Gibbon on History

After traveling throughout parts Italy and spending a few days in Rome a month ago, I realized that I know very little about the history of Rome and the Roman empire. I've always been a Greece guy, focusing my classical studies on Herodotus, Homer, the Tragedians, Plato and the lyric poets. Now I'm trying to learn a little about the Romans by diving into Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. While I doubt that I'll finish the three volume abridged version that I have, I'm picking up some nuggets along the way.

"Antonius diffused order and tranquility over the greatest part of the earth. His reign is marked by the rare advantage of furnishing very few materials for history; which is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind."

It appears that Gibbon, one of the most esteemed historians of his--or any--time, believes that "history" is just a record of humanity's errors. Maybe I don't want to be famous, after all. I've spent 28 years trying my best to make a way into the books--without much success--through positive actions. Maybe that's just the wrong approach. From now on, I'll focus on failure. That's the ticket...failure.

birthday boy...ho hum

Yesterday was my 28th birthday.

While it was a good day, it is plain that it no longer carries the same pizzaz that it once did. I remember witnessing my parents birthdays as a child and wondering how it is that they were able to conceal their extreme excitement. Surely they must be exploding with glee inside but need to maintain some sense of maturity since they are old. Really, what's better than your birthday?

Apparently, I've gone to join them, crossing over that line where birthdays don't exempt you from working, even working longer or harder, and don't bring piles of exciting toys and knick-knacks and baseball cards. Just checks.

Maybe next year, I need to have a child's birthday party to relive some of the emotions of my youth. Gift packs for the guests, a big disgusting cake, streamers and balloons. Or I could have an adult party like last year, with Belgian ales and international cheeses. For some reason, I decided to bypass the get-together this year. Just leave me to get old and die, thank you very much.

Either I'm starting to understand whatever it is that my parents have understood for years or maybe everyday is so festive that it's difficult to muster additional energy for party days. When you are already running at such a high level of positive intensity, how can you raise it up another notch?

In no way do I feel like I'm entering some sort of "big fade" where the rest of my life boils down to boredom and varying amounts of depression and crisis, which must be the fear of every slightly aging young man or woman. Maybe not boredom so much as simplicity. No crisis...I'm not wired for crisis. I'd be more prone to boredom, I'm sure. Honestly, though...Life is good. Birthdays are strange.

spring turns to summer

...
Hot midsummer’s petted crone,
Sweet to me thy drowsy tone
Tells of countless sunny hours,
Long days, and solid banks of flowers;
Of gulfs of sweetness without bound
In Indian wildernesses found;
Of Syrian peace, immortal leisure,
Firmest cheer, and bird-like pleasure.

Aught unsavory or unclean
Hath my insect never seen;
But violets and bilberry bells,
Maple-sap and daffodels,
Grass with green flag half-mast high,
Succory to match the sky,
Columbine with horn of honey,
Scented fern, and agrimony,
Clover, catchfly, adder’s-tongue
And brier-roses, dwelt among;
All beside was unknown waste,
All was picture as he passed.

Wiser far than human seer,
Yellow-breeched philosopher!
Seeing only what is fair,
Sipping only what is sweet,
Thou dost mock at fate and care,
Leave the chaff, and take the wheat.
When the fierce northwestern blast
Cools sea and land so far and fast,
Thou already slumberest deep;
Woe and want thou canst outsleep;
Want and woe, which torture us,
Thy sleep makes ridiculous.

excerpt from "the humble-bee" ralph waldo emerson

funny how these things work

ha.

so i make this post about returning to the blog. and then, well...

in some sense, i suppose it doesn't make much of a difference. currently, there is just a porch, some rain, obscure norwegian acoustic music. maybe that is enough.

it appears that our vegetables are doing well. i really need to spend some time with them, but it's been raining nearly the entire time i've been home since getting off the plane yesterday afternoon. i'm looking forward to eating something that i've grown-a salad of my own birthing.

ten days in france and italy behind me but i'm still processing the experience.

for now, a picture of my neice, linnea. i'd like to think she's named after an espresso machine, but a flower will do.



notice the floating $50 bill. don't worry, it was recovered.

i don't know how i got suckered back in

The other day I found myself getting strangely nostalgic about the days when I used to maintain a blog. Well, maintain isn't really the right word for it, I guess, considering my frequency.

