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Piel Leather 9930 Flap-Over Sling Backpack
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Product Description
Flap-Over Sling
- Teardrop flap with front zip-pocket opens to small open pocket
- Side zip-entry to main compartment
- Rear zip-pocket
- Side phone pocket
- Top handle
- Split zippered strap so can be worn as a backpack or sling bag
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On this month's book covers, it's not only the ladies who get to accessorize, the men are getting in on it too! From man cuffs to fedoras to cravats to gloves, these heroes know their way around an accessories aisle. See for yourself!
Did we miss any gentlemen in dog tags, bracelets or fancy hats? Tell us in the comments!0COMMENTS SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEED EMAIL PRINT SHARE PERMALINK

subset: commoncrawl


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I told my niece last Christmas that candy canes were made of elf bones.
I still don't regret it.
Amazeballs, worshiping the devil and rotating his head in a 360 degree like rhythm. The usual.
I want an in & out burger.
Today I decided to go down to the river and shoot some pictures of the bridge. I packed my camera bags and loaded up the dogs in the Jeep. Since we got flooded a couple of a weeks ago the ground is cracked with a mix of dry and wet mud, either way your foots going to stick or slide when you're walking. Everything was going fine, beautiful day, cool wind, blue skies, and enough potential for a pretty picture. That is until Rufio channeled his inner superman.
We were standing at the bank, Tink and Mattie were off chasing eachother around weaving through the trees, Rufio was looking out to the river in the same direction I was. Next thing you know, the corner of my eye I see Rufio leaping from the bank INTO the river (which mind you does in fact have a pretty decent current because of the wind). In the mist of my screaming "nooooooooo" and being startled I lost my footing and slid down the bank……into the river……with my camera.
I held my camera high up in the air as I splashed into the most muddy, yucky, river water I could imagine feet first as I was grabbing on to every piece of root I could feel for to stop me from sliding. This is when being 6'2 really came in handy. I didn't know how deep the water would be since our recent rain and I was praying where I was falling into I'd have some kind of sand bank. Where I landed, I hit on top of a rock and a spare tire. The water came up to my chin and the only part of my camera that got touched by water was my neck strap. When the realization hit me that I was actually in the river holding my camera up like the statue of liberty, it also made me remember how I got into the river in the first place. Rufio.
I looked around and here was Rufio, cruising around in his dog paddle surfing the current AROUND me having fun and dunking his head in and out. I tossed my camera up the bank (at this moment I'd rather take the chance of breaking a piece then water damage) and swam to the lowest part of the bank. Rufio followed me the entire way having the time of his life, as I was on the brink of tears worrying about what disease I was currently contracting with each breast stroke.
When all was said in done, I was soaked in the most dirty water, freaking out, and hands deep in mud. As for Rufio? He decided to join Tink and Mattie in the chase game and was running around like nothing even happened. My camera ended up being unharmed, just had mud splatter on my lens and LCD screen, it worked properly and I ended up tossing it into a patch of grass that softened the blow.
What I could take from this is never bring my dogs with me again when I decided to go shooting, but even at my expense and my cameras expense I have never seen Rufio more thrilled in my life. Maybe next time I won't be so lucky, but during that next time I'll be more cautious to my surroundings. I'm also thankful I left my phone in the Jeep instead of having it in my pocket, because we all remembered what happened last time my phone was around a river.
Moral of the story? Never have Rufio as your dog.
McDonalds breakfast.
I hate that shit. Don't tell me we need to talk when you're not planning on talking until hours later. I'm going to be spending the entire day driving myself nuts wondering what you have to say, and thinking the worst. And I'll consider you a real asshole for putting me in that situation.
then I have no clue how we're going to hold a conversation. You act like I was expecting you to do magic tricks or make balloon animals for me. Give me a break.
because I don't like you.
Well good luck in the summer first thing. Tip wise, I can tell you what I did to sustain income when I went to school.
I mingled with local hip hop artists in Atlanta, went to clubs, bars and open mic nights and dropped them my business card. I shot a couple guys for free, than they spread my name out. Eventually free turned into 50 buck here and there shoots, and then those 50 buck shoots turned into a shit load of money. I was one of the go to girls in Atlanta for press kit pictures or album covers.
Bands/Musicians are really great about spreading your name and using you again for follow up shots. The free photoshoots I did were for musicians who had a large following, they got my name out quicker, I helped them out, they helped me out. It's all about networking with the right people. Those were the people that paid my bills, and I also had a great time and met a lot of awesome people in the underground hip hop music scene.
Hope that helps.
I'm trying to get people together to go with me for the grand opening or at least that month in June. If I don't, I'm still going down by myself and possibly shitting bricks at everything I see.
Not to mention probably buying a nimbus 2000 (I liked the later model better) and a billion wands.
I think realistically every one has experienced some kind of prejudice or racism in their life, which is sad. But the only thing I've experienced in the US was being haggled for being Mexican.
It has never bothered me though, an eye for an eye makes the world go blind.
Who will look the best after the break up, who will be the first to date, and who is better off with out the other. I don't care who you are or how much of a secure person you project, these notions do cross your brain.
And it feels great when you realize you're the one that's winning the competition.
You'd think it be different, but now I understand why most artists keep themselves depressed, more inspiration. It wasn't like I was unhappy to begin with, I was content with everything I was doing, but I was just more aware of the things that pissed me off to the point of having to write it down.
I got sunshine shooting out of my ass, maybe i'll be able to translate that into a blog one day, but until then I think pictures do it justice for the time being.
(give or take chatroulette inbetween)


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Here's part 2 of Stat Quo's banger "That's Life Part II" produced by Bink. Stat will be releasing his upcoming project, ATLA, on February 15th. Listen and download up top.
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text: Hi - looking for a friend from a long time ago. Bonita Plunk... I knew her when I was about 16 or 17 - so about 17 or so years ago. Please send any replies to me at rollinwardle at yahoo.com Thanks. rolly ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get your own web address. Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/?p=BESTDEAL


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Journalist, author and broadcaster Gary E. Brown takes a less traditional look at the 34th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
It's a fact of life that if you want to compete in a large regatta then you better have plenty of spare cash. Long pockets and short arms simply won't cut it. Yes, you can sail on a very limited budget, I pottered about in an old clinker-built lugsail dinghy that someone threw away long before I sailed on a yacht. But let's not confuse a 220 boat regatta, like the St. Maarten Heineken, with the joys of simply messing about in boats.
In the early days of Heineken, when seven yachts constituted a large fleet and regatta organizers threw cold beers from the support boat to cheering crews as they sailed by, it was all rather jolly and Corinthian. Most, if not all racers, were expats and very few local people were seen crewing. As the regatta evolved, so the Corinthian spirit began to fade and although never completely lost, year by year it was pushed further to the margins by professionalism in the sport, sponsorship, branding and the associated higher costs.
Happily, for St. Maarten and Caribbean sailing in general, local sailors began to take part in regattas, but these were successful businessmen with disposable incomes, people with enough drive and ambition to race well and take their place on the podium. Nothing wrong with that but where were the local kids in all this? Maybe when pushed an occasional youngster would join a crew but there was little incentive to do more. Now in its 34th year, all that has changed and the Heineken Regatta has sparked a local sailing revolution!
Lead by the St. Maarten Sailing School, with strong support from the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association, two teams of youngsters from Milton Peters Collage (local school) raced in last year's regatta. This year a third team joined the fray, this crew of youngsters trained by, and from, the St. Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) Youth Sailing Program. Not only did these three teams compete, The SMYC Youth Sailing Team beat 12 other boats to win CSA Division 9 overall, having fought a fierce battle with St. Maarten Sailing School's Teams 1 and 2 who finished second and fifth respectively.
The youth teams received a rousing cheer at the prize-giving and praise goes to the crews, who trained so hard and stuck with it, and to all those involved in putting them there.
As for the rest of CSA 9, when good young'uns start beating good old'uns, it's time to up your game!


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Jesse Eisenberg Movies and Career Information
Oct 05, 1983
Oct 05, 1983
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor and playwright. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real. After his first leading role, in the film Roger Dodger, he appeared in the movies The Emperor's Club, The Village, The Squid and the Whale, The Living Wake and The Education of Charlie Banks. In 2007, Eisenberg was honored with the Vail Film Festival Rising Star Award for his role as Mills Joquin in The Living Wake. In 2009, he starred in the comedy drama Adventureland and the horror comedy Zombieland, for which he won critical acclaim. He then played Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, for which he received a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination in the Best Actor category. He also starred in Holy Rollers, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Since then, he has voiced the main character, Blu, in the animated films Rio and Rio 2, and starred in the comedy 30 Minutes or Less and the caper film Now You See Me. He will reunite with Kristen Stewart in the upcoming action-comedy film American Ultra which filming begins in April 2014.
