HBO announces Season 8 to be GoT's last

Game of Thrones News

It looks as if we will get two more seasons of Game of Thrones. HBO has confirmed that after the delayed and truncated season 7 concludes there will be just one more season to find out who will rule over the seven kingdoms. I gotta say that part of me is glad. The longer GoT goes on, the more chances we have to be severely disappointed. This would be very tragic as so many fans have invested so much time watching, discussing, blogging and re-watching this epic of TV goodness. No matter how things end in Westeros, there is going to be a strong demand for closure here. We have had to witness the demise of so many favorite and hated characters that nothing short of huge bloodshed, betrayal and absolute ruthlessness will do. The end of season six has established some amazing momentum towards the finale and frankly at this point I would love for it arrive sooner rather than later. The one concern is whether two seasons and however many episodes (HBO has not said how many episodes season 8 will feature) is enough to wrap up all of the story lines that are still hanging out there. I will accept nothing but complete and utter closure or I may have to put on some chain-mail and head over to HBO headquarters to get me some answers! The many face god demands answers.

Rebooting my life...again

During one's life there will be times when you must assess yourself and where you are headed. To take stock so to speak. Sometimes these evaluations take place as part of routine life maintenance. You might not find much that needs to be done. Other times they take place as part of some large life change and the entire blueprint must be scrapped. I certainly have been experiencing a significant life change over the last month and it occurred to me that it may be time to hit the reset button. Since writing has become a daily therapeutic activity for me, I guess I can sort this out on the blank white screen and see what sticks.

Let me start by figuring out where to begin. Clearly changing your life as you know it isn't easy. It has to start with a first step. The first step really should be something fundamental that will facilitate some of the other changes to come afterwards. My plan is to come up with five areas to work on, and return to my blog from time to time to evaluate my progress in these areas. I will grade my efforts and make sure I am on track to get the ship of my life headed to home port. Lets get started.

Alcohol

I have been drinking on some level since I was 18. There have been times in my life where drinking took a much larger priority than it should have. I have always done a good job of making corrections in this area when needed. I think now is such a time. Alcohol is one of those things that can just become so embedded in everything you do with friends and family. You don't even realize that you are on day 7 of a week long bender until you try to do something functional and your brain just doesn't want to cooperate. It is time to cut that shit out in a major way. Right now I am such an emotional mess that alcohol is just going to compound the feelings of anger and sadness that comes at me in waves. At least with a clear head I can try to cope with my broken heart in constructive ways such as writing, spending time with friends and family, and running. These are the paths through which I will find my way back to feeling like the healthy positive person that I know I am. I miss that guy. I need him back. I don't think I need to give up on drinking forever, but for now minimal contact with the stuff is going to be my plan of action. Wish me luck.

Running

The other area that has been impacted by alcohol big time has been my physical fitness. Since running my marathon back in 2014 my running has been a mess. I have been dealing with injuries off and on for the better part of 18 months. While my injuries were not caused by drinking too much, the time off from running consistently gave me more time and opportunity to drink. They kind of went hand in hand. I need to bring running back into focus. When I met J-Bird back in 2013 she introduced me to the concept of running for a reason. Set a goal and train. It really helped me to do something I could never do before. Stick with it. I need to get back to that. I have found a true love of running over the last few years. It was always something I could connect with J-Bird about and it has had a profound impact on my life. My health has improved. I have lost weight and kept it off for the most part. I feel better about myself. I can't imagine my life without running now. So I need to make it more of a focus. I am going to set some goals. Get back to running with a purpose. I have recently changed up my running schedule to get back into a better rhythm. I have been running Monday-Friday with two additional days where I hit the gym for strength training. The weekends are now reserved for fun time and not holding out for a Sunday morning long run that really just kills any chance of enjoying my weekend. This new schedule has been really great so far. I have currently run 19 of the last 23 days and I feel freaking great physically. In fact, if it wasn't for my running routine I probably would have gone completely crazy these last few weeks. It gives me a positive outlet for my emotional turmoil. I feel in the best shape I have been in since early 2014. I still have a long way to go, but I am going to make this a focus and see where it goes.

Parenting

This is always a huge priority for me. Parenting never stops, even when I want to crawl into a ball and just hide from the world. I know that my mind hasn't been completely all in one place these last few weeks. So, I need to work on re-focusing on being a good dad to Lil C. He deserves that. That little boy has nothing to do with the turmoil in my life right now and I must remind myself of that. I am going to devote more time to being the best dad I can be. Help him to become a better kid and prepare for his third grade year. I must get myself right in this area before school starts or I am going to be in for a world of hurt. I am committing to doing one extraordinary activity with Lil C each week. I will spend one hour per day reading with him. We will continue to practice baseball together. I also want to get him riding his bike minus the training wheels. I think by working to be a better parent I hope I can turn this life change into a real positive. 

Reading/Writing

The one area so far that has been positively impacted by the asteroid crash of J-Bird's exit from my life has been writing. I have somehow jumped right into this blog and I look forward to writing something every day. The effort of trying to keep the creative juices flowing everyday to post something kind of interesting is both overwhelming and exhilarating.  The writing has been somewhat therapeutic and has allowed me to take some thoughts out of my head, which is way to crowded these days, and put them on screen. Now I just have to get comfortable with opening up my blog to a wider audience. This is a tough thing to do. I have been bearing my soul wide open in some of these posts and who knows if anyone out there cares. I guess there is only one way to find out. I will continue to work up my courage on this and in the meantime keep putting the fingers to the keyboard. As for reading, possibly due to the extra time I have spent working on my blog, I haven't been reading quite as much. I need to get back to focusing on this as reading has always been an escape for me when life hits me with a left hook. Less Netflix and more book time is going to be my goal here.

Love

This is the most complicated part of my life right now. I am a wreck. I wander around most days feeling like there is a hole in my chest and a knot in my stomach. I have no clue really how I have been so amazingly productive. Sheer adrenaline Byron. I don't think this is an area that I can solve right now. I just need to find some semblance of control again. Reconciling three years of loving someone is a very tough thing to do. It will take some time. I know this. Eventually, I will turn these thoughts from the strangling confines of the past and target the wide open blue skies of the future. My love life is a complete unknown for the time being. That has to be okay for now. I need to get my current emotions sorted out and then I can turn to figuring out what is next. So here is what I am going to do. Lets break this into two parts. First step, stop crying about what I have lost and start to rejoice in the fact that I can start over again. Second, once the rejoicing begins I can turn to trying to discover love again. That discovery can be the long term reward for enduring these short term dark hours of self-doubt and anguish.

I think these five areas of my life are a good start. If I can manage to make some progress in each of these areas I bet I will start feeling a lot better about myself and look forward to waking up each morning after a good nights sleep (oh how I miss thee). The most beautiful of days often follow the darkest of storms. Hopefully working on these areas will give me an umbrella to keep the rain at bay and get me back on the beach in the sun. More to follow.

