The Art of Procrastination

There is an acquired skill that is so valuable, nobody should deny themselves this knowledge. This skill has led to the evolution of the greatest artistic and revolutionary minds we know. At the very least, it's contributed to the health and well-being of millions. Everybody does it, but nobody particularly likes to own up. It's the art of procrastination.

"Why is procrastination a skill?"

Procrastination can be a valuable tool if utilized correctly. Some do their best work under a tight deadline. Their vision is the most clear, the most creative, and the most objective. There's no time to waffle. That my friend, is what procrastination is truly about.

There are many methods of procrastination. However to truly and effectively get the most from this formidable skill, it's important that your procrastination technique is as effective for you personally as possible.

Consider the fact that the average adult spends 8-14 hours a week aimlessly surfing the net. While it is extremely important to make absolute certain you are 100% updated at all times on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, My Space, etc. This is not where the true essence of procrastination lies. Unless social media is what revs your engine and gets you out of bed each day, or you have your moments of Zen while tagging pictures of friends and creeping on your ex from high school, this is not procrastinating, this is wasting 8 hours.

Never ever waste valuable procrastinating time! Truly successful procrastination should leave you feeling rested, invigorated, creative, and energized. Think of it as an enriching nap for the mind and spirit. If you carve yourself time in your hectic and mind-numbing routine for some procrastination time, you will reap the benefits in other areas of life. So just say "NO" to the "To Do List" and say yes to wandering aimlessly on the waterfront, eating Italian ice and watching bums attempt aerobics.

Some of my best work so far is the direct result of very satisfying, enriching and formidable skill of procrastination in its purest form!

Procrastinate in an area near you today!

Places to Procrastinate:

NW Portland:

• Powells. duh.
• Sip & Kranz. Especially in the summer, when the people, dog and little kid watching is at it's peak.
• Rose Gardens/Japanese Gardens. This is especially productive if you enjoy smelling flowers and accidentally crashing weddings.
• Saint Cupcake. Have one of each tiny cupcake they are featuring that day. I reccomend the Red Velvet and the Fat Elvis. When you're done there, head over to Cupcake Joe's and do the same!
• Dazzle on NW 23rd. Look at the cute blazers from The Bella Sisters www.bellasisters.com. Their clothes are sustainable, fashion forward and unique! I have a jacket was custom-made for me for my birthday featuring felt owls, ruffles, pinstrips, puff sleeves and a sewn in hood, fantabulous! They also have cases of unique jewelry there reminiscent of Twist, but much more accessibly priced.
• Coffee and Crepes at Vivace on NW 23rd & Pettygrove

Greater SW Portland:

• Multnomah Village. As a promoter of books and independent book stores, of course I have to mention Annie Bloom's (they have a cat).
• The Buffalo Gap. Ten cent wings! Bring antacid.
• Multnomah County Library
• Try hats on at John Helmer Haberdasher
• Eat breakfast at McCormick & Schmidt's Harborside and watch the dogs (this is best in nice weather)

SE Portland

• Pambiche on 28th and Glisan. I highly reccomend the tres leches cake, empanadas, arroz con pollo and braised oxtail! And don't forget the lemonade made with real sugarcane!
• The Laurelhurst. Cheap movies, cheap food.
• All the random vintage stores!
• Andy and Bax in NE Portland
• Fleur De Lis cafe. Delicious scones and pastries! Good prices too.
• Luxe Autohaus (you can dream!) and Ecomotion, the electric cars are so cute!
• Furever Pets on NE Broadway is an adorable pet boutique. Get your dog a pupcake so he doesn't feel left out when you gorge yourself on cupcakes all day.
• Great cheap American Chinese food: Saigon on NE Broadway. Get the Won Ton Soup!
• The Kennedy School, for the same reason we like The Laurelhurst x2.
  

Stay tuned

La Dolce Vita

I remember when I first decided to embrace my new "Carpe-Diem" mentality. It was a little over a year ago. There is no need to go into the details that catalyzed this, actually I have zero desire whatsoever to discuss it. Just think of it like when you decide to turn over a new leaf in your life, whether it's a new year, you chucked a loser boyfriend, you got a new haircut, whatever it may be; you start to make changes big and small. I did this. One of my small changes was that I vowed from that day forth, I would enjoy life, no matter what. Which among other things meant, I was going to eat more chocolate.


