Back for some tea this time around - another 24 hours and I'll be heading home. It's been a full week and last night I was completely exhausted. I could have easily fallen asleep by ten but ended up till 1am. So here I sit in Osborne Village watching traffic, people, and snow melting. This locale is actually quite roomy, seems relaxed, but interestingly most of the patrons at least at this time of day are middle-agers. I guess all the young adult types have jobs or are at university or college.
The apt maxim on my recycled cup states that, "A very bad (and all too common) way to misread a newspaper: to see whatever supports your point of view as fact, and anything that contradicts your point of view as bias." History is a curious thing isn't it? When I took Canadian History back in the 80s, Louis Riel was a traitor and mad man - now he's the founder of Manitoba and represents Metis people like he was their king. What changed? Did we reinterpret history to meet our societal beliefs or was my history book wrong? Or was my text book actually propaganda?
Our postmodern society questions everything, and I as an academic ask questions for a living. I deconstruct everything in my field of study and consistently explore new ways of learning, new ways of understanding faith, new ways of being community, etc. Sometimes we need to clear the table and start fresh! Some view that as dangerous but I see no other way to make ones' faith legitimate.
The Hip wail in my ears, "Don't tell me what the poets are doing..." and song grooves on as I tap my foot in sync with the snare. Who are the poets? Are they musical prophets - reflecting a unique perspective on their corner of life? Some are apt, some are stoned, some nail the truth to the wall for all too see! Chaos doesn't always breed chaos but stormy weather brings us to our knees in search of Shalom.
"Maybe....you gonna be the one that saves me....and after all - you're my wonderwall"- we all need a lifeboat at times in our storms eh? The storm rages on...and we search for hope, for land, for safe passage. The joy of a setting sun on a lake of glass reflecting the colors of light. I take a deep sip of latte as Dylan speaks brilliance into my ears, "today's the day, gonna grab my tumbled blues...thunder on the mountain."
A guy cracks a smile and laughs out loud as he grabs his laptop & refocuses on a document on his iBook. The barista swoops in and organizes some newspapers near the fireplace. Back home, my wife Wendy & our daughters are probably enjoying a lazy morning of breakfast, cartoons, or playing some games. I pass the time writing my musings of randoms as my iPod shuffles on. Time for some 80's U2...
Weird how timeless their music is for me...doesn't feel dated at all but still brings me back to another place. Even their weak songs are better than what anything the radio plays these days. You know when Bono croons about love he means it fully. Time ticks on in the lonely coffee shop...
Showing posts with label coffee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coffee. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Starbuck's Journals 2.15.07 Episode One
Okay - as promised here are some excerpts from the so-called "Coffee Journals." In part an experiment in writing, in observation, in reflection, and something to do while sipping some dark roast nectar from a legal but clearly addictive bean.
I've been to Starbuck's twice this week for my dark roast fix but didn't get the chance until now to take in the environment and observe Starbuck's attempt at creating community & selling coffee at the same time. Right now as I glance around it clearly is busy and some patrons are chatting away over their chosen drinks but interestingly, over half of the people here are solo like me. At least three Apple notebooks are opened up with their operator's brows furrowed and eyes focused on their LCD screens. Admittedly, I am blending in somewhat with the Apple-coolness as i have my iPod earbuds strategically placed like a hip cultural chameleon.
As I gaze over towards the walls, I see stare at some amazing images of people & scenery of the South American country of Peru. Sure enough, a few shots of the famed Machu Picchu - a stark contrast to the fireplace, well-dressed patrons, and coffee house atmosphere. I continue to scan and temporarily lock eyes with a somewhat concerned mid-thirties woman with long dark hair. Multi-tasking appears her game as she types one-handed on her iBook while checking messages on her cel phone. Clearly alone but still doing her part in attempting contact with someone out there.
Seated on the next table is a well-dressed Italian-looking man in his late 30s or maybe early 40s, legs crossed awkwardly, and reading a newspaper with an air of intelligence about him. His jet black hair is accented by some retro 50s glasses with thick black-armed frames.
I'm usually not one for details unless I'm taking photos, so I was surprised to glimpse a pair of crutches next to the concerned woman, and looking down, noticed her right leg was bound in a walking cast of sorts. Now I partially understand that look of concern may have something due to her obvious discomfort and lack of mobility. Her glances to the counter, may have been whether or not to attempt the obstacle of making her way there for another coffee. Dylan's playing Thunder on the Mountain in my ears.
So here I sit curiously watching the human condition in a coffee shop. I've chosen a rather quaint but cozy arm chair next to a blonde-haired woman who is furiously typing away on her PC notebook - clearly a 20-something student working on some type of essay for her professor. Little does she know that beside her a professor sits avoiding a stack of essays to be marked back in the office.
