Tag: opinion

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Caffeine Love

cup-of-coffeeI fell in love with coffee just after I got married, the blissful haze of wedded bliss leading me to try all kinds of new things I had never ventured to try before. She drank coffee in starts and stops, but I had been content to live vicariously for at least a year, drinking various other hot drinks while she drank heaven. Until we tied the knot, and then it was on.

And there are so many different types out there too. Before then I thought there was but one, like the one ring forged in the fires of Mt. Doom. It was “coffee,” like “eggs,” or “deer,” or “pajamas.” But that’s not the case at all, I realized once I decided to just go for it instead of simply dipping my toes in the wading pool. So I dove in headfirst, into the Olympic-sized swimming pool of coffee, the various flavors and shades, the textures and densities, the sizes and the culture.

Now I can tell a Colombian bean from one grown in Antigua (in the taste), and I have sampled such flavors as Autumn Spice, Pumpkin Latte, and Green Apple. Green Mountain, and Dunkin Donuts, and Starbucks, and various other big names began fighting for space in my refrigerator, right after I got married, and in my cabinet, and in my coffee mug as well. And I don’t have just one either. I have three distinctly different mugs that are specifically for my coffee. I know. You’re jealous. Continue reading “Caffeine Love”

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What Men Don’t Do

man_vacuumingNearly fifteen years ago there was a movie called What Women Want that saw Mel Gibson shed his chauvinistic ways when he begins hearing women’s thoughts. It teaches him that women are sentient creatures too, and they deserve to be understood and appreciated for that. It also shows him that perhaps his way of always doing things isn’t such a good path to take when it comes to dealing with women, and with the things he thought defined him as a man as well.

Often men are generalized, but those generalizations come from a vast majority of them actually being a particular way. How often have you known a guy who won’t ask for directions no matter how lost he is? When was the last time you saw a man cry in public? Can you count on more than one hand the men you know who would skip a sporting contest to go to the ballet because the woman he loves wants to go? Perhaps you know some men who are the exceptions, but here’s a list of some generalizations that generally stay true.

What men don’t do:

  1. Admit when they’re wrong
  2. Know when to give up
  3. Accept their faults
  4. Wash their hands
  5. Plan their wedding
  6. Act their age
  7. Talk about their feelings Continue reading “What Men Don’t Do”
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The Power of Perseverance

“If life held no difficulties, we would never know what it was to persevere.” – Theodicus, 1798

You’ve heard it probably a million times: Practice makes perfect. Or: Try, try again. Or: You can do anything you set your mind to. Sometimes you believe it, and other times you roll your eyes so much they slide back into your head (ouch!), but your reaction usually depends on how your week has been going. If you’ve had a wonderful week, then you believe in perseverance paying off, but if your week has been horrendous, you are more prone to eye rolling histrionics.

Throughout it all, though, one thing remains true. If you learn from your mistakes you are better off than if you just keep making mistakes and never changing your patterns. That one is undeniable, even if you’ve never learned from any of your mistakes, because it just means you’re the one who doesn’t change, who doesn’t improve. Continue reading “The Power of Perseverance”

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4th of July

I am a black man living in the United States of America. You know I hardly ever use the race card, but in this case it is , very much relevant, so I mention it. On July 4th in 1776 a fledgling nation professed its independence in a bombastic declaration. While John Hancock was affixing his “John Hancock” to one of the most famous documents the world has ever known, a document that freed many people from oppressive rule, my ancestors were still suffering under a different kind of oppressive rule. So, how do I feel about Independence Day?

I love it (and not just because I was a bicentennial baby). Continue reading “4th of July”