This prophecy was very quickly fulfilled by Deven, who acting upon a casual comment about my love of Moonstruck chocolate surprised me early that Valentine's Day morning with Moonstruck chocolate and a potted orchid in my car. And so it began. Then I moved to a neighborhood where Moonstruck was merely blocks away. I always grew up eating See's on holidays, I was so informed in the ways of See's, I could open a fresh new box, without a guide (See's doesn't include those), and I can tell you almost exactly what each chocolate is based on the decoration, the shape, and the location within the box. I was lead to believe that Godiva was the holy grail of gourmet-yet-accessible chocolate. Not so.
At Moonstruck, it's bright and the shelves are lined with the most adorable chocolates. All the chocolates are made locally in North Portland, and it tastes fresh and unique. The adorable items for purchase include a chocolate pig in a little wooden pen that is filled with little chocolate piglets, a to DIE for Christmas advent calendar, various seasonal animal and theme truffles. My favorite truffles include: The Mayan truffle, the Italia Cappuccino Truffle, the Clear Creek Pear Brandy truffle, the Vanilla Caramel with Sea Salt. For Valentine's Day they have a milk chocolate Creme Brulee truffle.

this is a baby harp seal truffle, I think it's pretty obvious why I still haven't eaten it.


Moonstruck at the Beaverton Town Cente

http://www.moonstruckchocolate.com/

Aside from Moonstruck, which is my current holy grail of chocolate, there is another gem tucked back into "restaurant row" on NE 28th. It's called Alma Chocolatier. When you walk in, it's so tiny, and there is chocolate all around, the place smells and feels like chocolate. It's decidedly more rustic and more un-Starbucks-like than Moonstruck. If you catch a peek back into their kitchen, they are most likely tempering chocolate back there. So you know the chocolate you are eating was made there, and it's fresh. This chocolate shop plays a little more on the senses enhanced by chocolate. In the shop, you can get rogue blue cheese stuffed figs, Thai Peanut butter cups, rosemary chocolates, burnt-sugar sesame and cardamom chocolates, smoked paprika chocolates, and rosewater caramels. I recommend the salted lavender caramel.
http://www.almachocolate.com/

Lastly is another little known chocolate shop in downtown Portland called Cacao, 414 SW 13th Avenue. Their website is a little lacking, but here's a link to their write-up in the NYT. http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/travel/17foraging.htmles.com/2007/06/17/travel/17foraging.html







They make their own chocolate there, but the main stand-out is the drinking chocolate. Starbucks tried to venture that direction a few years back with their Chantico. I don't think it did well because Starbucks is for grabbing your crappy coffee on your way to work because you need the caffeine fix, not for savoring. Nobody wants to sit inside a cold dirty Starbucks listening to the crap music compilations they are trying to sell and "savor" anything. But if you want to savor chocolate, Cacao is definitely the place, it even looks like chocolate inside. They also sell lots of various other artisnal chocolates. I recently ate a chocolate bar that was infused with apricot. It was scented and so delicious I hid the bar in my desk and savored it for days. Each piece I took felt in my mouth like it was already melted. It's definitely a noteworthy shop to visit, and the place has a certain charm about it that's all it's own. http://www.cacaodrinkchocolate.com/


How to Eat Chocolate





1) Make sure that you don't have other nasty tastes in your mouth. This might seem like a no brainer, but have you ever had a glass of orange juice after brushing your teeth? Not good.

2) Some Wine-o's love the pop of opening a fresh bottle of wine. Real chocolate connoisseurs listen for the sound of quality chocolate just as well. When you bite into a piece of chocolate, you should hear a definitive crack sound, called "Snap." The surface of the chocolate should be glossy looking, but not shiny. If there is a white filmy substance covering it, called "bloom" and is a sign of improper tempering, or that the chocolate was allowed to heat up to too-high temperatures and then re-cooled.

3) Don't just chew the chocolate and gulp down the shards of whole chocolate a-la Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, there is no golden ticket at stake. And don't pop an entire truffle into your mouth, take a small bite and let the chocolate melt and soften on your tongue.

"Let Them Eat Cake"

-disputed historical figure.

(Whoever they were, they meant chocolate)

It could help reduce high blood pressure! Flavonoids in cocoa beans might help balance blood pressure and reduce blood clotting. Researchers from Germany’s University Hospital of Cologne found that cocoa consumption lowered blood pressure by an average of 4.7/2.8 mm Hg. According to the New York Times, dark chocolate is almost as effective at lowering blood pressure as common antihypertensive drugs.

It improves blood flow to the brain! A University of Nottingham professor found that drinking dark chocolate cocoa rich in flavanols improves blood flow to key areas of the brain for two to three hours. The study also suggested that cocoa flavanols may enhance brain function to help fight sleep deprivation, fatigue, and the effects of ageing.

Here's an obvious one, it boosts your mood! MSNBC reported that caffeine and other chemicals in dark chocolate can improve your mood and ease premenstrual symptoms. I have long been an advocate for the PMS relieving effects of dark chocolate. I'm serious, next time you have PMS, try some. And even if it's a placebo effect, who cares?

The same flavonoids in dark chocolate can also help prevent cell damage and improve blood sugar.

This information from http://www.laurelonhealthfood.com/


If you know about a chocolate shop gem I haven't yet stumbled upon, remember that the world is a better place when we all eat chocolate (or drink it), share the knowledge.