Och nu har fredagen blivit lördag. Gårdagen var jobbig, min kropp tycktes invaderad och hade någon slags maktkamp med snöovädrets vara eller icke vara. Fruktansvärd värk som bara blev värre under dagen och jag var oändligt glad när arbetsdagen var slut. Värktabletterna lockade, men inte biverkningarna som följer med på köpet. Det fick bli ett antal irish coffee istället, tillsammans med en mycket god vän som just idag fyller folkpensionär. Det är klart att tar man nog många “irishar” så blir det ju biverkningar av det också, kan kännas rejält dagen efter om det vill sig illa. Nu firade vi inte så rejält, så det är nog ingen fara på den fronten, men gott var det och den eländiga värken glömdes av för en liten stund i alla fall. Det var länge sen vi hälsade på, så vi hade mycket att prata om och det kändes som om tiden gick fort.

Nu ska jag vara en duktig flicka och krypa ner i min bädd och drömma ljuvliga drömmar! Kl. 10 väntar melodikrysset, det får jag ju inte sova över. Men först får det bli en nattmacka, för det vill magen ha just nu och då är det lika bra att den får sin vilja fram, annars kan jag inte somna. Hårt bröd, leverpastej och gurka – mums!

Natti, natti!

• Azi am renunţat la plasture involuntar. Sunt ok. Am compensat cu irish coffee, preparată cu bunătăţi de la Arina din cameră.
• Vreau să mă mai las o dată de fumat, că îmi place – am unele momente în care mă simt high.
• Fumez de peste 9 ani. Dacă renunţ trebuie să îmi schimb atitudinea şi să terorizez toţi fumătorii să renunţe, că e mai sănătos, frumos, sexi, cool?
• Am făcut sondaj (dreapta), să vad câtă încredere au oamenii în mine. Până acum doar m-au ignorat (5 voturi???)

Fiddler’s Green
1333 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 441-9758

Get Shelter from the storm today in SF and drink something hot while playing tracks from the diverse jukebox at this authentic Irish pub. The entire staff is from Ireland.

$3 Irish Coffee
3pm-6 pm
M-F

Kan inte sägas tillräckligt ofta: DET ÄR ÄNTLIGEN FREDAG!

Solig men kall dag. Ganska lugnt på jobbet. Maken hämtade mig efter jobbet så jag var hemma tidigt. Skönt! Senare på eftermiddagen gick vi hem till min far och firade fredag. Detta är vad jag fick:

Och den satt väldigt bra idag när det var så kyligt.

Nu sitter jag som vanligt i soffan med laptopen iknät och tittar på Idol. Jag ska strax gå ut och läsa nyheterna. Hittar jag något som jag retar upp mig ordentligt på så återkommer jag. Till dess önskar jag er en underbar fredagskväll och ger er ett par bilder på hösten.

så brukade vi äta gott, ta ett par glas vin till middagen. Därefter mysa ihop med unghögen i soffan. Framåt nio så där, när jag började bli lite sömnig hör jag ljud från köket.
Elvisp, vattenskval, kaffepanneskrammel.
Sen kom han, varenda helg, med en irish coffee till mig.
Inte så whiskystark, med ordentligt med grädde och oändligt med kärlek.

Jo.
Av just Irish Coffee har jag många goda minnen och stunder.

Här sitter jag med en egenhändigt ordnad irish coffee. Jag vet precis hur den ska vara.
Men det saknas något ändå…

I have a secret love affair with Irish coffee. I’m not really much of a coffee person, preferring to drink tea instead, but there’s something about a hot glass of coffee spiked with Bailey’s cream  that makes me go mmmmm. I opted to go whipped cream-free today though because I’m watching my weight and, this is going to sound weird, because I don’t really like whipped cream all that much.

Då var ännu en av de stora festhelgerna avklarade! Eller ja, det må vara lördag idag men det blir nog inget mer firande för min del!

Gårdagens äventyr eskalerade snabbt från oskyldigt smuttande på en folköl till akvavit och drinkblandning på hög nivå. Så här såg det ut bland annat:

Cuba Libre

Irish Coffee

Den tidigare gjord på min lagrade Arehucas som jag fick i present av de här grabbarna! Riktigt gott!

