Thursday, 23 January 2003

Coffee The received wisdom, here in Australia at least, has it that Americans drink their coffee from something the size of a bucket, lukewarm and as weak as dishwater. Our trip through England and Scotland in 2000 did little to disabuse us of this belief, as one after another B&B proffered appalling, weak coffee, which we assumed they did to satisfy the taste of the largest element of the tourist population: Americans. Each morning I'd beg for something stronger but to no avail. Melbourne, in particular, has a strong Italian coffee culture; we all love our espresso and cafe latte and machiatto. We recently bought a home espresso machine -- a Solis -- and I LOVE it. For this reason, I have strictly avoided the recently arrived Starbucks stores, though my curiosity may yet get the better of me. Imagine then my delight to see Chris Pirillo's take on Starbucks. I laughed until I wheezed. OK, maybe Chris thought the coffee was too small, hot and strong, but it was funny. 9:25:31 AM    comment []

The year ahead So, what kind of year will this one be? To my mind, years tend to have an overiding flavour. For example, 1994 was a year of considerable change for me and my wife: I left full-time employment and started contract work; we took a mortgage, built a house; we learned to drive after more than a decade exclusively on motorcycles; our first child was born. 2002 was horrible, a year of trial and hardship for many people. There were cancers, other illnesses, marriage breakdowns, disasters of all sorts. I suffered through depression, anxiety, doubt. In fact, 2002 was really just a continuation of what started late 2001. However, what I didn't work out until near the end of the year was that there was a positive spin to most of it: people were beating it. It was hard and ugly but, time after time, people came out the other side having won. We're 3 weeks' in to 2003 and there seems to be a trend of sorts. And again, it seems to be a continuation of what 2002 was turning into towards the end. OK, obvious I know. The best way I can describe what's happening is, again, change. But this time it's the kind of change that works to resolve the pressures and imbalances that so dominated 2002. That's what i meant about a continuation: tensions that had been there all last year became more critical toward the end of it; this year is about their resolution, about finding an ulitmately happier equilibrium. Yeah, yeah, don't make sweeping generalisations; substantiate what I say. I might. And I might not. It's my blog and I'll generalise as much as I like, especially when I'm convinced of its truth. I will say this: it means that unhappy situations will finally begin to resolve one way or another, not drag on. You may leave your job, marriage, whatever, or it could change for the better. Either way, I think that seemingly endless state of pain that obtained for so much of last year will come to pass. And that happier state has to open up the way for real growth and change. So, how do I reconcile this view with the fires in Canberra, with that madman's intent to leave Iraq flat, empty and glowing, all against the popular opinion in his own country? I don't. Or I don't know. Let's see what comes. 7:41:07 AM    comment []