Smeagol is Free!
A hermitudinal view of...stuff...


12.31.2007  

Linkage

I resemble that experience, really I do.

Having a roaster that costs more than your car doesn't make you a coffee snob, does it?

After all, green is my favorite color.

I think S.D.O. would agree with me: wonderful things do come from Columbus!

posted by Bolo | 7:22 PM
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Cyclical Cuteness

My niece was always cuter than your niece, but now she's cute on a tricycle.

posted by Bolo | 1:01 AM
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12.30.2007  

Thoughts

It's almost 2008...wasn't it just 2006? Something about white daisies passing make me think of Rocky Votolato. I usually whine unabashedly about the cold weather, but this time, I've got a good reason thanks to some incredibly generous "compensation." Yes, I was in Nashville again, and no, I didn't call Maynard. Again. I miss the Surf Crew. Sakura, again, soon. It might be overly obvious to say that one of the biggest blessings in my life is being able to hear Ryan Fullerton preach on a regular basis, but the overly obvious is often that which is most easily taken for granted. Lower voltage at first, then higher voltage after several minutes. I told Mary that I'd never been more proud of her, and that because I'd never seen Christ in her more...and I still mean that. I need peach ice cream. It's been several months, but I still can't find that blue sock. Everyone knows the difference between astronomy and astrology, right? Boss, that fish looks pretty stinkin' sweet!

posted by Bolo | 6:03 PM
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@Sunergos







posted by Bolo | 10:30 AM
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12.29.2007  

Word

John 17:13
"But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves."

The truths this verse conveys have become more and more precious to me in recent months, a comfort and a conviction to one direly in need of both. Still, I must confess that I find the savoring of Christ's joy to be an all-too-rare occasion for my soul. What's even more frustrating in the midst of my failure is that Christ doesn't merely pray that we'd have His joy, but that we'd have His joy made full in us.

Even in this, though, I take heart.

I take heart because I know of many others for whom Christ's joy has no savor at all. I take heart because I hear the desolation and abandonment in the voices of my friends and family. I take heart because I look around and know that if I do not take heart, how can I tell others to do the same?

In the midst of my failure, there is yearning. Let me clarify that: in the midst of my failure, there is yearning for Christ. All humans yearn; it's in our flesh and bones, the very fabric of our existence. It is only the believer, however, that yearns specifically for that which our souls need: Christ, and Him crucified. It is not good enough for someone to be looking for something; we all do! The only thing that is good enough is to be found, and not just found by Christ, but to be found in Him, one with Him, made alive with Him in His death.

Do you yearn for joy? Of course you do. Do you yearn for Christ, and for His joy? That's a better question.

posted by Bolo | 8:26 PM
2 speakage
 

More Christmas Cavies

Aaahhh, those Crazy Cavies...



posted by Bolo | 11:35 AM
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12.28.2007  

Stopping the F



















posted by Bolo | 8:35 AM
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Playing TAG

We made it back from the other 'Ville, Nashville. We didn't die, we saw TAG, we got to be cool and act like we knew the band, and we had great coffee from Fido.

Sweet.

posted by Bolo | 3:01 AM
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12.27.2007  

Gross!

Stephanie conveys her thoughts concerning bugs, John Letoto, and kissing. In other words, things that are probably all gross.

posted by Bolo | 8:28 AM
6 speakage


12.26.2007  

Thoughts: A Cavie Christmas

A three-hour-plus road trip with John Letoto is almost assuredly going to result in the tale of a certain Wendy's being told. Miss Stephanie is most certainly not getting married, especially since kissing is gross. Doesn't the rest of the world drink Christmas Milk, too? Speaking of milk, would you mind telling us landlubbing civilians about that, Pastor Cavie? Yes, I called my mother. Tuna is amazing. It still feels weird to open presents with the sun already up. It's Sean Foot...who else could it have been? Methinks Pastor Cavie's good standing with Panera Bread was delicious. I can't believe that hard-won bread almost got left behind! I feel as though I should have a greater appreciation for music boxes, but I don't quite remember why. Momma Cavie's gonna kill me. The Tall People are like male and female versions of each other. This post is proof that I don't have to mention coffee in every blog post. Wait...darn it. Oh...the ribs...the ribs! I think Jeffrey enjoys calling me John Boy almost as much as my sisters do. Why does good food exist? Because...

posted by Bolo | 11:25 PM
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Linkage

The beast in the beautiful.

