The last American icon of male masculinity

My dentist tells me Brokeback Mountain will win every possible award at the Oscars. He claims it is a political movie deliberately designed to go after the last American icon of male masculinity - the cowboy. After listening to his ramblings for quite some time (all the while waiting for my teeth to get attention) I was tempted to pat him on the back and suggest him renting a John Wayne movie. For comfort. Perhaps something like this would cheer him up.

Return home

I'm back home and Lisa's purse was safely recovered this morning at the crack of dawn. She is no longer going to leave her purse or other valuable pocessions in random public places. I know, because she had a moment of inspiration this morning. I believe it happened somewhere between waking up way too early and munching on a McDonald's breakfast burrito.

After returning home we went to fetch the spare key under The Big Rock only to discover the rock was frozen to the ground and thus, it would not move. As we struggled with the rock an odd neighbor (who I've never met) appeared. He offered to bring out his axe. It was an odd moment and I wanted to laugh. Did he honestly believe the best way to conquer a rock was to rip it to pieces? Also, I wasn't about to accept an axe from a stranger. Finally, we recovered the key and were greeted by the familiarity of home.

Losing time

I spent the day with my sisters celebrating the lovely Sara’s birthday. The evening ended in near-adventure. We left a particular coffee shop at their closing and seconds later Lisa realized she had left her purse in the building. Immediately, we returned to the coffee shop. Except the building was now locked up with lights off and no one in sight. We hadn’t been gone longer than five minutes.

I pounded on the front door with all my strength hoping if someone was in the building they would hear the sound and respond to it. Lisa and Theresa disappeared behind the building as Sara and I stood discussing possibilities. It was at that moment I realized how handy lock picking skills would be.

Theresa and Lisa were gone for quite some time… I began to wonder if they had found a back door and were in the process of breaking into the building. Knowing my sisters, this behavior would not have been surprising.

Finally, they returned with news. Apparently they had found an employee in the back parking lot and had talked with him. No, he hadn’t noticed a purse at closing time. No, he didn’t have any way of getting back into the building. According to him only two people in the world have keys to the building and he was not one of the two. Lisa couldn’t help but notice certain illegal substances in his care but he seemed harmless and they were able to get the owner’s number from him.

If you are reading this and wondering why the need for the rush… Lisa and I had plans on leaving on a road trip home tonight. Except we can’t leave without her purse and so the trip has been delayed. I just hope we will be able to recover her purse smoothly and will avoid any new obstacles.

The inner calm

I am feeling quite content at the moment. My apartment is empty and quiet as a church. When I was little sometimes I felt that churches were a little too quiet. Now I envy that kind of quiet. I envy it so much I am looking into making my next apartment a church. Not for religious reasons but for serenity and quiet reasons.

This afternoon I was slobbered by beagles and then a few minutes later I was slobbered by basset hounds. I smell very interesting at the moment. I will try to update flickr soon with the photos. Dogs remain one of my favorite photo subjects.

What money can buy with a dime

For 10 cents I receive a cup of hot water from a local cafe/snack shop on campus. I then place my own tea within the cup and enjoy its hot contents while walking across campus or sitting through another class. I love bringing my own tea because 1. I save money, and 2. I know I’m drinking something good for me.

For three years of my life I worked at a movie theater and remember a conversation I had in this time with a customer. He was commenting on the fact that movie theaters primarily serve soda and how terrible soda is for a person’s health. He thought it was particularly sad that soda (or pop) is in many ways the official drink in the United States. The man went on to suggest that tea should be the standard drink. He wanted to know why the movie theater I worked at didn’t carry tea and argued that if we carried tea people would be that much healthier. The man was very passionate about his ideas and I don’t blame him.

Of course, even I can be swayed when given the choice of the perfect tea or instead fountain Cherry Coke… (Yes, fountain soda always tastes better.)

Link worthy

This made my eyes go WOW.

Laughing hard

Saturday night at the bookstore Lisa and I could not stop laughing. The noise started at a low volume but grew in intensity. I was supposed to be working on an English paper and Lisa was supposed to be finishing her reading for one of her classes. Instead, we took turns reading Letters from a Nut. Soon we discovered the author has two other books with the same theme. Both are equally hilarious. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a long time.

Good stuff

I am currently enjoying Whole Wheat Radio. Whole Wheat Radio is a grassroots webcasting radio station from Talkeetna, Alaska. Just listening to the station makes me feel that much closer to Alaska.

The quiet life

While working tonight I was busy explaining how finding out my grade on an assignment is a moment of pure excitement for me. I believe I said, "It’s one of the last thrilling moments in life."

After I said this both my coworkers stared at me in total shock.

"You are how old again?"

It was then suggested I should engage in more thrilling activities. Like bridge jumping, or, hitchhiking.

I think my coworkers forgot how content I am winding down in a coffee shop or simply finding a really good book. I’m a simple gal. Thrills just don’t reach me.