- Jesse Eisenberg Movies 2014
- Night Moves 2014
- Double 2014
- Rio 2 2014
- Rio 2 in 3D 2014
- Jesse Eisenberg Movies 2013
- Now You See Me 2013
- Jesse Eisenberg Movies before 2013
- Why Stop Now 2012
- To Rome With Love 2012
- 30 Minutes or Less 2011
- Rio 2011
- Rio 3D 2011
- Social Network 2010
- Living Wake 2010
- Solitary Man 2010
- Holy Rollers 2010
- Zombieland 2009
- Adventureland 2009
- Education of Charlie Banks 2009
- Hunting Party 2007
- Squid and the Whale 2005
- Cursed 2005
- Roger Dodger 2002
- Rodger Dodger 2002
- One Day Like Rain


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Home » News » Public Safety
Barn destroyed in 3-alarm blaze at Wilson Farms
A three-alarm fire destroyed a maintenance barn Friday morning at Wilson Farms in Litchfield. (KIMBERLY HOUGHTON/Union Leader Correspondent)
The barn at Wilson Farm, 144 Charles Bancroft Highway, was destroyed by the blaze. There were no animals inside the barn, and no one was hurt battling the fire that brought firefighter crews from all over the region. The fire was reported shortly before 10 a.m., by passing motorists, according to fire officials.
Because a small crew mans the Litchfield Fire Department during the day, mutual aid was immediately called to assist, fire inspector Steve Dube said.
The two-story maintenance barn that caught on fire was used to store tractors and other farming equipment, although workers were able to get much of the machinery out of the building before the fire spread, according to witnesses on the scene.
A neighbor said the barn is primarily used as a workshop area and center for the farming operations. In the winter, there is a lot of work done to restore and prepare the tractors for the upcoming farming season, he said.
Wilson Farm, which has a larger facility in Lexington, Mass., is owned by Donald Wilson, according to its website. Wilson was not available for comment. The smaller farm and produce stand in Litchfield grows a variety of vegetables, including corn, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes and more. The Wilson family owns about 500 acres of property in town, according to the website.
Firefighters said a hazardous materials team arrived at the scene to help mitigate runoff from the firefighting efforts, and to alleviate concerns of fertilizer stored in the barn. Wilson Farm does have some goats on the site, but they are stored in a different barn next to the two-story barn that was destroyed, neighbors said.
Only the shell of the barn's structure remained on Friday. It took crews about two hours to get the blaze under control.
In addition to Litchfield firefighters, crews from Manchester, Londonderry, Hudson, Nashua, Amherst, Auburn, Derry, Bedford, Windham and Merrimack helped battle the blaze and provide station coverage.
The cause of the fire was still unknown Friday evening. Fire officials were continuing to investigate.
- Nashua police chief to retire - 0
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- Traffic, parking complaints related to Hollis farm stand - 0
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- Woman, 56, struck by car in Laconia accident - 0
- Manchester police investigate two crashes involving two cruisers - 3
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Missing Mason man found deadREADER COMMENTS: 0
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- Senate battle attracts 17,000 TV ads in NH - 0
- Jonathan E. Benedict - 0
- Drew Cline: GOP missed opportunities could mean trouble on Tuesday - 2
- Dave D'Onofrio's Patriots Notebook: Demaryius Thomas is x-factor for Broncos' offense - 1
- College Football: Big Green ready for tussle with Harvard - 0
- UNH Notebook: Albany is much improved - 0
2-alarm Manchester fire displaces 10READER COMMENTS: 0
Trump fired up over NH mailer


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A Michigan State University (MSU) AgBioResearch animal scientist will lead a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional effort to adapt mobile technology to help farmers prevent dairy cattle illness.
click image to zoomMichigan State UniversityLorraine Sordillo Lorraine Sordillo, Meadow Brook Chair of Farm Animal Health and Well-being in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), has received a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the four-year project. Researchers from MSU and North Dakota State University will study the factors that contribute to cow health risks during the most vulnerable period of their lives – the three weeks before and the first several weeks after giving birth. Data will be collected to develop an app for smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices that can detect early warning signs of disease susceptibility.
"Cows can get sick anytime, but they're especially vulnerable during the transition phase – when they're switching from late pregnancy to producing milk after the calf is born," said the CVM professor of large animal clinical sciences. "The big problem is that if a cow gets sick during the early lactation period, she'll never reach her peak milk-producing capacity."
Dairy cattle are particularly susceptible at this time and can suffer from metabolic stress due to the tremendous energy requirements for birth of the calf and then milk production. This can result in a compromised immune system and the development of various diseases.
The factors that contribute to metabolic stress, called biomarkers, can be monitored and are well-documented as a result of years of research. Sordillo said she and her team plan to take advantage of modern mobile technology in an effort to compile that knowledge into a tool that farmers can use in the field.
Currently, most farms have to address the causes of metabolic stress after the animals are already sick. Sordillo and her team want to be able to provide farmers with proactive tools to prevent disease from occurring.
"We want all cows to be healthy," she said. "We want to utilize the biomarkers that we already know are effective warning signs and put them into a user-friendly tool so farmers will be able to manage their herds for metabolic stress before illnesses become a problem. We're trying to translate what we already know from research into a practical field application."


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What happened when I deleted email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram off my phone
Recently I finally hit some sort of exhaustion with always being distracted by my phone. Every time I stood still I would grab it out of my pocket. Every time I went to the bathroom, I would check some email. Every time I had a minute to think, I would open an app.
The problem with all these micro-phone-checks is that they were never long enough to really process anything mentally. A couple Tweets here, a quick email response there, but no sustained thought or focus.
So I deleted Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and my Gmail off my iPhone.
So far it's been shockingly nice. I thought I would be fine without the social networks, but I didn't think I'd be able to get by without email on my phone. Crazily, I'm doing just fine.
When I come home from work, I just leave my phone by the door because there's nothing to do on my phone. I'm finding it's easier to focus on my two boys (age 3 and 6) and my wonderful wife. I'm just more present.
I went to a Chinese restaurant last night to pick up some food and while it was cooking, I just sat at the bar and drank a beer. There wasn't anything to do on my phone so I didn't get it out. It was such a refreshing and strange feeling to just look around and soak in the environment. I noticed a huge amount of detail I would've never seen previously.
I hope this is another nail in the coffin of all the work-till-your-eyes-bleed-and-your-wife-leaves-you crap that most 'successful' entrepreneurs spout.
I have 75 employees and 90,000 Students and it's working just fine.
Is it possible to have a great product with no managers and a work-from-home culture?
I get a lot of emails, phone calls and tweets that can be summarized like this …
If you don't have managers, and the team is distributed around the World, who decides priorities and makes decisions about the product?
Great question! We have 70+ full-time employees, 70,000 Students and are doing over $10,000,000 in revenue a year, so let's dive in …
I've already blogged about how we set company-wide priorities but what we've discovered is that everyone needs three views:
- 30,000 foot - What are our company-wide goals? What's our market and our business plan?
- 5,000 foot - What are our current, next and near-future Projects, broken down by 'Focus Areas' (more on that below)
- 10 foot - What should I do today?
30,000 foot
My Co-Founder, Alan, and I set our company-wide goals and mission. We communicate this in two ways:
- Company-wide meetups once a year where we all get together for a week at a hotel to hang out, drink, and go in hot tubs (a lot).
- Monthly 15-minute videos where we talk about big-picture things we see happening.
5,000 foot
We use three primary tools for project management and communication at Treehouse: Flow, Convoy and HipChat.
Flow is our project management software, Convoy is our company-wide forum and HipChat is for chat.
What Convoy and Flow weren't doing is helping people understand what everyone else was planning on doing next, and in the near future. A lot of companies use a 90-day plan but we don't do that because there isn't a management team to decide what's important - everyone decides. However, this leads to a ton of conversations that went like this:
I see this big problem/opportunity over here. Does anyone know about this? Is anyone planning on tackling this at some point? What's our plan in this area?
Eventually we'll wind this into Flow, but for now, we're using a very simple Google Doc that's broken down like this:
- Current Projects that are high priority
- Next Projects that are high priority
- Future priorities
- Current Projects that are high priority
- Next Projects that are high priority
- Future priorities
- Current Projects that are high priority
- Next Projects that are high priority
- Future priorities
etc …
Focus Areas
The above three areas (Marketing, Content, Operations) are examples of what we call Focus Areas. They are teams of people that tend to focus on specific parts of the business. They are comprised of many different types of job roles like Designers, Developers, Teachers, etc.
People choose to join or leave these Focus Areas as they see fit (providing that it won't hurt the team). Realistically that doesn't happen very much. People seem to be staying inside their chosen Focus Area.
When a Focus Area wants to add more people to itself, they OK it with me and my Co-Founder and then when we hire new people, they can choose which open slots they want on Focus Areas with open slots.
10 foot
Since we don't have managers, everyone decides what they do with their time, 100% of the time. If you want to read more about how we decide what to do every day, and communicate that to others, head over here to my post on Quartz.
What about the Product?
We have a way to set priorities and communicate them clearly, but isn't our Product going to end up disjointed because there isn't one strong vision?
I can only speak from experience and I have to say that, in my humble opinion, the user experience on Treehouse is great. Do we have problems? Yes. But on the whole, I'm very proud of what we've built - all without 90-day plans, managers and a big office that everyone has to commute to every day.
[Thanks for the photo gerrydincher]
The negative side of #NoManager companies
This is the fifth article in my series on why we removed all managers at Treehouse. Here are the other articles …
- Part 1
- Why we removed our managers
- What managers actually do
- What really motivates people
- Part 2
- How people choose what to work on
- How priorities are determined
- How Projects work and what tools we use
- How budgeting works
- Part 3
- How career progression works
- How compensation works
- How reviews and discipline work
- Part 4
- The tools we use for communication (I only answer around 10 emails per day)
- Part 5 (this article)
- The six cons of a #NoManager company
Negative #1: Lots of chaos
Normally companies have a tightly controlled priority list (determined by the executives and communicated down the ranks) and all activity is focused on this.
