10/20/2010

       As we get ever closer to Halloween, I still do not know if I will be spending the night at work or at leisure, with our three kids, terrorizing the fair city of Fairhaven.  Some people might say, I am always wearing my Halloween mask!  I am trying to hold off buying my costume, until I know if I will be at work or not.  There are so many costumes that just are not appropriate while serving food somehow.  I did not ask for the night off, but it is my usual night off from work.  Sadly the newest work schedule, only posts what we work through the 28th of October, not helpful.   I hope to get some pictures at the Bay View Cemetery before Halloween.  With some gloomy shots to add to the days creepiness.  This should be easy to accomplish with the great weather turning to gray and rain.  I have been greatly slacking on taking pictures though.  And making new posts on both of my blogs.   Some how I don't feel like posting when I get off work at midnight.   Hopefully this will change soon. 

 Until I get motivated, please check out and share other posts in this blog series.  There are now over 300 to roam through.   And my newest blog series is always itching for new readers----
http://exploreb-ham.blogspot.com/       Enjoy ;)

 

 

  This time of year you really do not have to ask what the weather will be like in the Great North West.  If you do ---you are new to the area and do not yet have your webbed feet!  You probably also carry an umbrella around.  True residents do not ever carry umbrella's.  I grew up in Wyoming were the report just says snow every day for about six months.   So compared rain is awesome!  If you are new to the North West above is the weather report from about October till May or so.

 

 

 

Don't forget your rubbers when it's wet.

 

     What surprises me is how few people can drive when it is raining.   The other day everyone seemed to be going 45 MPH down I-5.  Except for the Canadians who were either driving 25 MPH or 88, Aye!   The first storm of the season washes around all of the oils and such on the roads, and it really is slick, but after that it is just rain folks.   Get used to it before the "snow" hits.   I put snow in comas, because we never really see that much snow here.

 

    One can still accomplish some great hikes in the rain.   You just have to be prepared to come home soaked and watch your footing on the trail!

 

  

   

    October also bring my wife and I to 7 years of knowing each other.  This is beyond a long time.   And even through the really bad times, I am thankful every day to wake up by her side.  Or at least in the same house, when we are fighting, and someone gets the couch.   I love her more every day  and fall in love with her again each and every day.   But that is the way it's supposed to be.   Hopefully she can say the same.   More about our "anniversary" adventures very soon.  

 

**"The coffee is not kickin' in--hopefully it will before work!"**

 

Forget Starbucks, this is were I want to buy my coffee!!

 

 

Deep or not even close?

 

 

-

 



 

    I have talked about the Aztec calender and how we are all supposed to die this December before.  What gets to me is how this was brought up alllll the time last year, and now that we are very close to the date--we never hear anything about our fate.   Since the end *Dec 22nd* is just before Christmas, I would like to know more ---because why waste all of that cash on presents, if we will not be alive to open them on Christmas day?  

 

 

 

                                                    And lastly almost on topic.....

                                    You could enjoy some great fruit punch at the same time!

 

 

 

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3/12/12

                                                                      Down  by the bay

True dat!   This is from the movie Office Space--right before the above worker gets promoted.

Office Space is on my top ten favorite movies list for sure.

If I could ever write a screen play combining aspects of this movie and Employee of the Month I would keep you the viewer laughing for weeks.  Minutes at least!

My next blog will talk about our visit to see the reptile man.   And April and my date night Saturday night.   I do not have the pictures down-loaded into my computer yet.  But the cliff notes are that we came home to no kids, and I still do not like snakes--at all.

Fish flavored water.

I stop my typing and sipping on a Fat Tire beer long enough to share that I enjoyed a Sunkist pop a few days back.  I do randomly drink things that are not called coffee.   I was not aware they still even manufactured Sunkist.  I have to say it was good, but enjoy a great cup of Joe much more.   

The first Starbucks.  In Seattle, WA      I will be visiting this again at the end of this month.  Hopefully with a picture of me out front this time.    And yes the line goes down the street and loops around the inside of the building most of the stores open hours. 

