When two worlds almost collide

Last week, as a family, we had the opportunity to take a couple of days break and head to the West of Ireland. I knew that we wouldn't be far from blogging buddy Walace, so I thought this was too good an opportunity to pass up. A face to face, real world encounter with another blogger. Over coffee.

Ironically, Walace was going to be over on my side of the country while I was in his. This didn't deter me though. A tip from Walace lead me to his local cafe. It's an Arabica Coffee Company cafe, a coffee chain local to County Galway - although it looks like they are coming to Dublin this summer.

Anyway, despite it being a bit small to accommodate a family of five and a mother-in-law, the cafe was a warm and welcome relief from what we had just experienced a few minutes earlier. The kids liked the huge chocolate Rice Krispie Treats!

Tagged by Ali

A few days ago (too many really), Ali tagged me. I haven't had a chance to do any blogging recently even though I've wanted to. But I had the nagging thought in my head that said, 'You need to answer that tag before you write anything else'. So here it is:

I love the smell of ... Coffee. I know I would say that, but it's true!
People would say that I ... can be quite creative.
I don't understand why ... people don't (can't or won't) believe in God or at least some "good force" behind our existence.
When I wake up in the morning ... I wonder why I stayed up so late the night before.
I lost my willpower to ... stop eating chocolate. I had a go once for a couple of weeks. It's not worth it.
Life is ... good. Very, very good. And precious.
My past made me ... what I am today. (Well, duh!) Some hard times, some sad times, lots of good times.
I get annoyed when ... cyclists go straight through a red traffic light when I am crossing the road with my children. I've lately taken to shouting at them and tonight I purposefully ran in front of a bike because the didn't stop. An old man swore at me yesterday because I made him swerve!
Parties are not a good time to ... I'm struggling with this answer because my mind keeps going back to what Ali wrote!
Dogs are ... almost bearable.
Cats are ... completely unbearable.
Tomorrow is ... Thursday. (Is that what you meant??)
I have a low tolerance for ... screaming.
I'm totally terrified of ... Hmm, terrified is pretty strong. I'm not sure I would let anything grip me with such fear. I hate the thought of something awful happening to my wife and kids, but why would anyone dwell on something that is very, very, very unlikely to happen?
I wonder why I thought my life would be ... of huge significance to lots of people? Because I'm prideful, perhaps. Something big may yet happen. Maybe on Thursday.
Never in my life have I ... smoked a cigarette
High school was ... good fun.
When I'm nervous ... I take a deep breath, get on with it and tell myself that tomorrow is Thursday and everything will be different.
One time at a family gathering ... I followed a wedding photographer around and copied every shot he took. Years later, as I worked as a wedding photographer, I realised how annoying that must have been.
Take my advice ... don't worry. It's going to be ok.
I'm almost always ... late.
I'm addicted to ... coffee?? Me? No way! I could give it up anytime I wanted. I just choose not to. Maybe I'll drink decaf tomorrow. No wait, tomorrow is Thursday. That's not a good day to start decaffeinating my life…
I want someone to ... discover what it really means to have a real and natural experience of God and an understanding of the ways of Jesus. That's a bit of a deep one to finish with, but I think that is what is at the heart of who I am. And you?

Back in the Saddle

I bought a bicycle today. It's been a long time coming, but I finally just went ahead and got it. There are a number of reasons I got a bike. Partly because of the ecological nature of cycling; partly because of the rising price of fuel; but mostly because I think I put on some "sympathy weight" when my wife was pregnant. I'm talking about for baby number one - like I said, it's been a long time coming.

The last time I owned my own bike was when I was in school, so this evening after the kids were put to bed and the littlest one was snoozing in my wife's arms I headed out for my inaugural ride. Where would I go? Of course...get some coffee.

I've mentioned in the past that most coffee shops and cafes around here close by about 8:00pm. So I found myself unintentionally drawn in to the city centre of Dublin to seek out some coffee.

