I like coffee — a lot — but …
Coffee from an elephant’s gut fills a $50 cup | The Associated Press
Coffeehouse observation No. 356 – Sunday coffee …
Sunday coffee. … And lots of it! At Empresso on the Miracle Mile in Stockton. … AC is off, though. Not so fun.
Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.
All rights reserved by Keith Michaud ©
Empresso wins again!
Meant to post this the other day. The coffeehouse I frequent won a local prize as the best coffeehouse in the area. I believe they have won this at least one other time. Cool!
Coffeehouse observation No. 355 – No AC? I’ll take my coffee hot
The AC is down at the coffeehouse today. That would be a death sentence in California’s Central Valley in the summertime, but there’s a breeze coming in from the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta that’s cooling things off just a bit. And they just cranked up some fans. It’s warm. Not particularly comfortable, but not bad, either.
Oh, and I ordered hot coffee, of course.
All rights reserved by Keith Michaud ©
Coffeehouse observation 354 — Changing the world as we know it
Three, um, older women are having a loud conversation at the next table in the coffeehouse. They are sooo making Facebook something completely different.
Coffeehouse observation No. 353 – I see Jesus in my coffee
The baristas at Empresso, the coffeehouse inside The Empire Theater on the Miracle Mile in Stockton, know how to make coffee a religion.
Or, at least, they know how to put Jesus in the coffee.
All rights reserved by Keith Michaud ©
Coffeehouse observation No. 352 – Resolving to drink more coffee (No kidding!)
The new job has kept me away from blogging and has drastically cut into my very valuable coffeehouse time. It’s sad, really, to have to turn our backs on something as vital to our existence as coffee and the coffeehouse experience simply to make a living wage. Something is wrong in that. Especially since coffeehouses – most specifically Empresso on the Miracle Mile in Stockton – have provided a sanctuary during the two and a half years that I was unemployed.
So here are some coffeehouse resolutions for the new year.
Coffeehouse resolution No. 1: Drink more coffee. I know what you are thinking – is there really a need for this resolution? I mean, after all, “more coffee” makes complete sense. Resolving to drink less coffee would just be, well, silly.
Coffeehouse resolution No. 2: Drink more coffee. Yeah, it’s so important to the very fiber of 2012 that “Drink more coffee” is listed here twice.
Coffeehouse resolution No. 3: Learn more about coffee. You would think that I know a lot about coffee – and I do. But I consider it vital that I be a “lifelong learner” when it comes to coffee. I consider this an investment in continuing education.
Coffeehouse resolution No. 4: Be bolder when it comes to my caffeinated beverages. I tend to be in a rut when it comes to my beverage choices. I tend to go with straight coffee – mild rather than bold because I heard once that there was more caffeine in mild coffee. Usually Sumatra. No sugar or cream. I think it is time to branch out just a bit more.
Coffeehouse resolution No. 5: Visit more coffeehouses. I love Empresso – well, except for the occasionally four-legged creatures that that run across the old theater’s lobby floor. But other than that, it’s been a great place to look for work, get a caffeine high, and network just a bit. But I cannot help but think that I might find comparable features in other coffeehouses. We’ll see. Some changes might be “just too much.”
OK, that’s it for now. Have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!
All rights reserved by Keith Michaud ©
Coffeehouse observation No. 351 – Harp music for the coffeehouse
Why, this is new. A woman is playing a harp in the coffeehouse. Not exactly the most portable instrument. … And her companion is a Chihuahua. I kid you not.
All rights reserved by Keith Michaud ©
Coffeehouse observation No. 350 – Back in the coffeehouse again
Today was the first chance in a couple of weeks to be able to sit and enjoy the coffeehouse. The new job has kept me busy, which is quite the opposite from a complaint. It’s very good to be busy. It’s very good to be employed. … But it has kept me away from what was a haven for two and a half years of unemployment. … I’m comfortable here at Empresso, but I do like the idea that I’m working.
All rights reserved by Keith Michaud©
At long last, I am going back to work
It has been a very long, winding, tumultuous two and a half years of unemployment since March 2009 when I was laid off from The Record in Stockton, Calif. It has been a very difficult time for so many people, including and especially those in the newspaper business.
But I’m starting a new job on Monday Tuesday – a 60-day trial as the editor of the Central Valley Business Journal, a monthly publication with offices in Stockton and Modesto. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and confident that this will be a good fit. I get the feeling that the Central Valley Business Journal hasn’t had true editorial leadership in some time, so even small improvements in the publication will be noticeable.
I have never been a business writer/editor before so the experience will be challenging in that respect. I haven’t been the sole editor of a publication in quite a while, so it will be challenging in that respect, as well. And I haven’t had to get up early for work in quite a while, so that will be pleasantly challenging.
I have written here in the past of the complete emotional toll unemployment takes on a person. You lose your self-worth, self-respect, and sense of self. Friends and family who haven’t been through the situation cannot truly understand what the unemployed go through, but they still offer suggestions – “You know what you really should do is …” – of actions already taken time and time again. They mean so very well and knowing that kept me from screaming just a bit. Prospective employers reject you simply for having been unemployed. And society turns an uncomfortable cold shoulder to those of us who were unemployed for so long.
My girlfriend, Brenda, has been very supportive and encouraging through the past few months. I thank her for helping me maintain my enthusiasm for, well, everything and for encouraging me at every step. She is solidly in my heart.
Long-time friends – especially Teresa, Rick, and Michele – have provided part-time work, room and board, beer and tequila, laughter, and encouragement. I do appreciate everything they have done for me in the past two and a half years. Other friends, those not so “long-time,” also have provided encouragement and even groceries from time to time. For those veggies and peppers, Kathi, I am grateful. And I thank those Facebook friends who over the years have helped me maintain my sense of humor, perspective, and sanity, who have provided encouragement, job leads, and a place to vent. Thank you.
And now a new adventure awaits! I’m excited for it to begin.
All rights reserved by Keith Michaud ©
Coffeehouse observation No. 349 – Pavlov would hold back the food on this one
I’m not sure, but I’m pretty sure I just overheard a woman in the coffeehouse say: “It’s like Pavlov the Dog.” … No, seriously!
All rights reserved by Keith Michaud©