Then with a rather forceful swing of the front door, a curly-haired somewhat stocky man with a metal briefcase nervously enters. He looks Greek in origin with an olive complexion and eyes of a dark gold-ish brown color. He quickly orders a cup of coffee and makes a lap around the room looking for the appropriate place to sit. Interestingly, he does yet another lap and gazes over to the blond lady beside me...classic look up and down - good luck buddy!
The dark-haired woman gazes once again to the counter helplessly, maybe contemplating again whether or not it is worth the awkward shuffle for another drink. She looks so unsure and unsettled in her decision. I take in a good sip of caramel-soaked froth from the top of my Machiatto.
Over by the the pictures of Peru, beside the classic goofy-looking llama, a mid-40s goatee-wearing construction contractor type guy scans his newspaper but clearly is not really reading. On cue, he stretches and mouths a yawn while glancing at his watch. Probably awaiting a client for his next potential project.
Winnipeg is beginning to thaw and awaken from its three weeks of extreme cold to a balmy -10. At least that is what the weather forecasters say...they seem to be as accurate as tea leave readers at times though. Meteorology is more a game of chance than of proven science it seems. The girl next to me suddenly breaks out into a smirk and chuckles out loud. I begin to wonder if she can read my mind - was she reacting to my attempt at humour?
A young 18-19 year old girl raises her eyebrows as she awaits her caffeine fix. She seems genuinely excited as she awaits her coffee, almost like a golden retriever awaiting a good juicy bone. She is dressed rather plainly for this shop in a long, drab grey coat but she is carrying an over-sized black leather purse which is clearly mismatched with the rest of her apparel. Sort of like wearing those classic black "Sunday" shoes with blue jeans but what do I know about fashion.
The smooth Italian-looking guy buttons up his jacket, winding his scarf around his neck, and prepares to leave. The nervous curly-haired guy looks over and zeros in on the new potential resting spot nearer to the blond girl. As the other guy leaves, he trots over with a mild grin and opens up his mysterious metal case revealing not a bomb or some secret documents, but yet another laptop. In his other hand he holds a Blackberry-type of device and fingers away some message into wifi-dom. His laptop also is all about communications with both Outlook & MSN running. I thought he was stalking the girl next to me when in reality he was looking for a better spot to steal Internet access. He seems giddy with his newfound location and gets up and down a few times to adjust his power cord, and grabs a damp cloth to wipe his screen.
Meanwhile, the dark-haired lady rests her chin on her hands and elevates her restrained leg on the chair across from her. A mink-coated menopausal woman with a little too much hair color grabs a latte, escapes outside and gets into her luxury silver BMW or Audi. She speeds off the yard spitting up slush from her tires. A middle-aged mother and impatient teenaged daughter also dart out the door, in a rush somewhere like volleyball practice or maybe gymnastics.
It seems that for most customers, Starbuck's is only a temporary stop for them. A place to sit, nervously bite fingernails, sip some black nectar, and be still but only for a moment - then its time to rush off to the next thing. Being still is such a foreign concept for North America - there just is too much to do in so little time. Being still is a rarity in our busy-oriented, drive-thru world.
The curly-haired guy reminds me of an out-of-shape Magnum PI and clearly he still is nervous as he gnaws on yet another fingernail. The woman across from him stretches her torso, obviously still somewhat in pain as she winces while getting refocused on whatever she has been working on. She has one of those "glamor moles" on her cheek that remind us all of Marilyn Monroe. Weird how a birthmark or mole can be a trademark of sexiness on our planet of image.
A pixie-like purple-dyed teenaged barista tidies up after some customer's left behind newspapers & empty cups. The goatee'd guy takes another sip, yawns & stares back into his paper. Johnny Cash growls in my ears about an "empire of dirt." A mid 50s business man, all suited-up, complete with a receding hairline & hawkish eyes goes up to the counter to receive his order. An Cash drones on about how "everyone goes away in the end...you can have it all...my empire of dirt." The ironies of poets & their music & the reflections of real life in front of me.
We are a broken people it seems, longing for something to fill the void: maybe its community, self worth, friends, or significance? The goatee'd man greets a way-too friendly woman that seems more like a call girl than a potential customer. She turns her back to me, so I'm not sure if she is as interested as he seems. His grin turns up the sides of his mouth and his eyes soften with interest. His past boredom has turned into a slightly-amused interest in this lady. She breaks off her greeting and goes off to the barista to order a coffee.
The dark-haired woman is suddenly greeted by a mysteriously bearded 20 something guy who reaches out and clasps her hands briefly. She still has a phone by her ear and awkwardly is trying to end the call to return the greeting. He reaches out and brushes down her arm and continues to stand tall next to her sitting at the table. He glances at the screen of her iBook and then begins to shuffle his feet side to side impatiently - he clearly wants to leave. He then gazes at the headlines of a folded newspaper on the chair beside her. Finally, she puts down her phone but quickly checks one last thing on her computer before shutting it down and placing it in her backpack.