Nu väntar äventyr utanför Göteborg, hemma hos ingen annan än Aniolas! Folk reser från när och fjärran för att vara med på uppladdningen inför Genesis, och det ska bli kul att träffa alla gamla bekanta igen! Förhoppningsvis blir det även några timmars sömn, det skulle behövas…

Kram på er!

We started out our second day in San Francisco by visiting the Yerba Buena gardens, a park located downtown.  The main focal point of the park was a memorial dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr.  After visiting the park, we decided to take a cable car over to the Fisherman’s Wharf area.  We stood in line for about 45 minutes to get on the cable car at a turn-around only to find out that we could have walked up to the next stop and gotten on any one of the many cable cars that left as we waited in line!  Oh well…  The cable car ride was fun after that, though, and our driver was pretty funny and entertained us.

Once we got to Fisherman’s Wharf, we stopped by the Buena Vista Cafe per Rick Sawyer’s recommendation.  The cafe claims to be the first place in the United States that served Irish coffee.  Though neither of us are whiskey drinkers, it was fun to partake, though Emily probably would have preferred coffee with Bailey’s instead.

We next headed over to Ghiradelli Square and got our free sample of the delicious chocolate.  We walked along Fisherman’s Wharf, took a trolley over to the Ferry Building, where we had lunch at a small Mexican restaurant.  After lunch, we headed over to Coit Tower via the Filbert Steps, a very steep climb!  At the top, we got an excellent view of the city and the bay.  We walked through Coit Tower and viewed the Depression-era murals of life in California.  We then walked down Telegraph Hill and over to Russian Hill and Macondray Lane.

We then decided to head over to Chinatown.  After walking to the cable car stop and having one drive right by us while we were flagging it down, we decided to walk!  After walking around for a while, we met up with Emily’s friend Ashley and her husband Dan.  We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in the North Shore area (right next to Chinatown).  After dinner, we walked around the area for a while and got some gelato, where I again opted for rhubarb, which may be my new favorite flavor.  We were exhausted from our long day and headed back to the hotel on the  early side.

O drinque foi inventado no porto de Foynes por seu chef Joseph Sheridan na década de 1940 (Foynes foi o precursor do aeroporto de Shannon no oeste da Irlanda)[1]. A bebida servia para aquecer os passageiros dos flying boats que chegavam da América do Norte pelo Atlântico.

Segundo a lenda, sua criação se deu em um dia no qual um vôo partindo de Foynes teve que voltar devido às péssimas condições climáticas, e o restaurante foi avisado para ter comidas e bebidas prontas para o retorno.

Sheridan tinha café pronto e resolveu adicionar algo para estimular os passageiros –
 uma quantidade pequena de uísque.
Um passageiro estadunidense perguntou
“Isto é café brasileiro?” ao qual Joe respondeu, “Não, é café irlandês!

Desde então, diferentes versões da bebida surgiram, como o kentucky coffee que substitui o uísque irlandês por uísque bourbon. Outra variação comum consiste em adicionar Baileys ao invés do uísque.

 Preparação
O café deve ser preparado normalmente, de preferência usando-se uma prensa francesa (french press ou cafetière);
O uísque e o açúcar são adicionados e misturados com o café.
O açúcar ajuda a evitar que o creme se misture às bases, quando utilizado no lugar do chantilly;
Um pouco de chantilly é colocado por cima — usa-se a parte posterior de uma colher para evitar a mistura quando substituído por creme com consistência mais líqüida.
O chantilly (ou o creme) deve permanecer como uma fase distinta do corpo da bebida, com uma aparência semelhante ao de uma cerveja Guinness.
 

Quer dizer, pelo menos na internet e no O’Malleys mais uma vez…Quem não puder comparecer ao pub, pode acessar o Justin TV e o Myp2p para assistir à quinta partida do British and Irish Lions, desta vez contra o Western Province, penúltimo jogo antes do esperado primeiro confronto contra os Springboks, de uma série de três jogos.

Quanto ao jogo dos Pumas frente os ingleses, acho que só na internet mesmo…Depois da derrota em solo estrangeiro, os Pumas vem com tudo para a vitória em casa, na cidade de Salta às 16h00, e ganhar impulso para enfrentar os Barbarians, uma semana depois em Buenos Aires. Espero que consiga ver na TV também.

