CO2 (dual gauge lets you see pressure in the tank, as well as pressure applied to keg)
• Y Splitter for CO2
• Check Valve for CO2 line (x2)
• Cornelius (“Corny”) 5 gallon ball lock (or pin lock) keg (x2)*
• Optional:  Replacement gaskets for corny keg (highly recommended!)
• Optional: Keg Lube (highly recommended!)

And finally, the tools needed for the conversion and assembly:

• Cordless Drill
• Adjustable Wrench
• Teflon thread tape (commonly used in plumbing – used here for CO2 connections)
• 7/8″ hole saw drill bit
• flat head screwdriver
• Optional: Spanner wrench (highly recommended!)

*  A note about Cornelius Kegs:  They come in two varieties – ball lock and pin lock.  The parts and disconnects are not interchangeable between the two, so it’s imperative that you know which type you have. Both work fine, but Ball Lock seems to be more common and more preferred.   Make sure you get the right kind of quick disconnects for the type of keg you have. I also recommend all of your kegs be of the same type.

Once you have all of the parts it’s time to start putting it all together:

1. Attach one end of each beverage line to a liquid disconnect (these are almost always colored black), and clamp it down with a hose clamp.   It can be a bit difficult to attach the line to the disconnect hose barb,  but you want it on there really good.   Attach the other end of each line to the nipple that attaches to the back of the shank, and again clamp it down with a hose clamp.  When you first hook everything up you’ll want to run sanitizer through the whole system and pay attention to these connection points to look for leaks.
2. Attach one end of each gas line to a gas disconnect (these are almost always colored grey), and clamp it down with a hose clamp.  Again – this can be difficult to do, but it’s imperative that you get it clamped on well.  Attach the other end to the hose barb on the check valve,  and again ensure it’s clamped on well.
3. Attach the Y splitter to the gas-out connection on your regulator.  Use thread tape to cover the threads and ensure a good seal.
4. Attach the check valves to the two ports on the Y splitter – also using thread tape to seal the threads.
5. Attach the regulator to the CO2 tank,  and ensure the plastic washer that should have been included with the regulator is in place.  If it’s missing you will lose all of your gas very quickly.  As with the other connections – use thread tape to seal the threads.   Make sure all of these connections are tight, but don’t over tighten.
6. Now that all of the components are ready, it’s time to make some holes.  Measure on the refrigerator door to determine where you want to put your taps, and mark the spots where you will drill the holes.  If you’re not removing the inside door panel (you don’t have to), you will need to ensure that you place the holes appropriately. If you plan on possibly adding taps later be sure to take that into consideration at this point and leave appropriate space.
7. After you have your hole locations marked,  use a cordless drill and a 7/8″ hole saw bit to drill the holes straight through the door. 7/8″ ends up being a perfect tight fit for the shanks – and it should be a very tight fit when done.
8. Slide the shank into the hole (from the front of the door), and screw on the backing nut to hold it in place.
9. Attach the faucet to the shank, and screw down the collar, use the spanner wrench to tighten if you have one.
10. Ensure the nut on the shank is tight and that the faucet and shank do not move easily.
11. Repeat steps 8 – 10 with the second hole.
12. Now that you’ve got your faucets and shanks installed, attach the tailpiece with the nipples and beverage lines to the shanks – be sure that the neoprene beer washers are in place in these connections, and that the connections are tight.

Everything hooked up

At this point you’re done with the conversion, but you need to run sanitizer through the lines and faucets and ensure that there are no leaks with either CO2 or liquid.

1. Mix up about 2.5 gallons of Star San or other sanitizer per the instructions for the sanitizer used, and get it into your keg. Seal the keg and attach the liquid disconnect and gas disconnect – ensuring you’re connecting the disconnects to the correct post.   Gas disconnect attaches to the smaller flange (and the short dip tube),   liquid disconnect attaches to the larger flange (and long dip tube). Do not attach to the wrong posts or “bad things” might happen.  MOST kegs I’ve seen also have “IN” and “OUT” next to the posts, to tell you which to connect to.
2. Turn on your CO2 tank and set the regulator to about 30 PSI, which should force a seal on the keg. Spray soapy water or a sanitizer mixture onto the various connections and look for bubbles. Bubbles mean you have gas leaking. Turn off the CO2 and tighten any connections where you saw bubbles. Repeat this using both gas lines until both show no signs of leaks.
3. Once you’ve ensured you have no CO2 leaks, re-apply pressure and check your beverage line at each end where it’s attached to the disconnect and the shank. If you see any leaks turn everything off, take the line off and re-do the connections. Repeat until you see no leaks.   Do this for both liquid lines.
4. Once you’ve established that the system has no leaks,  apply pressure to the tank and open the faucet to push out the sanitizer solution. When the keg is empty it’ll push out any remaining sanitizer and leave a little bit of foam in the lines – this is OK and won’t hurt anything.
5. You’re done!