But I thought I'd try to revive it and see if I can come up with something more interesting this time around.

prettty preeety

129602-004
Originally uploaded by phrenologist.

soon the streets of missoula will be covered with snowy snow. and then they will just push it into piles in the middle of the street rather than taking it away. it is great fun to hurdle the mountain when trying to get from break espresso to worden's market to get the fine cornucopia sandwich. that's the one with the turkey and cream cheese and dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and all kinds of yummy-yummy.

happy thanksgiving.

one month to go

DSC_5529
Originally uploaded by restingmusic.

again, i apologize. well, not really. it's hard work preparing for a wedding. but well worth it. on the 17th of next month, i will be wed to a beautiful and wonderful young lady. afterwards, we will fly far far away to ecuador for a week.

please check out the wedding site. it's quite great.

sorry i'm so lame

so this has turned into the lamest blog ever...
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
i apologize.

but, in the meantime, please check out www.jillandryan.net to see what i've really been up to in the last month.

speaking of which, i was at the nats game on saturday and sat one row behind "steve" from the jerry springer show. i really didn't know who this person was, but apparently he's famous.

the washington nationals

so...

i've been to four nationals games so far this season. i watch on tv if they are on. i listen to the radio. i read the box scores. the team site is my home page for firefox.

...

i never thought i'd be hooked again.

they got me.

i lived in montana for four and half years and thought that i'd escaped the lure of professional sports, but having a pro baseball team within walking distance of my apartment has changed everything. i thought i'd given my life over to coffee and all things artsy and alternative, but, still, there it is, plain as day. i'm a sports fan.

i was raised a sports fan, and though i tried to get away for so many years, i've come back around. i have the fitted hat. i keep a scorecard at the game. i root, root, root, for the home team. it's over

feel free to check them out yourself at www.nationals.com.

downtown missoula

downtown missoula
Originally uploaded by mandapanda191.

oh, Missoula, how i miss you at times. i long to be back in your arms, even just for a moment. to feel your breath on my cheeks, your colors surrounding me. the little things, the sunshine, the railroad tracks, the blackberry muffins at bernices. one more cornucopia sandwich at wordens market.

i love you and hope to see you soon.

the best news of the week

go here for some fantastic news...

http://www.artsjournal.com/aboutlastnight/

scroll down a little and read about how the idaho state house of representatives passed a resolution about the best friggin movie ever.

!!!!!!!!!! that's right, baby.

such sadness

so today was danielle's last day...

that makes me sad. i don't want to get all sappy here on the internet for everyone to see, but i know that i'll miss danielle. i have enjoyed the last--actually, i can't say that i know how long it has been that we've worked together... it seems like i don't remember her not working at the shop. i've learned a bunch from danielle and, hopefully, have helped her to learn a thing or two. although i wish she didn't have to go, i'm excited for all the adventures she'll have out in san fran. travel, experience, good stuff.

vota por summer. in other news, i'm watching napoleon dynamite in spanish right now. i was told that it must be done. i don't speak spanish well. at all. the entertainment comes from the voices they chose for the characters in the movie and how these other actors interpret the script. yeah, it is a very strange must-see for any napoleon fan.

jill says to the world:

"by the way, if i could add to your website, i would say: 9/17 or
bust! we're getting married regardless of rain, monsoon, guests,
dress or hall. if we have to, we'll meet at the courthouse. that's
it and that's all, whether you like it or not!"

that's right, we're getting married on september 17, 2005. and that's final.

excited but puzzled

so i was on low's website, wondering if they may be coming back to the area soon. (they were just here in february) it turns out that they are coming to baltimore in june and i was super pumped. !! but then, i looked to see where the show is...and it is at the rams head live. there is a bar in annapolis called the rams head that i've been to before, and it's good food, nice space, etc, but never a place that i would expect to see low. the place in balt is their other location.

while i'm sure it is a fine venue, i had to wonder quite a bit when i read through their upcoming schedule. while they featured some pretty cool acts including the roots, earlimart, medeski martin and wood, and pinback, they also have coming up: Dwight Yoakam, KC and the Sunshine Band, Europe (the final countdown...now you remember), third eye blind, and steve winwood.

when they were just in town, they played the black cat, with pedro the lion opening. now they are playing six days before winwood (who is playing on my birthday). this might be kind of an odd show for them, but i'm sure they will pull it off. they are playing with a band called no wait wait, who i am not familiar with. find out more info on them here. see low's website to your right with the other links.

hooray for the best band in the world!