Para quem estiver no O’Malleys, recomendo o Chilli Fries e um pint de Guinness para arrematar, se continuar esse frio. E um Irish Coffee para esquentar de vez.

Av en nattuggla [puffúshottus]

Åtta minuter över midnatt visar uret.
Skönt med natt faktiskt och vara vaken i tystnaden.
Det är ju rätt så intensivt med ljud när man har fyra barn hemma.
Fyra bullriga underbara värdefulla barn.
Det är om natten alla bra idér föds..
Och morgonen dumpar dom.. haha
Det skulle ju vara natt för jämnan..
Så mycket man fick gjort då ju =)

Det har varit gården hela dagen med Hanna först
Sen var resten med när jag hade hämtat dom från Fritte.
Jessica kom över på Lunchen och fikade på gården.
Shalini kom i ett par svängar…
Ja sen kom ju Jessica igen en stund innan studierna *ler
Hon skulle på Whiskeyprovning på Ögir.. i studiesyfte.
Hon ska visst lära känna igen olika sorter.
Hon som riktigt avskyr Whiskey.. haha
Stackars sate som tvingas till det… =)

Ja kunde gärna ha bytt med henne..
Men jag jobbar inte på Ögir som hon gör (extrajobb)
så då får jag ha ev mina egna provningar..
Ja och det blir då väldigt sällan med whiskey.
Det är ju ingenting man har hemma el köper hem.
Man tar ju om någon bjuder och det är ju i princip aldrig.. haha
Men gott är det med en whiskey
(om jag nu kommer ihåg rätt hur det smakade =) )
Som lite finare kaffekask om man dricker det som Irish Coffee
Whiskey med Juice är gott som grogg..
Eller var det Kosken och Vodka jag menade.. säkert var det så .. haha

Det var helt underbart väder idag
Och bättre ska det bli =)
Har nog blivit lite röd om näsan..
Skönt med lite färg på bleka fejset ju =)

Nähäpp…nu ska jag försöka hoppa i lopplådan
för att invänta idéförstöraren -The morning =)

Sov gott alla sen när ni sluter era små korpgluggar.

KramKram så hörs vi sen!

Da var helgen over og  jobb igjen i morgen. Likt som andre helger inneholdt også denne lørdagen en øl eller ti. Jeg startet på Z, men der var det så lite folk (var enda tidlig). Satt der sammen med Ron som hadde kommet opp med oppskriften på en “Trygde Irish”. Hmmm…. ?! Denne ble funnet opp på et hotell i Skien. Enkelte steder har man fortsatt sånne dårlige kaffemaskiner, de du bare trykker på en knapp så spytter den ut en “latte” eller “cappuccino”. Det er denne maskinen du trenger for å lage en “Trygde Irish”. La den spy ut en dårlig cappuccino og hell på med whiskey… Tata… der har du en Trygde Irish…. ??! Jeg syns det frister mer med en ordentlig Irish coffee….

Hvis du lurer, kan du lese historien om den berømte kaffen her: 
Historien
Historien sier at den første irish Coffe ble kreert og servert i terminal restauranten på en båtfly havn i 1943. Her i The Port of Foynes i fylket Limerick i Irland, var det før, under og etter krigen en god del flytrafikk mellom Irland og USA. En avgang i 1943 måtte snu pga dårlig vær og når passasjerene kom inn igjen, ville sjefen i Restauranten, Joe Sheridan, gjerne servere noe som varmet passasjerene. Han tok en flaske Irish og laget det vi i dag kaller Irish Coffee.
The Buena Vista bar i San Francisco har hjulpet til å gjøre denne drinken kjent. Eieren her, Jack Koeppler, reiste til Irland i 1952 og lærte av Joe Sheridan.
Den originale drinken kan i dag drikkes på Joe Sheridan Cafe Bar på Shannon flyplassen i Irland. Denne ligger ikke så langt fra Limerick.
På The Foynes Flying Boat Museum holdes det hvert år en Irish Coffe festival med eget Irish Coffee mesterskap. Dette til underretning for dere som kunne tenke dere dette.