Being a part of a #NoManager company feels like being part of an ant colony. Everyone is really busy doing something. It's not entirely clear what's happening, but there is a lot of activity and eventually large structures/tunnels get built.
I know for a fact that we have Projects that were started and eventually abandoned because another Project was conflicting or duplicating their work. This is obviously a waste, but we feel that some waste is inevitable and we'd rather take a slight hit on productivity than happiness.
The chaos comes from the fact employees in a #NoManager company do something because they think it's important, not because someone asked them to do it. There isn't someone above them that can say "I know exactly why PersonX is working on ProjectY". This feels chaotic because as a CEO, I want to know and control what everyone is working on, but I can't.
Negative #2: Coordination is very hard
We don't have Managers to coordinate across Projects so it's up to individuals to take time to communicate what's happening on their Project and how it affects others. Non-Managers aren't used to the level of communication needed to coordinate with other Teams and Projects so there often is not enough proactive communication and coordination.
What is supposed to happen is that folks can read the status updates from other Projects to get a sense of what is happening and how they should act. People get busy though and this often doesn't happen.
We're learning that we need to decide as a company what our quarterly goals are, and then propose Projects accordingly. That high level coordination happens at the beginning of each quarter as we set our goals and priorities.
An example of this is that me and my Co-Founder decided we could probably hit a goal of $X million in revenue in Q1 of 2014. We then asked the Team to set their own priorities for how they can make that happen. It took us about two days to hash this out over Convoy and Google Hangouts. Once that was done, then each Team communicated to the whole company what they were planning on doing in Q1.
Negative #3: Starting Projects can be slow
In the past the executives would create a 90-day plan, communicate down to the managers and people would start working. It didn't matter if the troops thought the priorities were good or bad - they just did what they were told.
Now you have to propose a Project, explain it thoroughly and convince people to join. This process can take weeks or months. Often no one wants to work on your Project and it dies.
Negative #4: I can't make people do things
Pre #NoManager all I had to do to get something done was ask someone. As the CEO they had to do what I said. Now I have to convince people that they should do something. It's much better for the company but extremely frustrating for me. I've had people tell me they don't have time or aren't interested in my ideas. It sucks but it's part of running a #NoManager company.
Occasionally my Co-Founder and I will absolutely need something to happen. If that's the case, we "pull our Co-Founder card" and politely ask someone to get something done. We try to do this as little as possible but it does happen occasionally.
Negative #5: It takes longer to understand what's going on
In normal companies all the CEO has to do is have a meeting with his executive team, and he's up to speed. Not in a #NoManager company. When I return from holiday and I'm out of the loop, I have to spend about two days reading through status updates and chatting to people.
It's frustrating. I'm not going to lie.
Negative #6: Harder to hire people
Hiring people in a #NoManager company is a collective decision so it takes longer. Tommy Morgan describes our general process for hiring Developers (which is similar to other roles) in this post. The final step in that process is that the team (for instance the Design Team) has to all agree they should hire this person. If anyone has doubts, then we don't hire.
A lot of people think they want to work without managers, but actually they like the security of someone telling them what to do every day. This means working at a #NoManager company isn't right for everyone, therefore cutting down the potential number of people we can hire.
How I gained 15 lbs and got a lot stronger
I just completed Jim Stoppani's Shortcut to Size program and I'm really happy with the results! The goal was to get to 185lbs and gain as little fat as possible.
Here's the data:
Measurements (inches) Aug 19 to Dec 9
- Pecs 38.75 -> 40.75 = +2.00 (+5.16%)
- Bicep 11.875 -> 12.7953 = +0.92 (+7.75%)
- Waist 35.25 -> 37.0079 = +1.76 (+4.99%)
- Thigh 19.75 -> 21.4567 = +1.71 (+8.64%)
- Calf 13.375 -> 14.4685 = +1.09 (+8.18%)
- Weight 172.6 -> 188.0000 = +15.40 (+8.92%)
- Body Fat 12.90 -> 14.00 = +1.10 (+8.53%)
I used the BodyMetrix Personal to measure my body fat.
Increase in strength
Those are exciting results for me but the thing that blows my mind is how much stronger I am now. Here's some sample data (pounds, 3-5 reps):
- Bench 95 -> 190 = +95 (+100%)
- Squat 95 -> 220 = +125 (+132%)
- Lat Pull Down 75 -> 180 = +105 (+140%)
My shoulder is healing so I skipped Shoulder days, so I only worked out three times a week, instead of the prescribed four times.
I followed the nutrition and supplement advice pretty strictly. It was not comfortable to increase to 3200 healthy calories per day but after awhile my body started to need the calories as I was more and more hungry.
The major cons to this program are time (6 hours per week, including travel to/from the gym) and the cost for eating a lot of protein/supplements.
My next goal is to get to 195 lbs and 12% body fat. I'll be doing this with Stoppani's Shortcut to Shred program.
Jim has been very supportive and responsive over Twitter. He's a breath of fresh air in the murky world of weight lifting and fitness. He's got a PHD, he's ripped and he's open and real.
Has anyone else had experiences they'd like at share?
How to communicate in a #NoManager company
This is the fourth article in my series on why we removed all managers at Treehouse. Here are the other articles …
- Part 1
- Why we removed our managers
- What managers actually do
- What really motivates people
- Part 2
- How people choose what to work on
- How priorities are determined
- How Projects work and what tools we use
- How budgeting works
- Part 3
- How career progression works
- How compensation works
- How reviews and discipline work
- Part 4 (this article)
- The tools we use for communication (I only answer around 10 emails per day)
- Future articles
- The pros
- The cons
- The future
Communication Tools
We actively discourage use of email because it silos information, discourages accountability and causes busywork. The default mode of communication at Treehouse is 'public'. This is important because without managers, everyone needs to be able to drop into a Project and understand where it's at. If all the progress and information is hidden away in email, no one can access it except the sender and receiver.
We have four primary tools:
- Convoy - General discussions, celebrations, animated GIFs, banter and trolling
- Flow - Project status
- HipChat - Group chat and IM
- Email and Docs - Google Apps
Our hope is to open source Convoy and Flow at some point, but it's not high on our priority list right now.
We've found that the forum model works really well for company-wide discussions. We built a simple Reddit-clone to do this (read more on that here) called Convoy.
Email is a terrible tool for group discussion because …
- It clutters everyone's inbox
- It's hard to parse discussions because of the lack of threading
- You have to evaluate if you should open/archive/delete/star each incoming email
Convoy is great for company-wide discussions because …
- You only read/interact with things that interest you
- Voting up/down adds a subtle and quick way to interact with other people without having to type
- We have person-tagging so that if you want someone to see something, you simply type @persons-name and they get a notification inside Convoy (not email).
Convoy has worked wonderfully for us. We use it for …
- Discussing competitors
- Throwing around ideas
- Trolling each other and having fun
- Celebrating victories
- Discussing industry news or trends
The drawback of Convoy is that it can be distracting. You need to have a highly disciplined team to self-police themselves. This is a general drawback of #NoManagers - it's noisier and more chaotic. Our belief, however, is that creativity and innovation arise from the chaos.
Since we don't have Managers to decide which ideas get implemented, we had to build a simple tool to allow anyone to propose ideas and tell the whole Team.
I explained how we use Flow in this post, so if you want details, please head there.
Once a Project is started, there is a discussion forum attached to the Flow project. If you want to discuss something then you create a new discussion thread. Everyone who's joined the Project is then emailed so they can stay in the loop. We felt email was necessary because if you've joined a Project, then you should be aware of all discussions related to the Project.
Every day, you update your status on the Project in Flow. This way anyone can drop by the Project page and see what's happening, without bothering anyone.
The actually project management happens outside Flow. Each Project chooses whatever software or system they feel is best suited for the Project. This has caused some friction in the company as some people want Flow to also offer Project Management functionality (like Basecamp or Trello). I've been against this idea as I feel it could bloat pretty quickly into a Trello/Basecamp clone, which is overkill.
Flow is basically a simple communication tool: Which Projects are happening, who is working on them and what their current status is.
We use a group-chat/IM tool called HipChat. It's a desktop/mobile/web app for private group chat. We currently have 23 rooms spanning everything from 'Design', 'Marketing', 'Audio' to 'The Nerd Herd'.
Anyone can create a room and they're primarily used for quick-fire chat related to Projects. Because I'm the CEO, I join almost all rooms so I can get a birds-eye view of what's happening.
We ask everyone in the company to log into HipChat during work hours. We're spread out over the World so everyone needs to be contactable.
Email and Docs
We use Google Apps for our email and documents. We use commenting and live-editing in Google Docs quite a bit. We only use Excel for finances (Google Spreadsheets can't handle the complex spreadsheets we need for financial models).
Email is email. Blech. Here are the email rules …
- Don't use it unless it's your last resort
- Never discuss Projects in email. Use the discussion forum in the Flow Project. All information should be as public as possible.
- Don't worry about inbox zero. Focus on your Projects in Flow. Ideally check your email only once or twice a day.
We use this rubric to determine the urgency of communication …
- Phone or Google Hangout: Need an answer immediately
- IM or Text: Need an answer in the next hour
- Flow Discussion: Need an answer in next day or two
- Email: Need an answer in next day or two
- Convoy: No answer required
Next time ….