Coffee artist...

i had posted a picture below this one of my first triple leaf. this was my second, a few minutes later. liz and ellen thought it was better than the first, so i thought that i would post it as well.



once, i thought such realms of art as unattainable, but now...maybe soon, such feats will be commonplace. we'll see.

First Ever Triple!!

i was supposed to be writing a paper, but i had been thinking about pushing my latte art to a different place all week. i figured it was about time to try the triple leaf...



on my second serious attempt, i pulled this sucker off. not super clean, and i let it sit for a few minutes while i decided whether or not it was worth a picture or not. i guess i decided it was.

kitchen tables!!

yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

jill and i made our first major joing purchase yesterday. we bought this used kitchen table from a friend of a friend that is moving. it has three more chairs and a leaf to make it large for all the parties we are going to have. pretty exciting stuff.

well, the wedding date has gone from september 3 to september 17 back to september 3 and now, likely, back to september 17. but until there is a reception site reserved, i wouldn't place many bets. hopefully, this is it. for our own sanity.

i'm writing a paper on david hume's understanding of personal responsibility and how we come up with ideas about divinity and eternity. yes, those two are related. at least i will present them as such. more exciting stuff.

thoughts about the barista guild of america

i am a new member of the barista guild of america. what a barista is, few know. what we need our own trade association for, even fewer would understand. i definitely see a need for such a community, but since it is still a fairly new entity, we are still trying to figure out who we are and what we are doing. after processing the thoughts i've had the past couple of weeks, i posted this this morning on the bga discussion forum:

[quote="trish"]
I hope that the BGA will be about coffee education and free exchange of ideas not about "how do we please the judges".

um...

please bear with my analogy...

i am a week old bga member. for a long time i dabbled in spirituality, but now i have joined an actual church. i am a card-carrying barista. what does this mean? since i have been a barista for years, my actual role and job description does not change. but now i guess i feel a new obligation to the masses (evangelism) and to the brethren (discipleship). i have visions of crusading through the coffee shops of virginia, dc and maryland sharing the gospel of hardcore specialty coffee and bringing many to salvation...

but...i need a bible to preach from. or some tracts to stuff in tip jars. i feel a little impotent in my mission.

from the bga website:
Simply put, the Barista Guild of America is a trade organization for Baristas. The Barista Guild focuses on promoting coffee quality as the principle standard for success, encouraging craftsmanship through education and collaboration, building community among Baristas, recognizing achievement, and cultivating a sophisticated "public face" for the industry

being a new believer, i look at the mission field of an american public missing the deliciousness of a well-prepared cup of coffee, and the state of a church where 99% of the baristas do not know exactly what they are doing or why and i want to change the world. how do i "promote coffee quality", "encourage craftsmanship", and the rest? as the bga, we can hopefully equip each other and bring many into the fold, and i am definitely excited about where this is going. we are a new religion and are maybe still formulating our doctrine as well as our mission philosophy. don't get me wrong, i am pumped about all that is happening in the industry, etc, etc. i just want help. and i want to help others.

maybe we need some standard literature/resources to use in our evangelizing as deferio suggested...i don't what this all looks like. i just want to know how i can help to stir a coffee revival in this region and around the country outside of just going to work every morning and reading discussion boards.

-end analogy.

puck pyramid brought to you by carlos ramos

Picture012.jpg
Originally uploaded by restingmusic.

carlos occasionally does the most random things. today he constructed this structure from spent coffee from the morning rush.

danielle is leaving us. i am sad about that. she has to go and move to san francisco. darn ambition.

...i guess we have to try to move the wedding date. there is a wedding the same weekend involving one of jill's family friends and will require the attendance of many and the desired attendance of jill's family. so we are now exploring a date a couple of weeks later. now i have to go tell everyone a different date. hopefully everything will work out well.

back in eastern market

well, i'm home.

i apologize for not winning. i am not the united states barista champion. but i am still a champion. in the hearts of so many. like my mom. and my fiance.

it was a lot of fun in seattle and a joy to compete alongside so many wonderful people who make wonderful coffee. superstars in the coffee world. to be 20th in the competition behind the nineteen ahead of me is an honor, even though i wanted to rank a bit higher.

and now...well, i guess i'm famous. i was part of a story nationally broadcast on npr on all things considered and locally on wamu (scroll down to "holy grail of espresso"). people have been wandering into the shop to see what all the press is about. hopefully we are delivering.

seattle was beautiful as always and we had great weather. my feet and legs are still a bit sore from all the walking and my mind is reeling from all that i learned from everyone this weekend.