Marital status in the USA

I recently found a survey conducted by a website called overflow.solutions. In that survey they mapped out various marital statuses based on age across the population in the US. There are some interesting conclusions to draw from the numbers. First, it is generally informative to see the trending of people who are married, divorced and never married as their age increases. Perhaps its not surprising as marriage should be something that is reserved to a more mature part of one's life. That doesn't necessarily mean that everyone should wait, but I do think it can help increase the chances of a longer lasting marriage. The chart here seems to agree with that assertion. Second, it does seem that the ultimate age for being married is 50. I have no idea if that is significant or not, but I find it interesting. Third, the divorce numbers are not nearly as high as I thought they would be. They also peak at age 50. Likely since there are more married couples at that age, it stands to reason you would see more divorce. However, the percentages of divorced people vs married people is pretty low. I believe that is a good sign for the institution of marriage and our society as a whole.

The idea of marriage has changed so much over the years, so I think that could be a big reason for the seeming health of marriage in the US today. People seem to wait longer now to get married as societal norms have been altered by a number of factors. I believe that is a good thing. You change so much in your 20's and even early 30's. Waiting until you are a little more mature and have figured out some things in your life is not a bad thing. More women work full time then ever before and I think in general younger generations are not as eager to have children right away. These are personal views on my part and not backed by any real research I have come across, but I would bet they are not far off from reasonable.

It is nice to see that many people still view marriage as an important life event. I do think that stability in a relationship is critically important and while marriage is not the end of the discussion in terms of achieving stability, I do think that it is an important commitment to be made that establishes one's intent to make the relationship work through all of the good and the bad that life will inevitably throw at you. It takes a lot of work to make a marriage successful. Without that commitment it would not be possible.

An interesting note personally for me is that I fall into a category, widowed, that is extremely small for my age group. Not as small as for the 30 year old decade, but nonetheless a very tiny percentage of the total numbers involved in the survey. Only 27k individuals are widowed out of the total 3,858,832 people at the age of 41 in this survey. That is kind of crazy to think about. I don't know if I ever thought about how rare it is. Not that this would be a group anyone would want to fall into, but it is a little eye opening to see my marital status in such a minority.

The link to the survey results is below. Please take a look and post comments if you have your own ideas.

Marital Status by Age in the US

UPDATE: July 20, 2017

I recently found an article with more data concerning how people are trending towards marriage later in life (26-30) and divorce is much more common these days (duh). Take a look and let me know your thoughts.

Marrying Later, Staying Single Longer

DC Coffee Express - Winners and Not Quite Winners

My week of coffee experimentation and enlightenment has concluded. I have to say that I am kind of sad to see it come and go. I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey into DC every morning to try out some of DC's best coffee houses. This adventure not only introduced me properly to the DC coffee house world, but perhaps more importantly to DC in general. This was by far the most time I have spent in the city not going to see the Nationals, visiting museums or running with J-Bird. It really gave me a nice sense of the flavor, so to speak, of the city and has even made me re-think my position on living in the city. More on that to come in future blog posts. So without further ado, lets get into my final thoughts for the six coffee houses I managed to visit over the last five days. I know everyone is on the edge of their seats all jittery from being over caffeinated. My thought here is to provide a ranking of each coffee house compared against each other based on the three main categories I blogged about on the first day. I will rank them in order from worst to best to keep the suspense high!

Ambiance

This category is meant to provide some context for comparing the various aspects of each coffee house that make it a unique or enjoyable coffee house experience. There turned out to be a nice variety among the establishments that I selected. This was perhaps the best part about the journey. No two coffee houses were alike and as such it made each day its own special experience. This category however turns out to be the easiest for me purely based on subjective preference. To me a good coffee house experience must provide a level of comfort while sipping a nice hot caffeinated beverage. Think about when you are at home in the morning with that first cup of coffee. You typically hunker down in your favorite spot in your most comfortable chair and curl up with a book or perhaps grab the phone a give a friend a call to discuss current events. Whatever the activity, your high level of comfort and the enjoyment of the coffee make the experience relaxing and a positive venture for the soul. This is what I was hoping to find while visiting the various coffee houses this week. It turned out to be a lot harder than I imagined. Kind of like Donald Drumph searching for humility and reason. Lets get to the rankings.

#6 - Compass

#5 - Dolcezza

#4 - Peregrine Espresso

#3 - The Wydown

#2 - Maketto

#1 - Tryst

The winner hands down is Tryst. This wasn't really all that close for me. While Maketto offered a nice atmosphere in which to enjoy their coffee offerings, no other coffee house came close to Tryst. They simply provide that genuine inviting and comfortable environment to accentuate coffee and yes even some good food. After Maketto, there is no other contender. All of the other coffee houses seemed to pride themselves on making the act of sitting a painful and short lived desire. Making the customer feel uncomfortable enough to not want to spend more time than necessary in the establishment seems counter intuitive to me, but perhaps the smaller coffee houses need the turn over to justify their existence. There is only so much caffeine that a human needs to consume in a sitting. Right? Maybe. Whatever the reason, Tryst provided the end all be all experience any coffee consumer would want while enjoying a nice book, doing some work or striking up conversation with a neighbor.

Coffee

I have given some thought to this being the trump category. No not building a wall around it. By trump I mean, that the winner of this category would be the presumptive winner of the comparison. However, if I just wanted to rank coffee and nothing else then I should have just ordered my coffee to go and wandered around the city while drinking it. No. I set out to measure the complete experience so I will leave the coffee category as equal in stature to the other categories. However, it goes without saying that if your coffee sucks then you have no business owning a coffee house. Fortunately, I had zero terrible coffee tasting experiences on my week long foray in the wilds of DC. Other than J-Bird's rather awful experience with a can of Stumptown cold brew, I have to say that each establishment offered something a little different and delicious. This made me the big winner, because I love coffee almost as much as I love J-Bird and Lil C. Here are the rankings.

#6 - Peregrine Espresso

#5 - Dolcezza

#4 - Compass

#3 - Tryst

#2 - Maketto

#1 - The Wydown

This was a very difficult category to distinguish the contestants. You would be hard pressed to not enjoy the coffee from each of these places. Also, keep in mind that I tried a limited sampling of coffee from each. I will likely revisit some of these locations to try some additional coffees and I plan to update my blog posts to reflect my thoughts on each of those experiences. The winner here was The Wydown. Perhaps it was because it was the first taste of DC coffee of the week.  There was something really good about the Thunderdome drip though that would have stood regardless. The presentation in a single serve coffee pot with a nice ceramic mug gave me the impression this level of service would be the norm. That was not the case. They were the only coffee shop to present their coffee in such a way. I loved it like Lil C and J-Bird loves their ice cream. I have heard it said that smell and visual stimulation impact the way people taste food. I think that is applicable here and the additional devotion to the coffee experience mattered. Maketto finished a close second primarily based on the innovative siphon bar. What I tried was really unique, but I don't think one small taste gets to the heart of it. I would like to explore this more the next time I visit. I also enjoyed their flat white which was simply amazing. I want to reiterate that I would visit any one of these coffee shops again. Some of them I would only run in to grab a coffee or espresso, but they are all worthy coffee brewers each with something unique to add to your coffee tasting portfolio.

