Train Your Birds with Coffee

It’s really true. The best way to train young birds is with coffee. Save all the task about cheetahs, little boys with BB guns, and the birds and the bees for later.

The Most Interesting Man in the World

I just rec’d my lastest issue of Mutineer in the snail mail box. I must say without equivocation that it has to contain the most interesting article in the world about “The Most Interesting Man in the World”- Jonathan Goldsmith.

I hope you’ll read the rest of this blog, but let me sum it up quickly right here and now- go buy this issue. No, seriously. There’s a Jonathan Goldsmith poster in it.

This has to be the best issue yet, although I did have a slight problem with Ben Morrison’s take on coffee- “it’s not about taste, it’s about waking up.” Come on, dude! If that’s the case, buy some lighter fluid tasting energy drink and have at it.

This one is chock full of great articles. The interview with Goldsmith is classic. There are also great articles about Amarula Cream and a little behind the scenes of The Art of the Mutineer.

I say it again. Go buy it. Pop the most interesting poster in the world up on your wall. Maybe it’ll help you be more interesting. Until then, watch and learn…

Etiquette Died This Week

Elizabeth L. Post died this week at 89 years of age in Naples FL. For 30 years she was the etiquette guru carrying on the tradition inspired by Emily Post. Elizabeth Post assumed the mantle when Emily passed on in 1960.

Over the years she wrote more than a dozen books on etiquette and carried through five editions of Emily Post’s Etiquette.

About etiquette she said, “Etiquette is meant to smooth the path between people to better relationships. It isn’t meant to be something restrictive or unpleasant.”

When I was a wee lad I used to hang out in my grandpa’s study for hours. I’d be caught in there perusing before you’d catch me outside playing. He had books on everything. That was where I was first introduced to Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Zane Grey, and the image of a nude woman (he had lots of art books and National Geographics).

He also had copies of both Emily Post’s Etiquette and Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette. He actually gave them to me years later. I read both cover to cover.

I’m not the least bit effiminate or metrosexual (I can drill you in the forehead from 500 yards with my AR-15 if you insinuate otherwise). I’m just a bit eclectic and extremely organized. I like rules. I like standards and boundaries. Those books showed me a standard set of guidelines to regulate conduct and create better relationships, as Post said so eloquently.

In other words, good etiquette makes good neighbors rather than fences.

I also thought it would be incrdibly endearing to the ladies if I knew which fork to use and what to buy for a wedding gift. That didn’t necessarily woo the gals, but it certainly made me feel more cultured.

Just because the Post is gone doesn’t mean it’s too late for you to learn how to act civil at weddings, tea parties, or gun club meetings. The book are out there and will long survive the Post women whose names start with E.

Seminar Schedule for the Taste Gourmet Food & Wine Show

My schedule just went up online. Click on over to the Taste show blog for more details. And, please, no comments on how shiny my head is in the pic!

Great news also. I just signed up a couple more sponsors for items in the goodie bags for all attendees.

Backpacker Magazine’s Best Trail Coffee Ever

The annual Editor’s Choice Awards came out in this month’s Backpacker magazine. Always a great issue.

There are just too many choices out there in outdoor gear to waste money on bad decisions. The importance of having great quality trail gear is that the wrong gear can not only ruin a trip, but endanger your life.

When I climb high mountains I’m certainly not wearing the cheapest stuff available from the local mega-whatever-mart. I’ve been on some trips wearing thousands of dollars in clothing. Not only am I staying safe, but I’m setting a good example.

In one of my other ventures I am known as the South Carolina Trail Czar due to my extensive experience with SC trails. Because of that, people (especially novice hikers) will often ask me about trail gear. As a shameless plug for them, I like to shop at Sunrift in Travelers Rest, SC.

With that said, lets see what Backpacker had to say about coffee in this issue.

Starbucks Via won the award for “The best instant coffee. Ever.” No matter what you think about the giant mermaid coffee company, you gotta admit that the Via works on the trail.

Unless you’re willing to carry your own grinder and fresh beans, there’s no better way to go. If you don’t agree, try it out on your next backwoods trip.

Coffee is the Preferred Beverage for Wizards

Wizards prefer coffee over most any other beverage. At least one does. If you don’t read the Dresden Files series of books by Jim Butcher, you should. It’s like Harry Potter on crack. Way before it was uber-cool to be a paranormal PI and every other author out there had a book about one, there was Harry Dresden.

The books are awesome. My wife and I both jump on each one as soon as it comes out and we devour them in days or day, depending on how much free time is allotted.

The latest book, out this month, is Changes. It’s number 12.

Aside from the story elements, action, beautiful women (both supernatural and normal) and suspense, Wizard Dresden also enjoys coffee. Sure, he’ll go to Mac’s Pub for an occasional micro-brew, but coffee is his daily mainstay.