Her mysterious friend doesn't offer any help in cleaning things up and remains somewhat impatient in his posture. She dons a scarf and hobbles over to her crutches and firmly places them under her arms. She quickly grabs her gloves and the man finally steps up to the plate and slings her backpack over his shoulder and holds open the door as they step outside.
Then on cue, the purple-haired barrista floats by to magically clean up the table. She stares over to the do-it-yourself "sugar, cream, stir sticks, & lids" table and does a mental inventory. Coldplay's bassist plugs away at a grooving bass line as Martin croons out a falsetto-tinged line about the "speed of sound...if you could see it you would understand..." and drummer replies with his rhythm.
Almost my time to leave it seems. The curly-haired guy keeps nibbling his nubs and sending emails. A new patron sits down on the next table and the cycle of customers continues like bees visiting flowers for pollen. And I muse on...
I've been to Starbuck's twice this week for my dark roast fix but didn't get the chance until now to take in the environment and observe Starbuck's attempt at creating community & selling coffee at the same time. Right now as I glance around it clearly is busy and some patrons are chatting away over their chosen drinks but interestingly, over half of the people here are solo like me. At least three Apple notebooks are opened up with their operator's brows furrowed and eyes focused on their LCD screens. Admittedly, I am blending in somewhat with the Apple-coolness as i have my iPod earbuds strategically placed like a hip cultural chameleon.
As I gaze over towards the walls, I see stare at some amazing images of people & scenery of the South American country of Peru. Sure enough, a few shots of the famed Machu Picchu - a stark contrast to the fireplace, well-dressed patrons, and coffee house atmosphere. I continue to scan and temporarily lock eyes with a somewhat concerned mid-thirties woman with long dark hair. Multi-tasking appears her game as she types one-handed on her iBook while checking messages on her cel phone. Clearly alone but still doing her part in attempting contact with someone out there.
Seated on the next table is a well-dressed Italian-looking man in his late 30s or maybe early 40s, legs crossed awkwardly, and reading a newspaper with an air of intelligence about him. His jet black hair is accented by some retro 50s glasses with thick black-armed frames.
I'm usually not one for details unless I'm taking photos, so I was surprised to glimpse a pair of crutches next to the concerned woman, and looking down, noticed her right leg was bound in a walking cast of sorts. Now I partially understand that look of concern may have something due to her obvious discomfort and lack of mobility. Her glances to the counter, may have been whether or not to attempt the obstacle of making her way there for another coffee. Dylan's playing Thunder on the Mountain in my ears.
So here I sit curiously watching the human condition in a coffee shop. I've chosen a rather quaint but cozy arm chair next to a blonde-haired woman who is furiously typing away on her PC notebook - clearly a 20-something student working on some type of essay for her professor. Little does she know that beside her a professor sits avoiding a stack of essays to be marked back in the office.
Then with a rather forceful swing of the front door, a curly-haired somewhat stocky man with a metal briefcase nervously enters. He looks Greek in origin with an olive complexion and eyes of a dark gold-ish brown color. He quickly orders a cup of coffee and makes a lap around the room looking for the appropriate place to sit. Interestingly, he does yet another lap and gazes over to the blond lady beside me...classic look up and down - good luck buddy!
The dark-haired woman gazes once again to the counter helplessly, maybe contemplating again whether or not it is worth the awkward shuffle for another drink. She looks so unsure and unsettled in her decision. I take in a good sip of caramel-soaked froth from the top of my Machiatto.
Over by the the pictures of Peru, beside the classic goofy-looking llama, a mid-40s goatee-wearing construction contractor type guy scans his newspaper but clearly is not really reading. On cue, he stretches and mouths a yawn while glancing at his watch. Probably awaiting a client for his next potential project.
Winnipeg is beginning to thaw and awaken from its three weeks of extreme cold to a balmy -10. At least that is what the weather forecasters say...they seem to be as accurate as tea leave readers at times though. Meteorology is more a game of chance than of proven science it seems. The girl next to me suddenly breaks out into a smirk and chuckles out loud. I begin to wonder if she can read my mind - was she reacting to my attempt at humour?
A young 18-19 year old girl raises her eyebrows as she awaits her caffeine fix. She seems genuinely excited as she awaits her coffee, almost like a golden retriever awaiting a good juicy bone. She is dressed rather plainly for this shop in a long, drab grey coat but she is carrying an over-sized black leather purse which is clearly mismatched with the rest of her apparel. Sort of like wearing those classic black "Sunday" shoes with blue jeans but what do I know about fashion.