Food

This is a tough category to judge because I did not try food at every coffee house and some didn't even offer food. For the sake of fairness, I will only rank the coffee houses that actually offered coffee house eats. I actually only ate at two of them. Now if some of those places had offered hot breakfast, perhaps I would have eaten at more of them. It just seems to follow that breakfast and coffee go together. I wish some of these places recognized that muffins and granola aren't very exciting. Here are my thoughts.

#5 - Compass

#4 - Dolcezza

#3 - The Wydown

#2 - Maketto

#1 - Tryst

While this category is tough from an overall rating perspective, the winner is very clear. Tryst is the only coffee house that I visited to offer a full kitchen menu. Not only that, but the food is really good. Did I mention they also serve alcohol in the evenings. I am not quite sure why more coffee houses don't also offer at least some kind of lunch/dinner based menu. Look at Starbucks and their success with hot breakfast and lunch offerings. I think it is a no brainer. One could easily hit a coffee shop in the morning for the caffeine fix and stay until lunch to order a sandwich or soup. That may not be the way to go for every coffee house, but I believe Compass, Maketto, and The Wydown could pull it off. Perhaps it is a cost consideration more than anything else. I may have to do some additional investigation into this matter to find out the reasons.

Drum roll please...

So without further delay, the winner of the DC Coffee Express is Tryst! Tryst finished with the best rating in Food and Ambiance and was third in the coffee category. The very fact they were the only coffee house to offer cuban coffee really stands out to me. Tryst brings together all three aspects of a good coffee house and knocks them out of the park. Combine that with a wonderful location in Adams Morgan and you will not be disappointed. Whether you want that early morning kick in the pants, or late night pick me up, this is the place in DC to grab some coffee.

Let me just be clear. The real winner was me. I would like to thank J-Bird for her contributions to this week long saga. She had some great recommendations, even guest wrote a review, and joined me for some coffee. Next time no coffee in a can! I shall return with more coffee goodness as I continue to partake in DC's amazing coffee world. Cheers!

DC Coffee Express day five - Maketto and surprise coffee shop of the week (UPDATED 8/18)

Blogger Note: Due to an unexpected schedule change with Lil C's zoo camp presentation, I had to slightly alter my plan for the final day of the DC Coffee Express. The good thing is that I was actually able to visit two coffee houses instead of just one. The bad news is that I didn't get to spend a lot of time at either place. However, I will still follow the format and review both. WIN!

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My first coffee stop on day five was Peregrine Espresso over on 14th Street. There are other locations in Eastern Market and Union Market, so you can say this is a chain, but one exclusive to DC.

Ambiance

The coffee house is very small with limited seating. In fact, they really only had benches along the wall and two small tables outside on the sidewalk. This is definitely more of a to go location. The other coffee houses are larger and more conducive to an in house coffee experience. That being said, I did find a spot to sit and do a little work while I waited on my coffee. The inside is pretty well lit and cozy. Small pictures adorned the walls, but nothing to really make note of. The look and feel of the inside was very plain. Bricks on one side with white paneling above and around the coffee bar. The barista was very friendly and when asked what favorite hot beverage she would recommend, she answered the pour over. She did warn me that they only source medium roast beans, so this would not be as rocket fuel-like as I would prefer, especially since it was 9 AM and I was past the need for coffee time. There was some very interesting discourse between the other two baristas about a fashion show for drag queens, so that made for a nice morning news update. DC sure has some conversation flava!

Ambiance Rating: 3

Coffee

The coffee was pretty good from a taste perspective. I really wanted something with some oomph. I was still feeling the effects of my night out with J-Bird at Brew at the Zoo and frankly what I was served just didn't knock the fuzz off the old brain box. However, it was a solid pour over, served nice and hot and as an afternoon pick me up coffee, it would serve its purpose well. Peregrine sources Counter Culture beans for espresso drinks, origin filter drip and pour over coffees. The Counter Culture beans were very similar in flavor profile to the americano I sampled at Tryst.

Peregrine Espresso has less options from a brewing type perspective then The Wydown or Compass, but they hit all the high notes you would find in most coffee establishments. The prices are comparable to the other coffee houses I have plunked down my hard earned money at this week. I paid $3.50 for my pour over, which is comparable in size to a Starbucks tall. I did not get a chance to sample or really see any food options . That does not mean they don't offer anything, but I can't include it in my review since I did not even see anything to purchase.

Coffee Rating: 3

As I stated earlier, this location is much more of drop in, grab a cup a Joe and move on down the road type of place. That does not mean that the interior space is devoid of character or that you can't drink your coffee in house. You just might have trouble finding a spot when its busy and there really isn't anything to write home about. Frankly, there wasn't much appealing about even the outside seating as all you see is the busy street traffic on 14th Street during rush hour. The day I happened to visit there were a lot of police happening. That might raise the excitement factor for some, but did not impact my rating.

Overall Rating: 3

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My next stop on the Coffee Express for day five was Maketto. The shop is located on H Street down the way from Atlas and Rock N' Roll Hotel. From a location perspective, its a pretty cool spot. H Street features a ton of cool bars and restaurants, but did not seem to have many dedicated coffee houses. Perhaps I just missed them while walking, but anyways I did notice a fair number of people going in and out of Maketto.

Ambiance

There is only one way to describe the experience of Maketto. Ultra hip. Maketto coffee house is part of a larger retail space featuring clothing, shoes, a Japanese restaurant and the coffee house. The entrance to Maketto opens up in the retail space where clothing and shoes are sold. The clothes are very hip and stylish with a city tinge. The interior space is equally modern feeling with a cool city vibe. You have to go upstairs to find the coffee house. The space is slightly smaller, but open. The seating set up is bench style facing the windows out onto H Street and communal tables with some smaller table spots for up to 4 people. The walls are painted brick - white with black framing for offset. There is a distinct asian flair to the decor and they even display some of the shoe options for purchase in the coffee house. Very subtle art work adorns the walls, but I hesitate to call it sparse. Most of the visual displays were various empty glass containers for coffee/iced home brew as well as some take home product offerings. There also is an area out back for outside seating, but it is small. The outside area looks like a town house deck. The place is well lit with natural sunlight, but sets up nicely for conversation and working. Wi-Fi is a yes if you are willing to provide them your email.

The baristas were very pleasant. They both seemed interested when I told them about what I had been doing that week. We talked for about 15 minutes while one of them made my drink and I left that experience feeling welcome. Pleasant workers generally indicates a well run business and will usually drive revenue up in the long run. I wish more retail spaces would follow this rule.

The music was very hip hop oriented for the relatively short window of time I was sipping coffee. Interestingly it fit the vibe of the place, so no complaints. It was pumped into the coffee house and retail space. Not sure if the dining area for eating also featured the same music.

I really enjoyed the experience of Maketto. If you sat facing H Street you could get some really good people watching into the mix. The place did not feel cramped even though it was reasonably crowded. I got a sense of some good conversation being had around me and I was able to get some work done while sipping my coffee. Overall, very pleasant.