The ride into the city was great! It was just like being a kid again - only now as an adult being fully aware of how dangerous it is to ride a bike in the city. But that didn't matter. The rush of the wind in my hair, the ability to pass cars in a line, the thrill of going up a one way street the wrong way and the agility needed to ride alongside the tracks of the Luas line. (There's probably some bike safety awareness video discouraging that last one. It probably involved little Jimmy getting his wheels stuck in the track and then getting his head squashed by a tram.)

When I made it the coffee shop I decided to order something different, a little more in keeping with this new zipping-around mobile lifestyle. Usually I am regular latte man. But this evening I became double espresso guy. (I rarely drink espresso - although I may a little more in the future - and I think the last time I had a double espresso was the night before I got married, almost nine years ago. I don't drink alcohol so I think this was probably the stiffest drink available to me).

Anyway, that extra zing this evening gave me the boost to get back on my bike and head back home. Uphill.

Dalkey against Starbucks

In local news this week is the story that Dalkey, a small town just south of Dublin, is up in arms at the prospect of a Starbucks cafe on their doorstep. Like many places around the world, the residents of Dalkey don't like the idea of globalisation coming to their idyllic coastal village. (Sorry folks. Living in 21st century Ireland means globalisation is already there even if McDonald's are not - does the local pub sell Guinness?).

A Bebo site has been set to garner support for their protest: Dalkey against Starbucks.

Along with the issues of globalisation, the biggest concern seems to be for the welfare of locally owned businesses. Particularly cafes. I too would have that concern and, in fact Starbucks even admit to their tactic being total coffee domination of a local area. (See article below).

However, my view has changed slightly when I came across an article in Slate. In the article it is proposed that having a Starbucks open in your area is actually a good thing for local cafes for the simple reason that having a Starbucks creates a buzz (literally!) and draws people into the area for coffee. The report highlights that when people get fed up with standing in long lines for coffee they opt for the independent cafe next door. The independents also have a flexibility in what they serve and at what price, which a franchise like Starbucks don't. So when SB sell a tall latte for 3.00 euro, you could sell yours for 2.50 and still probably make a 300% profit! (Plus SB don't have loyalty punch cards like others do).

Admittedly the article is written from a North American context, but it's interesting and well worth a read if you have a couple of minutes:

Why Starbucks actually helps mom and pop coffeehouses


UPDATE: Starbucks is now open in Dalkey. You can read about my quick visit here.

Another New Arrival

I just discovered today that a new Starbucks is arriving not too far from me, in Ranelagh. I am unnecessarily exited!

Since I last posted about Starbucks I've visited another one to cross off my list of all Starbucks' in Ireland that I've visited.

How and why Starbucks have such a hold on me (and possibly you?) I'm not so sure.

Check out the view from Dana's trip to Starbucks recently, if you get a chance.

A New Arrival!

Great News! Cafe Coombe now serve Starbucks coffee and our daughter was born today!

(Wait, I think I announced that the wrong way round...)

What's that smell?

My much-overdue-pregnant-wife decided that she wanted a little peace and quiet this morning (the calm before the storm?) so she suggested I take our other two kids out for a couple of hours. I obliged and did what any responsible father might: I raided their money boxes and suggested we go and buy some toys. The kids obliged too.

There was one condition to the purchasing of toys though. Yes, a stop at a cafe in the shopping centre. I have to say that with a set of Matchbox cars and some Ponyville my little ones where perfectly content to let me enjoy my latte. The cafe had an open front to it so I could watch the world go by, but there was something wrong. Something next to the cafe that was spoiling my moment.

Beside the cafe was one of those coin operated rides for kids. This particular one was a Bear in the Big Blue House ride. Bear is a favourite in our home. If you know the TV show you'll remember that each of the episodes runs to a similar format. After the opening song Bear appears at the door to welcome the viewer. He then sniffs around and asks, 'What's that smell?' (I get a little freaked out when he guesses correctly - 'Have you just been outside?', 'Did you just have a bath?', 'Did you just have some donuts?')

Every few minutes the ride next to the cafe made a sniffing noise and Bear asks, 'What's that smell?' However, it wasn't the ride that was ruining my coffee. I couldn't help thinking to myself, 'I'll tell you what that smell is, Bear!' Because on the other side of the cafe was a butcher's shop and all I could smell was raw meat. Gross.