I'll cover the large Pros and Cons to a #NoManager company.
[Thanks to chrisperriman for the photo.]
How salaries, career progression and reviews work in a #NoManager company
This is the third article in my series on why we removed all managers at Treehouse. Here are the other articles …
- Part 1
- Why we removed our managers
- What managers actually do
- What really motivates people
- Part 2
- How people choose what to work on
- How priorities are determined
- How Projects work and what tools we use
- How budgeting works
- Part 3 (this article)
- How career progression works
- How compensation works
- How reviews and discipline work
- Part 4
- The tools we use for communication (I only answer around 10 emails per day)
- Future articles
- The pros
- The cons
- The future
No Ladder to Climb
Now that we've removed managers, there isn't a traditional career ladder to climb. At most companies the way to get more money and influence is by becoming a manager. How does this work in a #NoManagers company?
Everyone is hired at Treehouse at an industry-standard salary level that matches their job description. Most of our team is distributed and outside of expensive outlier markets (like Silicon Valley or NYC).
The only way to get a salary increase is by performing consistently well in reviews. We don't have a profit-sharing plan or bonuses (other than the sales team which has a traditional sales team bonus structure).
One of the great advantages of a #NoManager company is that people aren't forced to go into management to get more money or increase their power. Instead of climbing the corporate ladder they can focus on getting better and better at what they love and were hired to do.
Peer Reviews
Accountability is vital for #NoManager companies to succeed. Since no one is telling anyone what to do, slackers could just sit around and do nothing, right? Peer Reviews make sure that bad folks are rooted out and asked to leave the company. We chose to implement a system that's similar to the 360 Degree Review but with a twist. I'll explain how it works below.
How Reviews Work: The Review Cycle
A Review Cycle will occur every three months. Each person writes anonymous reviews of colleagues that they've worked with closely since the last review period*. For example, if you were a Developer and you worked with a Designer and a Customer Support person on a Project, you'd review both of them and they'd both review you.
* What does "worked with closely" mean? Typically this would include anyone you worked with on a Project or product since the last reviews occurred. It will also include people you collaborate with closely even if you aren't explicitly involved on a Project with them - for example, Designers are going to be in constant communication and will collaborate with each other on ideas even if they're not officially on Projects with each other, and we want to be sure to capture that interaction in our review process. If a Project is extremely quick (for example, less than a day) then a review isn't needed.
The great thing about only reviewing people that you actually worked with, is that you know if they were any good at their job. You experience it first hand, instead of through a manager's report or through occasional interaction.
Everyone is expected to write a solid review in ~15-20 mins, per person. It could take much less time if we're organized about keeping notes between review cycles.
Reviews are submitted to a Review Committee made up of myself, Alan (my Co-Founder), Mike (CFO) and Rich (Accounts). The Review Committee then reviews all submissions and asks for clarification if needed. Afterwards, they anonymize and consolidate all reviews on an individual into one Review Document. That document will be used to guide the review (in-person or Google Hangout between person being reviewed and the review committee). Each person gets a copy of their review documents.
The Review Questions
You rate your colleague on the review form (we use a password protected form on Wufoo) on the following things:
- Objective judgement
- Communication
- Energy giver, positive working style, attitude and effort
- Level of skill
You have to choose between 1 - 5 for each area and can add accompanying text to explain your answer.
- Outstanding
- Exceeds expectations
- Meets expectations
- Below expectations
- Unsatisfactory
- Not applicable
We also have an optional text field for additional comments and/or constructive criticism for the person you're reviewing.
We also ask everyone to answer the following questions about themselves:
- How do you think you are doing?
- How do you think Treehouse is doing?
- How do you think your team is doing?
- What's keeping you from doing the best work of your life?
- Is there anything else you think the Review Committee should be aware of?
Good vs Bad Reviews
If someone performs below expectations they will most likely not be recommended for a raise. Depending on the circumstances for why they performed below expectations, they may be issued with a formal warning to improve performance. If subsequent reviews are below expectations again and performance hasn't improved, they will probably be asked to leave Treehouse.
Major Cons
Two large drawbacks to this Peer Review system so far are:
- It is very time consuming. As we grow the company we'll need to find a way to make this as seamless and easy as possible. Theoretically it should scale as there's a practical limit to the number of people you can work closely with during a 3-month period - no matter how large the company grows.
- People weren't as harsh on each other as they should've been. Our belief is that because we only finished the first review cycle that people are just getting used the the system. In the future however, feedback will need to be much more constructively critical to be valuable.
Alan and I are in control of raises. Recommendations from the Review Committee and Treehouse's financial situation will be the key determining drivers of whether or not a raise will be given. As of now, there are two types of raises that can be awarded at Treehouse:
1. Good Performance Increase
The key input to determining performance is the peer review process. The review committee will look at all the feedback compiled, and contextualize each individual performance within the company. People who perform well will be awarded with increases to their salary. We may also take into account other factors, for example student feedback. The Review Committee has established basic salary bands for each job role and when a salary increase is awarded, the person goes up to the next level. There is an eventual ceiling to the salary level for a job role. If someone wants more money once they've hit the ceiling, then they either have to change jobs to a more lucrative position (but they'll have to apply for the job like normal candidates) or leave the company.
2. Cost of Living Increase
Everyone who is performing well will receive a cost of living increase for their hard work. In Q1 of each calendar year, everyone that is performing at or above expectations will be awarded with an increase in their annual salary. This increase will most likely be based on inflation, but will also take into account market rates and conditions.
It's important to keep reviews confidential. This encourages more direct feedback. People shouldn't share the content of their reviews with anyone other than the Review Committee. Sharing reviews with anyone outside this group will mean you'll get an automatic official warning, and possibly be asked to leave Treehouse immediately.
Next time …
I'll cover how we hire and fire, more detail on how we coordinate Projects and finally, Pros and Cons.
[Thanks to nickstone333 for the photo]
My New Tattoo
I decided to tattoo things on my body that are core to who I am. My wife is the first on that list. Got the outlines done and today I'm going back for the color.
The Lion and Unicorn are from the British Passport and the Teacup symbolizes England, as she's from St. Helens, UK.
How to set priorities, create budgets and do project management in a #NoManager company
This is the second article in my series on why we removed all managers at Treehouse. Here are the other articles …
- Part 1
- Why we removed our managers
- What managers actually do
- What really motivates people
- Part 2 (this article)
- How people choose what to work on
- How priorities are determined
- How Projects work and what tools we use
- How budgeting works
- Part 3
- How career progression works
- How compensation works
- How reviews and discipline work
- Part 4
- The tools we use for communication (I only answer around 10 emails per day)
- Future articles
- The pros
- The cons
- The future
How We Transitioned to No Managers
Once 90% of the company voted to remove management, we started the task of transitioning the company to the new flat structure. The first thing we did was write a huge FAQ for everyone. We did this in Google Docs so people could comment directly in the doc and everyone could see their questions and our following answers. I'll cover the FAQ content below.
Once the FAQ had been written, Mike Watson created a detailed list of logistical things that needed to happen in order to transition successfully. Example: Who would be doing the backups of our video?
Here's a simplified version of our FAQ. It will answer many of your questions about how we operate as a #NoManager company.
Projects are the primary unit of work at Treehouse. Anyone can have an idea and propose a Project. Projects do not have to relate to the core expertise you were hired for. Example: A Designer could propose a project to teach a course.
How do Projects work?
If you have an idea …
- Open up Flow (our internal tool).
- Click 'Propose a Project'.
- Explain the Project goals.
- Determine how you will measure success. We encourage you to use measurable statistics and metrics.
- Choose a Focus Area (Education, Marketing, Finance, etc)
- Add the Team roles that are necessary to complete the Project (Developer, Designer, Audio, Video, Data Scientist, etc)
- Spread the word and try to recruit great people to your Project. A good idea is to create a post in Convoy (our internal forum) and ping people on HipChat (our company-wide chat tool).
- People join your Project by going to the Project pitch and clicking 'Join'.
- Once enough people join, hit 'Start'. If you don't need anyone else to help, you can just begin, providing you've bounced the idea off people who need to know and starting the new Project will not hamper your ability to execute on existing Project commitments.
- If you don't gain enough support for your Project you can click 'Abandon'.
Once your Project starts …
- Conduct an initial kickoff meeting with the new Project team
- Once a day, everyone working on the Project needs to post a quick update on where they're at with the Project and what % complete they are with their tasks. For example, if you're the Designer, and you feel like you're 50% done and the Developer feels they're currently 0% done, assuming it is a two person team the average 'completeness' will average out at 25%. The average completeness for each Project will be posted publicly to give the whole company an idea of how complete each Project is.
After your Project completes …
- The team measures how successful the Project was and posts a post-mortem thread on the Project in Convoy (our internal forum).
- The Project team is responsible for providing ongoing support and maintenance of that Project
Can I leave a Project before it completes?
If you want to move to a new Project, you chat to your current Project Team to let them know you'll be moving on and then simply sign up for another Project. It's not cool to leave your team hanging when they need you, and we would expect that poorly timed and communicated moves from teams would be reflected in your peer reviews.
How big can a Project team be?
This is naturally dependent on the nature of the Project. That said, it is in everyone's best interest to keep the size of Project teams to a minimum. Remember our biggest costs at Treehouse are team salary and the opportunity cost of your time.
How many Projects can I work on at once?
