Coffee Intervention

Our pastor, Brandon Malo, at Elevation showed this cartoon last Sunday. It made me laugh, since my brother Ed did a coffee intervention with me a few years ago.

I was home visiting my family for a few weeks, and Ed became increasingly concerned about my rather *generous* coffee intake. He went to my mom, and mom came to me with his concern. I cut down a little (admittedly, I was drinking a 10-cup pot of coffee every day) but have never forgotten his coffee intervention.

In the years since, I have varied between going off coffee (with no 'coffee withdrawal headache', I have to say) and drinking ridiculous amounts of steaming dark roast (where it might be more convenient to simply be hooked up to an IV supply). I even have some times of coffee moderation - two cups in the morning, and maybe one in the afternoon.

Now that Dan and I have been dating, i've been slowly and steadily converting him into a west-coast coffee snob... he's officially off Tim Hortons and now is a regular at Starbucks. So, do you think that a coffee intervention is a valid thing? It's not like I would bother drinking a caffeinated water or anything - I just love a nice, dark roast, black coffee.

Releasing the Geezer Within

I got to spend a little time with Colleen Coble this Sunday / Monday. She is a kindred spirit! She's fun, smart, warm - and Colleen is addicted to chocolate and coffee... and loves turkey! In the midst of a discussion on the evils of asparatame an it’s tendency to aggravate gout (in my dad’s big toe – not my own) I realized that I had released my inner geezer (or more appropriately ‘senior adult’). You can get in on the discussion with some diet Pepsi addicts here.

A few years ago, some friends and I came up with a theory: just as a person can have an inner child, they can have an inner teenager or even an inner geezer (old person). I most definitely have an inner geezer. I admit it. I may look like I have an outer teenager, but I can tend to act more like someone who regularly gets to order from a reduced-price menu at family restaurants.

I like routine. I like early bedtimes. I like Antiques Roadshow. I get cold easily. I can discuss intestinal issues and things like gout. It’s a sad, sad state of affairs.

So, do you have an inner child – an inner teenager – or an inner geezer? I think this might be more revealing than any other personality test… For the record - I believe that Colleen has an inner teenager!

Lunch With Jesus

This job definitely has some perks.

Even though I missed seeing John Cusack once in Chicago (Brad!), I had lunch with Jesus yesterday.

I also had lunch with the Count of Monte Cristo.

Well, kind of.

Most famous for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ , Jim Caviezel joined us at the meetings i'm at in Nashville, and it was cool to see him in person. I had my photo taken with him, so will post evidence (eventually) but basically it was just a cool experience. He shared about his faith, brought his best friend with him and shared about his passion (pardon the pun) for his new project - The Word of Promise dramatized audio Bible (which sounds amazing, I have to say, and features other awesome voices like Marisa Tomei, Richard Dreyfuss and Lou Gossett Jr.). And I'm actually a fan, not just a bandwagon jumper - even own the VHS of a little known film called Angel Eyes starring Jim and Jennifer Lopez (it's sick, but i'm a JLo movie fan - although i've never stooped to watch Gigli).

So there you go. A brush with Hollywood, in Nashville, at an unlikely place - a Christian publisher's sales conference. And I liked the guy - he did an hilarious impersonation of Mel Gibson (apparently a chain smoker) and shared a little of his painful experiences filming The Passion. I'm looking forward to being able to promote The Word of Promise.

On My Way... Again

Well, i'm on the road again, starting tomorrow morning with a flight to Ottawa, for a women's ministry conference, and then a trip down to Nashville for a publisher sales conference on Sunday. Here's hoping (and praying) that my luggage makes it this time, and that the Thrifty Car Rental folks are a lot better at these airports.

(Update: I got my bag, and am waiting for my clothing refund. Thrifty has refunded my car rental from Orlando due to their 'Customer Service Representative' making me cry! I even got a beautiful gift basket from Au Bon Pain for the open, stale coffee beans they sold me! All's well that ends well...)

Anyhow, i'm looking forward to catching up on my magazine reading in the airports, and probably will devour "Miss Match" - a first novel from Erynn Mangum that was HIGHLY recommended to me. (Thanks Michelle!) It looks like fun, and since I actually did love the old television series by the same name featuring Cher from Clueless (Alicia Silverstone) which no longer runs on tv *sob*.

So, even if I have a cancelled or delayed flight - I have good reading. And if nothing else, I have Sudoku (i'm so addicted it frightens me).

Chocolate Bunny Chomping

Perhaps it’s because I was already sampling the Easter chocolate today and feel slightly caffeinated / sugar-loaded, I’m wondering… Will you snap the ear off a chocolate bunny like a wild animal this weekend? I still love the feeling of gnawing off the back foot or the front toe, or perhaps even the ear, and chewing down until only the bunny belly was left… or perhaps melted by inadvertently leaving it in a spot of sunshine. (This was a formative event in my young life – happened when I was 7 years old – the loss of a bunny to a careless placement on a windowsill was more than I could bear. I’m scarred)

While my favourite Easter treat is still the Cadbury mini-eggs (tried the dark chocolate ones this year – mmmm…) and Cadbury cream eggs, I love the kitschy comfort of the classic solid chocolate bunny. Maybe it just has to be better chocolate now, no waxy ‘chocolate-flavoured candy’. And, I might just bite the ears off first.

a. What part of the bunny do you eat first?
b. Do you take glee in chomping off the tail / ear / foot?
c. Have you already started in on the Easter chocolate?