The Coffee Guy's blog

The Haunted “Rene M Gerrits”, not the Hunted but hinted.

To understand the paranormal and the effects and affectations is like ESP unleashed.  We don’t, and wont. This read takes one into the depths of belief, I had my doubts.  What could two doubters ever come to realize?

I too had my dissonance throughout the journey.  Then I did, and immediately didn’t again.  As I enter and exited a distinct Fete Noire, my Spidey senses hackled my neck hairs.  While no tome on the subject, but a quizzical romp through possibilities, the read is fluid and fortuitous.

The two brothers play to and against their contractor.  Many times, I thought there would be a much more instant comeuppance for that puppet of the night.  The endearing entrances and exits of possibilities ran my brain amok and crook.  There were passages I reread to ensure my gist was just.  Jokingly I continued to justify my judgment.

To Wit: I have never believed.  To add: I have my doubts. To you, parry my argument.  Put forth that which you pleasure your own gray matter with.  Mine is in situ and quite solidly constrained.  Can I wrap my head around the reality of the unreal?  I have been challenged this time.  That which is impugned, is that which could be possible.  Hence the disjunction between though and reality which this book exposes.

The drama ensues through ups and declinations in action, from question to fact via flirtatious encounters.  From one possibility to another, quickly pouncing on your thoughts of possibility.  The enjoyable slide from one side to the other making the read digestible at its core.

My only caveat would be that you do not dismiss early, neither the protagonists nor the obvious.  There is very little obviosity to observe.  I truly did not know. Now that I do, you could pay me for the end, 50/50 I would decline. 

The author did his job in defining the test, I parried my best.  In the end, the smile on my face was enough.  And like any good yarn, the clarity to understand was utmost.  I know and I cannot tell.  I could tell but would not know how you digest that information.  My cards are held close.  And you know my chest never wavers.

Pour it straight Steph, I need a hard shot of the Java today.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

Cheeky Cheery Cherry Cheeked Company Cheers Me

Cheer gives way to smiles all around.  Cheer gives some Cherry cheeks. To me, its both that make me smile.  Good friends with good times lead all forward.  The doldrums of winter need be predicated on cherry and cheer.  With Wine all come forward, and with friends all comes cheery.

“Give me a home among the gum trees,

With lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a kangaroo,

A clothes line out the back, verandah out the front,

And an old rocking chair.”  (John Williamson)

There are few that relish in the revel of others joy.  Its my joy to see this and I marvel at it every day I see it.  Fires and food are the things in the winters that make these happen.  Occasionally but not frequently enough.  The glow of a smile is something you cannot purchase or decree.  It arrives and is just in itself perfect.

Not as oft as we should, time stalls for us and you can relax and take in that which is around us.  To make the time hover and stall you need good times with good friends.  Take the time to pause over thoughts and actions.  Entertain with glee as the social aspect of our humanness is drank in.  Looking and laughing and lolling about, is the action of stopping and smelling the roses.

Roseate smiles and bright-eyed glances spill forth to bring joy to the table.  How is it that our busy lives can stash this revelry on the back burner.  Hurried lives must both allow this to regenerate the verve of life.  As powerful sultanates languish, the plebes of the world scurry and hurry too much.  We all must embrace the leisure we are due by design.

It was postulated that the processing ability of external devices would free us.  Shackles are what we were gifted instead.  Drop that and go face to face with the world.  Enjoy that which is personal and not prioritized by connectivity.

Free flow that Java Felicity, get me away from the locks.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

1000 Days

The first millennium A.C..  As we enter the second, what knowledge have we gleaned from the experiment we are all in?  I don’t mean, conspiracy, or hearsay, or junk science, or fake news.  Real knowledge that we can all agree on.

Man is pliable only for a certain length of time.  Changes can occur from our stasis, but only within a limited expectation.  Man wants and yearns for the equilibrium of moderate change at the pace not noticed.  Rapid or immediate change causes trauma and pushback.  For example, years ago electronic money transfers were only acceptable with full documentation and back up resources and proof.  Now a tap is fine for pretty much every purchase.  We accepted lockdowns for a while, now, the mere mention ire’s most.

Buzz phrases and touchpoints can set off a storm of displeasure.  A mere mention of masking or vaccinations will now make people steam at the ears. Two years ago, we masked up and lined up for vaccinations by the millions.  Now mere mention of these will paint you to one side or another of a debate and you lose, friends, family, and some a job.