Ambiance Rating: 5

Coffee

Coffee selection features pretty much everything you could want from your coffee house experience. Drips, pour overs, tower drips, espresso, americano, flat whites all could be had. The price is comparatively reasonable to that of the other coffee shops I visited earlier in the week. The one distinctive difference was the siphon bar. This apparently is the first coffee shop on the east coast that features a siphon bar. I had never even heard of a siphon bar, but basically it is a process invented in the 1800's that involves brewing and filtering coffee through vacuum chambers and pressure variation. The result is richer coffee. A lot richer. Vigilante coffee roasters, one of DC's premier coffee roasters, acts like a mad scientist creating a special concoction. Its a very cool experience that you are not going to find anywhere else in DC or even the east coast. I don't think the coffee is going to be for everyone, but if you enjoy really rich and robust coffee flavor this is for you. I tried a small sample of it and it was very good. It is not something that you will want to necessarily drink a lot of unless you are coming off of a week long heroin fueled bender.

To offset the siphon bar experience, I ordered a flat white. I had not really tried anything with milk in it up to this point in my Coffee Express journey. I think this ended up being a good call. I had consumed a fair amount of caffeine already on day five and more than usual over the course the full week. The flat white offered a nice gentle beverage to treat on and was very tasty. It had a creamy flavor profile with caramel overtones. It set me back $3.75.

8/18 UPDATE - So I have returned to Maketto and went all in on a Siphon. I tried the Indonesian blend as recommended by the barista. It has a slightly more bold flavor profile then the Kenyan. The brewing process takes a little longer, more along the lines of a pour over. The coffee is really good. Very smooth and balanced. While it has a bolder flavor profile compared to the Kenyan, it is not a particularly dark or intense flavor. The cost was $4.75.

Food wise, Maketto offers pastries from Frenchies Bakery. I am not familiar with the bakery, but they do have muffins, scones, cookies and other pastries to purchase. I did not try any of the food fare so I cannot speak to its quality.

8/18 UPDATE: Upon my return I tried the Ham and Cheese Roll. The barista heated it up for me and it was good. It featured some jalapeno flavor that gave it some kick. I don't know if pairs well with your morning coffee, but certainly not a bad alternative to the typical sweet pastries you see at most coffee houses. The cost was $4.00 which seems a little high, but hey it is DC.

Coffee rating: 5

Maketto is a cool experience. The city seems to run right through this place. The open, naturally lit space makes for an enjoyable coffee drinking experience. Perhaps next time I will sample some of the food as it seems to get good reviews. The coffee is pretty darn good and that doesn't even include the siphon bar, which is one of a kind. Price wise, this isn't going to set you back more than any other coffee house establishment, but I bet you would be willing to pay a little more for the experience.

Overall Rating: 5

DC Coffee Express day four - Tryst

Day four of the DC coffee express started with a change in the coffee house location. I had posted earlier that I was going to visit The Royal. I decided that based on a re-evaluation of my options that I would actually hit up Tryst. Full disclaimer - I have been to Tryst before. J-Bird and I have previously visited Tryst on a date night. However, I had not been there during the morning hours for prime time coffee experience and this place comes highly recommended. I do not regret my decision. I will make it over to The Royal soon enough so do not fret. Alright, with that out of the way lets get into the dirty details.

Tryst is located in Adams Morgan off of 18th street NW. It definitely fits in with the eclectic and lively Adams Morgan feel.

Tryst is not just a coffee house. It features a full menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On most nights they will have live music and the place turns into a very chill spot to have some adult beverages and late night food. This is a long standing DC institution and you will immediately see and hear local regulars who know the wait staff by name and the wait staff knows their likes and dislikes. That is pretty cool in a big city.

Ambiance

Tryst is easily the best coffee house to date for comfort factor. From the previously mentioned Cheers style neighborhood familiarity to the large couches and lounge chairs scattered around the interior of the coffee house, one could definitely post up in here for long periods of time without nary a complaint. One will find a very artistic feel to the interior. A fair amount of paintings and pictures adorn the walls. There is also a fireplace along the main wall, which I believe is a fully functional fire place. The front of the coffee house is well lit via large open windows while the back of the sitting area was less so. Depending on your mood, you can find a spot that works. This is definitely a good place to enjoy a good book, get some work done, or have an intimate conversation with a lover. There is also an outside seating area for lots of great people watching when the weather allows. This is where I chose to sit and I enjoyed it immensely.

All areas are serviced by the friendly wait staff, which is a nice feature and distinguishes Tryst from other coffee houses I have visited. It also has the advantage of featuring a full service kitchen. The positive with this is that there is no wasting time in lines. You can sit, start working and order your heart's desire. The coffee bar is where you can order a to go cup of java if sitting isn't in your plans. My waitress was very friendly and prompt with my order. She was knowledgeable about the coffee selection and helped me to decide what I ultimately purchased.

There was no music outside on the patio. I heard just a little inside when I first went into the main seating area, but not enough to formulate an opinion on quality. I do recall from my previous visit that at night the music was upbeat, likely to provide vibe for the late-night visitors. My hunch is that Tryst offers a nice music selection based on time of day and day of week. I will have to come back to confirm that hunch.

There is Wi-Fi, but you have to ask for the password. It was reliable and allowed me to get work done.

Ambiance Rating: 5

Coffee

The coffee selection at Tryst is fairly standard. The baristas can make most hot and cold coffee beverages including an assortment of mochas, lattes, espressos, and americanos. Tryst sources its beans from Counter Culture beans which specialized in sustainable, fair trade coffee. All of the coffee selections were reasonably priced compared against other coffee houses I have stepped into this week.

The one thing that Tryst has that I have not been able to find anywhere else is Cuban coffee. I fell in love with Cuban coffee when J-Bird and I went to Miami a couple of years ago. It is a delicious smoky sweet hot beverage that is a must try if you can find a coffee house that makes it. Tryst's Cuban coffee was a little sweeter than I recall the coffee being in Miami, but it was still very good. I also tried an americano at the recommendation of the waitress/barista. It was solid with a slightly less intense flavor profile. It was definitely not as bold as the americano I tried at Compass. Perhaps the espresso of the day just wasn't as strong. However, it is not a bad option. I shelled out $3.25 for the Cuban coffee and $2.75 for the americano. The lack of pour overs and some other fancier coffee options set this back  a tick as compared with Compass or The Wydown.

Coffee Rating: 4

Food

LOTS OF FOOD. Tryst separates itself from other coffee houses in this category as they offer a full service kitchen with sandwiches, soups, full entrees, hot breakfast options, and various baked goods. I ordered a Santa Cruz bagel which was toasted and was loaded with basil, oregano, olive oil, spring onions and cream cheese. It was very good. The cost of the bagel was $5.50. This seems a little high for a bagel, but it was loaded with all kinds of tasty ingredients and I am not sure what the going price is for bagels in the city. Tryst also sells adult beverages in the afternoon/evening hours if you become too caffeinated. I am surely at my caffeine limit right now! The food options at Tryst make your experience here more robust than just getting a cup of coffee.

