Walking home from the coffeehouse tonight I noticed that the 'Keep Left' sign that usually sits at the end of my street had been moved (again).
It was now pushed up against a wall.
You couldn't keep more left without scraping your nose.
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
Tuesdays @ 7
Moda was packed tonight. I'm not sure why, but I'm pleased for the management - good for business.
As I made my way up to my usual seating area I glanced into the basement to see if the knitting club was there. My wife has recently started to knit and she wanted me to do a little recon to see if the club was running again after the Christmas break. It was.
As I said, Moda was packed and there were no seats available. Not even the last-resort-uncomfortable-chairs-at-the-small-table-in-the-corner seats. I had to go down to the basement.
The poster on the wall stated that the knitting club meets in the basement of Moda on Tuesdays @ 7pm. About a dozen women, and one pre-teen girl, took up about three-quarters of the basement. I squeezed into an empty sofa, but before I could even sit down, and being the only male in the room, I was offered a pair of needles by at least two knitters.
A few of the women glance over at me - a couple of times. I glance back and recognise a couple of them (though I doubt they recognise me) - one is a librarian from the Rathmines Library and the other is the mother of a kid who once did a mediocre job of washing my car. Fair play to car-washing mother, she seems very evangelical for the knitting cause. Not only did she offer me the chance to join in, but she seemed to engage with anyone who happened to walk past on their way to the toilets.
Eventually two other guys enter and sit at the sofa next to me to play some chess. They look suitably uncomfortable (having been "evangelised") and tell each other they won't stay long. (As it happens they outlast the lot of us and are left to play chess in solitude by the end of the evening.)
I try to read my book, but am strangely fascinated by this gaggle and I can't help wondering how many of them are wearing products of former Tuesday evenings. I watch them as they effortlessly knit and talk about Celebrity Big Brother and vegetarian cuisine. One woman passes around a recently acquired loop of yarn. People feel the quality and comment on the colour. Everyone seems suitably impressed.
Me too!
In fact, I almost want to move from my seat and join the circle just to be a part of this community and maybe even have a go! I don't. Though I do imagine the conversations that would, perhaps, continue for weeks to come as they remember the night "a man joined our group."
Instead I continue to peer over my book watching as one knitter asks an older knitter for some advice. (I liked that.) She seems to be working on a sock while using four needles! When I say needles, actually they were more like oversized cocktail sticks. I was pleased to see 'sock lady' in turn give helpful advice to a novice.
Eventually they pack up their needles and wander off leaving a little more space in the basement for 'the guys'. I also finish up my latte and leave.
On returning home I discover that my wife has spent the evening knitting a scarf for my birthday (on Friday). I shall proudly wear it to Moda on Tuesdays @ 7 and feel, in some way, a connection with the group.
As I made my way up to my usual seating area I glanced into the basement to see if the knitting club was there. My wife has recently started to knit and she wanted me to do a little recon to see if the club was running again after the Christmas break. It was.
As I said, Moda was packed and there were no seats available. Not even the last-resort-uncomfortable-chairs-at-the-small-table-in-the-corner seats. I had to go down to the basement.
The poster on the wall stated that the knitting club meets in the basement of Moda on Tuesdays @ 7pm. About a dozen women, and one pre-teen girl, took up about three-quarters of the basement. I squeezed into an empty sofa, but before I could even sit down, and being the only male in the room, I was offered a pair of needles by at least two knitters.
A few of the women glance over at me - a couple of times. I glance back and recognise a couple of them (though I doubt they recognise me) - one is a librarian from the Rathmines Library and the other is the mother of a kid who once did a mediocre job of washing my car. Fair play to car-washing mother, she seems very evangelical for the knitting cause. Not only did she offer me the chance to join in, but she seemed to engage with anyone who happened to walk past on their way to the toilets.
Eventually two other guys enter and sit at the sofa next to me to play some chess. They look suitably uncomfortable (having been "evangelised") and tell each other they won't stay long. (As it happens they outlast the lot of us and are left to play chess in solitude by the end of the evening.)
I try to read my book, but am strangely fascinated by this gaggle and I can't help wondering how many of them are wearing products of former Tuesday evenings. I watch them as they effortlessly knit and talk about Celebrity Big Brother and vegetarian cuisine. One woman passes around a recently acquired loop of yarn. People feel the quality and comment on the colour. Everyone seems suitably impressed.
Me too!
In fact, I almost want to move from my seat and join the circle just to be a part of this community and maybe even have a go! I don't. Though I do imagine the conversations that would, perhaps, continue for weeks to come as they remember the night "a man joined our group."
Instead I continue to peer over my book watching as one knitter asks an older knitter for some advice. (I liked that.) She seems to be working on a sock while using four needles! When I say needles, actually they were more like oversized cocktail sticks. I was pleased to see 'sock lady' in turn give helpful advice to a novice.
Eventually they pack up their needles and wander off leaving a little more space in the basement for 'the guys'. I also finish up my latte and leave.
On returning home I discover that my wife has spent the evening knitting a scarf for my birthday (on Friday). I shall proudly wear it to Moda on Tuesdays @ 7 and feel, in some way, a connection with the group.
Bag O' Coins
As I walked down to the coffeehouse tonight I passed a man standing in a phonebox. On the shelf by the phone was a carrier bag half full of coins. I thought this was quite resourceful. Then I noticed that, though standing in the phonebox, he wasn't actually using the pay phone. He was using his mobile phone instead.
I wonder what the bag of coins was all about?
I wonder what the bag of coins was all about?
Monday, 15 January 2007
More coffee than usual
For a blog that is centred around drinking coffee I don't drink an awful lot of coffee at home. I've said before that I usually make a habit of making a fresh cup of coffee each morning, but that's about it for the day if I'm at home. Quite often it's just one cup a day.
