Musings on Twitter and Intimacy

Hello All,

Here's a collection of random musings for your enjoyment :) I'm working on balancing the various elements of homework/sleep/class/eating/fun/friends but I'm hopeful for catching up on my blogs, as I promised at the beginning of the year.

Taking what Life Without Pants said sometime last month to heart, I have decided to stop spending so much time worrying about what to write, and just focusing on the writing. As an old philosophy professor once told me, "the best way to move forward is to make as many mistakes as fast as possible. then you know what not to do."

Twitter and Intimacy.

Do you think that letting all your little stories go abroad to the hoi polloi of the world via Twitter change your close relationships for the worse?

I came home the other day and realized that a flurry of tweets had exhausted my store of stories for the day. Stories I used to tell to my wife as we shared our days, I now share with a little blue bird who scurries off to deliver that wee missive to a number of good friends, solid organizations, and random people. I've made some awesome friends via Twitter, but am I losing ground in others?

It seems like not talking about Twitterable things might deepen and enrich our conversation, ridding it of the mundane, the 140 character worthy. We could explore deeper issues, get at the heart of matters, having already been abreast of the little things in each other's accounts all day. It seems too that it could make us more attentive in our day-to-day activities, because we would be more conscious of the stories we tell. We're made of stories, stories are who we are, and developing that element, telling the stories to two audiences could be powerful in shaping our daily experience. We'll see. It will take work to follow those routes. What are your thoughts?

Namaste

La Soledad, Acatenango, Guatemala

Friends!

A new shipment of George Howell's arrived fresh yesterday (roasted Monday)! I order two pounds every four weeks, I find that is about the time it takes to really soak in the flavor and nuances of a particular coffee.

I tried the La Soledad first and am sipping it as I write. Guatemalan coffees have been my favorites for a long while now, because of the "crisp acidity." A little on Guatemalan coffees from Kenneth David's quintessential resource Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying:

"The highlands of Guatemala produce several of the world's finest and most distinctive coffees. The mountain basin surrounding the austerely beautiful colonial city Guatemala Antiqua produces the most distinquished of these highland coffees Guatelmala Antigua, a coffee that combines complex nuance (smoke, spice, flowers, occasionally chocolate) with acidity ranging from gently bright to austerely powerful.

Generally, Guatemala has preserved more of the traditional typica and bourbon varieties of arabica than many other Latin American countries, which may account for the generally superior complexity of the Guatemalan cup. Most Guatemala coffee is grown in shade, ranging from rigorously managed shade on large farms to the serendipitous thickets of small growers."

La Soledad contains Bourbon, Pache, and Caturra varieties, and is produced in the Acatenango region of Guatemala, near the city of Guatemala.

View Larger Map

Interestingly, there are three live volcanos around the region, which might explain some of the coffee's complexity... (reminds me of a personal story about forest fires and apple cider... mmm). This region is on the other side of the beautiful ancient city of Antigua’s two (of three!) volcanoes, one of which is currently spewing smoke.

La Soledad’s quality dominates this coffee region, having received several Cup of Excellence awards over the years. The 270 acre farm averages over 5,000 feet in altitude and is heavily shaded with soil-enriching leguminous trees.

Henio Pérez's family has owned La Soledad, named after his grandmother, since 1895.

Anyway, back to the coffee.

Howell describes this coffee as "full bodied, honeyed, smoky-orange and dark chocolate notes, balanced with that classic razor-fine acidity." A gem of a Guatemalan coffee all around.

Using the nifty wheel from my last coffee post, I came up with much the same thoughts, though I thought that though the coffee's taste was certainly sweet-acidy-piquant, that there could be hints of a winey-tang. As far as aromas go, La Soledad deftly bridges the gap between enzymatic-fruity-citrus-apple and sugar browning-chocolaty-chocolate-like-dark chocolate... The depth and complexity of Guatemalan coffee is hard to beat. Mmm! Enjoy!

Friends

I was walking to work today along the B line, around the reservoir, up Beacon, sipping the last of my Konga Coop and saying my chotki when I was overwhelmed by the number of people I missed. So many people from so many different pages of my life. I decided that this longing is yet another personal, experiential proof for the existence of God (and an afterlife I suppose). It is such a strong longing that, in my mind, it cannot but have an end. Like several other experiential proofs I've encountered and encounter often - Annie being the strongest & most often, trance being numbered among them as well - in the words of GK Chesterton, "it is the place where the walls of this world of ours wear thinnest and something beyond burns through."

I miss you all, love you much, and know that you are in my thoughts and prayers on a nearly daily basis. Namaste & Christ Be with you :)

Taylor