Food Rating: 5

I came away from my experience at Tryst really pleased. There was no deficient aspect of the experience. Good coffee, tons of quality food options, Wi-Fi, outside seating, COMFORTABLE seating on the inside, and full wait staff service. All for a reasonable price. Also, if you stick around long enough you can switch from coffee to wine. Heck, just make a day of it. The Adams Morgan location is just right. The people watching is of a higher level of quality as a result. This is a must visit for anyone that loves coffee and a pleasant dining experience.

Overall Rating: 5

DC Coffee Express day three - Dolcezza (updated)

Day three of my journey to find the best coffee experience in DC brings me to Dolcezza in City Center. This is really my first experience with a chain like coffee house. Dolcezza has several locations around the DMV area. This does not cast a negative light on Dolcezza in and of itself. In fact, it might mean that they offer something other coffee houses do not. The spark for this upscale coffee house was formed in Buenos Aires in 2000 and the owners opened their first US based coffee house in 2004 in Georgetown. The fact Dolcezza has been around for roughly 12 years is somewhat impressive in a hyper competitive market like DC.

Ambiance

This is definitely meant to feel and look like a higher end coffee house. You won't find Dolcezza in just any neighborhood and in most cases they are tied to higher end retail locations. City Center is one such location, although I do enjoy the City Center experience. It is a beautifully designed retail spot and has some nice shopping and restaurants.  The interior does not feature a ton of art work or any artsy designs. It is very modern and right angled. This is not to my taste, but some might find it appealing. The interior was very clean. The major downside to the feel of the place is that Dolcezza doesn't have that inviting feel to it that you will find at some of the more neighborhood coffee houses.

This lack of coziness is reinforced, again, by the fact that there were no comfortable seating options to be found. What is it with coffee houses and making people not feel comfortable?  The main seating area featured high top stools with bar tops facing towards the windows. This makes for great people watching, but not a good option for holing up to do work or for reading. One bonus point for Dolcezza is that there are tables outside in the City Center. I sat outside because it was a chamber of commerce day and frankly it was freezing inside. There is nothing like sitting outside in the city on a beautiful day. It is a wonderful way to start your day. In addition to the temperature inside, the music was just not good. It was a little too loud and just didn't have that coffee house feel to it. Disappointing for sure. The employees were friendly and helpful. My drinks were made with efficiency. The only issue was that my pour over was put into a to go cup and I ordered it for in house. The barista was more than happy to transfer the beverage to a mug, which she did with great proficiency so no harm no foul.

Ambiance Rating: 3

Coffee

Fortunately for Dolcezza, the coffee was stellar. They feature Stumptown Hair Bender beans for espresso drinks and it is worth it in every way. I first tried the pour over Colombian roast. It was really delicious. I tasted fruity overtones with just a hint of bitterness. The color was moderately dark, but intense. Overall, a fairly easy drinking coffee. It set me back $4.40 which seems awfully expensive. I then tried the espresso (thank you J-Bird). It featured a strong bitter after taste, with a creamy sweet and savory flavor profile. The cost was $2.50 which is reasonable for espresso. The kicker here is that Dolcezza specializes in coffee and gelato. The obvious and amazing result of this fact means you can order the most amazing affogato. I actually went back later in the afternoon to get one, because it rocks like freshly washed socks. So delicious and a must try for anyone who loves espresso and gelato, which might just be everyone. They also sold nitro cold brew in a can also from Stumptown. I have never seen those prior to visiting Dolcezza. Once J-Bird drinks her purchased can, I will post her thoughts. --UPDATE-- J-Bird has finally gotten around to drinking the nitro cold brew. Here are her thoughts: "I've never chewed on cigarette ashes.  But if I had to imagine what that would be like, it would be close to the first sip I had of this coffee.  I almost spit it out all over my desk. Unless there's some kind of pouring or mixing trick to this coffee--which there shouldn't be because it's coffee in a fucking can, you should be able to pop the top and lay into it--I'm giving this Stumptown canned nitro brew one solid star (out of 5).  The one star is for the design.  The can looks like a beer.  Which I freaking love." Wow! Not exactly the glowing review I would have expected. She is not only beautiful, but has a knack for words. Thank you J-Bird. You are officially my first and only guest reviewer.

One additional note about the coffee selection. Dolcezza sells Stumptown coffee beans for take home brewing! I have previously purchased these beans from this store location and despite the high cost, $12.00 for a small bag, I will never complain about having Stumptown to brew at home.

Coffee Rating: 5 (While J-Bird's review of the Stumptown cold brew in a can was similar to a recent review of the second Independence Day movie, I cannot ding Dolcezza as they only sell it. It would be probably serve them well to stop selling it however based on J-Bird's experience.)

Food

The food selection was larger than my previous two stops on the coffee express. They had some hot food sandwiches that could be ordered. I did not try one so I cannot speak to the quality, but the fact you could order something hot was something different. J-Bird ordered a granola bar that was prepackaged. I tried a bit of it and was not displeased. The bar was more chewy than crunchy. It had grape jelly in it which was surprisingly good. I am not sure it was worth the price of $4-5, but at least it tasted good.

Food Rating: 3

Overall, there is a lot of good to be had at Dolcezza. While it is a higher end coffee house with prices to reflect its status, you will not be disappointed with the coffee offerings. The outside seating in City Center also adds some value to the experience. While the ambiance could be better for my personal taste, it fits the desired feel. The price of the items brings down the score a little here. However, if you want to taste a bit of the good life, stop in and grab an affogato. You will not be disappointed.

Overall Rating: 3.5

DC Coffee Express Day Two - Compass

The second day of my DC coffee express extravaganza stopped at Compass Coffee in the Shaw area of our Nation's Capital. The area has a real neighborhoody (I know I made that word up) feel to it and frankly that was really appealing to me. The shop was founded by two former Marines which instantly endears them to me due to my family connection with the bad ass division of our country's military. They actually roast the beans right there in the coffee house so there is no chance these beans wont be as freshly roasted as possible. They source their beans from all over the world and I think I will have to come back to try as many flavor profiles as possible. We are off to a good start here.

Ambiance

The facility has a somewhat modern look and feel with a lot of their coffee wares for sale displayed in large open shelving. More on that below. When you walk in you are greeted by friendly faces behind the counter and a somewhat open and very sunlit space. It has a different feel from many coffee houses in that way. There is nothing dark and cozy about this place. The downstairs features the coffee bar and and some bar seating facing out to the front window. The upstairs has several communal tables. All of the sitting is not meant to look or feel comfortable. Metal stools! It's like they just don't want you to stay long. Overall the place is very clean including the restrooms. The employees were all very friendly and attentive. They were quick to offer some assistance and were knowledgeable about the product. I sank my butt into the uncomfortable seating from 9 AM to 11 AM and it was very busy pretty much the entire time. Constant walk-ins and people seemed to know each other and the employees. The place is not overly loud, but crowd noise was more noticeable. The music was more upbeat with a hip hop flavor. I definitely liked it, but they decided to switch it up to some oldies. Definitely not my jam for a city coffee shop. This was a mixed bag. They do offer Wi-Fi. You will need to ask for the password once you have ordered something from the coffee bar. That to me is the best way to offer Wi-Fi and I hope will be the norm. Overall, Compass feels more like a neighborhood establishment. It is basically embedded right off Florida avenue in a residential area so that seems to follow.