The smooth Italian-looking guy buttons up his jacket, winding his scarf around his neck, and prepares to leave. The nervous curly-haired guy looks over and zeros in on the new potential resting spot nearer to the blond girl. As the other guy leaves, he trots over with a mild grin and opens up his mysterious metal case revealing not a bomb or some secret documents, but yet another laptop. In his other hand he holds a Blackberry-type of device and fingers away some message into wifi-dom. His laptop also is all about communications with both Outlook & MSN running. I thought he was stalking the girl next to me when in reality he was looking for a better spot to steal Internet access. He seems giddy with his newfound location and gets up and down a few times to adjust his power cord, and grabs a damp cloth to wipe his screen.
Meanwhile, the dark-haired lady rests her chin on her hands and elevates her restrained leg on the chair across from her. A mink-coated menopausal woman with a little too much hair color grabs a latte, escapes outside and gets into her luxury silver BMW or Audi. She speeds off the yard spitting up slush from her tires. A middle-aged mother and impatient teenaged daughter also dart out the door, in a rush somewhere like volleyball practice or maybe gymnastics.
It seems that for most customers, Starbuck's is only a temporary stop for them. A place to sit, nervously bite fingernails, sip some black nectar, and be still but only for a moment - then its time to rush off to the next thing. Being still is such a foreign concept for North America - there just is too much to do in so little time. Being still is a rarity in our busy-oriented, drive-thru world.
The curly-haired guy reminds me of an out-of-shape Magnum PI and clearly he still is nervous as he gnaws on yet another fingernail. The woman across from him stretches her torso, obviously still somewhat in pain as she winces while getting refocused on whatever she has been working on. She has one of those "glamor moles" on her cheek that remind us all of Marilyn Monroe. Weird how a birthmark or mole can be a trademark of sexiness on our planet of image.
A pixie-like purple-dyed teenaged barista tidies up after some customer's left behind newspapers & empty cups. The goatee'd guy takes another sip, yawns & stares back into his paper. Johnny Cash growls in my ears about an "empire of dirt." A mid 50s business man, all suited-up, complete with a receding hairline & hawkish eyes goes up to the counter to receive his order. An Cash drones on about how "everyone goes away in the end...you can have it all...my empire of dirt." The ironies of poets & their music & the reflections of real life in front of me.
We are a broken people it seems, longing for something to fill the void: maybe its community, self worth, friends, or significance? The goatee'd man greets a way-too friendly woman that seems more like a call girl than a potential customer. She turns her back to me, so I'm not sure if she is as interested as he seems. His grin turns up the sides of his mouth and his eyes soften with interest. His past boredom has turned into a slightly-amused interest in this lady. She breaks off her greeting and goes off to the barista to order a coffee.
The dark-haired woman is suddenly greeted by a mysteriously bearded 20 something guy who reaches out and clasps her hands briefly. She still has a phone by her ear and awkwardly is trying to end the call to return the greeting. He reaches out and brushes down her arm and continues to stand tall next to her sitting at the table. He glances at the screen of her iBook and then begins to shuffle his feet side to side impatiently - he clearly wants to leave. He then gazes at the headlines of a folded newspaper on the chair beside her. Finally, she puts down her phone but quickly checks one last thing on her computer before shutting it down and placing it in her backpack.
Her mysterious friend doesn't offer any help in cleaning things up and remains somewhat impatient in his posture. She dons a scarf and hobbles over to her crutches and firmly places them under her arms. She quickly grabs her gloves and the man finally steps up to the plate and slings her backpack over his shoulder and holds open the door as they step outside.
Then on cue, the purple-haired barrista floats by to magically clean up the table. She stares over to the do-it-yourself "sugar, cream, stir sticks, & lids" table and does a mental inventory. Coldplay's bassist plugs away at a grooving bass line as Martin croons out a falsetto-tinged line about the "speed of sound...if you could see it you would understand..." and drummer replies with his rhythm.
Almost my time to leave it seems. The curly-haired guy keeps nibbling his nubs and sending emails. A new patron sits down on the next table and the cycle of customers continues like bees visiting flowers for pollen. And I muse on...
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Happy V-Day & Starbucks Journals
Hey - I'll be away from the ol' blog for the next week but will post my random musings & Starbuck's coffee journals when I return. Tough to be away from family & friends but I'll be taking 53 first year students on a missions exposure trip to the inner city of Winnipeg.
Happy Valentine's to my lovely wife & daughters!
Happy Valentine's to my lovely wife & daughters!
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Key Words
Wow - I just finished "key-wording" all 190+ posts on this blog but I think the results will be cool. My top five topics include: family, education, photography, music, & factoids. I'll post links to these eventually on my sidebar and perhaps a few other topics. It is kind of neat to see how many times I've blogged about coffee for example - 7 times! The outdoors, mountain-biking, etc. popped up more often prior to creating another blog more focused on play - exploreplay. I've also updated that blog with key-words as well!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Pura Vida
There is nothing quite like sipping a cup of coffee sitting on the deck on a sunny morning. And I'm not talking about some watered-down Tim Horton's attempt or worse some office drip-brewed pondwater - I'm talking pure & dark Costa Rican premium bean coffee. Nothing beats a dark roast blend - pura vida! When you say "pura vida" in Costa Rica, you are saying all is right in the world! Sort of like expressing Shalom in Israel, that even in the midst of struggle or hardship Shalom can exist. It is more than simply saying "peace" - it is expressing purity, beauty, rightness, love, life, joy, hope, tranquility, exhilaration, perfection, connectedness, and a peace that passes all understanding all-at-one!