It's up to you, just don't disappoint any of the Teams you've joined by getting behind schedule and dragging down the team. The importance of focus in creating quality cannot be understated.
Many of the folks at GitHub have blogged about how this is one of their biggest day-to-day challenges: over-committing. Better to over-deliver than under perform.
What happens if a team forms, and produces a Project that they all thought was a good idea. But when it's complete, it turns out to be of poor quality. Who decides if it goes live or not?
We cannot make a rule for this that will always work. There needs to be a robust QA structure in place but beyond that we're relying on everyone's good judgement to decide if something is shippable. Once it ships we need the Project Team to be measuring its success and reporting back on whether it succeeded or failed.
If I propose a Project, but there's not enough bandwidth, do I wait on Team Members to finish other Projects or convince others to join mine instead, or do I just have to join another member's Project in the meantime?
There will be a very small percentage of Project Proposals that actually get started. If yours doesn't gain traction right away, then just jump into another Project or find something you can do on your own that uses your skills to best serve our Students and advance our Mission.
Where do I post my daily Project updates?
For each Project you're working on, you need to do a daily update in Flow and include your % completeness.
It is vital that everyone posts daily updates on what they're working on or this whole idea will fall down.
Will people 'lead' Projects?
Each Project Team will have it's own way of working. Sometimes the best thing to do will be to elect a leader who makes sure everything is driving forward and organized, for example coordinating with teams outside of that particular Project or product. Other times, it may make sense to not have a leader and just divide roles and tasks as needed.
Some people are natural leaders and will automatically influence Projects because of their experience and charisma. However, no one is forced to follow anyone so only people how are actually good at leading will be 'leaders'. As the saying goes, "If you call a meeting an no one shows up, then you're not a leader."
How does everyone know what's happening on other Projects?
You go to the Project page in Flow and read the status updates. If you need more info you can jump into HipChat (company-wide chat room). We discourage email as it creates information silos.
What tools do Project Teams use? (Trello, Asana, etc)?
After a Project has been started, it's up to the Project Team to use whatever tool is best suited for their work.
Who prioritizes Projects?
There isn't any top-down prioritization (unless we are required by law to act on an issue or some "red alert" type work is required, which should be rare). Each person will be prioritizing their todos based on maximizing their ability to advance the company-wide goals and Mission.
How do we spend money and are there budgets?
We want to be clear about something, moving to a flat structure does not mean everyone has carte blanche with Treehouse financial resources. There is one exception:
We are going to start off with no set budgets for Projects at Treehouse. If your team needs to spend less than $500, then you can go ahead and do it on the condition that everyone on the Project Team has unanimously approved it. This will probably mean that whenever you spend money, you have to file a claim through Expensify or you can request a cash allowance from the company. Project teams can spend up to $500 if unanimously agreed amongst the team.
If a Project's spend increases or is expected to increase above $500 in aggregate, you need the approval of the Co-Founders.
Project spending will be listed publicly so we can all see who's spending what. Remember, it is absolutely important that we exercise as much thriftiness as possible. When the company has more financials resources (is comfortably generating positive free cash flow) we will probably increase the thresholds for approval above.
Again, for any spending not related to Projects, for example travel, product based spending, non-Project related supplies, etc., you will need to get approval from the CFO.
What's happening with our current top five priorities?
They have been deprecated. You all will be deciding your day-to-day priorities. The Co-Founders will be communicating their 50,000-foot view of the monthly priorities but they are just guides.
How do we make decisions?
We use our company wide goals, Mission Statement, and impact on free cash flow as a guide for decision making.
Who decides company-wide priorities? Who sets the general direction for the company?
Alan and Ryan (the Co-Founders) are actively steering the ship and setting company-wide goals, our Mission Statement and areas of focus.
What are the Co-Founder's roles in this new system?
Ryan and Alan are still very much leaders of the company. They will decide on company-wide goals, make sure our Mission remains relevant driving force, and keep our current areas of focus updated.
Next time ..
In my next post I'll be explaining …
- How career progression works
- How discipline and compensation works
- Pros
- Cons
[Props to Nocklebeast for the photo]
No Managers: Why We Removed Bosses at Treehouse
On June 20th 2013, we decided that our 4-day work week at Treehouse was't insane enough so we went further: We removed all Managers.
It was a bold move and one that not everyone was convinced of. We proposed to change the way the company operated and give all employees 100% control of their time and let them decide what they work on each day. From now on no one would tell anyone what to do, not even the CEO. (Me!)
This is not a new idea. Valve, GitHub, Gore Associates and Medium (and probably more) are all #NoManager companies. Knowing that someone has done it before us didn't make it any less daunting or even any easier. This is the story of how we did it, why we did it, the highs the lows and a few pointers for anyone thinking this craziness might be for them.
In a series of articles, I'll explain …
- Part 1 (this article)
- Why we removed our managers
- What managers actually do
- What really motivates people
- Part 2
- How people choose what to work on
- How priorities are determined
- How Projects work and what tools we use
- How budgeting works
- Part 3
- How career progression works
- How compensation works
- How reviews and discipline work
- Part 4
- How we communicate and what tools we use (I only answer 10 emails per day)
- Future articles
- The pros
- The cons
- The future
Why we Removed our Managers
We started the company in 2010 and operated in the normal command-and-control structure. By 2013 we had grown to 60 people with seven managers and four executives. As we added more people to the team, we noticed something disconcerting: rumors, politics and complaints started appearing.
Alan, my Co-Founder, and I started exploring possible solutions and considered removing the lowest layer of managers and asking them to go back into producing (which is what they were originally hired for). Then we went up the chain and asked hard questions about the value of the mid-tier managers, and then we kept going all the way to the executives at the top.
What if we removed all management and simply empowered everyone to choose what they do every day? We laughed at first and then the conversation turned serious. We had hired talented and motivated people. Did they need managers?
I can only speak from experience so I'll limit this to my journey being an employee at two companies and running four companies.
In my experience, managers started off as workers and then moved up the ladder, getting farther and farther from the front line. They gained power but slowly lost their touch with the day-to-day realities of talking to customers and actually creating solutions to their problems. The manager's team lost respect for them because they could no longer produce, which means they would set unrealistic deadlines.
Everyone was getting abstracted away from actually doing and instead focused all their attention on structuring.
As our team grew, we spent more and more time talking about priorities, aligning everyone and checking in on progress. The whole structure we designed was taking power and responsibility away from everyone on the front lines.
What do Managers Do?
In my experience, managers' responsibilities were …
- Communicating messages from top to bottom
- Settling disputes
- Managing careers
- Keeping their teams motivated and happy
- Shielding their teams from things they didn't think they needed to know
If we could find a way to replace the function of the managers and focus everyone on actually producing for our Students (customers) then it would actually be possible to be a #NoManager company. In my future posts I'll explain how we're doing this at Treehouse.
What Motivates People?
In my experience, people want to be amazing at their job. I can't count the number of times that people had really great ideas but were powerless to implement them. I watched as they went from zealous excitement to indifferent cynicism.
If you have 10 minutes, please watch this video by Dan Pink: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. I think it sums up almost all my thoughts on why we decided to remove management.
Good managers act like servants to their team but far too many like the power and let it go to their heads. If Treehouse ever grows to 500 people, we'd need at least 50 managers. If we were starting to have morale problems now, what would that be like? Blurgh.
Go time!
Alan and I decided that if we were going to do this, the company would have to enact it by a majority vote.
The Treehouse Team is spread over the entire United States (with one person in the UK) so we do most of our communication in an internal forum called Convoy. We wrote an epic post on Convoy called Radical new idea: No managers at Treehouse, took a deep breath and hit the post button. The whole company ground to a halt for two days as 447 comments were posted, upvotes and downvotes were cast and passionate opinions flared.
After two days, we did a company-wide Q&A over video and at the end we asked everyone to vote via an online form. The votes flooded in and over 90% voted to go flat.
It was go time. Now the real work would begin.
Next up …
In the next article, I discuss …
- How people choose what to work on
- How priorities are determined
- How Projects work and what tools we use
- How budgeting works
Further Reading
Changing lives
In case you can't see the above video, view it here on Vimeo.
I just had one of those goosebumps-can't-stop-smiling-perfect-moments-of-happiness events: A TV station just did a big story on how Treehouse is being used to change the lives of High Schoolers here in Oregon.
I feel so damn lucky to be working every day on something that really changes lives. I don't feel like the previous three companies I've ran met that standard, but Treehouse does. Making money is great, but doing something that matters is better. When you can combine them both, it's a very special thing.
Stuff I Like
- Jay-Z connecting the dots between Russell Simmons and Mark Zuckerberg
"People in the record business had always made a lot of money. Not the artists,...
- We work a 4-day week and just raised $4.75m
I think there's something messed up about the startup culture in the USA. The belief...
@ryancarson on TwitterFollow @ryancarson


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Autism Transitions event
October 31st 2014 at the Communication Specialist College on Leger Way, Doncaster. Suitable for parents, individuals and professionals.
See article HERE for more info
Grow your tenner
Make a £10 donation to Autism Plus and we will receive up to £21.54 thanks to localgiving.com. The most efficient way to donate.
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What's new at Autism Plus?
Hull based project to support vulnerable residents
Adam's journey through the Talent Match to becoming a young people's commissioner
Final volunteer needed in Sheffield area.