Wright On

My wife is now one week overdue on the delivery of our third child which has left us in a rather peculiar time frame. The last few evenings have felt a bit like a reprieve from the inevitable shock of no sleep and precious little time to myself for the next few months. (The difference between waiting for this child and the first time around is initially I was anxious about the unknowns of parenthood. Now I am anxious about the knows!)

Anyway, it has given me a couple of opportunities to go out for coffee one last time - I may yet get one more last time. So I have been taking along a book which I started about a year ago, but didn't finish. I started from the beginning again.

I've been reading Simply Christian by Tom Wright and have now finished it. I found it a really good read. It's a clear, concise and easily accessible overview of what it means to be a Christian and has been compared by some as a contemporary version of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity - although Wright correctly suggests that the questions that people are asking today plus the context of Westernized Christianity is quite different than Lewis's time.

The book is divided into three main sections: First is the presentation that many people become aware of something in this life which is beyond themselves, although they would have a hard job particularly explaining what this means. It's an awareness of something just around the corner not quite in sight or reach. Tom Wright calls these echoes of a voice, and it is an echo which can be heard in the longing of people for justice; a sense of spirituality; the need for relationships; and the appreciation of beauty. Wright goes on to suggest that these echoes, these whispers come straight from the heart of God.

The second part of the book explores how these themes are expressed by God - ultimately in the person of Jesus. But in order to understand who Jesus was and why he did the things that he did (the stories he told, the miracles he performed, his challenges to authority, and his death and resurrection) we are first taken on a journey to discover the people group from which Jesus emerged. And in order to understand these people, Wright begins section two grappling with what we mean when we say 'God'. Here Wright presents three broad options of how people view God. Option one explores the view of understanding God to be present in all things - people, trees, clouds, poison ivy. Option two is to view him as a distant deity who very rarely, if ever, has any connection with his creation. The third view is what Tom Wright holds as a classic Jewish and New Testament view of God's space (heaven) and our space (earth) overlapping. Wright's conclusion is that in the person of Jesus is found the embodiment of that overlap. (For a more detailed understanding of heaven try Tom Wright's latest book Surprised by Hope. It will make you think again about little cherubs playing golden harps in the clouds as the common misconception of what heaven means. Wright says that heaven is important, but it's not the end of the world - you'll have to get the book to find out why!)

Part three of the book focuses on what the response of a person should be who recognizes the purposes of God being fulfilled in Jesus and wants to align themselves continuing that fulfilment. And so Wright talks about reflecting the image of God through worship, prayer, the Bible, getting involved in a local church, and participating in the renewal of creation. (If my reprieve continues I'll write a short reflection on the chapter about prayer.)

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who may be at the beginning stages of exploring the Christian faith or for those, like me, who have been following Jesus for a while now but feel like there is much more to know.

Coffee is Good for You

I picked up a bag of coffee the other day purely because of the description on the packet. It's from a company called Union Hand-Roasted, their Fairtrade blend.

This is how it describes itself:

"The easy-going coffee with a big grapefruit kick for breakfast time, and soft chocolate and orange hints for a harmonious afternoon."

Now, I might be open to suggestion, but I think I did detect a slight citrus nature to the flavour. I can't help wondering now if a couple of cups of this coffee could count as a serving of fruit!

Rathmines Festival

As I walked past my local coffeehouse there was a tap on the window and M invited me inside. The offer of a free cup of coffee and catching up was too much to pass by.

I got to know M a little last year when he headed up the committee I was on for the Rathmines Festival. M has passed on that responsibility this year, but was helping to run the 'Festival Office' located in the coffeehouse. I couldn't be on the committee this year because of a busy study schedule and the impending arrival of baby number 3 - the due date coincides with the festival. It's a pity really. I think I could have handled running the festival office while sipping lattes and watching the world go by.

Anyway, the Rathmines Festival is this weekend. Some good stuff going on which I hope to get along to, unless number 3...