Coffee Roast

Another little thing I learned about the Roots coffee house was about their beans.  They have recently placed a bean roasting machine in their front lobby.   I inquired as to its purpose, if it was for decoration or if they planed to roast their own beans.  Their reply was exciting. They said that currently they buy beans from their supplier but plan to start roasting their own beans.  They must first get a manufacturing license to legally roast the beans.  Go figure but hey whatever.  Hopefully once they start roasting beans they will sell them also.  I am always looking for a good roast to brew myself at home.  I am sure when they start roasting on their own I will make anther post here letting the world know the good news. 

Roots

Ok, well I am again talking about the coffee house in Royse City.  I tried a different drink there this morning. At Starbucks I always get an Iced Coffee so I figured I would try this at Roots, the new coffee house.  When I ordered she at first charged me for a hot drip not an iced.  This was soon to be corrected once she found her error.  She proceeded to make the iced coffee correctly except she served it in a paper cup designed for hot drinks not a plastic cup for cold beverages.  I requested it in a plastic cup so I could drink it from a straw rather than the lid.  They accommodated my request however they only have dome lids rather than flat lids.  The other abnormal thing about this visit was they asked what sweetener and crème I wanted after they finished making the drink rather than before.  Once I received the drink I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor.  The roast was a bit nutty and a little on the mild side.  I would prefer it be a bit bolder but I still liked it.  I think if they will pre-chill the hot coffee rather than put hot coffee over ice it will not be as diluted and will taste a bit better.  I still like the roast.  It was not quite what I expected but I still liked it and may order it again.  This little coffee house is still learning and has a way to go but they have good potential for a great restaurant. 

SYATP @ RCHS

Yesterday was a lot of fun. It was syatp. A nationwide phenomenon that started locally in Burleson tx. I did not make it to the pole yestarday morning to support our local youth but was able to attend the rally last night. Usually rallies are held at local churches with their independent groups, maybe even a couple churches will go to a single church, we however did it a different way, a better way I dare say. All the local churches gf, fbcrc, fumcrc, and a few others all held a big rally at the RCHS basketball area. I was there to provide tech support, to providing and run a sound system for the crowd. The speaker was from the local fca and the band was the youth band from fumcrc. It was amazing to watch all these people, most of which have never worked together before, come together working and praising for a common cause. I think this is a really healthy thing for a community, banding together as a team for a common cause, building relationships within your city. It is an encouraging thing to see in our world of challenges for a handful of youth to take a stand for what they believe. I recall being involved in syatp when it was relatively new and living through the events at wbc.  This is a great annual event that should be supported.

More Coffee

Ok so I give, I like coffee, coffee is good.  I got back from Starbucks just now after getting my “double venti toffee nut double blended coffee frappuccino”.  I have never actually typed that out before, it is longer in type than thought.  Anyhow my trip tonight was a little different than usual, usually one of the baristias knows my order and makes it correctly however this time there was a different baristia.  I recognized her as I have seen her there before however this time she was acting a little differently.  She leaned out the window like she knew me and wanted to talk but then began to tell me how she has had a long stressful day.  Finally her weird behavior all made sense, she was in tobacco withdraw, she then passively asked me if I would help her get some cigarettes.  She did not use those words but that is what he was getting at.   I just moved on ignoring her request as I don’t smoke.  It was just all together a weird experience.  Usually I get substandard service there but it is a new location so I am patient with them.  Ok now that I have had my coffee fix on with my other hw.

New Royse City Coffee House

Yeah, they finally opened. A Coffee House in Royse City named Roots. I am always spending time in Royse City, no I do not live there but I may as well, I am always driving through r spending time there. Most of you have never heard of this little city, I don’t blame you, neither did I until I found this little start up church there in need of some media assistance. I have always preferred becoming hands on and involved in the church rather than just showing up once a week. For this reason I started commuting to this little church several times a week to serve, there was nothing in it for me, just an opportunity to serve God and give back to the community in the process. Know that you know why I am spending so much time in this little city let me tell you a little about this city. It is a small city with 3 exits on I-30, a bunch of houses, only a handful of restaurants, and no grocery store, yet… This is why I am so excited about the opening of this little restaurant / coffee house in Royse City. They are friendly people from Alaska who have moved down here for whatever reason and have started a coffee house named Roots. They are a little pricy but not to bad considering where we are, the coffee is good so I don’t mind the price considering I always shop at Starbucks.