Pura Vida for me is: the perfect descent down a steep winding run on my mountain bike; surfing that perfect wave sitting in a whitewater kayak; the hugs & greetings of my daughters when I return home from a day of teaching; the warm embrace & kiss of my wife; the view at the top of a mountain just climbed; and yes, the rich bitter taste of a good cup of costa rican coffee in the morning! What is your pura vida?
Pura Vida for me is: the perfect descent down a steep winding run on my mountain bike; surfing that perfect wave sitting in a whitewater kayak; the hugs & greetings of my daughters when I return home from a day of teaching; the warm embrace & kiss of my wife; the view at the top of a mountain just climbed; and yes, the rich bitter taste of a good cup of costa rican coffee in the morning! What is your pura vida?
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Costa Rica Day Two - June 11
Well, we're simply loving it here in Costa Rica. We're on this escape to celebrate our tenth year of marriage - we started our relationship in the "great outdoors" and realize its value in providing us with an amazing environment for adventure & relationship-building!
Great people, great food, and amazing adventure travel. Today was our first official excursion with Costa Rica Rios via inflateable kayaks on a class II/III river called the Pejibaye. I admit to missing my hardshell kayak but had a positive attitude in trying something different.
The water was warm, the scenery simply gorgeous, and yes the food was unbelievable. Our guides (pictured above & below) Pablo and Marco layed out the spread of Costa Rican cuisine on one of the kayaks we used! We definitely were spoiled by all the amazing fruit we enjoyed: pineapple of course being our favorite, followed by mango!
It was very comfortable weather wise - around 22-24 degrees Celsius or so, sunny with the occasional clouds, jungle treed mountains surrounding us and whitewater rapids that often are continuous. Nothing overly challenging for a seasoned kayaker like myself but it was still fun - more relaxing/soothing than thrilling (we'll wait for the bigger whitewater stuff later this week).
Here's Wendy running a significant rapid - lots of fun! All in all, a great day to get our feet wet literally. Below is a shot of our new friends Jack & Rebecca running a set of rapids in a tandem kayak!
Tomorrow we mtn bike down a volcano! More details & pics to follow. Got to love free hi-speed internet! The shot below (taken by Wendy) is at a local Cafe (Azul) which serves espressos - which Jack & I took advantage of a few times on the trip.
Great people, great food, and amazing adventure travel. Today was our first official excursion with Costa Rica Rios via inflateable kayaks on a class II/III river called the Pejibaye. I admit to missing my hardshell kayak but had a positive attitude in trying something different.
Here's Wendy running a significant rapid - lots of fun! All in all, a great day to get our feet wet literally. Below is a shot of our new friends Jack & Rebecca running a set of rapids in a tandem kayak!
Tomorrow we mtn bike down a volcano! More details & pics to follow. Got to love free hi-speed internet! The shot below (taken by Wendy) is at a local Cafe (Azul) which serves espressos - which Jack & I took advantage of a few times on the trip.
Costa Rica Day One: Arrival
We arrived after a 5 hour flight from Toronto into tropical San Jose, Costa Rica. There was some minor turbulence and we had to avoid a tropical storm/potential hurricane headed for Florida but all in all it was a good flight that with a movie & a book went by quickly.
This resulted in a delay in our arrival but we arrived safe & sound. Customs took us a good half hour to get through a meaningless line and retrieve our bags. We met up with one of our guides - Gabi who seemed quite friendly as she took us to our bus with our bags. Eventually, another couple Jack & Rebecca from New Hampshire (now Baltimore) joined us and we made our two hour drive to Turrialba - Costa Rica Rios headquarters.
We drove through some rain which obscured part of the view but as we left the city we were greeted by hills and mountains - coffee fields & sugar cane plantations - and amazing views!
The roads aren't as bad as I heard but they are curvy. We eventually drove down into the small city and were dropped off at the Bed & Breakfast where we were pleasantly surprised. The picture below is taken across the street from Costa Rica Rios - the tan building in front of the yellow church. They were going through some renovations on the exterior but the inside was quite well done.
The compound is quite attractive (designed to be somewhat like a bed & breakfast) with sitting areas, private rooms, showers, a grotto of aquariums, and all the amenities one needs with the added bonus of hi-speed internet and Vonage phone calls home for free! We spent a lot of our lounge time in the room below and got to know R & J through our conversations and shared adventures throughout the week.