I am sad to say that living were there are great to super great coffee shops all around me now, my first two coffee outings landed me at Starbucks.  After so long of living away from those that I love, I have been mostly content with drinking my morning brew at home now.  The other day I ventured out in the rain to run some errands and visit the newest Starbucks in Bellingham.  I soon learned how calming walking in the rain is, but it is also very chilly.  The newest coffee shop is on Sunset.  And it was packed.  It is a nice store, but still a Starbucks.  Meaning there is much better shops every about ten feet from were ever you are sitting at this very moment.   During date night, we had some time to kill and ended up at the Starbucks downtown.  Being downtown we had some great entertainment from an individual who was on some good drugs, and would not share.   He hopefully kept up the not sharing, when the cops stopped him just down the street from the coffee shop. 

There are defiantly better places to have coffee, but with so many locations, it is easy to find yourself enjoying a Starbucks coffee.  Plus now all locations have free wi-fi.    With my small lap top, sipping coffee while people watching and typing up a blog can be great entertainment.   But I am very easily entertained. 

 How did my coffee cup know I was so hot??

I have both and couldn't be happier.   Although we have learned in the past this isn't true.

Love will not pay off your landlords and such.  Although if you make the dog angry enough, he can keep the bill collectors at bay for quite awhile!

In my many walks with our new dog, I have to say I have forgotten how "fun" it is to walk a male dog.   I have not had a male dog for a long time, possibly ever.  And forgot how they have to stop every 2.5 feet to pee on something.   This something could be a stump, sign, or your leg. 

He is slowly getting me back in shape though.   I am in a shape, just not a good shape at all.  And the dog doesn't make fun of me while I run low on breath while standing at a red light.  That way I can slowly get myself in better health and not get made fun of.   It is hard to believe that even though it's been years, the first time I lived in Bellingham I biked across town almost every day.  This was the same time period were I would go on a crazy hike early in the day, before closing at work the same night.  Now slacking all day kind of wears me out. 

Coffee Really IS my Best Friend

                           


                             **"Hand over my coffee and no one gets hurt!"**----Garfield

                                             **"Coffee, helps you go poop!"**

                                         
                                                                 Sheridan, Wyoming

                                                   **"What is the point of decaff?"**

                                       **"Coffee first, than your mundane B.S>!"**

     In browsing through my blogs past, I have learned a few things.  The one that sticks out with me the most is how much I seem to talk about coffee.  I have tried to cut way back on my caffeine intake.  But have learned that I am not fun to be around if I skip my morning brew.   Mostly people that work or live around me tell me this.  But after about the third day of no dark brew of the God's, even the people on the bus and postman suggest that I go screw myself.  

    I never liked coffee when I was growing up.   And would now like to own my own  coffee shop, but fear I would drink most of the profits!   I have some really good concepts in my head for a great store, nothing like the Star Bucks I find myself frequenting way to much.  Mostly because by there sheer volume, they are every were.   At some four way corners in Seattle, you can sit in a S Bucks and see three more of the stores while you are sipping your coffee!   And soon the only locations available for new stores, will be in bathrooms of existing stores.   How weird would that be, to have a baraista by the sink, instead of a towel attendant?   I have often thought about working at a place like Star Bucks.  But have decided my main motivation is to get one of the kool black hats, and than I am pretty sure I would quit.   I could save a lot of time, and or butt kissing, by just trying to buy one of the hats on an Ebay auction.

     The main other reason I have not tried to work in a coffee stand, is that I believe the customers would erk me very quickly.   And I am used to annoying customers.   After eight years at Wally World for sure.   And working in restaurants, were we seem to be supposed to deliver food, entertain, be a comedian, juggler, etc  all for a very low wage.  I have seen customers leaning way over the barista, informing them that they are mixing the drinks wrong.   I wearing the stores hat, and apron, would have trouble keeping my mouth shut.   I would not have to remain as quiet, if I owned my own coffee shop.  Although I might soon have a very empty coffee shop. 

        Sadly?   My morning routine usually involves coffee and Facebook.  I might well need an intervention from both.    Brave enough to try and keep me from either vise?

     When I moved to the great north west many years ago, I became addicted to java.  It is rainy and yucky most of the winter, and there is a coffee shop every five feet.  Most of them are very kool coffee shops also.   Not as neat as the one I will some day own, but enjoyable and you feel warm and cozy while in them.   I also learned the joys of writing while in a busy coffee joint.  Beyond lots of inspiration, you can look very important while only writing a boring blog or even while playing solitaire on your lap top.   I was more than to excited when I visited Seattle's first Star Bucks.  And am pretty sure I scared the crap out of an older couple, when I asked them to take my picture in front of the building.  I would have been far less excited and jittery, if I  had not had 22 cups of coffee maybe.  

