My introduction to real coffee

My introduction to real coffee came at
33. I had indulged in Starbuck's or St. Louis Bread Company (Panera for many of
you), but I am talking about the realization that I could make one of those
kinds of coffees for myself. You see, my best girlfriend had come to visit me in
my time of distress. When I offered her yesterday's coffee, reheated in the
microwave in a mug, the most interesting look came over her face. I think it was
not only disgust, but disappointment with a pinch of sympathy in my lack of java
refinement. She disappeared down the stairs and returned with two very pretty
packages. Can I just say now that I love gifts? I tore into them and found a
coffee grinder and a package of Starbuck's Breakfast Blend- whole bean! I had
just moved up in the world of hippness! She demonstrated the art of grinding the
beans and careful measuring. We watched it brew. Then we found two gorgeous
little cups and saucers that my mother had given me long ago. We poured both
coffee and cream. It was...the beginning of my addiction. So, when I received
Charlie's questions, I looked over them and then headed right up the stairs to
dust off the auto-drip. I dug around in back of the pantry and found 67 beans to
grind. I then came down here to think about what was before me: 1) What one
object that you used to own do you wish you still had? What would you sacrifice
to have it back? Well, that requires me to think of all the pawn shops I hit
when I was in college. While I would love to say something full of wry wit, I
think that I have to say my flute. I know that at some point we all insisted on
enrolling in Beginner Band and swore to our parents that we were going to
practice,and maybe they believed we would be the next Satchmo or Ian Anderson,
if they were as young as mine were. It is one of those tragic stories of the
abused, disliked kid who throws herself into her instrument to forget everything
and becomes very good because there is a lot to forget. So, the flute it is. I
have nothing to forget now (except the last e-mail I got from my mother-in-law,
the woman at the check collection agency, labor, and my student loans). It would
now be a way of feeling like I am good at something, 'cause this parenting thing
is taking awhile to pan out. I would gladly sacrifice one of my dear husband's
five '68-'72 Chevy trucks in our backyard (please see exemption from being
"WT"). 2) If you could write yourself as a new character into any existing book,
play or movie, which one would it be? And what would your character do in the
story? I simply cannot choose. I have thought about this all morning (especially
while in the drive through to get donuts to go with the coffee) and it's too
complicated for me to answer! In the name of being succinct, probably anything
written by Annie Lamott. She is incredibly introspective and her main characters
(which of course, I want to be-no brief walk in scenes for me) all have a wicked
wit, the capacity for change, and the ability to laugh at themselves. 3) Imagine
that you were offered the ability to feel the emotions of the people around you.
You would have perfectly accurate knowledge of what others are feeling, but your
mood would be strongly affected by theirs. Once established, you would never be
able to turn the ability off. Would you want it, and why or why not? No. I would
never want it. Waaaaaaay too much out there to deal with. I would become
untreatably depressed and possibly insane with all the sadness. While it would
be, perhaps, a benefit if I never left my home and didn't answer the door or
telephone; it would cause my heart to break. I am not sure that the few truly
joyful and happy people I would run into could override all the abused and
unavenged. 4) You've (theoretically) contracted a rare and strange disease. Each
night, while you sleep, your memory is wiped clean. You awake every day not
knowing who or where you are, or how you got there. What do you do to cope with
this situation? Memento- write notes to myself and tattoo all available space.
5) What if you were able, upon your eventual death, to spend eternity reliving
the full life experiences of other people? Who would be your first three choices
to 'live through', and why? Would I be cognizant of living someone else's life
while living it? That might influence their choices and decisions and then it
wouldn't truly be their life. So, I couldn't be aware until I returned from the
lifetime. O.K. I had to think "out loud" for a moment. The first two people I
would choose to be are my grandmother and mother. There is so much back there
that needs to be known. Finding it out first person would be better than any
spin I get from others. It wouldn't be pleasant or exciting- no wealth, lots of
drinking and addictions, several evil men, a few equally menacing women, and two
broken hearts. After all that exhaustion, I would then put in my request to be a
jellyfish and float away my days in the warmth and salt of a predator-free sea.
For once, I think I completely followed: THE RULES! 1 - Leave a comment, saying
you want to be interviewed. 2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions. 3 -
You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers. 4 -
You'll include this explanation. 5 - You'll ask other people five questions when
they want to be interviewed. So, if you have writer's block (or desire to think
enough for your brain to leave you a 'temporarily unavailable' sign), leave me a
comment asking for it and I'll give you something to think about.