27 February 2011
30 May 2009
Precious few know...
Copied from my Facebook Notes:
Friday, May 15, 2009 at 7:21pm | Edit Note | Delete
For several weeks I availed myself of the $3.79 8 cup French Press of my choice, Komodo Dragon, Caffe Verona, Ethiopia Sidamo, Cafe Estima. Each provided a tasty interlude to the day. One bright, breezy Saturday morning I had a fit of nostalgia. For French Press I selected my original introduction to Starbucks, The House Blend.
House Blend, a perfect brew at a reasonable price. Attributes for which it was doomed by the vice of corporate avarice. House Blend, no longer the daily brew. In SBUX's nascent years you could count on a quick cup of this friendly brew in the middle of a shiny or dismal afternoon. Now, if you haven't time for a special request of the 8 cup French Press, nor a desire for a $3.50 concoction of carmel and whipped cream or the common "Americano", you my friend, are mercilessly cajoled to drink the dark dishwater, the Pike's Place. After all, it's ready now and Don't you Need To Be Somewhere? Don't you?
Gag.
"I love House Blend." I said.
"Sir...", when your beard is grey it's a common form of address. "...if you purchase theentire pound you can return with that coffee and request we make you an 8 cup French Press using your pre-purchased beans."
"How much does that cost." I questioned.
"Since you've already purchased the beans, there is no additional charge, Sir." The barista patiently waited while I processed this information. When not forcing you to imbibe in the dark dishwater they are quite pleasant.
Pros:
I won't have Half & Half turning to buttermilk in my refrigerator.
I enjoy the chatter of caffeine cranked coffee consumers on the weekend, so i may as well come here
Cons:
Haven't thought of any.
Result:
"I'll take it."
So, Constant Reader, with you I've shared secrets others have not. I do so why? I choose so that I remain true to my edificatory nature.
Tonight's Texas Hold Em tourney draws nigh. My departure in imminent. I'll stop for an 8 cup French Press of House Blend. No charge.
Friday, May 15, 2009 at 7:21pm | Edit Note | Delete
For several weeks I availed myself of the $3.79 8 cup French Press of my choice, Komodo Dragon, Caffe Verona, Ethiopia Sidamo, Cafe Estima. Each provided a tasty interlude to the day. One bright, breezy Saturday morning I had a fit of nostalgia. For French Press I selected my original introduction to Starbucks, The House Blend.
House Blend, a perfect brew at a reasonable price. Attributes for which it was doomed by the vice of corporate avarice. House Blend, no longer the daily brew. In SBUX's nascent years you could count on a quick cup of this friendly brew in the middle of a shiny or dismal afternoon. Now, if you haven't time for a special request of the 8 cup French Press, nor a desire for a $3.50 concoction of carmel and whipped cream or the common "Americano", you my friend, are mercilessly cajoled to drink the dark dishwater, the Pike's Place. After all, it's ready now and Don't you Need To Be Somewhere? Don't you?
Gag.
"I love House Blend." I said.
"Sir...", when your beard is grey it's a common form of address. "...if you purchase theentire pound you can return with that coffee and request we make you an 8 cup French Press using your pre-purchased beans."
"How much does that cost." I questioned.
"Since you've already purchased the beans, there is no additional charge, Sir." The barista patiently waited while I processed this information. When not forcing you to imbibe in the dark dishwater they are quite pleasant.
Pros:
I won't have Half & Half turning to buttermilk in my refrigerator.
I enjoy the chatter of caffeine cranked coffee consumers on the weekend, so i may as well come here
Cons:
Haven't thought of any.
Result:
"I'll take it."
So, Constant Reader, with you I've shared secrets others have not. I do so why? I choose so that I remain true to my edificatory nature.
Tonight's Texas Hold Em tourney draws nigh. My departure in imminent. I'll stop for an 8 cup French Press of House Blend. No charge.
It was then that I learned a secret seldom shared...
Copied from my Facebook Notes:
I drink Starbuck's coffee regularly, at least once a day. One Friday night I was on my way to a friend's house to relinquish $40 in a Texas Hold-Em tournament. Before leaving home I decided it was a Drambuie and coffee night so on the way I stopped for a cup (already had the Drambuie). To my chagrin there was only one dripped brew available...
