It’s the Little Things

07. January 2011 · 3 comments · Categories: coffee, daily life, family, fatherhood, good things, mr. grey, smiles · Tags:

The little things in life really do make life worth living.  Since I took my new job, I’ve been able to spend time with my son almost every morning.  It’s not much time, perhaps an hour or so right after we get up.  I should say, right after he gets me up.  He’s not coming in to the room and waking me up, that would be far too civilized for a three-year old.  He calls to me from his bed.  I wake up every day to, “DAADDEEEE…”

After going to his room, I stumble down the hall after him bleery eyed.  I get him a cup of milk and I start my coffee ritual.  I’m always mildly annoyed that his morning drink of choice takes 45 seconds to make and mine takes minutes, but that’s not his fault.  Then we chill out and watch Curious George together.  After that, we have a little breakfast.

This routine developed rather quickly after I left my last job and I’ve got to say, I really do love it.  At the last gig, I was up and out of the house by 6:00 AM.  The only mornings Mr. Grey and I had were on the weekends.

I know our little routine will fade away at some point, as he gets bigger, but for now I won’t trade it for anything — not even a few more minutes of sleep on those days when he wakes before the sun is up.

Afternoon Coffee – A Guilty Pleasure

28. July 2010 · Write a comment · Categories: coffee, daily life, slowing down, smiles

There’s nothing quite as wonderful as an afternoon cup of coffee. Round about this time (2:00 PM) I really start to crave a good cup of coffee. Most days, I have to settle for a cup from the machine at work. Not very satisfying. When I work from home, as I am today, I often make a new pot in the afternoon, even though I know I’ll only have one cup.

I’m a little unconventional when it comes to my coffee making technique. I still boil water and pour it over grounds in a conical filter. I can’t stand the taste of coffee from a Mr. Coffee type automatic drip pot. It’s always a bit chalky and flat. Good coffee simply must be made by hand, with a little bit of extra time.

I’m off to make my afternoon pot of java. You should do the same.

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Unsolicited Advice – Sometimes it’s Worth Considering

05. January 2010 · Write a comment · Categories: coffee, daily life, frowns, good things, health, sidetracks, smiles, thoughts

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On a regular basis, I stop at the local Starbucks (which happens to be in the Safeway) for an Americano on the way to the office.  Usually this is because I’ve failed to get up early enough to make coffee before leaving the house.  There are two people who work the morning shift on alternating days at this Starbucks.  One is kind of grumpy most of the time, but the other is a very cheerful woman named Karin who appears to be older than me by about 15 years or so.  She has recognized me for quite some time but recently she’s started chatting with me.

At 6:00 AM, with no coffee and an hour ahead of me in the car, I probably look pretty grim.  I have been told before that I look like I’ve got a frown on most of the time.  That’s the French blood in my make up, I believe.  At any rate, Karin always tries and is usually successful at getting me to smile.  This morning she said, “I’ve got the perfect New Years resolution for you,” and before I could respond, “you should smile more often.  You’ve got a great smile.”

Well, that did it, I was grinning from ear to ear and noticed that smiling actually lifted my mood.  So, I’m going to attempt to take Karin’s advice and smile more often.  It just might actually be good for my health.

Abnormal Peace on a Sunday

15. November 2009 · 1 comment · Categories: coffee, daily life, family, fatherhood, good things, gratitude, silence, slowing down, smiles, thoughts

Charleston, SC - Marsh It’s 7:40 AM.  Sunday.  I’m the only one up.  This hasn’t happened in almost two years.  I’m having coffee with milk and sugar.  I usually have it black but this is a treat!

Could this be a sign of things to come?

Lets hope so.

Another night of virtually no sleep

05. October 2009 · Write a comment · Categories: coffee, daily life, frowns, frustration, health, incongruities, sleep

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After my post last night, I settled down for some television with Mrs. TKD.  Around 8:30, I started nodding off.  I literally could not keep my eyes open.   I thought for sure, that this would be a good night sleep given my labors for the day.  Right before bed, I took a prescription sleep aid, just to ensure what I thought was already ensured.

No dice.

I laid there until 11:30 wide awake.  Then went down to the couch and laid there until 2:30, also seemingly wide awake.  I decided to down a glass of milk and head back up to the bed.  The next thing I knew it was 5:30 and my alarm was going off.

I’m in a complete fog today.  I’m also avoiding coffee, in an attempt to lessen the number of migraines I’ve been having, so I don’t even have the helping hand of caffeine to keep me going.

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