Looking for my dream coffee shop

I live in a city that prides itself on its many coffee shops. Coffee shop culture is very much so alive in my city and yet, I haven’t been able to find my ideal coffee shop. I’ve been brainstorming about what this fantasy place would look like and feel like and what it would feature.

Here are the top three characteristics my dream coffee shop must have:

1. Free wireless with top speed. Also, many power outlets for convenience. I’m a student and frequent user of the Internet. Therefore, I bring my laptop with me and need wireless on the go. Luckily, most coffee shops in town feature free wireless. However, there are the vile few who charge for wireless. These are the coffee shops that consistently lose my business.

2. Quality drinks and quality baristas. These two should go hand in hand. If I’m going to pay an overpriced sum for a drink, then my expectation is the drink had better be good. I’ve worked as a coffee barista at several locations now. I know what it takes to make a perfect latte, mocha, cappuccino, espresso, americano, etc. I expect the barista to know what I know and to care enough about each drink to make it with the highest attention to detail.

3. Ambience and presence. This combination can be tricky to achieve. I don’t even know if I can accurately describe it. Every coffee shop I go to carries its own atmosphere and tone. When I walk inside, I immediately get a feel for the place.

For example, when I enter a Starbucks café the following words come to mind: overly commercial, trendy, predictable, corporate, machine. I never feel cozy at a Starbucks. (Unless, of course, it’s 4 am in the morning and I’ve just fallen asleep in front of their fireplace due to sleep depravation.) I also can’t feel comfortable when they’ve coined their ridiculous terminology and have no problem serving foamy lattes. (For those of you who don’t know – a latte should not have foam.)

I prefer the ambience of more local, independently owned coffee shops. These coffee shops tend to be driven by love and creativity rather than a pre-calculated business formula. This usually leaves room for spontaneity and the feeling of entering the coffee shop less traveled. At the moment a coffee shop that does this very well is The Drowsy Parrot.

Other requirements for my dream coffee shop, include:
Comfy chairs, roomy tables, plush seating.
A menu with a wide variety of drink selections.
Late hours – of course, the ideal being open 24 hours.
Fair Trade selection of coffees and teas.
Tasty, varied baked good options to go with drinks. Also, freshly made is important. I know a lot of coffee shops merely thaw out their food the night before. I prefer fresh baked goodness.

Foggy thoughts

I am currently wondering what happens to the dust and crumbs that make it through the keys of my computer keyboard. I’m afraid some of these crumbs will never get out.

Today was a gloomy, foggy, murky day. The evidence of such is located here.

Valentine's in review

On Valentine's Day I attended classes, relaxed and then ending up spending the evening watching The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with my sister, Lisa, and buddy, Nate. The movie was cute but probably more suited for teenage girls. I do like the idea of sharing something via good, old fashioned mail but I don't think pants would do it for me.

For Valentine's Nate gave me Panda Berry Tea. I've been tempted to buy this tea a million times before in the past while browsing the tea aisle at Whole Foods. I admit, I was drawn in by the cute panda bear logo but new tea is always exciting. I wonder how Teaspout would rate it? Perhaps I should send over a few tea bags for her sampling.

Dining at La Shish

Yesterday a friend and I visited the newly opened, La Shish. Actually, when I say the name I like to say La Shish! The exclamation mark is necessary because it's just that exciting.

My brother and his sources say, "it's like arabic food for tourists." This wasn't a big deal for me or the person I went with. We were happy listening to the flowing music, munching on shawarma and feeling like we were eating inside an extravagant palace.

Ways to buy my love this Valentine's Day

The platinum edition from Godiva - design + chocolate = perfection.

Giant gourmet fortune cookies - taking the fortune cookie to a whole new level.

Deeply fudgey brownies - these made it into Oprah's Favorite Things.

Louis Sullivan cakes - chocolate Hello Kitty, please.

Chocolate fountain - I think I just want to get that much closer to my Willy Wonka chocolate factory dreams.

Conversations in Anthropology group work

"You marry within your tribe, but you cannot marry within your clan… Of course, your clan isn’t just made up of people. It’s made up of bears, wolves, and other animals…"

"So wait, you can’t marry a bear?"

Yes, this conversation made me laugh.

Today in food

Perhaps the least purposeful room in my apartment is the kitchen. This is a room that stores food at various intervals but these foods are primarily of the instant variety. Instant noodles, soups, sugary sweet pop tarts, and so on. The trend is food that can quickly be zapped and consumed on the go. After all, if you must travel from work to class to various social events there is no time for leisure. The extra seconds it would take in cooking a real meal could be seconds used surfing the Internet between classes.

To add to the uselessness of this room our kitchen holds a table (rescued and painted by moi) but no chairs. Why would chairs be needed when there is a perfectly acceptable couch in the living room for sitting on as one feasts on instant oatmeal?