Woodhouse Co-op continue fundraising for Autism Plus
New art installation by the Bradmere team


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Teaching the test means the teacher will instruct students on what they will be tested on. Those in favor of standardized tests argue that teaching to the test improves test-taking skills. Those who oppose them say teaching to the test narrows curriculum and forces the teacher and students to focus on just facts without using critical thinking skills.
If the test is organized in a multiple choice format, there is no measurement of the student's ability to communicate ideas or to formulate a conclusion following a deductive thought process. This means that the student may know the mechanics of writing but will not learn the writing process.


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YoMa (Burmese)
Thanks to a Chowhound's info on the opening, I ate lunch at YoMa in Allston today, its second day in operation. My meal was great--one of the best under $15 I've had in Boston. I was impressed by the refinement and healthiness of the cooking, which should be accessible to everyone.
The menu seems closer to Thai, Vietnamese, and Cambodian than Indian. I ordered the roasted chicken salad and jumbo shrimp curry. The salad was perfect. The thinly sliced chicken breast had an excellent roasted flavor. Lime, lemongrass, cilantro, and chilis were all balanced to my taste, unlike in most Thai yum salads, which I tend to find too tangy. The texture was excellent--not too watery, crispiness from shredded vegetables, and a nice, surprising crunchiness which I think came from bits of roasted chilis. The waitress (of sorts) said that the authentic version of the dish uses hotter fresh green chilis, which they do have on hand, but for most people I think the salad is spicy enough as is.
The shrimp curry was also excellent. It had a delicious tomato, onion, garlic, and garlic base that seemed more Indian than SE Asian, but was lighter and more delicate than most Indian curries. It was well suited to the numerous fresh, juicy jumbo shrimp in the dish. Again, the waitress said the authentic dish has additional chili powder, which they are willing to put in, but it's great as is. The jasmine rice alongside had good flavor and was not too gummy or too dry.
Though the decorations are incomplete, I think it's fair to say the atmosphere is never going to be conducive to a romantic date. But the restaurant is very clean and the dishes are plated well. The homey feel reminded me a bit of Floating Rock, without the annoying TV.
The waitress I spoke to was bright and fluent in English. She says they (I took this to mean the proprietors of YoMa) fled Burma/Myanmar after unsuccessfully fighting for democracy against the current military dictatorship. Hopefully the restaurant will bring them better luck. Highly recommended.
thanks for the opening report, much appreciated. will have to check this one out...good to know that you should ask for authentic heat. (or that i should, at least!).
re: powella
5 North Beacon Street, Allston, MA (they have a lovely takeout menu--which, by the way, says they deliver but...I would stick to takeout until they get their legs under them). Definitely no parking lot--not even close to the kind of place that would have a parking lot.
Some more info: takes cards, open M-Sat 11:30 to 11, Sun 1 to 10. Phone: (617) 783-1372. However, I watched them let the answering machine pick up four times.
In Allston Village, in the same block as Deep Ellum and Grasshopper. Don't know the exact number (I think the awning is bright orange?). It's Allston, so parking can be difficult - I don't think I saw a parking lot for YoMa. We will try to head over there this week.
I tried it last night: great food, but a very long wait to get the food after we ordered. As in over an hour from the time the DC and I sat down until we got our first of four dishes, and a 2.5 hour meal overall (and we weren't lingering much after finishing our last dish).
Our first dish was the same chicken-based salad that the original poster described. It was excellent, just as described above.
Our remaining three dishes came out one-by-one over the next hour. They ranged from just above average to very good:
-a chicken curry served with excellent rice. The curry itself seemed somewhat more subtly complex than Indian or Thai curries -- it was both mild and had multiple flavors going on. The rice was a sticky Jasmine rice that to me was perfectly cooked, sticky without being gummy. Above average to very good dish overall.
-a soup with mustard greens and pork. Very rich broth, very fresh greens. I would absolutely get this dish again.
-a pasta/chicken/gravy sort of dish, I can't remember the name but it was in the Burmese specialties section. It was very flavorful but I'm not sure I'd get it again.
The friendly waiter (there was only one) was very nice and generally forthcoming about the delays, and seemed rather embarrassed at the pacing. While we waited for the food, at least one group got frustrated with the wait and decided to leave. Other tables seemed to be taken by friends/relatives of the owner and seemed to be having similar delays.
At the end of our meal, the owner was chatting with us and again apologized for the delays - he assured us they were working to have 2 cooks in the kitchen rather than one to speed up the service.
I have had Burmese food before in San Francisco and this didn't live up to my memory of those meals, but it was good enough that I'd go back. The waitstaff and owner were quite friendly, the food was all fresh and served as it was ready, and the menu was interesting enough to keep exploring. I'll probably wait a couple of weeks before I try it again though.
re: JP RS
FYI - YoMa doesn't have a parking lot, but Cambridge Street, West of Brighton Ave is all non-permit parking and usually there are plenty of spaces on the north side, particularly once you've passed Gordon. You might have to walk a block or two, but it's usually one of the easier spots in Allston to find parking.
Allstonian and I went for the first time this evening. It's a fairly small but nicely decorated space: 8 tables, 30 seats, about a quarter to one-third full during our meal.
It did take a while for our food to come out, but it came out in two rounds instead of one dish following another. Through Allstonian's past familiarity with Burmese food (she was a big fan of Mandalay back when it was around some decades back), our shared ability to read a menu well and pure dumb luck, we ended up with four dishes that matched up perfectly with each other.
Our first round was the Wat Thar Thot, a cold salad of barbecue pork, lemongrass, cucumber and shallot, dressed with lime juice, chile and cilantro. This was accompanied by Ohn Note Khot Swe, a thick porridgy soup of coconut, chicken, yellow noodles, mustard greens and shallots, topped with crispy rice noodle strips (think Funyons). They were perfect together, because the salad was quite bright, sharp, crisp and cold, and it was a good contrast to the soup, which might have been a little stodgy on its own. We spritzed some lime juice into the soup and added a dusting of a ground dried chile that was very similar to aleppo: maybe one or two ticks hotter, but with that soft, moist quality that aleppo has. That helped brighten the soup and tied the two dishes together really well.
Our second round consisted of the Ta Min Poung, a simple dish of roast pork, Chinese sausage, and mixed veggies on jasmine rice, and Kha Yan Thee Nut, a savory dish of stewed eggplant in a sauce of shallots, ginger, garlic and ground peanuts. This was an even more successful pairing than the first round, because the highly-flavored eggplant stew was a perfect match to the very plain, clean flavors of the pork and vegetable dish. When our waitress saw me sprinkling some of the ground chile on the pork, she brought out a sweet-spicy sauce that's basically a kicked-up version of that sweet dipping sauce you're familiar with from Vietnamese and Thai places. It was an inspired touch.
I don't know if we seemed like we were comfortable with the menu or what, but when we were done eating, our waitress asked how we knew about Burmese food and if we had any comments or criticisms for the chef. We thought it was just kind of a polite pro forma question, but as soon as we told her what we thought of the dishes, she went directly back to the chef and relayed our thoughts to him! So there you go: they really seem to enjoy serving to a fairly informed clientele. On the other hand, as we were finishing, two guys came in and asked for menus, saying that they'd never had Burmese food before and wondering what it was like, and I thought the waitress did a very good job of explaining it. They didn't stay, unfortunately.
Yes, the wait for food is a bit long, but I think our total time at table was less than 90 minutes, so it's not unreasonable. I think as long as you don't have anywhere to go immediately, you shouldn't find it troublesome.
re: BarmyFotheringayPhipps
First off, I have to give credit to Chowhounds across the country who've posted comments about Burmese restaurants over the years - my MIT friends and I were indeed regulars at Mandalay back in the day, but that was nearly 30 years ago and my memory isn't that good! So yesterday in anticipation of our planned outing, I scanned a few threads on Burmese restaurants elsewhere to familiarize myself with the menu basics.
I think that the Ohn Note Khot Swe was the same dish that JP RS described above as "a pasta/chicken/gravy sort of dish." The menu calls it a soup, but JP RS's description is probably more accurate. It came with a chunk of lime and that dish of dried chile pepper, and the use of both of those added a lot to the dish. We would definitely order it again. (Though we would probably ask for a second bowl so that we could more easily share the dish - we found ourselves taking turns with the serving bowl!) Same problem with the Wat Thar Thot, actually - it came out on a serving platter, but we didn't get individual dishes so we just both ate from the platter. Maybe we don't understand Burmese serving conventions, or maybe the waitress thought that each of us had chosen one dish to start rather than sharing. Unfortunately, at that point business had picked up and she was back in the kitchen most of the time.
Another time even I would probably ask them to kick it up to more authentic heat levels, and I'm a bit of a heat wimp. Things were flavorful and spicy, but I think they did tone down the use of chiles pretty severely for us gringoes.
Portions are not tiny but not huge either, which is fine - it just means we can order more dishes at one time. I had been a little nervous that the four dishes we ordered would end up being way too much food, but it was just enough for the two of us (admittedly, we're hearty eaters, and it was after 8:30 when the food started arriving, at which point we were pretty ravenous.) Total bill for 4 dishes with tea but no additional beverages came to just under $33.
re: Trumpetguy
Nope. Not on the menu. No green tea salad, either.