Here’s a couple of quotes from the newest book…

“I passed her a cup of coffee and got one for myself. She took it black with a couple of zero-calorie sweeteners in it. mine came with cream and lots and lots of sugar. We sipped coffee together, and her eyes became more animate as the caffeine went in.” p33

“I stopped drinking coffee. You know, the caffeine.”

I looked at her with mock disgust. “You heathen.” p304

Don’t just take my word for it. Go buy the books and start the series. I think the first few are even available in a box set that’s cheaper than the indivduals.

Recipe for Espresso-Rubbed Steak w Green Chile Pesto

My wife tore an recipe out of an old issue of Better Homes & Gardens. It was for an Espresso-Rubbed Steak with Green Chile Pesto.

The recipe won Leslie Clark of Grandview MO first place in the “Weeknight Steak Dishes” category. I tried calling Ms Clark to interview her for this article, but the phone number I found just rang and rang.

My wife made the dish last night, and it was awesome. I highly recommend it for anyone feeling a little spicy and creative. It was the first time my wife has used coffee in one of our meals and also her first attempt at homemade pesto. 

The coffee flavor didn’t override the other flavors, but blended well into an amalgam that whetted the appetite. I think I ate half a flank steak by myself. We also had enough pesto left over for a chicken dish she’s going to try tonight.

You can enlarge the pic to print out the specs on the recipe. I also posted a few extra pics on The Coffee Scholar’s Facebook fan page. There’s a button below to click on it.

Tony Stark Chooses Coffee Over Liquor

I’m sure a great many of you are most familiar with the Tony Stark/Iron Man of the movies and cartoons. The real Tony Stark of the comics is a raging alcoholic. His drink of choice usually ends up being a strong coffee, even when a half-naked young lady is in his bed, as you can see from the pic.

So if you ever feel the need to ask the question, “what would a hyper-billionaire orphan genius with his own suit of super-armor and access to any woman in the world drink?”, now you’ll know what the answer is.

If you ever find yourself in the situation where this question is asked, please let me know. I haven’t been there yet.

A Local PR Screw Up

I just received a press release from a local cafe and bakery celebrating their 15th anniversary. The press release was dated today (April 15, 2010) but announced an anniversary and party that was held on March 20, 2010.

What’s the point?

The press release went on to talk about all the fun things they did on that day to celebrate the event- free samples, special cakes, artists, live music, the works.

I’d fire the PR person that sent this out.

Don’t expect new customers to appreciate this. They missed the party already and feel left out.

Don’t expect the newspaper to print it. It’s already old news.

Don’t expect regulars to care about it. You’d be better off posting photos of them having fun at the event.

Media outlets are inundated with press releases. Every yahoo with a fax or e-mail address is sending them out. Make your press releases stick.

Announce a big event before it happens. Get people interested in coming. Get them excited. Gain a few new customers. Make the old ones feel special.

The New Norm is Yesterday’s Personality Disorder

I was watching Law & Order SVU today. Now, I’m gonna go ahead and proceed with the premise that since it was on TV that we all know it has to be true. I usually keep the show on in my office for background noise. For some reason, the sound of rough interrogations, sirens, and gunshots helps me to work better. Takes me back to my military days when you weren’t working hard enough if bullets weren’t flying.

The crew was talking about a young lady, an alleged criminal. They said that in her own mind that she was always right. If you agreed with her, you were a friend. If you didn’t, you were an enemy. I thought, that sounds a lot like me. I mean, technically, since I’m always right, you should agree with me. If you don’t, well, then you must be wrong. Then Dr. Huang (playing the stereotype of the mild-mannered super-academic Asian man) proceeded to say that the lady’s opinion on other people’s opinions was a borderline personality disorder.

That struck me. All joking aside, the new norm in life always seems to be either a borderline or full blown personality disorder in need of therapy or pharmacological intervention. And, believe me, there’s a medication out there for everything. I think there are three out there for whatever you have.

If I’m more organized than someone else, I have OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Many people think I have this. Many people think I have this. Sorry, I have to say that twice before I can move on.

If I’m really excited, really happy, or don’t bother paying attention to what you’re saying, I must have ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder).

If I have strong opinions about something, especially religion or politics, then I must have anger issues.

I think you get the message.

Why is it so wrong to be different? We’ve all heard the stories about past geniuses, inventors, and composers who would have lost their creativeness and intellect if they’d lived in this hyper-medicated, hyper-therapy for every ailment age.

Why not just be different and see where it leads you? Screw the medication. Screw the therapy. Go out and live!

Disclaimer- if you have a condition that is dangerous, such as sociopathic or psychotic tendencies or hear voices that aren’t there, please pay no attention to anything written above and do not come visit my house.