Elected officials can now defer to “experts” without losing the faithful.  Forever after, when confronted with an emergency, our elected official will no longer have to make tough decisions, they simply find some random proficient of expertise and state, “they are following the best practices as defined by this expert”.  Bollox to them, I elected THEM to make decisions not some nobody from nowhere.

We have also learned, the longer a crisis endures, then the more, the and the more extreme wackos will come out of the woodwork.  They have and will continue to.  As I was a research assistant, (with a credit for same), we wrote a book on argumentation.  Super Rule # 1: Never argue with a fanatic.   How do people not know this some 40 years after we wrote that book.

1000 days and 1000 nights, make mine as strong as it gets. Pour over for sure.  Thanks Margery.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

New Beginnings Have New Challenges

Once something is defined as “new”, the mind wanders and wonders.  Look at New Coke.  Nope.  News is new, but the legs have fallen off in recent times.  A new coat makes you feel good without reproach.  A new day brings opportunities.  New shoes a different kind of strut.  New Year’s is celebratory for other reasons.  A new job brings challenges and trepidation. 

The face you bring to the game sets the stage for success.  Inquiring, questioning, affirming, and appreciation, are the mettle that raises you to the challenge.  How you are perceived will become part of your pedigree.  That is the value you bring and develop.  The road forward is built on your strengths and understanding.

Being at peace within yourself gives rise to a confidence and poise allowing your mind to absorb new ideas and processes, as well as enabling you to understand without prejudice.  While experience is what you lean on, knowledge and its development will make you grow.  A short tree can become tall in a forest well fertilized and tended.  Reaching higher for more nutrient.  Homo Sapien’s food for development comes from information.

The day you stop learning is the day you stop growing.  Learn always, grow often.  Proffer you knowledge when asked.  Opine when asked.  The two are different but both respected.  Questions are in fact requests for growth.  The answers can either be inert or rich with fodder.  Discerning the difference must be calculated.

Be you, but be with them.  We are on this planetary orb to exchange information, grow information, and understand information.  We have the largest brain by weight of any organism.  It has developed this way because we have developed this way.  You mind is a sponge-like tool to which we owe our existence.  Like a sponge, things move in and out, get morphed and expanded.  Use it to its utmost.

By design you are distinct from every other in the world.  Twins too are each slightly different.  Clones too would be different as well.  To walk in someone else’s shoes is an aphorism and not reality.  I am different, you are different, we are different.  Revel in bot the similarities and differences.

Do everything you do, best.

Steam those grounds Gertrude, Strong is what I need today.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

Art for Our Sake, Goodness Sakes!

The Art is not the reason, the art is the subject, not the object.  There is no reason in Art.  The eye, ear, or touch, takes it in and the subject is processed by the mind.  Rarely do two minds process in the same way.  It is a pleasure when the minds meet in the process.  I smile each time.

Some art becomes obvious and immediate, and some needs to gestate in the mind.  The mind’s eye must make dendritic connections before full appreciation can be achieved.  Time can make the eye and brain wander, paths and courses less travelled by.  Take the fork and knife your way through a piece, if you cut a similar swath as another, again smiles all around.

To watch the process can also be enjoyable.  To see the effluvium entering the eye and the corners of the lips twisting in question.  The apparent engulfing of visual stimuli forcing its way into the brain through ocular receptors and the resulting widening of the look.  Interpretation manipulated by one’s history and growth.  A smile arises as appreciation grows.

To see the detail and the big picture, in context and with understanding of the artist.  To parse the paint and/or medium with the thought that there was intent.  Fulfilling the mind’s need for input while straining the range of understanding.  This exercise feeds your thoughts and nourishes the cognizance of the world as it is.  A smile reflects both appreciation and pleasure.

As patron to doner, as plaster moves through clay to oil, the where and the what become less important.  The message received through perception, different for each body, is that which has the import to move.  True sight, tactile reception, and aural connectivity draws the interest clearer and with insight.  Whence the body reacts with a smile, appreciation has been reached.

I smiled and saw smiles a lot then.

Smash me with a splash of sugar in my Joe today, Sally.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

This is a Very Famous Blog about Darmstadt

So out and about in the environs of some of my ancestors and still currently the home of some of my kin, we were given a private tour of the town.  To start, lets introduce my Very Famous tour guide AB.  For all intents and purposes, a fully fledged local.