We enjoyed a delicious - home-cooked meal of chicken, potatoes, salad made by Flor the chef. We met our guide for the week Pablo who gave us the scoop for the following day. Wendy and I are excited about our day of whitewater tomorrow and know that this week will fly by quickly with it being so filled with adventure!
Some local architecture that caught my eye.
Turrialba Square - the park where people hang out in town!
Local transportation - autobus & red taxis
We drove through some rain which obscured part of the view but as we left the city we were greeted by hills and mountains - coffee fields & sugar cane plantations - and amazing views!
The roads aren't as bad as I heard but they are curvy. We eventually drove down into the small city and were dropped off at the Bed & Breakfast where we were pleasantly surprised. The picture below is taken across the street from Costa Rica Rios - the tan building in front of the yellow church. They were going through some renovations on the exterior but the inside was quite well done.
The compound is quite attractive (designed to be somewhat like a bed & breakfast) with sitting areas, private rooms, showers, a grotto of aquariums, and all the amenities one needs with the added bonus of hi-speed internet and Vonage phone calls home for free! We spent a lot of our lounge time in the room below and got to know R & J through our conversations and shared adventures throughout the week.
We enjoyed a delicious - home-cooked meal of chicken, potatoes, salad made by Flor the chef. We met our guide for the week Pablo who gave us the scoop for the following day. Wendy and I are excited about our day of whitewater tomorrow and know that this week will fly by quickly with it being so filled with adventure!
Some local architecture that caught my eye.
Turrialba Square - the park where people hang out in town!
Local transportation - autobus & red taxis
Saturday, March 18, 2006
The Starbucks Journals - Final Episode 03.08.06
Life is too short to not pursue one's dreams. Sometimes we forget those aspirations in the midst of the busyness of our lives; our imagination goes flat and falls into atrophy. We need to keep being in wonder and in play. I can't say I have any legitimate regrets in response to things I've done over the years. I've accomplished a lot of my life goals and quite honestly am at a point where i need to create new ones as a result - that's pretty wild! In fact, I have done more and experienced life more fully than I ever thought I would as an adolescent. But just because I have led a full life means that I am satisfied and can hang up my Indiana Jones hat. There are som many more places left to explore and new dreams to dream. As my pen writes this garbled script of letters and words, I cannot help but thank my Creator for allowing me to be creative in all that I do!
Education - the pursuit of wisdom, understanding, & knowledge. They are the three peaks that as a guide I am encouraging my students to climb and pursue. The three are inexplicably linked together and to pursue only one is simply not enough. I know people who are masters of memorization and store incredible facts in there brains but that knowledge is of no value without understanding. Wisdom is knowing what to do with that knowledge and understanding, making right decisions at the right time. All three unique but incomplete with the other - sort of like love, hope, & faith.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder the poets say. The feeling of being apart from those you love clearly is not easy. I feel like getting in my rental van and driving how as I sit here missing home, my wife and daughters. We belong together. It's better when we are together in the words of Jack Johnson:
Education - the pursuit of wisdom, understanding, & knowledge. They are the three peaks that as a guide I am encouraging my students to climb and pursue. The three are inexplicably linked together and to pursue only one is simply not enough. I know people who are masters of memorization and store incredible facts in there brains but that knowledge is of no value without understanding. Wisdom is knowing what to do with that knowledge and understanding, making right decisions at the right time. All three unique but incomplete with the other - sort of like love, hope, & faith.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder the poets say. The feeling of being apart from those you love clearly is not easy. I feel like getting in my rental van and driving how as I sit here missing home, my wife and daughters. We belong together. It's better when we are together in the words of Jack Johnson:
"Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. Why are we here and where do we go and how come it's so hard? It's not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving. I'll tell you one thing it's always better when we're together."Tomorrow I'm no longer homeless and yes it will be better to be together!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
The Starbucks Journals - Episode Two 03.07.06
Back at Starbucks once again - the Goddess of Athena has lured me this time to endulge in a tall Caramel Machiatto. I sit in a different spot, this time in a cozy lounge chair next to a natural gas fireplace which at the moment is warming up at least the right half of my body. To the left, a table of adolescent girls dressed in classic private school uniforms and yes murmuring away in gossip-mode about guys and stuff...
The Globe & Mail Tuesday edition declares an Oscar Winner, the director of Crash is indeed Canadian! Ironically, I haven't heard the film nevermind actually seen it. Sitting in this busy coffeeshop on Osborne Street is becoming a ritual for me. Interestingly, I don't recognize any of the coffee dispensing employees from the night before - apparently a lot of part-timers I guess. This place claims to be one of relaxing and lingering but it is becoming apparent that it may be advertising a false sense of community. Yes, the atmosphere is warm and friendly, the music is grooving and inviting, but unless you are with friends it actually is quite lonely. A person may ask if the seat next to you is taken but the conversation will end as quickly as it started. The exception being the classic, "Are you done with that paper?" Shallow. Paper-thin.
