Yesterday on the day before my 47th birthday, I was reunited with two amazing people that I have seen in 25 years. One is a wonderful lady who has always been one of the most charming and entertaining people I have met. The other was a man whom I count among my 5 Best Friends of all times and one of two people I consider a brother (Besides my actual biological brothers.) At the risk of sounding immodest and egotistical (Wait too late)he is one of the few people that I have ever encountered that I consider to be my intellectual and creative equal. Even now after nearly 3 decades, I feel as close to him as I do anyone I know today.
Now all of this got me thinking about different things and one of them is friendship. I think friendship and friend are prolly two of the most misused words ever. Maybe because I have a much stronger view on what it means to be a friend but I think when most people use the words they actually mean acquaintances. They mean people they go to the clubs with on the weekend or meet for lunch together at work. All that is cool, but that is not friendship to me.
My Daddy told me once, "Bobby a real friend is someone if you call them up and say you just shot a man, the only thing that the friend is gonna do is help you get rid of the body." Maybe that sounds a little extreme, but that is the way I view friendship.
There are exactly two people besides my wife that I can honestly that I could call and no matter what they would help me. Brothers in everything but blood and twins in everything but body, these two people would do anything for me and I would do anything for them. Fight for them and die alongside of them if I had to.
I have lots of "friends" that are good people and I like them alot. Heck, I got hundreds of FaceBook friends and I like them all, but I give my true friendship out sparingly because, with me, it carries a lot of obligations because friends stay at each others sides no matter what.
So Phil, Ben, Thomas, Shari and a couple of more, you know who you are and what you mean to me. I'm there in a heartbeat (or three in some cases cause they are far away.) Friends to the end.
Thoughts and musings about the world and people around me. No attempts at solving the world's problems or making sense of the insanity of everyday life. Just me looking at what is happening and going, "Hmm Edit Edit "
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Unsung Heroes
(Climbs up on dusty soapbox and adjusts tie. Pulls wrinkled copy of Coffee Lovers of America out of coat and waves it.) Brothers and Sisters, I am here today to speak to you of those long lost, never remembered heroes that have made such a difference in our lives, but that hardly anyone even stops to ponder. These nameless men and women have given us so much, but are all but forgotten. They have never had a day set aside for the millions of followers to recognize, but today we will honor them.
So many of the things that we enjoy today were first discovered and put to use by people that lived so very long ago. These faceless, nameless saints are the ones who showed us important things like, while disgusting looking, oysters are safe to eat raw. They showed us that if you shove certain types of burning leaves in your mouth, you get a nicotine buzz (Also cancer, but we will ignore that one for now.) These brave souls discovered that if you hit something with a stick long enough it stops moving and you can eat it. So many gifts these ancients gave us.
Perhaps the greatest discovery in all the annals of Man's history has saved countless lives and enriched our lives to no end. Yea, even greater than the invention of the slicing of bread. Of course I speak of the humble coffee bean and the miracles it has worked on our world.
We will never know the name or face of the first person to put bean to boil although it was probably some grand woman of the distant past. More than likely this woman of long ago was looking for some form of food to feed her family and boiled the beans much like we would peas today. I can only imagine the looks of amazement and joy on these peoples faces as they sipped their "soup" and got the first caffeine jolt. It must have been truly amazing.
Thanks to the person who first was daring to boil a coffee bean, we haven enjoyed centuries of pleasure and peace that only the mighty bean can give us. Countless lives have been spared because the coffee soothed our souls and we didn't beat the crap out of people who annoyed us. Now the great beans grow all around the world and come to us in hundred of different types. Our world is richer because of them.
So Brothers and Sisters, take a moment of gentle silence for these unsung heroes and then grab a fresh mug of your favorite blend.
So many of the things that we enjoy today were first discovered and put to use by people that lived so very long ago. These faceless, nameless saints are the ones who showed us important things like, while disgusting looking, oysters are safe to eat raw. They showed us that if you shove certain types of burning leaves in your mouth, you get a nicotine buzz (Also cancer, but we will ignore that one for now.) These brave souls discovered that if you hit something with a stick long enough it stops moving and you can eat it. So many gifts these ancients gave us.
Perhaps the greatest discovery in all the annals of Man's history has saved countless lives and enriched our lives to no end. Yea, even greater than the invention of the slicing of bread. Of course I speak of the humble coffee bean and the miracles it has worked on our world.
