Here comes the end of February – 2014 is racing along.

• Our project schedule may be in jeopardy which is the kind of thing that makes me worry. We already lost a week to getting our hospitals scheduled and I haven’t heard much since then (except that they expect it to be difficult). The team is pretty busy with a number of other efforts (specifics unknown to me) so even getting a response to my request for a quick check-in is a challenge. I’m eager for us to start learning but there’s a huge logistics hurdle that needs to be overcome.
• Really looking forward to an internal corporate summit I’m going to be part of, probably in April. From what I’ve heard so far it should be a pretty exciting event.
• On the town this week, I’ll be at Arrogance in International Research this Wednesday in San Francisco.
• Ten years gone: From February 2004 – Franchise Zeitgeist, Pickle Paraphernalia, Li’l G n’R.
• What we’re consuming: Enough Said, EQ3, Hangman Jury, Tara’s Organic Ice Cream.

I’m back to 90% of normal health today, after a long week of general confusion and extended napping. I was fortunate that we cancelled last week’s Boston trip in the face of a tremendous snowstorm.

• We did last week’s kickoff over WebEx. It was a disappointing not to be in the same room as everyone and put faces to names, but they closed their office due to the storm and most people called in from home anyway. I’ll finish up meeting with the final project stakeholder today. The next big step is to line up the hospitals we’ll be visiting and despite having weeks of lead time, the team is feeling pretty nervous about being able to pull it off. We’re supporting them with some best practices about how to ask for a site’s involvement.
• Networking this week includes offering some coaching on writing a book, and strengthening my own connections with folks I can pull in for projects.
• I’m involved in some early planning conversations for speaking at a really interesting internal corporate event.
• On the town this week, I’m looking forward to seeing a presentation on Design Thinking from Julie Baher this Thursday in San Francisco.
• Ten years gone: From February 2004 – Chagall at Costco, AOLiza, Found Typography.
• What we’re consuming: True Detective, Allman Brothers Band, ramen.

I’m recovering from flu which appeared in the last day of my trip, leading to an excruciatingly fevered/chilled day of overseas travel and a weekend of confusion and general self-pitying. Even without that, having some culture shock returning to the familiar.

• I’m off to Boston later this week to kick off a new project. Really looking forward to getting to know the organization as it seems we’re all excited to be working together. Eventually, we’ll be looking at IT and administrative processes in hospitals and doctor’s offices, but this week is all about the planning.
• Among the myriad messages that show up when you’re away from the office is one from our newish, supposedly user-friendly service-dedicated webhost, with some arcane request to make some technical adjustment I have no idea how to do that. So I’ll suppose I’ll be sorting that out!
• Ten years gone: From February 2004 – The remarkable photography of Brian Ulrich, Supersize your movie collection, Top 10 earworms.
• What we’re consuming: Monteith’s, Mac’s Beer, Bintang, Bircher muesli.

It’s a short week here as we’re off on vacation by the last half of the week. I’ll update here upon our return, but it’ll be quiet for a couple of Mondays.

• In the few days for the week we’re running through contracts and statements-of-work to try to get a new project officially launched and on the books. So excited about collaborating with this team and digging into some pretty interesting fieldwork.
• We just announced a new service: pro bono Management/UX Consulting for Small Businesses.
• Interviewing Users was included in Designers & Books’ 99 Must-Reads From 2013.
• I’m one of a long list of “Design and UX Leaders” who shared a bit about what we’re reading.
• In case you missed it, here’s my 5-minute talk about The Power of Silence, newly posted from last year’s Fluxible conference.
• Ten years gone: From January 2004 – Hummer line extension: shoes, CES and products for women.
• What we’re consuming: Koo, Ice Cream Bar, cheese, Psycho Donuts, Short Term 12

It’s a gorgeous January day in Northern California. I feel very lucky!

• I’m kicking off the week drowning in administrivia: sending out 1099 to last year’s contractors, paying the next installment on this year’s taxes, dealing with a missing automated bill payment to our landlord and so on. It’s gotta be done but yuck.
• There is some fun administrivia though: time spent getting ready for a possible office share with a local designer who is interested in one of our unused desks.
• Last week was really dominated by chatting with a number of prospects, outlining project plans, creating documents, talking through approaches and schedules. This week begins with…waiting. Although I’m sure that’s going to get a bit zany before too long.
• We ended last year as an agency of one, and so we’ve begun this year by reaching out to our network of collaborators in order to create just a bit more formality around an informal aggregation. This week will be a lot of conversations with people about the details of working together.
• I’ve started a fun collaboration with a local colleague and will be announcing that here very soon!
• On the town: I’ve been invited to dinner with a delegation of design executives from China. I’m not sure what it’s going to be about but will find out!
• On Thursday, I’ll be teaching a workshop about Interviewing Users at Code for America!
• Here’s my 5-minute talk about The Power of Silence, newly posted from last year’s Fluxible conference.
• Ten years gone: From January 2004 – Phase 3 is Profit!, The Sim Mafia.
• What we’re consuming: The Happy Taco, StarStruck, Modern Family, Steal This Episode.