Good news, Bad news

Good news, the weather is just great today. It makes me want to go camping. Also the cooler weather will help save on the electric bill.

Bad news. We are in Texas. The one reliable thing about Texas is the weather is unreliable, thus if it feels great today it will be way to hot next week.

A Blog on the Topics of Blogs

The question of what topics exist in the blogosphere should be reworded as what topics do not exist in the blogosphere. And the answer is not much. Some blogs can be simple like this blog with only a handful of viewers where as others can be massive like political campaign blogs with millions of viewers. Blogs can be broad based with topics as broad as your thoughts on a hurricane to as particular as how best to tie your tie with one hand while driving. Blogs can be sponsored and mediated by formal institutions or as slipshod as a blog from a 7yr old. Blogs can be found to be gold mines of valuable information pertaining to a common issue or challenges. Blogs can be fictions containing malicious information leading their readers astray. Blogs do, can, and will contain any and all types of information conceivable to the imagination of man.

My thoughts on growing up online…

I thought the video series was an insightful view of how this next generation relates to and uses the internet. I think they highlighted more of the bads than the goods. They had a few one sided stories about particular situations. For example it tells about a teen who enjoys the internet relatively responsibly however his mother refuses to give him the space or to trust in his character insisting that she has the password. Yes I agree that there should be some sort of parental supervision with teen as they grow on the internet however the teen in question was an upperclassman in HS and probably of had some independence at this age. I perceive this situation to something similar to a teen receiving his drivers license when he may or not be ready. It is an opportunity for the parent to express their trust in their child and thus passively giving them permission to grow up and make independent choices on their own. So in the case of the boy in this video I agree that he should f hade some freedom. I however on the other side agree that younger children should have some sort of guidance and supervision on the internet. This is not because they are untrustworthy but rather because thy are ignorant of the dangers ad may naively fall prey. On the other hand there are also situations where youth may need additional guidance and restraint. This would be like the Goth girl or the suicidal boy. The internet is not to be blamed for these tragedies but rather the supervision of their parents. The internet is like a gun or a car. If used correctly it is an immensely powerful tool however if used incorrectly it can be a deadly weapon. There is an internet culture out there to which I do not understand, the people that literally live on the internet neglecting the tangible world entirely. They insist that this is an acceptable way of life however I perceive it as life in the Matrix, ignorant of the tangible world living in their blissful utopian bubble. If somebody understands how people live let me know as I am still struggling to understand this tendency of today’s youth.

Internet Usage

I don’t use the internet all that much. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t have time. I am usually in a rush to work and don’t check email or anything in the morning. At work I use the computer constantly but am almost exclusively on the intranet not the internet. Because I work in a secure area for the federal government my internet access is limited and monitored. I thus do little more than check the weather or the front page of wfaa.com. After work I am either at church or school, either way my attention is required elsewhere. My weekends are consumed with housework, schoolwork, and sleeping in past 6am. I use the WWW less that 1hr per day. I refuse to allow the internet to become a substitute for real life but rather use it as a tool to enhance real life.

flight cont…

Ok, so I arrive at gate 40 as requested by the AA agent on the phone.  The gate agent is still at her computer finishing up things and I approach her handing her my old tickets filling her in on my story.  She undoubtedly noticed I was a little stressed at this time.  Without saying much she took my tickets and began typing on her computer.  I am a bit confused at this time as to wither or not I will make the flight but I await a verdict patiently.  A second agent approaches, they exchange a few cryptic words, and then they both begin typing.  After waiting a minute in quandary they hand me a set of new tickets and let me on the plane. 

 

I arrive at my seat a middle seat on the starboard side near the aft.  Soon after taking my seat one of the flight attendants approaches and offers me an isle seat forward in the aircraft.  I gladly accept as I am a bigger guy and thus enjoy my space.  I moved forward and on approach to my seat the occupant of the adjacent window seat inquired to why I was taking her other seat.  I was a bit perplexed by this as she was a small lady and by no means required two seats but she began to cause a scene disputing her ownership of this seat.  By this time we were rolling down the tarmac in final prep for takeoff.  The attendant pulled rank and told her that she was wrong and that the seat was now mine.  After this dispute I just sat quietly for the duration of the flight.  Needless to say this was an abnormally eventful flight for me.  Enough for now, more next time.