Friday, December 16, 2005

It's 28 degrees right now in Buena Vista and it actually feels warm! I'm quite amazed at how accustomed I've become to single digit weather in the past month, for today all I wore outside was one medium-thick long sleeve shirt in sunny 28 degree weather. Anyway, talking about the weather isn't definitely "coffee talk", isn't it? :)

I only had one cup of my holiday coffee blend this morning. It's enough. I already feel pretty hyper as it is, as I've worked hard this morning creating a new pictorial of deer pictures and did some other chores.

You know, I just might have some Mexican hot cocoa. Folks, this stuff is so good. The above photo is the brand that I use. It's called Azteca D'Oro Mexican Spiced Cocoa. Man oh man ...

So that's it. I'm brain dead today. I plan to search the web for more interesting "coffee web cams" during the afternoon. If you can find any good ones yourself, be sure to let me know on the coffee forum!

Take Care,
Steve :)

Thursday, December 15, 2005

It's true: I have spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME hanging out in coffee shops during my life! Maybe that's not necessarily a negative thing, but it's something worth writing about.

My interest in coffee shops began when I moved to Colorado in 1997, when, not knowing many people, I needed places to "hang out" during the daytime or evening in some kind of social setting. Coffee tastes good too, and well, compared to the hangout scenes in bars, coffee shops seemed like a much better alternative.

So it all started at Stanley Arbuckle's coffee shop in Manitou Springs. Donna, the owner, was super friendly and I immediately hit it off with her entire family who lived above the shop. Sadly, their shop closed in 1999 (see adjacent photo of what it looks like now) and I soon "moved" my local hang out to Spice of Life Cafe and the Manitou Bakery, also in downtown Manitou Springs. I had lots of great times there too, and got to know a local crowd who always seemed to be there like clockwork ... every morning. ;)

There have been a few other coffee shops that I've liked, such as It's a Grind in Colorado Springs (Centennial & Fillmore), The Mug in Colorado Springs (They're closed now. Garden of the Gods & Centennial) and Pikes Perk in downtown Colorado Springs. Today, living in Buena Vista, I occasionally visit Bongo Billy's in Buena Vista, but I've taken up the habit of making my own coffee since moving here. As much as I love the morning cafe scene, plunking down $2 for a large coffee and a refill, plus anything else I might buy really adds up.

Having said that, I've had some meaningful and very enjoyable times hanging out in coffee shops. And the friends I've made over the years ... People named Donna, Boki, Pony66, Sherrie, Mark O'Shea, John Boy, Andrew Anderson ... ;)

Happy Coffee Drinking!

Love, Steve :)

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

8 a.m. - I've got two neat coffee shop web cams on the front page. One is in Tennesee and the other is in Vancouver, Canada (adjacent photo). Hee hee! I love web cams. A friend has told me she will help me get a web cam running in my cabin, which I'm so excited about it. The big question will be: Will I have the web cam facing my messy living room with my computer? Or will I have it facing outside towards the mountains? Tough call. Oh heck, maybe I'll get two web cams going! ;)

Now onto coffee. Let's talk about gas station coffee! Wednesdays is my super busy day. I spend much of the day in Colorado Springs and drive back and forth 100 miles each way. Typically, I leave Colorado Springs to return home at 8 p.m. and usually have some adreniline from my past counseling sessions, but I always make sure I load up on some caffeine for the long drive home. Driving across Park County (the original "South Park" region) and some other rural stretches make it important to be alert on the road. So yeah, I typically resort to gas station coffee at 7-11, and sometimes I partake in drinking those cheesy, sugary cappuccinos. :p)

Good news: I've connected with a radio station that tentatively wants to work with me, but I'm not sharing a lot of details yet. Stay tuned!

Everyone have a great day! Think of me if you have the urge to get some gas station coffee or a cappuccino late tonight! ;)

Love, Steve :)

P.S. Oh, and by the way, we need more people to get involved in the Coffee Forum. Let's go people! ;)

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

I took a picture this morning of me holding my first cup of coffee in front of the Coffee Forum on my computer screen. Fortunately, I didn't spill anything. :) Actually, I've usually been very good with avoiding nasty liquid spills in my computer area, until just a few days ago, when I knocked over my cup and it spilled everywhere! The coffee was behind the keyboard and as it spilled everywhere, I quickly lifted the keyboard and only a few loose papers were ruined. Ah well!

Okay, about the title, "Brown Gold". I'm actually not sure why I made such a "fuss" about the title yesterday. All I will say is, coffee is like gold to me and uh ... it's brown. ;)

I've decided to have a notepad handy to jot down blog ideas for me to write about. I'm really excited about typing into this blog even if nobody reads it. Eventually, I'll probably begin "talking smack" about people and that'll get people in. ;)'

One thought: Andrew and I have talked at length about having a radio show here in Colorado. We think it would kind of be like "Car Talk" except we'd talk about coffee. Well, actually he would do most of the intelligent discussion about coffee and I would ask questions and try to be funny. I could pepper the show with Colorado themes and maybe make illusions to my web site now and then. Who knows?

Oh, if you're in Buena Vista, Colorado, the best coffee shop by far is Bongo Billy's. It's a great little cafe! ;)

Anyway, everyone have a happy coffee day. It's 10 a.m. - it's time for my second cup. :)

-Steve

Monday, December 12, 2005

Welcome to my rockin', kick ass coffee blog! :)

Don't expect "a lot" from this blog, but I'll do my best to be honest and talk about coffee and personal stuff in here. Yeah, I'm into coffee, and I'll definitely give updates on the kinds of coffees I drink and all that on a regular basis.

But let me say right up front: I usually do loads and loads of formal-type writing and this blog is going to be my release where I can just blurt stuff out. Type it out. Speak my mind! :)

It's almost 1 p.m. and I've had two cups of coffee so far today. I've had the "Holiday Blend" (from High Rise Coffee) using my french press. (My the photo above is of my french press and favorite black mug on my busy and messy computer table.) Both times, I put just a smidgen of Coffeemate's vanilla caramel creamer in there to "spiff" it up a bit. Now people on my web site (ColoradoGuy.com) have made fun of me in the past about that, but I don't care. It's not like I put a ton of foofy stuff in there such as whipped cream, sprinkles, odd flavorings or any of that. Anyway, I'm not going to defend myself anymore.

Everyone have a rockin' day! I am so stinkin' proud of myself with the way the coffee forum looks. Definitely take a look at it. It's so attractive. It's so brown. It's so ... so ... coffee-ish!

Tomorrow I'll explain why I'm calling this blog "Brown Gold". Brown Gold baby! Man oh man, I am way too wired on caffeine right now! ;)

Rock on,
Steve :)