Jeg tok turen tilbake over brua og vandret inn på Kings, der var det live musikk og god stemning. Jonathan spiller der fredag og lørdag en gang i måneden. Morsom fyr…  Jonathan har et meget variert repertoar fra country til rock, reggae til ballader, gammelt, nytt – ja stort sett alle sjangere.
En trubadur med et eget konsept – han spiller sanger de fleste av oss kjenner godt men ikke vanligvis hører live.

Han har repertoar fra de siste 40 år som skal være mer enn nok til at alle blir fornøyde. Jonathan lager selv all bakgrunnsmusikk, og med sin akustiske gitar og tøffe vokal er han ”Jonathan & the invisible band”.

Der fant jeg også Delfinen Drammens flotteste delfin!! 

Delfinen er en nær og varm historie om hvor viktig det er å ha venner. Den er betagende og morsom for barn og gripende for voksne.

Hjemme hos en ensom mann banker det en dag på døra. Inn kommer en delfin med all sin lek og lyst! Det er selvfølgelig overraskende, men etter hvert viser det seg at Mannen og Delfinen blir gode venner – veldig gode venner!

Men delfiner hører selvfølgelig hjemme i havet. Derfor kommer det uunngåelige. Mannen og Delfinen må skilles. Mannen blir veldig lei seg, men Delfinen vet råd:
”Du kan få skyggen min! Du kan få ha den hele tiden! Akkurat som din egen og slik blir vi sammen til evig tid!”

Du kan gå inn på http://www.brageteatret.no/delfinen for mer info…

Dagen i går var fin Vi fikk noen artige blikk  Delfinen min, tror han tenkte sine tanker hi hi…. Vi var jo bare borte i 30 min, tar ikke lenger tid å ta seg en pils!! Takk for en fin kveld!!

Husk jam i kveld!!!

Idag har jag varit påskkärring nästan hela dagen. Det var många år sen sist och inte kom jag ihåg att det var så jobbigt! Jag var helt slut när jag kom hem, eller kanske det berodde på att jag fick dubbelt så mycket arbete som vanligt för att ungarna åtminstone skulle få det lite påskmysigt i skolan. Mera arbete blev det men det får man ju ta en sån här dag, extra kul blev det ju också. Jag skulle behövt en kvast att flyga fram och tillbaka på, men den jag har startade inte, så det fick bli apostlahästarna istället.

Jag trodde väl att ungarna direkt skulle se att det var jag, andra kläder, lite smink och gammaldags runda glasögon, men annars samma gamla jag. Men det gjorde de faktiskt inte, en del såg till och med lite skrämda ut, andra betänksamma. En frågade om jag verkligen var en vanligt tant egentligen. Jag hade glömt att barn tror på det de ser.

Nu vill min kropp inte alls mera idag så så får det bli. Har just njutit av en Irish coffee och nu är det sängen nästa. Förhoppningsvis vaknar jag pigg och glad i morgon. Fint väder är utlovat och goda vänner finns här runt omkring, så det ska nog bli en skön helg.

GLAD PÅSK på er allihop!

(da Irish Coffee)

Originally posted at Paper Palate on March 27, 2009.

I like beer. I believe that beer is drinkable food as much as it is liquid refreshment. It is said that in Ireland babies are given a shot glass of Guinness at the very moment of birth presumably to help prevent anemia. Historians claim that beer, not water was what kept Noah and his kin hydrated during their forty days adrift.

It is because of this I have long been a fan of Draft, the beer enthusiast’s magazine. Thanks to some shenanigans at our local post office, I am only now receiving my January/February Draft. This special issue is chock full of goodies, after all it is the Best of Beer edition.

There are two primary articles that are the nucleus of this issue. The first is 25 Beers of the Year. The skilled staff at Draft combined their talents by selflessly sampling many craft brews, tirelessly pursuing the 25 best pints to be pounded. Of particular interest is Isabelle Proximus by Lost Abbey Brewing with help from brewers at Avery, Russian River, Allagash and Dogfish breweries. Here’s what they thought of it:

This beer displays an incredible level of acidity, though it’s still able to exhibit complex flavors that range from lemon juice to leather. It is dry throughout, sour and highly effervescent. We expected nothing less from a collaborative project by five of the most talented brewers in the country.

Other notables include The Abyss by Deschutes Brewery (a Russian Imperial Stout), Kiwanda Cream Ale by Pelican Pub and Brewery and The Angel’s Share, an American Barleywine also offered by Lost Abbey.