However, tonight my roommate, Hill, put the kitchen to full use. Due to her culinary efforts my roommates and I were soon devouring chicken stir-fry. Yum.

Later in the evening I enjoyed a trip to Baskin-Robbins with Lisa and Jay. It felt a little funny eating ice cream in the cold of February but the company was well worth it. In all, it was a good day of food.

In no one's shoes

I’ve been told I need to watch this movie "right away" with one of my sisters. Not the little sister or oldest sister, but my middle sister. I am always skeptical when someone connects a movie to another person’s life. In this case, my sister and I don’t even share shoes! So, I don’t see how I could be in HER shoes. I also don’t see how she could be in MY shoes. Our shoes live incredibly separate lives. Even our personal taste in shoes varies.

Ho hum, I just left the coffee shop and I smell like a coffee bean. Actually, I smell like I’ve been rolling in coffee beans the scent is so powerful. I suppose I should hop off to bed so I can wake up and return to the land of beans once more.

Lazy Friday

I feel like today is a lazy Friday. Of course, I go into work later to brew coffee and chat with the girls I work with. I've been trying to load old images of mine into flickr. I finished loading a photo set from my trip to Alaska in 2003.

Thoughts on this blog

I’ve been making slight tweaks to this blog. The somewhat minor changes will only be noticeable to those who actually read this thing.

1. Not sure yet about the links section on the sidebar. I have so many blogs stored in my favorites on my personal computer but if I put up the complete list I feel like the links will dominant the sidebar.

2. Although meant to be a "coffee" blog – I haven’t exactly been posting about coffee as much lately… I think my writing has now entered the realm of personal blog writing. Of course, I am sitting in a coffee shop as I type this, if that counts…

3. The ads at the top of this blogspot page are somewhat annoying. Maybe I will pay to have them removed? Of course, the idea of using blogspot is "it’s free!"

No signs of the Dark Mark

A few days ago I had the first part of a TB test which is mandatory for my education program. Today I returned for part two and the nurse requested to see my arm (the same arm that had previously been poked with a needle). Obediently, I showed my arm.

"Come with me; let’s get a second opinion…"

So I followed the nurse into another room and was greeted by a second nurse. This second nurse was the one who had originally given me the shot and was an older, wiser woman. She examined my arm and immediately concluded, "Everything looks fine."

Her tone was very matter of fact and I felt like she was speaking from years of experience. It was at this point relief washed over me—even though I knew I was fine to begin with and when the first nurse had said, "Let’s get a second opinion," I had immediately thought, "Look lady, you don’t know what you are talking about." So yes, I am fine. Even though I knew I was fine but there was that thirty seconds of worry.

Female icons used in advertising - Part One

This started while I was eating a box of Sun Maid raisins in my literature class. The instructor was preaching the ability to read advertising as a text. I looked down at the smiling face of the dark-haired woman on my box of raisins and began to think about the number of female icons used in advertising. This (growing) list is a result. It's not a finished list and mostly for fun, so here goes...


Aunt Jemina:



Little Debbie:



Panera Bread:



Wendys:




Land O'Lakes:



Starbucks:

A word of clarification

A reader of tales from the bean recently commented that the topics covered in this blog do not, in fact, center on the coffee bean. This reader expressed concern over the direction in which this blog is taking. As the sole writer of this weblog, I feel it is only fair to address this issue.

When I started this blog it was my goal to focus on my experiences as a coffee barista. However, I don’t exactly live within a coffee shop and drink coffee day-in, day-out. Yes, I enjoy talking about coffee and the snazzy new coffee shops I’ve visited, but this is not the center of my existence. Sometimes I like writing about other topics. Even non-coffee bean topics. I’m not going to avoid writing about a topic because it is not coffee-related. This is my blog, and I will use it as a please.

I hope this clears up any confusion.

Needles are not my friends

This morning I had a TB shot. I was careful to avoid watching as the nurse prepped and stuck a needle inside my arm. In some ways it’s tempting to watch. I have a fascination with any procedure done to me (however minor).

At the dentist office I’ve often secretly wished my dentist would fill me in on ALL details as he works on my teeth. What little details I do receive are like ear candy. "Oh really? I could lose all my teeth in the future if I keep taking in fifty tons of sugar a day? Tell me, how exactly will I lose my teeth?"

Of course, the interested side of me is also followed by the side that is incredibly squeamish to even the smallest amount of pain. Although this morning’s shot was minor when I walked outside of the building and saw my campus is featuring a Red Cross blood drive today I immediately thought: "No way." Had I watched the nurse poke me with a needle today, there is a 50% chance freaking out would have followed.

So why did I need the TB shot? As a part of the school of education program they need to rule out that I do not have tuberculosis so that I will be fit to take a field trip into a real life classroom with real life kids. In a few days from now I return to the nurse. She looks at my arm and lets me know if she sees any unusual signs. She will jot down on the forms I am good to go and my $17 test will be over.