| Call me crazy, but I do think $1.25 is rather much to be paying for a cup of coffee. AcronymCo sells their own brand for $.55 a cup, and Starbucks for $1.25. If you'd ever tasted AcronymCo's coffee, you would understand why the extra $.70 sacrifice is worth it. Pure unadulterated sludge, that stuff is. As I was telling Calvin, I think they make their coffee sludgy on purpose, to make the greater profit on the Starbucks. Damn commie pinkos. It strikes me that I put an inordinate amount of cream (well, half-and-half, actually) in my coffee. I like my coffee like I like my men - hot, sweet and blonde. Heh. Calvin can't fuss at me because he's all three. My 16oz of Starbucks starts off with six packets of sugar (yes, six), an inch of cream in the bottom, and topped off with the coffee. We must add our liquids to our solids, children. Didn't you learn that in science? Don't get me started on those worthless plastic coffee stirrers, though. I have to double and triple up on them in order to scrape the sugar off the bottom of the cup. Even then, my last gulp has got quite the wang to it. I find that the sugar does take the edge off the bitterness, but the cream adds a certain mellowness which reminds me of getting to the good part of a soft, chewy caramel. Melty, with a soft consistency in my mouth that slips down my throat and softens my hard edges, as well. Mmmmm... I didn't used to drink coffee in the morning. I actually prided myself on the fact that I wasn't dependent on it to wake me up. I'm not really sure when the change occurred, but now I drink two cups before I leave home, and get another cup at AcronymCo... sometimes two. Sometimes, if I'm especially lethargic, I'll even make a pot when I get home at night. For some reason it never really screws with my sleep patterns. I never lie awake at night because I had a cup of coffee at 8:00. Which isn't to say that I don't get a buzz off the stuff - as I type I can feel my fingers flying at a rate which, pre-coffee, would be reduced to maybe 30 words a minute. But post-coffee? 120, baybee! 120! Coffee motivates me. If I'm at work, pre-coffee sees me sitting at my desk, chin in hand, listlessly clicking my mouse hither and yon. Shuffling papers from one pile to another. Staring forlornly at my "to do" list. Post-coffee sees me firing off e-mails, getting my lazy butt out of my chair to actually *go to the next isle* and *speak face-to-face* with a co-worker. I answer my phone instead of letting my voicemail get it (unless it's someone I especially don't want to talk to - I have caller ID on my phone). I'm a working fool. There are negative aspects of coffee drinking. That butt taste in your mouth. The film over your teeth. The need to get up and *pee* every ten minutes. But it's worth it for the sense of perkiness achieved. I'm not really, in general, a perky person. But I can fake it like a sonofabitch when I'm on coffee. I don't want to create the impression that Starbucks is the end-all-be-all of coffee existence, here. They make a good cup of jo, sure - existentially better than AcronymCo's by an astronomical rate. But Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in downtown Portland, Maine kicks Starbucks' ass three ways to Sunday. Their Hazelnut Mocha is stuff legends are made from. If GMCR had franchised the way Starbucks did, the world would be a much, much better place. I don't search Starbucks out specifically for their coffee. However, when I lived in Maine and GMCR was a 40 minute drive for me, it was still a weekly ritual (at the very least). Imagine my glee when I stared working in the Old Port and GMCR was a ten minute walk away. Mmm... every morning, a cup of Hazelnut Mocha and a bioli from That Bagel Place (that's really the name of it). Sigh. There are just *so* many reasons to be homesick. In Other News...I got plenty 'o responses from yesterday's poll. Basically, to sum up, everyone felt basically as Vanessa did, in her e-mail - "If you don't update everyday that's no big, but don't get too out of the habit from day to day. You'll end up like me and go weeks. Whatever the consensus, do it for you. don't do it for us. It's your journal, not ours. You let us in, but remember, it's your house =)." Thanks, Vanessa!Most folks agreed with her, with some comments to the effect that "daily" update websites get popular fast, but websites with a reliable "notify" option are appreciated as well. I average four or five updates a week. Some sites I read only update a couple of times a month. Usually it's the same as me, four or five times a week. Only one website I read updates every. single. day. I really appreciate the effort that is put into that kind of dedication. I'd love to be able to do that. In Other, Other News...We got the scanner hooked up last night, as well as a new computer station to replace the FUGLY desk I've had since the beginning of time. Believe me, particle board doesn't hold up well over the years. I haven't had the chance to play with the scanner much, but I have a small stack of "favorite" pictures which are destined for the Scanner Fest-O-Rama which you can expect to appear in the next few days. Joy! Glee! Whee!Terri is engaged! Finally! Anna's lifestyle is making me jealous. Seriously. And her puppy comes home on Saturday! You should go see Dawn's vacation pictures. Christmas Arrangements UpdateBecause I know you're dying to know. Just one present left to buy Michael, and one to buy Marie. We bought Calvin's father a book about Harley Davidson motorcycles, which I need to get in the mail and off to Wyoming today. Amazon sent me an update that my backordered items actually will be delivered this week, so I humbly apologize for all the swearing I sent their way. Or maybe I don't apologize, if that's what did the trick. Our window coverings are supposed to arrive this week, to be installed before Saturday. Two ceiling fans to hang. A whole slew of window washing to do. Sweep and mop the floors. Thanks to Marie, all the wrapping for the relatives is done (and she did a far, far better job at it than I would have, I'll have you know). Michael's bathroom fixtures need to be installed. The kitchen closets need to be cleaned out and neatened. We need to get a few pots and bowls from Calvin's mom, and a couple of folding tables from Calvin's work. Other than that, it's just a matter of cooking.Hah. "Other than that," she says. |
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Your Mission, should you choose to accept it...
Walk through your neighborhood at night and look at the Christmas decorations. This is usually an annual tradition for our family, but we haven't done it yet for some reason. Perhaps tonight... with pictures! Whee!
Results From Yesterday's Mission It wasn't yesterday, really. More like December 13th. At this present moment in time, I can hear:
I grabbed the design idea for the box thingy from Anna.
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