The other principal column is a review of the nation’s top beers bars. The 200+ public houses are broken down into regions: Northeast, South, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest and Reader’s Picks. Some featured eateries include Chicago’s Sheffield’s Beer and Wine Garden, Vessel in Seattle and Fat Abbey Biercafe in the beer Mecca of Milwaukee. The Reader’s Picks are dominated by California pubs like Goat Hill Tavern (Costa Mesa) and Lucky Baldwin’s (Pasadena) and Colorado spots such as Blake Street Tavern (Denver) and Winter Park Pub (Winter Park). The list of the five best drinking streets includes the usual suspects (Beale Street, Bourbon Street and Las Vegas Boulevard) and two surprises M Street in the nation’s capitol and Austin Texas’ 6th Ave.

Non-beer snippets include an exploration on the Italian summer spirit Limoncello (with recipe) and a history of Irish Coffee (also with recipe).

I’d go back in a heartbeat!

We booked a tour that included air fare from Baltimore to Shannon and back, one night in a hotel in Shannon, coupons for Bed & Breakfast Inns for six nights, and a rental car. As I recall, the entire trip – including round trip air fare from Atlanta to Baltimore and an overnight stay in Baltimore, cost us less than $2,500.

And this is one of the sites we saw on our first day in Ireland.

Cliffs of Moher

We took this trip along with six members of my extended family. My bride and I laid out what we considered reasonable plans before we ever left home. In fact, I’d already made reservations at six different B&Bs; we knew in advance where we’d finish each day. What we did in between was up to whatever whim caught our attention.

The other folks decided to be totally flexible. Thus, after the Irish Coffee reception, they sat around a table trying to decide what to do first. Lu and I listened for a bit, then got into our rental car and headed for the Cliffs of Moher.

It was already late in the afternoon when we decided to leave the tranquil beauty of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. As we approached the parking lot, we met the other members of our entourage. We didn’t chat long because the sun was setting and they had a long walk to get to the best vantage points. It was also getting quite cold and snow was beginning to fall.

Instead of heading directly back to the hotel, Lu and I decided to follow our noses and find a place to eat dinner. I believe we found ourselves in a fishing village named Ballyvaughan. We went into a pub and were immediately warmed by the peat and coal fire.

I don’t recall what I ordered, but Lu ordered bacon and cabbage. Well, let me tell you! That bacon was what we could call ham and there was plenty of it.

The next morning my bride and I headed for Killarney, but stopped in Limerick along the way. That’s where we discovered King John’s Castle. History tells us that King John never spent a night there – he died before he could get back to it. The medieval structure was extremely interesting and made more so by the Viking settlement that was discovered buried beneath the castle. Those ruins were discovered during a remodeling project.

Life is so unfair. My bride and I discovered nothing so interesting when we remodeled our kitchen.

The B&B we stayed at that night was very comfortable. We had our own sitting room complete with a peat fire. The structure gave us a magnificent view of the MacGillicuddy Reeks (a mountain range south of Killarney) and I found myself thinking of Lucille Ball.

The landlady asked if we’d care for porridge with our Irish breakfast (which was included each day). I made the mistake of saying I could do without the oatmeal. I was told in no uncertain terms that porridge and oatmeal were two very different beasts. So I agreed to have porridge with my breakfast. It sure tasted a lot like oatmeal.

Following a wonderful breakfast (that also included bacon, eggs, toast, blood pudding, and fruit) we were off for a tour of the Ring of Kerry. We’d been warned not to drive (although I was doing a pretty good job of staying on the other side of the road) and had made reservations for a bus tour.

That’s when we ran into the other members of our group. They had tried to take a boat ride to the Aran Islands but were told they needed to make reservations. They did for a day later and then headed for the Ring of Kerry.

Seacoast on the Ring of Kerry

There were a number of places we would have stopped had I been driving. Being at the mercy of the bus driver, we stopped where he was supposed to stop. Of course, even the professionals have to alter their routes from time to time.

Free Range Organic Sheep

The only reason the sheep are not in our lane is the driver got out and shooed them over.

Naturally our driver stopped in one little village where we were able to do some shopping. Lu bought a beautiful sweater that she wears all the time and I bought a CD and music book featuring the songs of Phil Coulter.