Happy 2014! I took yesterday off, driving from Vancouver to Seattle, then flying home from Seattle to San Francisco. Of course, a “day off” is a relative term, since I spent much of the travel dealing with scheduling meetings, having pre-meeting check-ins, and so on. Anyway, today we’re back!

• I see they’ve announced the students who will be going to Amsterdam for the IxDA Student Design Challenge. I was excited to see that one of the winning entries was one that I had reviewed and was very enthusiastic about. Good luck!
• This week is so far peppered with meetings about collaborations, projects, fieldwork, helping teams develop and more. Whew!
• Next week I’ll be teaching a workshop about Interviewing Users at Code for America. Can’t wait to meet everyone!
• CHIFOO in Portland, OR has announced their 2014 speaker series I’ll be giving a new talk, about the War Stories, in June.
• Ten years gone: From January 2004 – customers are on their own at eBay, “Internet-Toy”, The Matrix Reloaded, local edition.
• What we’re consuming: Lynda Kay, Mob City, Archives Be Damned 2000, Corny milkshake/chicken karagge waffle sandwiches.

The year is winding down and over here it’s periods of frenzy alternating with chunks of extreme slow.

• After co-organizing the IxDA Student Challenge for two years, I am on the jury for this year’s amazing-looking competition. I reviewed submissions last week and await the announcement of winners soon.
• I’m looking forward to hearing Darrel Rhea talk tomorrow about Customer-Centered Strategies, via teleconference.
• Right now, the Atlantic’s Silicon Valley Summit (subtitled: Listening To The Innovators) is streaming.
• Ten years gone: From December 2003 – Clothing of the future, in the present, Cereal blogging.
• What we’re consuming: Lost Landscapes 8, Le Cercle Rouge, Hush, Johnny Doughnuts.

This is the 100th of these updates. No, we won’t be pausing to reflect, just simply making note of it.

• Just about every week has its own flurry of business-development activity, whether it’s the all-engrossing minutiae of setting up phone calls or the ominous waiting-to-hear-back; I have for the most part stopped reporting on it here and I’ll all say this week is that there’s a particular end-of-year-budget flavor that is emerging. As always, we’ll see what happens.
• Out-and-about this week: I’m looking forward to seeing Leah Buley and Scott Berkun speak at BayCHI on Tuesday. I’ve never seen either of them present before! Also, on Wednesday, I’m going to see Barry Katz speak about The Amazing, Incredible, Unbelievable History of Silicon Valley Design. Hope to see you at either event!
• Ten years gone: From December 2003 – Headvertising, The Availability of Mr. Potato Head.
• What we’re consuming: pretzels in milkshake form, Broadchurch, Art Spiegleman, donuts, Paul Cadmus.

It’s December! We’re in the home stretch for 2013. Also, it’s CyberMonday, a fact which Facebook reminded me of today, sending a notification to the Portigal Consulting page with the helpful advice to “write a post about it.” Gee, thanks.

• Check out the eLearning Coach podcast, where I spoke about Interviewing Users with Connie Malamed.
• I’m headed to New York later this week. I’ll be giving a talk about Interviewing Users at IxDA NYC on December 6 (long since sold out).
• I’m going to be spending a day at SVA, speaking about The Power of Bad Ideas at the Products of Design program and guesting at the Interaction Design program in their Research Methods class.
• Ten years gone: From December 2003 – Golden Bull Awards, Automobile product placement in videogames.
• What we’re consuming: latkes, Full Circle, Hendrix, pop stars aging gracefully.

I’m technically off today, spending today and yesterday in LA for a short birthday trip to see the Turrell retrospective at LACMA and eat delicious food. It’s a short week otherwise, with Thursday (and sorta Friday?) as Thanksgiving.

• Last week was my O’Reilly webcast Interviewing Users. You can see the recording at the link, also two summaries from the Twitters here and here.
• Next week I’ll be in New York for a few days. I’ll be giving a talk about Interviewing Users at IxDA NYC on December 6. You can sign up at the link but it was waitlist only a few hours after it was announced last week.
• Also in New York, I’ll be visiting SVA, speaking about The Power of Bad Ideas at the Products of Design program and guesting at the Interaction Design program in their Research Methods class.
• Ten years gone: From November 2003 – Kung Faux, Recruiting fail, Luxury Golf Cart Lawsuit.
• What we’re consuming: Underworld U.S.A., Flightfox, Osteria Mozza, 31st Union, Like a Rolling Stone, Bazaar.