After you’ve done this, your keggerator is ready to use. If you have a keg already full and carbonated (I did), you can hook up one of the faucets to the beer out post, and the CO2 to the gas post and set your serving pressure. For my system I found that ~10PSI allows for a great pour with just the right amount of head. Don’t be discouraged if your first few pours are largely foam – this is expected.  If you continue having problems you can (and should) adjust your pressure until you achieve the pours you desire.

At this point – the only thing left to do is to finish the keggerator however you desire.  You can leave it plain the way it is now, or you can get creative and make it look however you want.  This is your chance to customize it and make it unique – enjoy!

Our panel was a discussion of the Security by Design framework,  and what it means for marketers and how they could apply it to their organization. I thought it went well – presenting an introduction to the framework along with practical advice for where to focus their efforts. I felt the real benefit, however, was in the questions posed during our Q&A.

We each were asked to provide some thoughts on whether or not we view frameworks as worthwhile,  especially when looking at evidence showing that companies that were PCI certified (and by definition were following a framework to the point of being certified) were still being compromised.  

My answer was – and still is – that I believe frameworks are valuable and, when implemented correctly, can have many positive benefits (chief amongst them: a strong security posture).

That led to a followup question:  What do you mean by “when implemented correctly”?

Aha! Now we get somewhere interesting, and the answer boils down to human nature and honesty.

The first step in implementing any framework is assessing your current state to enable you to define where you need to change.  The challenge that frequently comes into play, however, is human nature and honesty. Very frequently you will find that individuals will interpret framework requirements in such a way as to be favorable to themselves and their organization.

Frameworks can sometimes be vague in their exact requirements of how you meet a given control. This is done on purpose to avoid mandating specific solutions, but has the downside of allowing for some creative solutions that might meet the letter of the control (and thus pass a certification audit), but doesn’t meet the spirit of the control (and thus doesn’t provide any real protection).

These two things combine to create a situation where it’s possible to “spin” your audit answers (and sometimes even evidence) in such a way as to make you and your organization look good to an auditor, without actually providing any security.  It happens because we hate to hear criticism about ourselves and what we’re doing.  We hate to see our own shortcomings. We hate admitting that we’re not perfect.  We frequently seek to avoid any and all reminders of these facts.

The ONLY way a framework will provide real value and help improve security posture is when you are open and honest about your actual status, and you work to correct your non-conformities in a real and meaningful way.  Instead of sweeping shortcomings under the proverbial rug you should acknowledge them and develop a plan to correct them.  Do the work and protect your assets.

There’s an interesting side effect: it makes you and your company look good.

Orange for a Cure: John Whelan, Jim Goldman, Jason Foster, Jason French and Allison Lightner.

This past Saturday I rode in the largest organized ride I’ve had the pleasure of participating in – the BikeMS event put on by the National MS Society’s Indiana chapter.   ExactTarget fielded a team of five riders as part of team Orange for the Cure – providing jerseys and helping raise money for the cause.

As I wrote about before, my plan had been to ride a fully century ride (100 miles).  Those plans changed a few weeks ago when my knee started bothering me enough to convince me to see an orthopedic surgeon.  Instead I decided to tackle 50 miles – a distance I’ve done before many times and am wholly comfortable with.

Saturday morning was cold.  It wasn’t yet 60 degrees when I left the house at 6:30 AM- clad in cycling shorts, flip flops and cycling jersey (I did wear a long sleeve under armor shirt under the jersey at least).   It was also windy – gusting up to 20 MPH – which I knew would make for some challenging riding.  I honestly wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed where it was nice and warm.

The ride itself was fun – but ended in disappointment for me.   Here’s the highlights:

• Got separated from the other ExactTarget riders at the start after I got cut off by a slow moving group.
• Rode the first 8 miles chatting with the team captain from Lilly, which made those 8 miles go by really fast.
• Rode the next 12 miles mostly into a nasty headwind without the benefit of a group, which made those 12 miles go by really slowly.
• Caught up with another ExactTarget rider (my boss, Jim) at the second rest stop (around mile 20). We continued on the rest of the course together.
• 11 miles later – at mile 31 – I got a flat tire.   I was able to replace the tube with my tools and spare parts and we continued on our way.
• 2 miles later – at mile 33 – I got another flat – knocking me out of the ride prematurely.   I called Ann for a pickup and told Jim to continue on without me.

So… I didn’t finish.  I was disappointed for several reasons:

• This is my second organized ride, and Ann has still not seen me cross a finish line.
• I feel like I didn’t complete what I set out to do (because I didn’t)
• I felt great and knew I could finish strong.
• I finally had a tail wind and had been looking forward to enjoying it for most of the remainder of the ride.
• I had to buy a new tire as it was clear the old one was done.

This ending just makes me want to ride this again next year and do the full 100 miles.   I know I can do it now, and look forward to proving myself right.  I may have only completed 33 miles, but I had a ton of fun doing it.

Congratulations to Jason Foster for completing his first Century,  and Jason French for turning in a very impressive 50 miles.

Thanks to ExactTarget for supporting Team Orange for the Cure!