After our tour of the Ring of Kerry, our group parted company once more. Altough we’d planned on meeting at the Cronin Pub in the city of Cork, they never showed up. I believe they then headed back north for their Aran Island excursion while we headed east for a tour of the Waterford Crystal plant.

We ran into them again at Trinity College in Dublin where we’d all gone to see the Book of Kells and other points of interest. Naturally, we all took the tour of the Guinness brewery.

The Nectar of the Irish Gods

The following day my bride and I headed north to visit Newgrange, which can best be described as an underground Stonehenge. It’s one of those prehistoric structures that seems to be a tremendous effort to create a calendar.

Finally, we headed for Bunratty Castle.

Lu befriends an archer

While Lu tried to make friends with the locals, I headed for the roof to see what I could see.

A perfect view for an archer

Later, at the castle, Lu and I were treated to a medieval feast. The first course was turnip soup; we were handed a knife and a napkin. I doubt the people who originally lived in the castle were given napkins.

The soup was very thick and we were given chunks of bread to help us along the way. It was delicious soup and was followed by ribs and chicken and other delightful finger foods.

All the while we were entertained by our singing and dancing wait staff. It was an absolutely marvelous way to bring our first trip to Ireland to a close. The next morning we headed back to the Shannon airport and home.

I’d go back in a heartbeat!

(From The Misc  Collection at emealsforyou.com)

Irish Coffee

Every year around this time I am reminded of this “perfect” way to end a dinner meal or just a casual gathering to enjoy the spring air.  I am a bit of a purist on this issue and have tried over the years to get passed the overall sweetness usually associated with Irish Coffee; what with the whipped cream and sugar added to the coffee, not to mention the overly sweet Irish Mist.  You see, I take my coffee black, no sugar… so just give me a shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey and let me dump it into my coffee.

This recipe is like the porridge in the Three Bears story; just right.  Start with strong black coffee, add just a touch of sugar and then add the Jameson with just a little unsweetened, thickened cream on top.  Sit on the deck or patio, throw your feet up and enjoy the sunset; maybe a leprechaun or two will stop by to help you pass the time.

The people are angry. The storming of the barricades has begun. The same populace that created a celebrity out of a numb nuts like Donald Trump, just because he owned some real estate, are now up in arms over the thugs, bullies and thieves that encompass the billionaires club.  We are the culture that boosted ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire?” as its top show for months on end. Now that no one has any money and the curtain is being pulled on the racket of the billionaires club the people are mad. They are very mad and they are not going to take it anymore. They want ‘perp walks instead of bonuses’. Stephen Colbert hysterically leads the pack with pitchforks.
Maureen Dowd chimes in with her thoughts on the subject.  She says ‘ The president needs to brush back the arrogant, greedy creeps who kneecapped capitalism, rather than cosseting Wall Street for fear of looking like an avatar of socialism.’

Here are just a few of the details of the AIG bonuses for you.
* Bonuses were predicated on being equal to 100% of the 2007 bonuses. This was decided in the spring of 2008 when AIG knew the annual numbers would be dismal.
* The top recipient received more than $6.4 million;
* The top seven bonus recipients received more than $4 million each;
* The top ten bonus recipients received a combined $42 million;
* 22 individuals received bonuses of $2 million or more, and combined they received more than $72 million;
* 73 individuals received bonuses of $1 million or more; and
* Eleven of the individuals who received “retention” bonuses of $1 million or more are no longer working at AIG, including one who received $4.6 million

I am mad too.  But I am just not surprised like so many others. What bothers me more than the greedy thugs and bastards who have taken part in the ruination of our economy are the thugs and bullies that raped and tortured our Constitution and Congress and this new administration are still pussy footing around about what to do about them. I can tell them what to do. Prosecute now, prosecute often.

-  Here is Keith Olbermann speaking with Jonathan Turley about what can do done about these AIG bonuses. ‘It is hard to make this cat walk backwards.’ Another fine interchange. Go Jonathan.

-  March 17, 2009: The Day in 100 Seconds

-  Rachel, Kent Jones and author and Master Mixologist, Dale Degroff, make real Irish Coffee in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day.