Sidebar: There seems to be a theme developing where a lot of coffee houses display their bags of roasted coffee, tools of the trade, and other supplies out in the open. I am not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand it makes for good marketing of the products, but on the other hand it feels a little more like a production facility. I generally prefer my coffee houses to feel comfortable and relaxed. In this instance it works well because Compass wants to sell their take home coffee offerings. They offer a huge selection of brew at home beans, Chemex pour over pots, and other accessories. Again, the issue with this approach comes back to the fact that when I go to a city coffee house, I don't want to think retail so much as unique coffee drinking experience. I will reserve judgment until I see some other presentations.

Ambiance Rating: 2

Coffee

Ok, lets get to the main reason one would actually visit a coffee shop. THE COFFEE! Overall, the menu features some pretty standard offerings.  You will find espresso, americanos, cappuccinos, and other assorted latte beverages. No pour overs or special drips. The key here is their variety of coffee bean. The owners do an excellent job of sourcing flavorful options from all over the world. So you are not likely to get the same brew experience twice. They also have nitro cold brew, which is something I discovered in Portland at Stumptown and I always enjoy a taste where I can find it here on the right coast. I ordered an americano as my initial beverage. It was nice and hot and had some really great flavor. The dark intensity of the espresso burst through the hot water to offer a wonderful flavor. I would get this option again. The americano cost $2.45. I also ordered the nitro cold brew on my way out the door and boy was it good. So much more intensity than a standard iced coffee. No watered down coffee taste here. I really picked up on the smoky flavor of the coffee roast. This is a must order when you visit Compass. It will set you back $3.00.

My biggest beef with Compass revolves around the presentation of the coffee. They served their in house coffee drinks in disposable cups. I was given no option to even drink it out of mug as an alternative. Something about that really bothers me. Perhaps its for efficiency. Maybe they control costs by not having ceramic mugs, but I love my coffee in a nice mug made for drinking hot beverages. The paper cups were a turn off. I wonder how many places do this? Perhaps I had to ask. I do not think that I should have to ask. I didn't notice anyone else drinking out of a mug while I was there, so I do no think it was even an option. This definitely will impact the final rating.

Coffee Rating: 5

Food

As for the food, Compass offers pretty standard coffee house fare. They have some pre-wrapped sandwiches, yogurts and granola. They also sell a lot organic juices.  There is nothing special and I didn't order anything to even try.

Food Rating: NA

To wrap things up here with a tidy bow, Compass does one thing really well. Coffee. Despite the lack of pour overs and other fancy brewing styles, they do have good flavorful coffee. That is a big positive. However, the seating and style of the coffee house just doesn't suit me as well. Also the lack of mugs for serving coffee is just a no no. That being said, I would pop in to grab coffee to go anytime.

Final Rating: 3

DC Coffee Express Day One - The Wydown

My first stop on the DC coffee express was The Wydown on 14th Street.

This was the one place on my list that came with a recommendation from J-Bird. She being my Washington DC savant. I take her suggestions seriously, especially concerning coffee. So the fact that it made my list and was recommended makes this the early favorite. My first impression did nothing to alter that opinion. Let's get into the details.

Ambiance

The interior was small and cozy. It has a casual feel with black and white contrasts and minimal artwork adorning the walls. The art work that I did notice was very subdued and fit the overall aesthetic. The seating set up revolved around some high top tables, one booth, and a communal table. I sat at the corner end of the communal table and found it to be a nice spot for my purposes. The seating is not very comfortable for long periods, but that may be intentional. It was very clean with no noticeable mess anywhere. The coffee bar was efficient and all baristas that I interacted with were very pleasant. Ordering was a snap and my coffee was made available quickly. No complaints at all about the experience at The Wydown other than they offered no Wi-Fi. I don't know at this point whether DC coffee houses do not offer free Wi-Fi as a rule, but honestly there doesn't seem to be any reason to not offer Wi-Fi even if you require patrons to buy something to use it.

For the two plus hours I was there, I noticed spurts of business. I was there from 9 AM to 11 AM, which is a peak time for coffee houses in general. The walk-in traffic was handled efficiently and with a smile. I saw nothing to indicate that anyone left unhappy with the service or product.

I truly enjoyed the music. I am definitely someone who can be turned off from a retail establishment if the music seems out of touch or obnoxious. The Wydown featured a nice medley of chill electronica with some hip hop mixed in. There was even some old school Outkast and Eryka Badu! Does love! The music was not played at a high volume so you could definitely engross yourself in a good read or get some work done.

Ambiance Rating: 4

Coffee

The Wydown offers a nice selection of coffee types. They are definitely more on the coffee aficionado side of the spectrum and only offer a small number of options on the menu. However, the fact they had pour-overs, drips and espressos made me giddy. As I enjoy a good drip coffee when I get the chance, I ordered the Thunderdome. It was presented in small coffee pot and ceramic mug. It was hot and dark. Just the way I like my coffee. The coffee had a wonderful aroma and nice roasted nutty bite. Definitely not an easy morning coffee. I also tried the iced coffee heading out the door and it was a nice beverage for a hot day while walking around the city. Nothing special, but pleasant. I paid $3.95 for the Thunderdome and $2.95 for the iced coffee.

Coffee Rating: 5

Food

The Wydown does offer a selection of in house food. They feature scones, granola, cookies, muffins, yogurts, juices (variety). I tried the croissant and it was nothing special. While there are eating options here, they are focused on the quick and easy cafe bites and none of it seemed special in any way. I paid $2.25 for the croissant, which is just too much.

Food Rating: 3

The Wydown is a winner as a really good city coffee experience. One can easily pop in for some excellent pour-over or espresso and get in some reading or have a nice conversation with a neighbor. The price seemed reasonable and the service was excellent. I enjoyed the vibe and would almost certainly go back. That may be the most ringing endorsement of all. I am bumping it down one notch due to the lack of Wi-Fi. I may revise that aspect of the review after determining whether other locations offer it.

Rating: 4

T's week long DC coffee express with stops all over the city

Over the last couple of years after moving closer into the Washington DC metro area, I have started to appreciate more and more the wonderful culinary and cultural aspects that only a big city like DC can offer. There is just something about small businesses dedicated to niche food and beverage enjoyment that makes it special. As luck would have it I am able to spend an entire week in DC while Lil C is at the Washington Zoo for summer camp. As a result, I am going to spend some time each day at a different coffee shop. Here is my plan for breaking them down.

Using some standard review options, I hope to offer some insight into just how good at coffee these five establishments are or perhaps are not.

Quality of product - What kind of coffees do they offer, how well are they brewed, and ultimately are they any good.