Knowledge of AB bas been gleaned both from the book and experience.  A proper blend of interpreting both is how you should receive information from your Very Famous guide. We did.  As we strolled the inner sanctums of Darmstadt, each turn revealed another gem in the city of industry, science and technology. 

Bohrium (1981), meitnerium (1982), hassium (1984), darmstadtium (1994), roentgenium (1994), and copernicium (1996) were discovered in this Very Famous city. The existence of the following elements was also confirmed at GSI Centre for Heavy Ion Research: nihonium (2012), flerovium (2009), moscovium (2012), livermorium (2010), and tennessine (2012).  As familiar as the average person could be with those elements, I might have just dropped a name or two off the top of my head and hit my big toe.

Even the Very Famous Frankenstein Castle resides in Darmstadt.  The namesake of that Very Famous Horror story.  But above that spectacle, is the Very Famous Mathildenhohe, or the Wedding Tower, also commonly referred to as the Five Finger Tower.  If seen, this becomes self-explanatory.  Many Very Famous Russian and Art Nouveau construction and design examples are found in the inside of the city reachable on a brief walking tour.  Jugendstil as it is known in Germany, relates to many still standing and gorgeous buildings in and around the central areas of town.

Many of the Very Famous parks and squares in Darmstadt are adorned with statues and monuments of the founders and original land lords of the region.  A column 33 meters tall holds a statue of the Very Famous Ludwig I, the first Grand Duke of Hesse the region in which Darmstadt resides.

The largest employer in Darmstadt is the Very Famous Merck the pharmaceutical company.  Many locals use the extensive and intricate tram/streetcar system for travel inner city and trains to nearly everywhere in Europe.  The Very Famous European Space Operations Center and the EUMETSAT, The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, both call Darmstadt home.  Additionally, there are several electronics research centers in the area.

Hence the statement that the Very Famous Darmstadt can definitely be a destination.  Regardless of the fact I have relatives in residence in Darstadt, and the nearby Pfunkstadt, (my mother’s birthplace), has more of my family in residence.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

With 2 Cats in the Yard, and a Friend

“Life used to be so hard, now everything is easy ‘cause of you.”  Well, “cats” can be just people, and a friend can be a cat.  When Mr. goes stalking, we all look up and attend.  Attendance is not mandatory, obligatory, nor ambulatory.

I ride, some ride in cages.  I cage too but not if the temp is conducive to the ride.  Whilst the heat of summer is not upon us as of yet, I await those days for comfort and the ride.  The bitumen reflects the heat upward washing the view and raising the corn.  Those days of abandon have not met me yet.  There will be more and there won’t be less.

Pandering to the populous is never on my cognitive awareness chart.  I strum a different kind of instrument.  The instrument of justice does not touch me.  But decking can be a relaxing and enjoyable experience with two cats.  Chatter that does not matter waddling it way through topic and tropic.

Those times are the filler in the pillow of life.  Nothing hard and discomforting, no dispute, no discrimination.  Those troubled topics tenor the times with terse remakes best left for the solitude of singularity.  Jabs and jests of jocularity are just what the proffers of betterment have prescribed.  Under orders of course, but not a loop.

Distractions and attractions and actions mused and discussed.  Not subject or Mr. too small or too sly.  Mystery abounds outside.  Inside, just the house. Outside, the rest of the world.  Inquisitiveness and breath waft through the winds of chatter.  The milky miasma of mornings alerted by aromas of Java and the sounds of the city.

Slip in smooth Sonya, no splash.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

When Ingenious and Industrious, Tribulations are Trivial

Hobby is an unknown word or action to many if not most.  Too many it is rare; occupation is a must.  There are those that think they could become active.  Activity is a mindset.  I feel Atlas is about to Shrug.

Intensity and determination do not mean speed, it’s a formula for concentration.  Grey matter needs exercise as much as red matter.  One thing that makes me smile every time is watching the act of being industrious.  Mind by means, making mother earth better.  It is not merely the acts themselves, but the actions entwined in those acts.

It is a pleasure to savour the labours of others.  Respect and reflect on the processes from body part to brain and back again.  Some repetitive, some talented, some unique, and some definitive.  From idea to design through implementation.  How obvious it is from the etymology, from the Latin “diligent” and “assiduous”.  Exactly how I saw it, and see it.