"I totally saw that!" "OMG!!!" Okay I'm becoming annoyed with this gaggle of teenage divas on the next table over - ironic considering I'm a youth ministry professor. "SO Creepy!" I can only assume they are talking about someone that doesn't fit in at their school or maybe a flirty high school gym teacher? I am glad the years of puberty are so far removed from me. And as I write this I fast foward ten years and realize my eldest daughter will a teenager as well.
This whole "being away" thing gets old fast. I need the community of family & friends to breathe and admittedly sleeping on a foamie mattress is much harder than the luxury of my bed at home.
Another hazy winter day. It would be nice to see that Manitoba sun again! It has been atleast a week since blue skies. The melt has begun once again and its a challenge to keep shoes or pantlegs dry. I peel away the wrapper of a Ricola throat lozenge and play with it in my mouth, allowing the sweet honey flavor to seep into my somewhat dry and irritated throat. I am tired of this cold virus that has ravaged my body this past week.
A young university student sits down in a seat nearby and plugs in an ancient IBM thinkpad from maybe 1995. It is amazing how archaic it looks, it must be almost 4 inches thick and I think it has a floppy drive? He nervously boots it up obviously prepared for a long wait as the CPU winds up. Another student cautiously waddles to the washroom but finds the door locked. He looks almost panicked by that fact. He is your typical asian preppy type wearing a yellow and grey striped sweater with a pink polo shirt beneath, strangely his shirt collar is unfurled like that of a bad Elvis impersonator. An interesting crowd today at Starbucks - is it really the coffee that brings them all here or the hope for community in a warm place?
And so here I sit, with my faded jeans and black jacket writing the musings of a wandering mind once again.
The Globe & Mail Tuesday edition declares an Oscar Winner, the director of Crash is indeed Canadian! Ironically, I haven't heard the film nevermind actually seen it. Sitting in this busy coffeeshop on Osborne Street is becoming a ritual for me. Interestingly, I don't recognize any of the coffee dispensing employees from the night before - apparently a lot of part-timers I guess. This place claims to be one of relaxing and lingering but it is becoming apparent that it may be advertising a false sense of community. Yes, the atmosphere is warm and friendly, the music is grooving and inviting, but unless you are with friends it actually is quite lonely. A person may ask if the seat next to you is taken but the conversation will end as quickly as it started. The exception being the classic, "Are you done with that paper?" Shallow. Paper-thin.
"I totally saw that!" "OMG!!!" Okay I'm becoming annoyed with this gaggle of teenage divas on the next table over - ironic considering I'm a youth ministry professor. "SO Creepy!" I can only assume they are talking about someone that doesn't fit in at their school or maybe a flirty high school gym teacher? I am glad the years of puberty are so far removed from me. And as I write this I fast foward ten years and realize my eldest daughter will a teenager as well.
This whole "being away" thing gets old fast. I need the community of family & friends to breathe and admittedly sleeping on a foamie mattress is much harder than the luxury of my bed at home.
Another hazy winter day. It would be nice to see that Manitoba sun again! It has been atleast a week since blue skies. The melt has begun once again and its a challenge to keep shoes or pantlegs dry. I peel away the wrapper of a Ricola throat lozenge and play with it in my mouth, allowing the sweet honey flavor to seep into my somewhat dry and irritated throat. I am tired of this cold virus that has ravaged my body this past week.
A young university student sits down in a seat nearby and plugs in an ancient IBM thinkpad from maybe 1995. It is amazing how archaic it looks, it must be almost 4 inches thick and I think it has a floppy drive? He nervously boots it up obviously prepared for a long wait as the CPU winds up. Another student cautiously waddles to the washroom but finds the door locked. He looks almost panicked by that fact. He is your typical asian preppy type wearing a yellow and grey striped sweater with a pink polo shirt beneath, strangely his shirt collar is unfurled like that of a bad Elvis impersonator. An interesting crowd today at Starbucks - is it really the coffee that brings them all here or the hope for community in a warm place?
And so here I sit, with my faded jeans and black jacket writing the musings of a wandering mind once again.
The Starbucks Journals - Episode One 03.06.06
The city never sleeps. The traffic of busy cars & buses pulses with the changing of lights. Occasionally, the squeal of tires or the audacious yelp of a car horn can be heard. And here I sit sipping a tall dark roast in the comfort of an Osborne village Starbucks listening to the sounds of espressos and coffees being made with a salsa lounge soundtrack playing distinctly in the background.
