• And there was coffee, and it was good

    There’s something you should know about the week I’m having. I’m happy to report that all systems are functioning. The eldest of my progeny has been getting up in the morning and getting ready for school, which may seem trivial, but is actuality no small feat. Actually, it’s not unlike an 18, extra wide… something with a hard, slippery sole if you have it. The youngest of our clan has started “Table Utensils 101,” but has not yet discovered the household spoon can serve as a catapult in a pinch. He’s a quick study though.

    Most importantly, next week my work production takes a nosedive. That’s because I won’t be there. While budgetary constraints will keep us close to home, I am filled with glee at the prospect of doing… nothing.

  • Climbing the family tree

    My latest obsession is genealogy. It all started with the Mormons. Now there’s a sentence you don’t hear every day.

    A search for “genealogy” on Google will bring you to the Church of Later Day Saints with greater reliability “polygamy.” (What’s this world coming to?) So I hung out with the Mormons for a while. I found a couple interesting snippets of info… just tantalizing enough to lead me to a “pay” site (Ancestry.com) where you can search indexed census records going back to the birth of our nation – with links to scanned images of the actual, hand written forms used by the census workers. I shot through that site like an ADD kid on a double espresso high, hopping from one promising link to another with abandon. In forty-eight (non-weekend) hours I had gone through no fewer than four battery cycles on my PowerBook, and had hooked my wife sufficiently to upgrade to the “Deluxe International” plan at Ancestry.com. A chorus of “Beth, get it yourself” rang out through the house as Cheryl and I huddled in front of our glowing screens.

    It turns out I hit the mother load, while Cheryl has barely gotten beyond her mother. One of the features on several genealogy sites is that you share your research with others. If you can match up a common ancestor with someone who’s done a lot of research you’ve got it made. Which one of us do you suppose found a few matches?

    I have no idea how reliable the info is, but I’m looking forward to trying to find out. In the mean time, my new-found collection of names and dates is a tantalizing look into my past. Have you ever heard that there is power to knowing someone’s name – that in some cultures names were guarded to avoid granting others influence over themselves? Now, I think I understand.

  • Somewhere between a hammer and a hard place

    The litany of my errors goes something like this…
    Monday. I forget my magic (coffee beans) at home.
    Tuesday. I forget my lucky (coffee) mug at home.
    Wednesday. I forget my faithful (coffee bean) grinder at home.

    Forgive me father, for I have sinned.

    Wednesday morning I was standing (barely) in a coworker’s office, offering sage advice on matters pertaining to work, when I could not help but notice he had a hammer on his desk.

    Me: “Hey, are you using that hammer right now.”
    Him: “Does it look like I’m using a hammer right now?”
    Me: “Smart ass.”
    Him: “I learned from the best.”
    Me: “Daniel-san! Wax on, wax off!”
    Him: “Huh?”
    Me: “Nothing… do you mind if I borrow that there fine specimen of a hammer?”
    Him: “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?”
    Me: “Not if you quit giving me the business and give me a hammer.”
    Him: “Sure, go ahead. What do you want it for?”
    Me: “I’m going to grind some coffee.”
    Him: “No, really…?”
    Me: “NO, REALLY.”
    Him: “I’m sorry I asked.”

    Thus armed with a hammer, some whole coffee beans, and a plastic zip lock bag… wa la! One zip lock bag of pulverized coffee beans… the next best thing to fresh ground coffee.