Hope? What hope?

Who says beer and culture don't mix?

You've had to have achieved a certain level of Geekdom in order to truly appreciate this, but if you have, you really will.

Things not to do on a...

You didn't think you were going to get away with a Linkage lacking a coffee link, did you? Hah! I'm really looking forward to this one. And this one. And this one. Kenyas, anyone?

posted by Bolo | 11:55 AM
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12.25.2007  

@Quills









posted by Bolo | 5:18 PM
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Mele Kalikimaka

Or, for you non-ethnically enhanced folk out there, Merry Christmas!

posted by Bolo | 11:46 AM
1 speakage


12.24.2007  

With a "B"

Burkey, like turkey...but with a "B"...

posted by Bolo | 7:23 PM
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Roasting Realization

The more I roast, the more I realize I don't know. Dang...I hate that.

posted by Bolo | 2:48 AM
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Funky Flashbacks

















posted by Bolo | 12:03 AM
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12.23.2007  

Thoughts

I hate not being able to absolutely nail a specific bean in its roasting profile, especially when two pounds of it have already been un-nailed. Lukey Fullerton heard me sing Ka Uluwehi o ke Kai to him today...I think he was happy. Mike Hack requested it later, but he didn't get his request fulfilled. Hamachi...mmm! Mr. LaRue surely knows how to use his head. Aaahhh, those zany Revell brothers...one bowls, the other foot-faults...in the same frame. Mr. Mikami, did you know that airline fare generally drops after the Christmas season? Aye, I'm homesick, but...not for the usual reasons. This cup is a little mossy, and not that fruity...*sigh*.

posted by Bolo | 7:02 PM
1 speakage
 

Oishii

What's a guy to do? I'd only had a 3/4 lb cheeseburger and fries from Wendy's just an hour before, but I had to do it, right? I mean, when have I been known to turn down sashimi, right?

Riiiiiiiiiiight :)

The sushi chef at Sakura gave me a little something beyond my sashimi platter when I kept groaning in appreciation and nodding, "Oishii!" to him. I think he had as much pleasure in watching me eat as I did in doing the eating.

Well, almost ;)

posted by Bolo | 12:44 AM
2 speakage
 

Bowling For Pie

You gotta be kidding me...

posted by Bolo | 12:22 AM
1 speakage


12.22.2007  

Thoughts: Godward

Would I rather be a spiritual cripple found near the cross of Christ, or would I rather be a spiritual stud, dignity intact but far from Jesus? There's nothing "cute" about the birth of Jesus; precious, yes; wonderful, yes; earthy, yes; approachable, yes; awful, yes; glorious, yes; but not cute. When Christ tells us that we are one, just as He and the Father are one, He means it. There's a reason God uses marriage as a picture of Christ and the church: Christ never leaves His bride in the one flesh relationship...He never meant for one to be torn in two...there's no such thing as a clean break. It's a sad thing to be sitting, enjoying a meal with friends, but sick with a cold and unable to taste the wonderful food; it's a tragic thing to act as though the sickness were not there, and seeing friends eat and enjoy, bitterly buy into the deception that you're enjoying everything as they are...when you're not. Fighting for godly joy is the fight of a lifetime.

posted by Bolo | 11:08 AM
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Down It!

Like Rev says, T-Dub, what we have here is a "case in point," not a "point in case."

posted by Bolo | 4:02 AM
1 speakage


12.21.2007  

Six?

"Ichi! Ni! San! Shi! Go!"

Almost anyone who grew up as a local boy or girl in Hawai'i, particularly those of Japanese ancestry, would know how to count up to five in Japanese. They would know what it means when they hear someone say, "Eh, I gotta five-four-four," and they would know that that someone would have to...uhhh...well...

Never mind.

My niece, Makana, with the Japanese-speaking, Notre Dame alumna mother that she has, has recently been learning how to count to ten in Japanese. She had also learned to cheer on our beloved Irish by shouting "Irish!" when prompted by her mommy's shout of "Go!"

You might be able to see where this is going.

The little one is now combining her lessons, shouting "Irish!" after counting up to five in Japanese. It seems that getting to six unhindered has become a little difficult as of late :)

posted by Bolo | 5:33 PM
2 speakage


12.20.2007  

Kosher

We, the office monkeys, are getting lunch bought for us today. While deciding on which pizzas we wanted, Andy said that we can't have any fish or fruit on them. Ben mentioned we should get a Hawaiian Pizza from Bearno's. I, genius that I am, protested by saying, "He said no fruit; it has ham!"