My understanding is that in Burma, ginger and green tea salads are basically snacks that you have a little nibble of at some point during the day to go with your tea or stave off the munchies, or to cleanse your palate after a meal. Maybe they think it wouldn't fit with their menu.
re: Trumpetguy
Sorry - I thought I'd mentioned that but I guess I edited it out. There are about 7 or 8 of the Burmese style salads, including green mango, but no ginger salad. Also no tea leaf salad (a popular item at Burmese restaurants in some other US cities, according to various CH threads I looked at.)
re: Allstonian
Well that is officially too bad! :(
It really is one of my all time flavor combinations--better than black bean tacos w/guacamole, pesto or octopus salad ;)
What's in it? Can i remember now(15yrs later?) I recall yellow lentils(?),garlic, ginger,dried shrimps,coconut, jalapenos, lime juice,cilantro,peanuts---more I'm forgetting...all served in separate piles on the plate--server squeezes lime juice and mixes all ingredients together...so fresh, textural and yes, tasty :)
I'm bummed now--have to get some next visit to SF for sure...
re: Trumpetguy
Maybe ask them if they can do it? They seem really interested in feedback and wanting to make a go of it with an otherwise unrepresented cuisine.
re: Allstonian
That's my impression too. The waitress made some half-apologetic comment about how there are hundreds of dishes in Burma, but for the menu they carefully chose dishes they thought Americans would like. One thing I wouldn't want to do is give any misguided advice a la Seinfeld's "all-Pakistani restaurant" advice to Babu.
re: Trumpetguy
They have ginger salad, it's just not on the menu. Simply ask for it. That's what we did tonight.
re: mightymatt
Yessss!!!! :)
re: ErstwhileEditor
No, they don't. I was a little surprised at that, actually - looking at other threads about Burmese restaurants elsewhere, it seemed as though mohinga is kind of a basic national dish, but maybe they thought it wouldn't go over well. Again, I think there's no harm in asking them about it.
I totally see fenian's point about "misguided advice," but all of these questions about items not on their basic menu might encourage them to branch out into some specials once they've gotten their feet on the ground.
re: Allstonian
Yes, Mohinga ( Fish Noodle Soup) is available. I asked the owner ( seems she is ), but not on the menu yet. If not, I'll make it for you or invite you when I have a party at home..lol ( Yes, I'm a native Burmese)
I forgot to ask about Tea leaf and Ginger salads. Yes, there's no harm to ask about. It might be available.
( Note: I have no relationship with Yoma, you guys are free to give any comments/suggestions to them. I believe they'll happy to accept. You can even ask me if you have any questions about burmese foods. I'm happy to answer. Thanks)
Very good homey cooking.
BuTheeJaw -- battered gourd (a zuchinni like vegetable) with a modestly pungent spicy dipping sauce; not too greasy, the sweetness and spiciness of the sauce was well balanced
ThaYetTheeThot - I really liked the fragrant flavours of crushed peanuts and dried shrimp coming together to ground the crisp, light salad with julienned green mango (could have been more sour I thought), shredded cabbage and a spring-fresh whiff of cilantro
The beef curry was excellent -- rich in oil and thickened with coconut milk, more tumeric -based but still carrying a pleasant repeitoire of spices. Slow cooked tender pieces of beef, good soft potatoes.
YoMa spice on rice -- a very savoury larb-like dish with ground pork and chicken, flavoured with Thai basil, soy sauce (and perhaps a touch of oyster sauce? not sure....).
JarZanJaw - a stir fry of rice vermicelli with roast pork, shrimp and vegetables, coloured with curry powder, was nice but not special
re: limster
I stopped by tonight to pickup something for my wife. I got her the Khotswejaw
which was stir fried yellow noodles with chicken and mixed veggies. She said it was very tasty. The space is small but nice. I met the owners wife and 5 year old daughter sandra both very sweet. She told me the fish soup was available but not on the menu because americans wouldn't like it, I told her to post it on the menu and see what happens. Both husband and wife raved about the chicken curry w potato and the beef Curry saying it was there favs.
Any truth that there is only 3 Burmese rest in the country? They told me SF and Philly are the other two. Anyone who is familiar with this food give them feedback I would thing they are open to suggestions. The parking situation is tough.
I belong to a group of friends that goes out to dinner every couple of months and I selected YoMa for our dinner last night. I had been considering Z-square despite the mixed reviews, but noticed they posted a new menu about a month ago which seemed to lose the comfort food concept and the entree prices were maybe 50% higher.
Since they don't have a liquor license, we met around the corner at Deep Ellum first for a drink. The music there was loud for my taste, making conversation difficult. The beer list was long with lots of interesting selections, with most in the $5-6 range. I had a cup of their chile, which was very good, although wished it was served with some slices of fresh bread or anything other than the shrink-wrap crackers it came with.
I had called YoMa and they had the tables set up for our group and the woman who is the waitress is very pleasant and helpful. As other folks have noted, there are some timing issues. There was only one other couple there when we arrived, but it took over half an hour for the first course to come out of the kitchen. I had the chicken tempura and someone had the "gourd" tempura and both were very good, expecially with the dipping sauce. This has a little heat, but mostly a good combination of spices.
After this was cleared four bowls of the "sizzling" soup came out. There was no sizzle, but perhaps it had all dissipated in the kitchen. The broth is light but very flavorful and the soup is full of very fresh ingredients - I don't think any was left in the bowls. It seemed odd that the tempura and soup weren't served together, but even odder was that the fellow who ordered a salad still didn't have anything to eat. He finally asked about the salad and was told that it would be served with the main meal. I suggested to the waitress that they should warn people of this, as we all expected to get our first courses at about the same time and then the main course.
It was now after 8:30 and the place had filled up. The waitress spends a lot of her time in the kitchen, although it looked like there were three guys in there already. It was about now that the waitress came out and told the woman who had ordered the string bean in garlic sauce - a favorite dish of hers - that the beans weren't very good and suggested she order something else. While this gesture was appreciated, we wondered why it had taken them an hour to discover this. She switched to the eggplant and both folks who had this dish enjoyed it and commented that it seemed more Indian in nature than any of the other offerings.
Our main courses came out over perhaps a 20-minute period. At one point, my friend asked how much longer for the salad and was told that everything was ready, but it still took over 5 minutes to appear. I didn't write down what everyone got, but have some observations. A woman got the shrimp curry mentioned in the initial review, but found it a bit two salty. I had the KhotSweJaw with chicken which was OK, but not anything special. The fellow who waited so long for the green mango salad said it was very good, but said the pork in his other dish was on the tough side.
My general take is that this is very much home cooking, with dishes prepared from close to "scratch" as they're ordered. I mentioned to the waitress that it would be good if all the dishes for a table were ready at about the same time, but perhaps this is a cultural thing. They seem very competent at cooking, but perhaps still struggling with the restaurant concept - the check was placed on our table in the midst of the entree course. Although one solitary diner got his soup very quickly, we did notice that the tables which filled after we came in also had a long wait for their food. From our experience last night, I'd suggest going earlier rather than later and expect to wait, especially if there are a lot of folks there before you. For me the biggest thing on the plus side is that everything seems fresh and light, so that after the meal you feel satisfied but not overly full.
re: velotrain
Burmese salads are different from western salads - many are in fact meant to be eaten as part of the meal. Some are meant to be eaten by themselves, as snacks, and not part of any meal. Hope this helps you have a better experience next time.
Yoma is a small family run ethnic restaurant, and setting your expectations for such a restaurant to be coordinated - like you could expect such places like Espalier to be - would be wrong. The price difference alone is an indication. Perhaps the best thing to do is to enjoy the experience as a cultural experience, slow down, enjoy the company you are with - and let the flow take you where you have never been before.....
I see many people expressing concern over the wait for food/sequence of dishes that come to the table. My guess it that everything is being made fresh, to-order, Burmese style. This is what we experienced and it was wonderful - made us slow the hell down and just sit and be, or look out on the street to watch the world go by. Then the food delivered to us (whenever the dishes were ready) was some of the freshest, lovingly-prepared food we've ever had anywhere. Lovely oily curries, Indian thali, Nepali food, Shan noodle soups (I, too, am craving mohinga in the morning, along with fried Burmese pastries and rice cakes with coconut!), fresh Thai glass noodle salads with shrimp, Tibetan food, grilled squid with chilli and garlic sauces, whole fish with ginger and scallions, etc. We will head to Yo-Ma soon...this weekend?
The menu is changing - in a few weeks, they will have "suggested combinations" and the real Burmese dishes will replace those which were originally targeted towards "a more general American taste". Hopefully, this allows the owner to get a slight edge on time (considering that one chef has already left).
Looking forward to the reviews of the new menu!
re: cornFusion
FWIW, I tried one of the new dishes last night...a curry fish chopped up is how they described it. Looked like fish mcnuggets (chopped up fish inside) with a curry batter coating and in a somewhat spicy tomato sauce. It was good though somewhat small. She said it wasn't on the menu yet.
The other dishes we tried (their version of kung pao chicken which isn't what you expect, and the spicy ground pork/chicken on rice which tastes a little like the stuff on dan dan noodles) were also tasty and somewhat small (small compared to a chinese restaurant).
All dishes were quite tasty though, so I'd return...
re: Spike
We ate there two or three times within the first couple of months that they were open, and haven't been back all summer. I really need to remedy that!
I'll grant you that the portions are small compared to some other restaurants, but the prices are also very reasonable and to me the small portions mean that it's possible to order more different things.
re: cornFusion
Had dinner there last night with the new menu. It's been redesigned a fair bit, but we could still find our old favorites. We tried two "new" things, the MoHinGar and a pumpkin and shrimp curry dish I don't remember the name of. Both were very tasty, the pumpkin dish especially so. I wouldn't have thought of that flavor combination on my own.
