Ode to Coffee

When one is flying over the Mississippi River on their way to California without internet, with a full laptop battery, a sleeping companion, and is thoroughly enjoying first-class fresh brewed coffee with free refills and enjoying their life, one might get a blog post like this... 

Mississippi River

Fully charged laptop in first-class without internet

Sleeping companion

Fresh brewed refiled coffee

Well, the stars have aligned, here my friends, is my Ode to Coffee

Have you ever noticed that coffee just seems to make the world seem like a better place?

Well, it does for me. I have to admit, that I really love coffee. It somehow is tied to happiness in my mind. I am sure that I somehow have inappropriately connected the coffee to some part of my addictive personality. My first memory as a child is of the smell of coffee as I was waking up. Some of the first memories I have are of him drinking coffee, every morning my mom had coffee with French vanilla creamer, when I would make her a cup, when I was older, I would always know not to ask how much creamer to use, it was till it was just the right color. Also with, my grandma, dads mom, my memory most engrained of her, cause she did it EVERY morning, is of her sitting at her kitchen table with two slices of sourdough toast, her newspaper crossword puzzle, cigarette, and cup of coffee. Every morning of my life until I was in college I woke up to the smell of coffee and some of my best memories of people I am most close to are tied to coffee. I mean, the first thing Michael and I did the day we met was go to Starbucks. Going to get a coffee is a fun thing to do with friends and an easy place to meet coworkers to work on a project. Going to get a coffee has become a euphemism for hanging out, meeting up, and good times. It gives you an excuse to spend time with someone without being committed to a table like at a restaurant, or without distractions like the movies or shopping. Some people go to bars and clubs, but during the day its coffee time. Starbucks has taken hold in California. (elsewhere too, but I know of where I type…) Peets started in Berkley and is also popular, and now, the newcomer on the scene is Phill’s Coffee. Each one has a different niche. Coffee is comfort food. The smell, taste, the whole culture of “coffee” feels artsy but sheik, sophisticated, and yet accessible to all. 

There aren’t that many things like that that I can think of. You have a coffee after a nice meal out, you get dessert and coffee. People serve coffee at weddings, graduations, even on planes. Some is good, some is bad and some is perfect. I remember the best cup of coffee I ever had was in Historic Williamsburg when we were there last year for Michaels Birthday. (post link here) and we went to their special Sunday Brunch. It was the most elegant breakfast or brunch I have ever seen. It was amazing! The food was unbelievable, but the COFFEE! I think I had like 6 cups. It was without a doubt the best coffee I have ever had in my life, before or since. It was some special blend they get only for that hotels special restaurant. OH MAN! Coffee is a good thing. 

The first coffee I ever ordered was a mocha Frapichino when I was 15 years old. I remember like it was yesterday. (**She said with nostalgia**) The teacher I was working for afterschool bought it for me. He was the set designer and builder for the high school attached to my junior high. I was volunteering because I wanted to build sets for the drama program, and do other crew things like lights and sound. (duh sound) We were working SO MANY HOURS to get the production ready on time that he told every student he would go buy each of them whatever they wanted for energy. A large portion of the volunteers were high schoolers (who were very cool and therefore already drank Starbucks) and I had NO idea what kind of coffee I might want as a lowly junior higher. The only coffee I had ever tried was my dads- black, or my moms- vanilla. I wasn’t impressed in ether instance. I loved the smell but not so much the bitter taste. The teacher offered to get me something that I would like, and I had no better idea, and he said it had chocolate, and whipped cream, and was really not bitter at all. SO he brought me my first Mocha Frappichio. And an addict was born. He gave me the gateway drink and look at me now. I’m hooked. I don’t blame this kind man for creating such a monster. He had no idea what he was doing, the man is innocent! All I can say is that I have since developed into quite a coffee drinker. As evidenced by me needing to replace my Keruig machine after just one year and buying the replacement that is for offices and designed for “continuous use” in hopes it will last through me and my needs.