Yeah.

posted by Bolo | 12:10 PM
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Buzz Buzz Buzz

Ok ok ok, I know that you, faithful reader, would probably more than content if you never heard another word about coffee ever again. If you don't care for coffee and its various forms of preparation, you've probably become bored with my conviction-filled diatribes concerning the caffeinated concoctions. If you loathe it, well, your eyes have likely glazed over on several occasions in recent months. Furthermore, as a result of my ongoing public passion, you more than likely have vowed to heartily support Starbucks, force others to pour into their coffee prodigious amounts of cream and sugar, and always cheer against Notre Dame. Well, maybe not that one.

Anyway.

With all of this firmly in mind, I give to my other readers out there, those who do appreciate coffee, or, at the very least, those who can appreciate or find humor in my love for it, a rather informative link. Several things are of note: first, Arno is wearing a Sweet Maria's shirt; second, he gives a pretty Sweet plug right there at the end; and third, he gives a very fair assessment of Starbucks.

posted by Bolo | 10:47 AM
2 speakage


12.19.2007  

QotD

"That highly resembles llama turds."
-Andy, with the office crew gathered around the monkey bread Stephen brought in to share.

posted by Bolo | 4:22 PM
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Ouch

Yes, Peter does consider himself "normal." I'm not sure why, but he does.

posted by Bolo | 8:27 AM
2 speakage


12.18.2007  

What Eye See









posted by Bolo | 11:18 AM
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Not Gonna Do It

I'm not entirely sure what was going on with Mr. Pie's face...I'm sure someone out there may have an answer...we may have to do some traveling to find out, though.

posted by Bolo | 1:59 AM
2 speakage


12.17.2007  

Thoughts

Kristy White says her haircut tastes good. It's F-R-I-T-O-S, not F-R-E-E-T-O-S. Yes, we know you hate me, Mr. Pie. A little volleyball is good for the soul. Idido Misty Valley's offerings are far too sweet and fruity to really be coffee, methinks. It's always fun to steal Ben's food right off from his desk, practically from right under his nose. JVizzle's name tag is still on my monitor. Wait until I show you alternative spelling for adz, Mr. Butterworth. Miss Stephanie, I'll have you know that a certain Old Haired Individual skipped his shoulder time in the gym on Saturday. Like Jeesh says, "I don't drink coffee to wake up, I wake up to drink coffee." Yes, my pastor roasts his own coffee.

posted by Bolo | 4:58 PM
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Caffeinated Contemplations

It's nearly 4:00 or so here. In the morning. I woke up nearly two hours ago and decided to roast. Wet hay, baking bread, and hints of sweet berry intermingled and wafted through my room for over an hour; eight roasts later, I'm still contemplating ambient temperature, first and second cracks, visible oils, swelling, and my inane lack of consistency. Impatience sets in, too, as I really don't want to wait to taste those beans from Sidamo, but I know that I'll pour over my notes after I pass the grounds through the press filter and sit down to sip that eagerly-awaited cup. I have no idea how many hands those beans have passed through to get to me, to produce that glorious cup that will hopefully greet my senses of taste and smell with winey hints and bittersweet overtones, but like many things in life, I'm probably not nearly as appreciative of those that have gone before. Heh...here I am, writing about coffee roasting on a dark and cold December morning, and I can't help but see spiritual analogies throughout my contemplation. Silly me.

I guess there's good reason for contemplation these days...*sigh*.

posted by Bolo | 3:55 AM
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12.16.2007  

Reticle's Review























posted by Bolo | 5:27 PM
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12.15.2007  

*Sigh*...

:(

posted by Bolo | 1:52 AM
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12.14.2007  

Linkage

I'm not here yet, but I'm working on it.

*Sigh*...those Letotos are crazy, aren't they? Heh...I say that like I'm not one of those crazies ;)

Mmm...

Rev, you'd better be glad you guys don't have a fireplace...Moon could get some bad ideas.

I am not addicted, really, I'm not.

posted by Bolo | 9:58 AM
2 speakage


12.13.2007  

More Stuff...Again













posted by Bolo | 10:59 PM
0 speakage
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