Neither new dish was especially spicy, and even as a non-pepper-head, I think they could have done with a little more bite or tang. Next time I'll ask for extra lime wedges and make more use of the crushed pepper that comes with the OhnNoteKhotSwe. We asked for the Tofu Thot salad spicy, and it came out more like medium, which worked for us.
I actually like YoMa's portion sizes. The price is right, and the fact that they're not huge makes it easy to have variety in one meal, even when it's just the two of us. Last night we were four, and one salad plus three main courses fed our group quite well (though we were tempted to get another round of the pumpkin-shrimp dish) for quite cheap.
They've definitely improved in terms of speed of service since they opened. I really hope they survive, since I want to go back and try more of the new offerings.
re: T.B.
I always want to add more lime to my MoHinGar too, so I sympathize. But Cornfusion (and Thaw Da-female owner at Yo Ma) always tease me a bit about this, as I guess Burmese think that adding too much lime to the MoHinGar ruins the balance of flavors. Anyway, issues of "authenic flavor" aside, they usually are happy to bring out additional lime or hot peppers.
I love the food! I used to have to wait pretty long. But, their service is much much faster now. They've revamped their menu and now have a website www.yomaboston.com and www.yomaburmeseboston.com.
re: skeptix315
Thanks for the info/link to the web site. Glad to see they've added LepThot and other salads to their menu. (persoal favorite in Burmese foods) Now if they would only open for lunch again!
I am planning to take a trip to YoMa this weekend. One of my DC's will be a vegetarian, the other a meat-eater (as am I), so we will probably want to order about half vegetarian dishes. Also, at least two of are not so good with spiciness (though we all love interesting flavors!) Any specific recommendations for dishes, especially non-spicy and/or vegetarian? Also, it sounds like the dishes are kind of small... how many would it take to feed 3 for dinner?
Thank you! After perusing the menu I am quite excited to check this place out!
re: fbf242
Don't worry about the spice aspect: even the spiciest dishes aren't burn-your-tongue-off hot. You'll also have no trouble with the veggie options.
If you're average eaters, I'd say three people could dine very well on five dishes.
YoYUK. While not hazardous to your health or inedible, the food at YoMa can only be described as mediocre. The hostess-cum-waitress was friendly and the service was prompt. But, save for the decent appetizers, the three entrees and one side dish that we ordered uniformly failed to impress. From the bloated tofu in the Paepyarhin to the gamey eggplant in the Khayantheenut (despite the tasty ground peanut sauce) to the offensive smell of the Myitjaw, nothing we had was satisfying. We ended up ordering pizza afterwards for sustenance and to cleanse our palates.
re: 423maple
went there saturday around 8 pm. the hostess was friendly and the place was clean. i really wished i remembered what to order from this thread. what we ordered did not seem to represent the best of the menu. we started with a plate of mixed apps (forget name) fried tofu, cripsy soy or corn wafers and roasted eggplant in fried rice wrapper. all were edible but not a lot of depth. the spicy sauce with them help to give some depth. for main i got the coconut chicken noodle soup. the vermecilli was a little overdone for me along with the soup being more starchy and saucy. i squeezed a lot more lime and was able to eat a little more but honestly i wouldnt get it again. my DC had the pork stew. it was good. it had a smaller portion but a lot more flavor and spice. over all i was really intrigued by the menu but really dumbfounded on burmese food. any suggestions on what i should really make the trek out again for?
re: 423maple
sorry you had a bad experience and a little surprised. one of the things that has been so consistent about this little place is how fresh everything is. my sense has been the kitchen takes pride in what it puts out, though it is occasionally a little haphazard getting it out there. hope what you experienced was an unusual "blip."
re: teezeetoo
i hope so. can you name me some items that i should order next time? what have you had that you really liked?
re: bernie71
try the butheejaw (gourd tempura), thayettheethot (green mango salad), beef curry with potato, and shwepayontheehin (pumpkin with shrimp)
re: bernie71
Here's a link to a dinner last month..with good rundowns of the dishes and some pics.
I was sort of lukewarm to the meal; but I was definitely in the minority..and it is really worth trying and deciding for yourself. I remember really liking the "latkes," an unusual fish sauce veggie dish and a coconut soup.
The taste of Yoma's dishes are somewhat distinct. Many of the menu descriptions are accurate but not helpful to anyone who's never had any exposure to Burmese food. During my first visit, my initial reaction was that nothing in the menu sounds exciting. Many of the ingredients are seen in other Asian menus. With a highly suspicious mind, I ordered cautiously. The actual dishes were not like my expectation at all. They were tasty, fresh and unusual.
The side dishes (I have tried first and 2nd one from the new menu so far) have a fragrant fish sauce smell. It might be considered smelly for some people. It is one of those acquired taste items.
I had a chat with the owner last week, she told me that to ensure the freshness of the foods, they had to start preparation in the morning which is the reason why they are closed for lunch.
Try all their curry dishes. (I really dislike their menu descriptions. It does not engage the reader to select!) According to the owner, each curry dish is cooked differently with a variety of ingredients. My personal favorite is the egg curry and the chicken curry.
One of their salad also has curry chicken in it, but when I tried it, it is another kind of way of cooking. It is very tasty.
The tofu in tofu salad is made by chickpea instead of soy. That dish is refreshingly spicy. I have never had that kind of tofu before. It is very interesting to the taste.
I personally think they should do pictures on their walls like other local Thai restaurants to attract more customers.
Although I have never been to Myanmar, from my experiences in south east Asia, I got the sense that this is a very authentic, homey restaurant. I highly recommend this place. Also, don't be deceived by the factual words in the menu. Be daring and try anything!
re: ChiOut
Nice post. Hope we hear more from you.
After being on the to-try list for most of '07, I finally made it to YoMa yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The atmosphere and lack of liquor license, IMO, make it a more appealing lunch option (and the sign in the window suggests that lunch is now an option), but we were there for dinner. On the other hand, the food was excellent. Although the only other Burmese food I've had was at Nan King in Oakland (many years ago), if memory serves me, this seemed much more down-home and interesting.
For 3, we ordered the Aajawsone (essentially an appetizer combo with split pea cakes, fried tofu, and samosas served with tamarind dipping sauce), Laphetthot (green tea leaf salad), Shwepayontheehin (pumpkin and shrimp), and Ohnnotekhotswe (chicken, coconut noodle soup). The portions were smallish; we easily finished the food and could have had another dish had we known about the size. I would say that the small size and corresponding price are an advantage, allowing for more diverse meals but we weren't aware of that. Everything was fresh and well-executed and we felt that the flavors and textures of the dishes went together well (e.g., the fried apps were not greasy at all, simple but well-prepared, and a nice contrast to the crisp fresh salad which was an explosion of flavors with a lot going on). The salad and the pumpkin and shrimp in particular were really terrific, with very unique flavors unlike what one would find in other SE Asian cuisines. The noodle soup was tasty and went well with the meal. If it were the only dish I was eating I might find it to be monotonous since it was so simple. We asked for the dishes spicy. There definitely were chilies in the salad and pumpkin, but it still wasn't all that spicy.
We didn't encounter any problems with lengthy waits for the dishes -- they came out pretty quickly after ordering. The server was attentive throughout. And the price couldn't be beat -- $35 for dinner for 3! There were 2 other tables when we were there and another couple came before we left along with a few people for takeout.
It appears that they have already been receptive to customer feedback (e.g., both the ginger salad and the green tea leaf salad are on the menu now). I really hope this place makes it; it is a unique addition to the other ethnic options in town and adds a very different dimension. We'll be back and I'll look forward to working my way through more of the menu.
re: chilibaby
YoMa has been on my "to try" list for a while too. The Mr. and I got over there last week and also enjoyed it. I had a tofu curry that was spicy but I really stressed to the server that my preference was for hot. My partner had the egg curry which he got less spicy but said was still flavorful and tasty. As mentioned above in several posts: the prices can't be beat.
I also hope this place makes it. We had excellent service and it does seem like some of the earlier mis-steps have been smoothed.
re: intheq
There seems to be a running misconception that all Asian or SEA food is spicy; it's not. Particularly Burmese food. Much like Tibetan food, I find that many dishes are not what Westerners think of as traditionally spicy but depend more on, to our palates, subtle spicing. Perhaps this is why people do not get the requested "spicy."
YoMa is now on my top five list. Just had a great meal there. Service was fine, one waitress deftly handled a room that was about 2/3 full, checking in several times to refill our teapot (and not at our request). Food arrived in a reasonable time and everything was very good. We started with the appetizer combo mentioned above; though deep-fried, all was very fresh tasting and light, not greasy at all. Then we had green mango salad, shrimp/pumpkin dish, and a noodle dish with chicken, boiled egg, in a coconut/curry sauce. I am looking forward to returning to explore the rest of the menu.
re: nightsky
Just had a chance to try Yoma and we ordered the same items as above. The take-out order took about a half-hour and there was no one else in the place, but the food was very good, with unique flavors. The portions, however, were TINY. There were 2 shrimp in the pumpkin curry and the mango salad, split between 2 people, was about 4 bites each. Since the prices aren't bad, I would've ordered additional dishes had I known the portions were so pathetic. But, I'm glad Boston has a nice representation of authentic Burmese food.