The hot sips of bean-infused flavour sharpen my senses as my mind wanders on. Nearby, a lovestruck couple gazes into each others eyes, the male doing his best to impress "the girl" with a cheesy grin, telling stories not only with his lips but his elevator-active eyebrows. Beside me a young businessman sighs as he stares at a paperback novel killing time softly while straightening out his crumpled suit. He must be a slow reader as I haven't seen him actually thumb a page. He seems to be hoping his coffee will wake him up for a busy day ahead of him - perhaps a boring meeting awaits him?
Living in the city of Winnipeg this lonely week away from family and friends blesses me with time for some introspection. My momentary stop in this trendy coffee haunt certainly allows me to catch my breath, unwind and reflect. Questions continue to swirl in my mind... where am I going in this crazy world I am living in? It has been a restless year and I'm searching for direction.
I love teaching, seeing young minds develop and explore new ideas and thoughts build my passion. I move when I teach, almost dancing with the words I weave to bring across an idea, a concept, a paradigm that hopefully will bring change. So here I sit in reflection sipping my java. What's next? What new adventure awaits? I pray silently for my family and future explorations...
A tattooed, army fatigue wearing young mom wheels in her sleeping infant and takes the spot of the businessman that vacated his seat moments ago. Salt-polluted slush drips off the wheels of her baby carrier while the small boy seated inside sleeps on. His mother is doing her best to not fit the "mother-stereotype" wearing her dark hair in teen-girl ponytails and concealing her worn eyes with blue-tinted glasses much too big for her face. She hums a wandering tune out of sync with the tribal-inspired groove that dominates the atmosphere of this resting stop. Her cool life seems interrupted by motherhood but she is coping as best as she can.
I glance at the cover of a newly purchased outdoor adventure magazine and read, "Your Perfect Week In Costa Rica!" Sounds perfect to me as thumb over and see a picture of a lone kayaker surfing down a raging waterfall into a teal-colored pool framed with jungle vegetation and lava rock. Wendy and I will be celebrating our ten-year anniversary this June and have considered this place as a potential escape - we'll see what happens. Culture excites me as do new places to explore. New sounds, pictures, tastes, adventures...all simply enthrall my mind. I cannot be stuck in the moment for too long can I? The world needs more exploration, more moments of discovery and wonder for me to be remotely satisfied. So here I sit for now...sipping coffee grown in Costa Rica?
The hot sips of bean-infused flavour sharpen my senses as my mind wanders on. Nearby, a lovestruck couple gazes into each others eyes, the male doing his best to impress "the girl" with a cheesy grin, telling stories not only with his lips but his elevator-active eyebrows. Beside me a young businessman sighs as he stares at a paperback novel killing time softly while straightening out his crumpled suit. He must be a slow reader as I haven't seen him actually thumb a page. He seems to be hoping his coffee will wake him up for a busy day ahead of him - perhaps a boring meeting awaits him?
Living in the city of Winnipeg this lonely week away from family and friends blesses me with time for some introspection. My momentary stop in this trendy coffee haunt certainly allows me to catch my breath, unwind and reflect. Questions continue to swirl in my mind... where am I going in this crazy world I am living in? It has been a restless year and I'm searching for direction.
I love teaching, seeing young minds develop and explore new ideas and thoughts build my passion. I move when I teach, almost dancing with the words I weave to bring across an idea, a concept, a paradigm that hopefully will bring change. So here I sit in reflection sipping my java. What's next? What new adventure awaits? I pray silently for my family and future explorations...
A tattooed, army fatigue wearing young mom wheels in her sleeping infant and takes the spot of the businessman that vacated his seat moments ago. Salt-polluted slush drips off the wheels of her baby carrier while the small boy seated inside sleeps on. His mother is doing her best to not fit the "mother-stereotype" wearing her dark hair in teen-girl ponytails and concealing her worn eyes with blue-tinted glasses much too big for her face. She hums a wandering tune out of sync with the tribal-inspired groove that dominates the atmosphere of this resting stop. Her cool life seems interrupted by motherhood but she is coping as best as she can.
I glance at the cover of a newly purchased outdoor adventure magazine and read, "Your Perfect Week In Costa Rica!" Sounds perfect to me as thumb over and see a picture of a lone kayaker surfing down a raging waterfall into a teal-colored pool framed with jungle vegetation and lava rock. Wendy and I will be celebrating our ten-year anniversary this June and have considered this place as a potential escape - we'll see what happens. Culture excites me as do new places to explore. New sounds, pictures, tastes, adventures...all simply enthrall my mind. I cannot be stuck in the moment for too long can I? The world needs more exploration, more moments of discovery and wonder for me to be remotely satisfied. So here I sit for now...sipping coffee grown in Costa Rica?
Friday, February 03, 2006
What Kind of Coffee Are You?
Okay - it is Friday afternoon and I good use a good cup of coffee. I've always been a dark roast kind of guy and not afraid even the stiffest of brews. Ever try Turkish Coffee? It is served in shot glasses and spoon basically can stand up in it due it's thickness? Here's a quiz to find out what kind of coffee are you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)