Ambiance of the shop - A good coffee shop is a place to hang out to work, blog or read while trying the product. I will focus on how the environment in the shop plays to those elements. Important points of interest will be music, worker attitudes, decor, seating set up, etc.

Food - I debated using this as means to compare and contrast. Not all coffee shops really focus on food as part of their business and as such it may not necessarily be a fair comparison point. However, to the extent that any of the establishments offers food and I actually sample any of it I will at a minimum discuss the merits or lack thereof.

Price - Pretty simple. How much coffee bucks does it take get the caffeine from behind the counter to my mouth.

I will rate each area on a scale of 1 to 5. 5 being coffee nirvana and 1 being McDonald's attempt at cafe service.

The five coffee shops I plan to attend and blog about are:

Day 1 - The Wydown

Day 2 - Compass Coffee

Day 3 - Dolcezza (City Center)

Day 4 - The Royal Tryst

Day 5 - Maketto

I am really jazzed about this experience. Stay tuned.

Running for the love of it

ITS BACK! Running. No. RUNNING!

I just finished daily run #4 for the week and #8 in the last 10 days and I actually felt great! I mean this is significant. It has been a LOOOOONG time since I last felt great while running. I don't care if I only ran 3.6 miles. The distance and time and route was not important. It was that my legs felt strong, my back didn't hurt, my butt muscles didn't feel like I just completed 100 squats. I ran free and I ran easy. I can't state just how good that felt, because I don't think there really is a proper comparison. I came home and stretched and then I cried. I cried like a baby. I am sure some of that is just all of the crazy emotions whirling through my head like a glass of water on a tilt-a-whirl. But I also think some of it is all the frustration I have felt for the last year and half while struggling to do something that has meant so much to me for the last three years of my life. I actually cannot believe it has been three years since I picked up running. I can't be sure of how I will feel tomorrow. I am 41 and the reality is my body just doesn't bounce back like it did when I was younger. Hence the need for so much stretching.

But for today I feel great. I am going to bask in this feeling for just a little while, and probably while crying some more. FTW!

How I feel right now!

To dog or not to dog, that is the question

Dogs! Everybody loves them. They are so darn cute and even the ones that aren't just make you want to hug their necks out of sympathy. From their frantic wagging tails to their tongues always ready to unleash a torrent of saliva on the next living thing that comes close enough, we humans just cant get enough.

For the last couple of years there has been talk in my immediate vicinity about getting a dog. Both J-Bird and Lil C have both repeatedly and very adamantly made it known that a dog would be living with us sooner rather later. Not just any dog, but a Pug. Pugs are either really cute or really ugly depending on who you talk to about it. In my house, there was no option given. Pugs are the bees knees. They are petite, cute and have that personality thing going for them. Just check out all the images one can find with pugs in them.  J-Bird and I even went so far as to put down a deposit on a pug from a respected pug breeder. Current estimated cooking time is November/December. It was a big commitment step at the time. Or so I thought.

Seeing that recent life events have conspired against me and I will likely never see that particular pug, I must consider whether in light of all the changes happening right now do I dare take on the responsibility of owning a dog? Lil C most definitely thinks the answer is YES. I am remain a little skeptical based on past experience, but as I indicated in a previous blog post sometimes you have to reach out for something different and new to move forward. Let us examine the pros and cons.

PROS

Loyal partners

Hilarious to play with in almost any environment

Cuddly bed buddies

Conversation starters

Chick magnets

Defenders of the home

Lickers of the face

Most likely to find that missing sock the washing machine keeps hiding

LOVE the minute you walk through the door

CONS

Pee and poop everywhere

Hopefully not in the bed, please God say its not so!!!

Barking

Most likely to eat that missing sock the washing machine keeps hiding

Lickers of the face

The ability to look into your soul to the point where your very existence is questioned

The mail person now hates you

Going to the vet

Cost is $$$$$$

Ok, so did we get anywhere with that exercise? Hmmmm. Lets examine. It seems like a wash in terms of the number of pros vs cons. We likely need some kind of qualitative measurement. The gleeful playing and LOVE aspect are very appealing. After all, those are things I could use desperately right now. Pros 2 Cons 0. I am a fairly clean person however, and the idea of having to clean up after a dog is not very appealing at any point of my life. Pros 2 Cons 1. Having a loyal partner around would be cool. The dog would certainly make for a good buddy for Lil C and perhaps teach him some responsibility. Pros 3 Cons 1. The money thing is definitely not cool. I really dont need to take on any big expense right now. Pros 3 Cons 2. I could really use a bed buddy right now and Lil C spins like a helicopter while sleeping. Pros 4 Cons 2. I really hate doing anything medically oriented. Lets face it, nobody likes going to the doctor and especially not one for animals. Pros 4 Cons 3. I also do not relish coming home to having my favorite pair of running shoes looking more like a pair of worn Birkenstocks. Pros 4 Cons 4. Well, that didn't get us anywhere either. We have been doing the fish thing for a few years now, but fish just arent good companions unless I can learn how to breath under water. Sigh. There is something that may trump every con that someone can think of concerning dogs. They are way cooler than cats.

FACT! Alright, now we are getting somewhere. So what kind of dog should we get? There are so many options. I live in an area where it seems like rental properties come with a free dog. Lock in two years and you can have two! Seriously, there are a ton of dogs in my neighborhood. All sizes and shapes are represented. Perhaps we can start by eliminating some of the sizes and shapes. I definitely do not want a big dog. I just don't have the room. Plus I imagine they require more effort to walk and my current dog walker is 7 going on 8. So no German Shepard or wolf. A long and short dog like a dachshund isn't my style, although I still harbor a fantasy to dress up a dachshund in a hot dog costume for Halloween.

Huh? How cool is that? I mean look at the mustard. Ok, I digress. I think that a smaller dog is ideal for the current living arrangement I am in. Plus Lil C would be able to help out better with a small dog. A pug is out of the question at this point. Too painful a reminder at the moment. So that leads me to a french bull dog. They are a little larger than a pug, but just as adorable. I have always thought they had sort of a royal air to them. I mean they are french after-all. Badum dum. I have located some good information on frenchies and they seem to have mostly good personality traits (except the flatulence, but so does Lil C and I live with him just fine). They are tough to train and bark a lot when they are left alone, so those are two things to consider.  Come to think about it though, its doubtful one will ever find a dog that is perfect, but french bulldogs are soooo amazing to look at. Those little legs and barrel chests and the ears! C'mon. I do believe we have found a winner. Look at that face! Look at it!

So that just leaves with the job of finding the right dog to bring into our lives. That I think is worth another blog post entirely. Time for some research. Good day all!

Just when you think... (updated)

There is one certainty that life has taught me over the years. Nothing is certain.
We as humans like to deal in absolutes. It's easier. Gray areas are confusing and inherently risky. I am no different. I like to know where I stand, even when the spot I stand on is a bridge over troubled water. However, learning to deal with the uncertainties in life is a necessary part of living. Sometimes there just isn't an easy answer for the question. Hell, just figuring out what the question is can be challenging. Occasionally, no matter how hard we try, we have to make choices without all the information. To blindly proceed into the unknown is a scary proposition to say the least. When faced with a challenge where the destination is uncertain, the key seems to be that one should always proceed with good intent. I know, I know. Sometimes the best intentions can lead to horrible consequences.

