take a book, its in a book

winter break to me was always sacred. they were times where I got to sit on the counter top and watch and sometimes help my mom make spritzer cookies like a good little German or sled-riding in the neighbors field and eating popcicles with a runny nose after being so cold for so long or waiting for my sister to come home from college while drinking hot chocolate that slowly progressed into coffee.

each winter I came up with something to occupy my time, I am good at that, if nothing else. I am the queen of hobbies, jack of all trades, master of none.. or mediocre master of all. I seem to love everything and dabble in most activities, rock climbing to harmonica, knitting to baking, sewing to photography, painting to lifting weights, yoga to poetry, hiking to scrapbooking, singing to writing. but there is the problem, I can never focus on just one thing. and maybe that is good (I can always seem to offer something to every conversation I am in) but I am constantly searching for something, something that 'clicks' and I know that that thing is what I want to pursue for the rest of my life.

but I am at a stand still as to what to try next, and I thought to myself, maybe slowing down and going back to basics would be best for me this winter break. maybe I was too busy 'doing' and less busy 'learning.' (a humble thing for a future teacher to admit) so I am reaching out to books. lots of books, and I have a list.

so grab your coffee and blanket and goodwill sweater and snug up on a chair or a couch and enjoy...

1. the bell jar- sylvia plath
   the poet "victoria lucas'" one and only novel before shutting her head in the oven. a trippy book about mental illness and well, Im not sure, thats why I want to read it. 
2. the bhagava gita
   700 verse scripture from Hindu tradition. I just wanna get my philosophy on.
3. where things come back- john corey whaley
   my guilty pleasure of john green(ish) novels and teenage angst, getting second chances and sarcasm.
4. the life of pi- yann martel
   my friend Kami's favorite book. Its about a tiger and they made into a movie ive never seen. 
5. the chronicals of chrestomancy- diana wayne jones 
   I love fantasy novels, no shame at all. dragons and magic and warlocks and solid writing.
   
   
   
6. the tortilla curtain- t c boyle 
   I like the title and it has something to do with Mexico and Spanish. I just ordered this from amazon for one cent. it should be here in January
7. travel writing- peter ferry 
   a book I found for $2 at a Walden books liquidation. It had travel on the cover and a typewritter. sold. It dances around the themes of reality and fiction and how often that distinction is irrelevant. 
8. a room with a view- e m forester
   a romantic and emotional and optimistic book, unlike a passage to India, which I loved but saddened me. or maybe that was my 25page research paper I wrote about that novel. 
9. snows of kilimanjaro- ernest hemingway
   I love mountains, I want to climb Kilimanjaro and I love hemingway's simple syntax. 
10. driving to the end of the world- mark mcmahon
    ordered impulsively off of amazon, it is about a man in a minimidlifecrisis and drives from New Mexico to Patagonia, Chile (or Argentina) 
11. a cook's tour- anthony bourdain
    Tony's first novel about his first tv show was it was syndicated from the foodnetwork. I love seeing his early perspective. plus No Reservations had its final episode and Im already suffering. 
12. herzog- saul bellow
    a classic about writing letters to everyone, living and dead who can inspire you to start your life again.
13. innocence abroad- mark twain*
    more on this one later, it is part of a book club I am in. 

everyone likes books 

enjoy the winter,

rach 

Joe the Coffee Drinker

The United States import in excess $4 Billion worth of coffee per year.

So, that basically means, Americans spend about $164.71 on coffee and will wait in line nearly 45 hours each year. Wow.

32% of Americans say they depend on coffee to make it through the day.

The top three coffee retail sellers are (in order): Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Caribou Coffee.

35% of coffee drinkers prefer black coffee (KELCEY and ME)
65% prefer to add sugar and/or cream (HILLARY)

Nicaragua, Fair Trade, Equal Exchange, from a local store.

400 million cups of coffee are consumed in the United States.

The average cup of coffee is 9oz.

Men drink as much coffee as women, women seem to be more concerned about the price.

The average consumption of coffee in the United States is 3.1 cups.

Coffee is the world's second most traded commodity, taking a backseat only to petroleum.

Coffee beans are the seeds to a fruit that is similar to a cherry and come in pairs of two, except when there is only one, slightly smaller berry called the peaberry.

The peaberry is considered the caviar of coffee.

The first coffeehouse opened in Europe in Venice, 1683, though coffee was available since 1908 (only to those who could afford it).


The historical origins of the coffeehouse indicate that is was a popular meeting place for revolutionaries to conspire together and engage in political debates.

Christian priests believed that Satan has invented coffee as a substitute for wine which Muslims were not allowed to drink.  Since Christians used wine in their services, clearly coffee must then be the drink of the Anti-Christ.

Now, coffee has a universal appeal to people of different income level, ethnicity and religion.

get your joe on,
rach

I don't ask if the cup is half empty or half full... I just ask, "Are you gonna drink that?"

Pour over coffee.  I was introduced to this style of brewing coffee over the holiday break.  And no, I am not being PC by saying holiday, I am just using the term to imply both Christmas and New Years.  May it be an elementary concept, something about pour over coffee just tastes good, really good.  Think of how you would make coffee if your coffee pot suddenly broke (RIP Trey Anastasio, Clyde, The Big Lebowski).  You would take the basic components, coffee, filter and water and try your best to emulate the coffee maker. The base we used was handmade and the coffee, freshly ground Indonesian sumatra.

yes, if you were wondering, that pear in the fruit basket is sadly rotten and I didn't realize it until two days after this photo was taken.  d'anjou pears happen to be my favorite kind of pear. 

mmmm. drink up me hearties,
rach