I am the opposite; I prefer the privacy of my mind while I persevere in my toils.  Me plugging away, solving problems and plotting my diligence.  To be the watched or the watcher both have their benefits.  I could have sat back and beheld for hours.  But here as I toil on one task, pondering another, my mind is discovering new techniques, subtle changes and alterations, new roads to the end.

I posited about the GNP a while back, it too is wrapped up in this.  There are so few with the drive for new different and the creation of objet d’art.  To me, any “thing” you have done is that described as such.  Colour, texture, material, materiel, medium, and the message all ooze forth from the crania of the masses.  You have to let it out after you excavate your brain.  Play with it and cajole it into that which pleases you solely. 

When the weight of the world is too great, the forces acting upon it will need to scratch that itch.  It will not be smooth, there will be jostling of the orb to reach JUST that spot.   Shrug as you would.

Rainy day Rhonda, make it a hot pour over today.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

Quintessential Quilting Qualifies Quarterly as Quality Quakes

At what point does a quilt become a mosaic?  Both have a salmagundi of pieces and colours.  Both are assembled. Both can depict a scene. Both are considered both art and craft.  Both can be of varied media.  Both are an expression of performance.

I know of a few who partake in the activity in various mediums.  That which is appealing is that which is a manifestation of an idea, a fugacious vision retained and brough forth.  Placed in detailed orientation on a breadth and width.

The eyes of those that behold, all see a new form.  All see that which relates to their past and present danger and pleasure.  It is not the “I” that matters, it it’s the “eye” that sees and enjoys the vision.  In fact, the eye sees all as a quilt of reality.   The mind or brain derives its conclusion.

Whether or not the description belies the reality is of no importance: it is the act of placing an image in front of an ocular interpretation that arrives at a conclusion which has import for the world.  World views vary as do images depicted.  Whence has thou depicted that which you wish to show the world?

The one whom dost do that which comes from within, sees that which is of interest or disinterest.  The need to exude is unstoppable.  The need to show cannot be quelled.  It just comes out.  The product cannot be pushed asunder.   It is.  As you are: cogito ergo sum.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.

Concerns of Coffee Confuse the Conscious

No goat will know better.  No goat will not eat cherries. No goat ate my coffee cherries.  Yup, they are not beans, they are roasted cherry pits.  The African villager who found frisky fonts of energy when he shepherded his flock away back, knew at that point he was in for some fun.  Lest it be known that the process was refined much later.

Whilst those in the know are aware, there are two “coffees”, the Arabica and the Robusta.  What you pour into your vessel now is either a blend of the two, a crossbreed of the two, or one or the other.  Both have functions in the flavour and aroma departments. 

Robusta the necessary part of the Crème for an espresso blend, the deep rich flavour of Arabica for the dainty an undeveloped palate.  Roasting methods and procedures also play a part in flavour development.  As well, the level of caffeine varies between the two with Robusta being the higher of the two.  Shape and other factors are more market sensitive and have no influence on flavour.

Futures on Coffee have nearly doubled over the past year, with Covid issues, fuel, transport bottle necks, and economic issues in general fueling the fire.  The future is fine otherwise, caffeinated for sure.  What has not changed it the roaster community growth.  While some are good and some are bad, others have consistency problems, on the whole the breadth of options has increased.

The down side of small independent operators and their numbers growing, is the certification and quality control of the final product.  Large producers know and can control chaff and shell amounts.  These are things in your coffee that make for bulk and weight but deliver no taste or quality.  Of course, the best coffee is milled in home immediately before brewing.  But who doesn’t love the aroma of freshly opened bags of ground coffee?

A big home brew mistake is getting a “basher” rather than a “mill” grinder.  A basher has blades that spin very fast and just bash the coffee “beans” apart.  A mill has two plates through which the “beans” are guided and slowly rolled apart to a certain size. 

Any way you lie your coffee, take the time to enjoy all stages from sourcing to drinking.  Take note of your likes and dislikes to avoid waste and distaste. 

Coffee for the Nation today Clarissa, Make it national.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land, and for some, from The Dark Side. Not am Main nor ab der Elba, but down the Donau, and with Turkish Chai. #garagelurker2019, also A.C., Cee Minus.