Sundays are different. I tend to drink four or five cups - before lunch! That's because on Sundays we have Brunch Church. It's a small gathering where we share a late breakfast together and catch-up with what is going on in peoples' lives while we sit around the dining table enjoying croissants, muffins, bacon rolls, fruit and coffee (or tea/hot chocolate).
We follow breakfast with a time of either discussion on a spiritual topic, a prayer exercise, some creative expression of worship or a look at something in the Bible. Sometimes, as we grapple with an issue or attempt to get Biblical understanding, it helps to drink a little more coffee. Yesterday was one of those mornings.
I suggested we look at a parable of Jesus - one of the lesser known ones. It's the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16) and you can read it if you click here.
We didn't come to a unanimous, satisfying conclusion as to what the story means so I'd be interested in your thoughts on:
Sundays are different. I tend to drink four or five cups - before lunch! That's because on Sundays we have Brunch Church. It's a small gathering where we share a late breakfast together and catch-up with what is going on in peoples' lives while we sit around the dining table enjoying croissants, muffins, bacon rolls, fruit and coffee (or tea/hot chocolate).
We follow breakfast with a time of either discussion on a spiritual topic, a prayer exercise, some creative expression of worship or a look at something in the Bible. Sometimes, as we grapple with an issue or attempt to get Biblical understanding, it helps to drink a little more coffee. Yesterday was one of those mornings.
I suggested we look at a parable of Jesus - one of the lesser known ones. It's the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16) and you can read it if you click here.
We didn't come to a unanimous, satisfying conclusion as to what the story means so I'd be interested in your thoughts on:
- Why did Jesus tell this story?
- Who do the characters represent?
- Does it have an application for life today?
If it makes sense to you please let me know. I'll pour another cup and take your thoughts back to the group.
Thursday, 4 January 2007
Coffee Lingo
Insomnia Coffee Company are now open in Rathmines...Actually they've been open for ages, but I guess I didn't get around to blogging it.
Anyway, they have a poster up so you can use their coffee language when ordering. Hmmm.
Anyway, they have a poster up so you can use their coffee language when ordering. Hmmm.
- Split - half the caffeine
- Dry - extra foam
- Wet - extra steamed milk
- Skinny - low fat milk
- No Fun - decaffeinated
- Harmless - skinny and no fun
- With Wings - take away
- Wild - with whipped cream
- No Whip - without whipped cream
- Barista - esspresso bartender (well, duh!)
As you know, my usual preference is for a regular latte just as it comes. But maybe 2007 is the year of coffee experimentation. Maybe I could even randomly chose three phrases from above and see what I get. Maybe. (What if I got a wild barista with wings? Or worse?)
Christmas Day
Okay, I know Christmas was a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to right about a lovely experience that I had over Christmas dinner.
Some friends of ours invited us to join their family for Christmas dinner. We were honoured to spend some quality time with our friends and their extending family. There were about a dozen of us around a huge table spread with magnificence - delicious turkey, big slices of ham, more vegetables than I think I got around to having on my plate, bread sauce and stuffing, endless glasses of juice and, to top it all, a home made Christmas pudding complete with flames - marvelous!
Despite the spectacle which was the feast I will remember for a long time what happened at the end of the meal. Throughout our eating and merriment (I just wanted to use that word because it sounded Christmasy) music played in the background. Typical Christmas compilation kind of stuff. But it was at the end of the meal as I was enjoying my second cup of coffee, served with a big dollop of cream, that the Christmas carol 'In the Bleak Midwinter' came on the CD player. A stillness descended as we sat back in our seats and then our hosts' elderly mother began to sing along. Within a few lines each of us joined in:
What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what can I give him?
Give my heart.
It really was a beautiful moment.
Thank you C & S.
Some friends of ours invited us to join their family for Christmas dinner. We were honoured to spend some quality time with our friends and their extending family. There were about a dozen of us around a huge table spread with magnificence - delicious turkey, big slices of ham, more vegetables than I think I got around to having on my plate, bread sauce and stuffing, endless glasses of juice and, to top it all, a home made Christmas pudding complete with flames - marvelous!
Despite the spectacle which was the feast I will remember for a long time what happened at the end of the meal. Throughout our eating and merriment (I just wanted to use that word because it sounded Christmasy) music played in the background. Typical Christmas compilation kind of stuff. But it was at the end of the meal as I was enjoying my second cup of coffee, served with a big dollop of cream, that the Christmas carol 'In the Bleak Midwinter' came on the CD player. A stillness descended as we sat back in our seats and then our hosts' elderly mother began to sing along. Within a few lines each of us joined in:
What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man
I would do my part;
Yet what can I give him?
Give my heart.
It really was a beautiful moment.
Thank you C & S.
Out of routine
Writing a blog requires a certain amount of discipline and routine in order to stay ahead - a bit like praying.
I've not been very good at keeping up with my blog and I'm not very good at praying either. I often have this guilty sense that I should be praying more, but it requires discipline. But it's the new year so what better time to pick myself up an try again. I was given a helpful book from my mother-in-law for Christmas: Celtic Daily Prayer. It comes from the Northumbria Community.
I decided that if I can have the routine of making a pot of coffee in the morning then I can make the routine of praying the "Evening Prayer".
So far, so good. Now I need to work on my blog.
I've not been very good at keeping up with my blog and I'm not very good at praying either. I often have this guilty sense that I should be praying more, but it requires discipline. But it's the new year so what better time to pick myself up an try again. I was given a helpful book from my mother-in-law for Christmas: Celtic Daily Prayer. It comes from the Northumbria Community.
I decided that if I can have the routine of making a pot of coffee in the morning then I can make the routine of praying the "Evening Prayer".
So far, so good. Now I need to work on my blog.
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