But, we cannot always control the outcome. In fact, I will make the statement that we have less control than we think we do. To proceed with noble and honest intent means that at least the journey will be founded upon something that we can believe in and trust. Even if the outcome turns out to be false or less than positive. The outcome is not the most important part. It is the journey itself that will be remembered.

I have faced uncertainty in my life. Real uncertainty. The kind that leaves you reeling and wondering if your life should even go on. The void that becomes your reality is truly a staggering precipice to find yourself standing at the edge of. When my wife passed away from cancer, I found myself staring at an uncertain future. I had no idea where my life would go next or how I would even summon the emotional energy to take a shower or eat. The courage that it takes to step forward without knowing where your foot will land is unknowable until you must summon it.

I found the courage and took the steps. The uncertain remained. No matter how far I have walked, it is still there. Mocking me for trying to defy it. I have continued to dare to defy it and in that defiance I found the only certainty that I could. I will not give up. I will not allow the unknown to deter me from my goals. I will continue to rise up and make the uncertain my own, even as it currently rains down upon me once again.

_________________________________________________________________

 “As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.” ― Albert Einstein

 “What makes us leave what we love best? What is it inside us that keeps erasing itself When we need it most, That sends us into uncertainty for its own sake And holds us flush there until we begin to love it And have to begin again? What is it within our own lives we decline to live Whenever we find it, making our days unendurable, And nights almost visionless? I still don't know yet, but I do it.” ― Charles Wright, Littlefoot: A Poem

 “The unknown...the unforetold, the unproven, that is what life is based on. Ignorance is the ground of thought...The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty: not knowing what comes next.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin

Ice Tyrant learns to garden

Gardening. It is a love/hate kind of hobby. So it seemed to me at least. I can honestly say that I have never had much of an interest in gardening in my 40+ years on this planet. Which is kind of interesting since I do love to be outdoors playing sports, hiking, running, etc. One would think that a love of the outside world would extend to participating in the growth of life. Recently I have been exposed to a shared experience that has sparked a latent passion yearning to break free of the chains of neglect that I had imposed upon it. I know that is quite dramatic, but seriously the gardening bug has bitten me. Literally, since I seem to get eaten alive by mosquitoes every time I go outside these days. Anyhow, yes I can honestly say that I have spent a fair amount of time in the last few weeks paying close attention to the little garden that could. It started a year or more ago with the love of my life, J-Bird, going into what was a sparse and barren backyard and planting some pretty simple flowers and herbs. I do not know what they are even called at this point, but that isn't important. I recall that I reluctantly helped her and by helped I mean I was on clean up and weed killing duty. Although these are too important skills that all gardeners must reluctantly utilize, having someone else do it is often preferred. I was the someone else that day. Needless to say this was not the moment of epiphany. At this point I was mainly impressed that I was dating someone who had some real skills in the garden. J-Bird showed some love to the backyard and turned it into a rather comfy sitting area for morning coffee, fire pit sessions or reading on the veranda as I like to call it. It really was quite a lovely transformation. Fast forward to six weeks ago - give or take a couple of weeks because my memory is like an old VHS tape. My son, Lil C, has shown a real interest in J-Bird's gardening and has often participated in her efforts to beautify our backyard. He loves nature and all things in it. He has spent countless hours in the backyard searching for bugs, rocks and critters. Things were slowly aligning. J-Bird, always eager get outside, brought the garden team together to start our annual spring garden renewal. The three of us jumped in the jeep and rode to Greenstreet Gardens of Virginia. As we wandered through the rows of alienesque plant life we started to discuss what kind of plants we would like to add to our quaint veranda. Much to my surprise I actually participated in the conversation. I actually had some ideas. I can't say that any of them were taken seriously by my two gardening compadres, but it was a start. We decided on some snapdragons, which turned out to be an amazing choice.

Lil C wanted to grow a plant of his own and we decided on tomatoes. Perhaps it was all of those zombie apocalypse movies I have seen and played, but growing our own food really appealed to me. It apparently is a good summer season plant, like orchids. See! I just dropped some garden gnome knowledge on ya! We found a perfect little tomato plant and then turned our attention to the best way to grow the little green sucker. It turns out that for some reason tomatoes like to grow upside down. So we bought a hanging container, some potting soil, and pepper plants (for salsa OBVIOUSLY) and off we went. I realize at this point that I may be boring some of you out of your mind.

However, I just cannot adequately describe what the planting of that tomato plant did to me. It was like some unknown part of me grew from that tiny plant hanging upside down in the backyard. I would look out with eager anticipation each morning to see how much the plant grew. I would often discuss any sort of anomaly or even the smallest growth with J-Bird and Lil C. Then the small yellow flowers started to appear. These little flowers apparently portend the arrival of the tomato itself, kind of like the sun showing up to provide warmth. Then one day it happened! A small roundish green bulb appeared where the yellow flower used to exist.

In my mind I now realized that I could grow my own food. I could be self-sustaining. Ok, Ok. That may be going too far. However, there is no denying that seeing that little round bulb really did change my outlook on this whole gardening thing. I was proud. Almost in the same way as watching Lil C hitting his first double in LL baseball. Since these glorious early days, I have spent daily time in the garden. I water, adjust, prune, pick, clean, weed - everything a lover of gardens does. I knew that I was bitten when I looked out one morning and found the tomato plant laying on the ground after the hook it was hanging from broke. I was terrified to even speak of it to Lil C and J-Bird until I saw them peering through the screen door as I carefully performed an emergency planting. The fortunate part was that the plant broke into two distinct pieces. After several days of nervous monitoring I can safely report the tomato plant survived and we now have two healthy plants. I never imagined that I would be able to actually save the darn thing. However, I never even thought for a second that I wouldn't at least try. The glory of that moment, as horrifying as it was, showed me the light. I had the power to do this thing called gardening. There is just something glorious about stepping out into a world that you helped to create. I mean does it get any better than that? I submit that it cannot.

In the BeGiNnInG

I have always wanted to be a writer. I love to read and am often amazed at how a well written story can bring out the rawest emotions. When I first started reading in earnest - I mean really reading what I wanted and not what was force fed to me by the educational system - I would think how did this author do this? What inspired them? How were they able to put their thoughts and feelings into the words that so stirred my imagination? Needless to say, life side tracked my pursuit of writing. I am not sure how or why I let that happen. I mean I have continued to be an avid reader of many genres and mediums through my teens, twenties, and into my "older" years. Not sure what the answer is and most of my musings would just sound like excuses anyways. As fate would have it, life has mysteriously weaved my thoughts back to writing. Can it be a positive and constructive way for me to express my inspirations and wild fantasies that lie somewhere in me? Perhaps it could be just a medium for me to put down my innermost musings when life has me twisted up like a July 4th Twizzler. So, here I go. Please reserve all judgment until the ride is over.