I would be willing to bet that my left hand and sleeves smell like coffee.  I’m sometimes surprised that the ring and pinky finger of my left hand are not stained the deep brown of my favorite beverage.  You see, I shake.  I’ve always done it.  I know you are thinking that it is probably a result of the three to six cups of coffee I drink every day, and while I’m sure that intake doesn’t diminish the shaking, it is not the cause.  The shaking dates to long before my caffeine addiction.  This shaking leads to a constant dribble of coffee across my hand as I walk the circuit from the front of my office (where the coffee is) to the little room I share with Jess.  I could probably solve this by putting less coffee in my cup, but that would lead to more trips to the coffee machine; something I am trying to limit.

I don’t know exactly when I started drinking coffee, but I imagine it was probably around when I turned 13.  I remember my dad drinking Lipton tea at night when I was a little kid, but at some point, a coffee maker was purchased for our house and the only tea to be found was of the iced variety (never a favorite of mine).  My dad would drink coffee in the morning and at night.  I started with just nighttime drinks.  The spread of grunge music, I think, is directly related to the spread of coffee nationally; the popularity of both being firmly rooted in Seattle, WA, but for me, they were both critical to my teen years and absolutely inseparable.  When I started exploring downtown Annapolis and the beautiful Annapolis Mall during high school (first being driven and dropped by parents and later driving myself), I started drinking Starbucks and City Dock Coffee.  Later, I would go to 49 West on West Street, order a cappuccino and act pretentious.  God, I thought I was so cool.

Now, I rarely get the opportunity to really enjoy coffee.  It is mostly a maintenance function.  It is a part of every morning that I am loathe to go without.  My Maryland Terrapins mug has been the container of probably dozens of gallons of coffee over the last four years.

At work, we drink Maxwell House.  I typically add a little bit of the dry creamer we use in order to take the bitter edge off, but I am just as capable of drinking it black.  Sometimes, if it is particularly bitter, I use about a quarter packet of Equal to make it palatable.  At home, I drink whatever is available.  Recently, it has been an odd-smelling, but absolutely delicious Kona bean Becky’s parents brought back from their trip to Hawaii.  It is sacrilegious to drink such a tasty blend any way other than au natural (black).  I just ground the last bit of that and will shortly be moving on to some Starbucks Espresso Blend my parents bought me.

On the road, I’m most often found getting a 24 ounce cup of joe from Wawa at $1.59.  Usually, I add a touch of skim milk to cool the drink in order to facilitate faster consumption, and I have found that I am in love with their Hazelnut blend.  Oh man.  Hazelnut, I don’t know what you are, but I love you.  Sometimes, I will go to Starbucks and order a Venti Cafe Misto, which is drip coffee and steamed milk.  The volcanically hot concoction is delicious.

I, like so many others, love some of the flavored Lattes out there, but I rarely get them due to their cost and sugar content.  If I do choose to have a “dessert coffee,” I typically choose a Mocha or Gingerbread latte (when available).  I am a HUGE fan of all things gingerbread.

Since it’s St. Patrick’s Day (the holiday of my ancestors as I’m told), I think it is important to mention that Jameson’s (or Bushmills) Irish Whiskey, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and Coffee were born to be combined.  Irish coffees are one of my all-time favorite alcoholic beverages.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If you’re in San Francisco run, don’t walk, to the Buena Vista for the best Irish Coffee EVER. (And have one for me because I’ll be running, not walking, to work). Click here to read their story on the Irish Coffee!

In other news, today marks the day my brother Steve married Cindi! Happy Anniversary!

There once was an old man of Lyme
Who married three wives at a time.
When asked, “Why a third?”
He replied, “One’s absurd!
And bigamy, sir, is a crime.”

Cheers!

It is simply incredible how much you can learn about a country though the internet!!!! Of course…I wish I was there but in the mean time I am having a ball!!!! Green beer????…yes!!! in St. Patricks day everything must be green!!!! They also have dancing contests!!!! Riverdance is the best!!!! so much life and enthusiasm!!! Irish music is awesome!!!! I wish I could spend a St. Patricks Day in Ireland!!!!! perhaps I can….let me look at Royal Holiday resort guide…I might be surprised!!!!!…….What a happy day today!!!!! Enjoy it!!!!!!!