  I do not have the above mentioned picture anymore.  But on a recent trip to Seattle, visited the store again.  Complete with a quickish trip inside for a cup of Joe.   Quickish, because  it is such a tourist trap, even getting a regular cup of coffee takes awhile.  

   My worse complaint about any coffee shop, is the side bar.   Were you can add things like creamer and sugar.  I can add the condiments and move on very quickly.   Others it seems to take forever, and I am not enjoying my drink during any of this mixing.   I could concoct and shake a Martini faster I am sure.   They dump in some sugar, creamer, taste, stir, more sugar, put little finger in the drink to see if it's still hot.  It is hot!   More sugar.   Wipe up there mess a little.   Than they taste it again.   They than dump out some coffee, because the cup is suddenly to dam full.   Time to start over.   AggggggghhhH!!

   I really enjoy the little napkins at coffee joints also.   I usually stuff a few in my pocket for later.  If I make no messes, they work as great snot rags if your nose is running.  

  I tend to spill way less coffee without a lid on my mug for some reason.  Put that stupid sippy cup lid on my drink, and my coat or shirt drinks more coffee than I do.   I have become a pro at not spilling an open coffee, even while in a car going down a dirt road, sideways.  

    When I first moved back to Wyoming, I was living with my parents.   And had coffee every morning.  On about the fifth day, I was complaining about drinking a full pot of coffee, and it not really even facing me at all.   Kind of sad that my tolerance had gotten that high.   My mother started laughing, and said we need to talk.   Never a good line.   As I was trying to think of all the bad things I had done, that week.   She explained that they had been giving me decaff coffee all week.  It was like onna those coffee commercials, were they secretly switched your coffee grounds, gone terribly wrong.  And I was more than sad faced after this announcement.   Soon telling her, she owed me a real brew from Star Bucks.  

    I got sadder faced when my parents explained way to thourly why they even had decaff coffee.   Although I have just been told, I need to be more descriptive, I will not start that here.   Sometimes less is more.   Apparently one of them was having trouble going to the restroom, and had read that coffee helps you go poop.   I will restrain from listing there real names, to protect there identity.  

                                   The following was posted before, but is on topic.

  
                                                  Turn your Head and Cough..

    Mornings are not my strong point, in case you have not gotten the memo.  Possibly because I get my second wind around midnight each day.  Obviously on those daze im “alive” before noon, coffee is my best friend and many times the only one people can actually see.  And I like it strong.  Some days I swear through the eye sand I can see the coffee stirring itself!   Back in high school I would awaken on the weekends at four am   yes I typed am  , ride a bus all day so I could run.   This torture known to some as track was way before I learned the joys of coffee.   What a burst of energy I was missing, by simply eating chocolate.  Would cafrfine show up on the drug tests though?  After you broke through the finish line, you just keep going, straight for the restrooms.  

 

    Some days, before work I intake enough caffeine, I’m ready to leave my car at the cafe and run to work.  Of course I would be very disappointed after work, not having my car their.  When my eyes start jiggling the waitress cuts me off.  Lots of mornings coffee allows for being a quick cashier, or column writer, this one took me two minuets to tye.  Although my publicist figures two weeks, that’s how long he waited for it.

 

    All this talk, leads us to wondering  (us means me in this case) who the post hero is that brought the thick magic liquid to the U.S. paving the way for a Starbucks on every corner.  My advanced history book, with no signs of racial slurs, WWI, or the holocaust, shows that the Earl of Cof   whom grew up in Brazil   maybe or maybe not in Valdezes Wons culdisac, discovered that roasting coffee beans was good.  After electricity was found in China, he learned that heat made cof faster than simply placing the beans in warm water.  Wich lead to lumpy cof.  Notice I call it cof, later he decided the name unfit and expanded it to coffee.  Once on a business trip to Seattle, he introduced the wonder drink.  Everyone looks to Seattle as the trend setter and it spread from their.  

 

 

    This of course is a condensed history, because I am running out of coffee in my cup.  And because my average reader has an 5.5 minute attention span.  Wich means I lost most of you about three lines ago, and could make fun of you right now. *Look how you move your lips while your read this...* I am above that, having many other things to make fun of, and almost being to the end of this article.  If you would like the full coffee story, send me $3.99.   Or ask your kids for their history books.  Believe me they will not know the exact location in their locker of their book and sending me the cash will be much quicker.