Months earlier, in the midst of hundreds of store closings, plummeting share prices and a General National Malaise, Starbucks decided in order to boost profitability it would replace it's magnificently complex and robust flavored House Blend, on which its success was built, with a different brew. The goal? "Make it Cheaply." The highly talented Research Department, progenitors of the Iced Caffe Mocha, was tasked with creating a brew that would improve Starbuck's Earnings Per Share. Taste was no object. Low cost was. A Cheap Replacement was born. The drop in cost increased gross profit per cup by 50%!
Since flavor was no object they produced a dark dishwater. Upon tasting they cried, "No one will drink this swill!" Marketing tasted the swill, spat it upon the ground and smiled a knowing smile saying, "The name will sell it. The name will replace the flavor. The name will be the impetus for success. We'll name it after the most famous place in our hometown of Seattle... It will henceforth be 'Pike's Place'..."
Where was I? Ah, yes... There was only one dripped brew available, the dark dishwater, Pike's Place. With resignation to the barista I said "Pike's Place is the worst beverage sold by Starbucks! Drink it, I cannot." It was then that I learned a secret seldom shared. "With an air of confidentiality the barista quietly said, "Did you know, sir, that you can pick any coffee on our shelf, bring it to the counter and ask us to make of it an eight cup French Press?" "No! How much?" I asked. "$3.50 (plus tax)."
Turning to the coffee display I found the highest priced pound, returned to him and said, "There, make me an 8 cup French Press of this $13.95 per pound Komodo Dragon. How much do I owe you?"
"Certainly sir! It will be ready in approximately eight minutes. That'll be $3.79 Total." My heart leapt with joy. The flavor? Exquisite, even without the Drambuie... . Constant Reader, I have more coffee tales to tell...
I drink Starbuck's coffee regularly, at least once a day. One Friday night I was on my way to a friend's house to relinquish $40 in a Texas Hold-Em tournament. Before leaving home I decided it was a Drambuie and coffee night so on the way I stopped for a cup (already had the Drambuie). To my chagrin there was only one dripped brew available...
Months earlier, in the midst of hundreds of store closings, plummeting share prices and a General National Malaise, Starbucks decided in order to boost profitability it would replace it's magnificently complex and robust flavored House Blend, on which its success was built, with a different brew. The goal? "Make it Cheaply." The highly talented Research Department, progenitors of the Iced Caffe Mocha, was tasked with creating a brew that would improve Starbuck's Earnings Per Share. Taste was no object. Low cost was. A Cheap Replacement was born. The drop in cost increased gross profit per cup by 50%!
Since flavor was no object they produced a dark dishwater. Upon tasting they cried, "No one will drink this swill!" Marketing tasted the swill, spat it upon the ground and smiled a knowing smile saying, "The name will sell it. The name will replace the flavor. The name will be the impetus for success. We'll name it after the most famous place in our hometown of Seattle... It will henceforth be 'Pike's Place'..."
Where was I? Ah, yes... There was only one dripped brew available, the dark dishwater, Pike's Place. With resignation to the barista I said "Pike's Place is the worst beverage sold by Starbucks! Drink it, I cannot." It was then that I learned a secret seldom shared. "With an air of confidentiality the barista quietly said, "Did you know, sir, that you can pick any coffee on our shelf, bring it to the counter and ask us to make of it an eight cup French Press?" "No! How much?" I asked. "$3.50 (plus tax)."
Turning to the coffee display I found the highest priced pound, returned to him and said, "There, make me an 8 cup French Press of this $13.95 per pound Komodo Dragon. How much do I owe you?"
"Certainly sir! It will be ready in approximately eight minutes. That'll be $3.79 Total." My heart leapt with joy. The flavor? Exquisite, even without the Drambuie... . Constant Reader, I have more coffee tales to tell...
25 May 2009
Memorial Day 2009
Afganistan,Iraq,Somalia,Bosnia,Panama,Grenada,Lebanon,Vietnam,Dominican Republic,Korea,World War II,World War I,Spanish American War,Civil War,The Mexican-American War,The War of 1812,and The American Revolution. The technology, the music and the dances were different. The people were the same. They loved their families. They loved their friends. 43.2 Million served. 1.2 Million gave their lives. You and I remember on Memorial Day 2009.
Forrest Gump and I
Do you remember the last scene? His son had left on Miss Dorothy's bus, Forrest promised "I'll be here when you get back." He sat on a crosscut stump beside the mailboxes. Looking down and to the left his expression shifted into what I perceive as 'Gump Neutral.' When first I saw it, in 1995, I realized it is an expression to which I am prone. The mind whirs and busily buzzes but the transmission is contentedly disengaged. A man afloat like a feather on a breeze, his path influenced by action and by the currents of his time.
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