We will never know the name or face of the first person to put bean to boil although it was probably some grand woman of the distant past. More than likely this woman of long ago was looking for some form of food to feed her family and boiled the beans much like we would peas today. I can only imagine the looks of amazement and joy on these peoples faces as they sipped their "soup" and got the first caffeine jolt. It must have been truly amazing.
Thanks to the person who first was daring to boil a coffee bean, we haven enjoyed centuries of pleasure and peace that only the mighty bean can give us. Countless lives have been spared because the coffee soothed our souls and we didn't beat the crap out of people who annoyed us. Now the great beans grow all around the world and come to us in hundred of different types. Our world is richer because of them.
So Brothers and Sisters, take a moment of gentle silence for these unsung heroes and then grab a fresh mug of your favorite blend.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The mightiest bean on the planet
Coffee has been called many things in America. Joe, Java, mud, murk and Jamoke.
Poplar theories abound. The word Joe for coffee has two seemingly reasonable possibilities.
In 1860 a popular song of the times was "old black Joe" written by Stephen C. Foster the same man who wrote "Camp town races" and "Oh! Suzanna". Diners of the time picked up the slang 'Cup O Joe'.
Another possible answer could be that Secretary of the Navy, Joseph Daniels banned alcohol from US Navy warships in 1913 and sailors began drinking more and more coffee and calling it 'Joe'.
Whatever the reason it is called that, Coffee has been a standard for most Americans for a very long time. We drink it in the morning to wake up, sip it during the day to keep going and down it at night just to stay awake long enough to watch the news on TV. We drink it hot and cold. We gulp it down in such vast quantities that it has made Starbucks a household name.
Most coffee snobs would turn their noses up at being offered a classic cup of Joe IE a cup of black, house brand coffee maybe with a little sugar in it. They down their Venti Triple Espresso Double Caff with Soy Milk and designer whipped cream and poo poo the plain and simple fact that the only difference between their $7.00 drink and my $1.25 cuppa is $5.75 and a fancy name.
Now don't get me wrong, some coffees are better than others and I enjoy the more expensive ones when I can afford them, but Maxwell House gives you exactly the same buzz and tastes pretty good and some of the best cups of coffee I get come from simple little diners that probably spend $30.00 or so on an industrial size container of coffee grounds.
But expensive or cheap, fancy or plain Coffee is the balm that truly keeps most of us drinkers from simply reaching out and beating the hell out of someone who has really cheesed us off. So it's time we give the mighty coffee bean its due and quit hiding our cups behind newspapers so that no one can see us.
Oh for those who are wondering, this column will not always be about coffee. Mostly whatever catches my attention that doesn't fit into the format of my other blog. Hopefully you will find these posts humorous, maybe a little insightful and definitely fun. Drink on, my brothers and sisters of the Bean.
Poplar theories abound. The word Joe for coffee has two seemingly reasonable possibilities.
In 1860 a popular song of the times was "old black Joe" written by Stephen C. Foster the same man who wrote "Camp town races" and "Oh! Suzanna". Diners of the time picked up the slang 'Cup O Joe'.
Another possible answer could be that Secretary of the Navy, Joseph Daniels banned alcohol from US Navy warships in 1913 and sailors began drinking more and more coffee and calling it 'Joe'.
Whatever the reason it is called that, Coffee has been a standard for most Americans for a very long time. We drink it in the morning to wake up, sip it during the day to keep going and down it at night just to stay awake long enough to watch the news on TV. We drink it hot and cold. We gulp it down in such vast quantities that it has made Starbucks a household name.
Most coffee snobs would turn their noses up at being offered a classic cup of Joe IE a cup of black, house brand coffee maybe with a little sugar in it. They down their Venti Triple Espresso Double Caff with Soy Milk and designer whipped cream and poo poo the plain and simple fact that the only difference between their $7.00 drink and my $1.25 cuppa is $5.75 and a fancy name.
Now don't get me wrong, some coffees are better than others and I enjoy the more expensive ones when I can afford them, but Maxwell House gives you exactly the same buzz and tastes pretty good and some of the best cups of coffee I get come from simple little diners that probably spend $30.00 or so on an industrial size container of coffee grounds.
But expensive or cheap, fancy or plain Coffee is the balm that truly keeps most of us drinkers from simply reaching out and beating the hell out of someone who has really cheesed us off. So it's time we give the mighty coffee bean its due and quit hiding our cups behind newspapers so that no one can see us.
Oh for those who are wondering, this column will not always be about coffee. Mostly whatever catches my attention that doesn't fit into the format of my other blog. Hopefully you will find these posts humorous, maybe a little insightful and definitely fun. Drink on, my brothers and sisters of the Bean.
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