The Philosophy of Coffee

Space Shuttles & You

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:19:01 +0000

The most expensive, complex and advanced piece of machinery designed by humans is the NASA space shuttle. It has countless hours of design, brainstorming, physics, advanced math, troubleshooting, astronomy and ample sheer will- that has gone into the building of this generation of space shuttle. There are thousands of individual components that have to fit together perfectly. Many of those components had to be build with machines that had to be build specially to make these components. The shuttle has many different systems; some to generate atmosphere, electrical circuits, computers, control units, radio and test equipment and on and on and on. The amazing thing is that people are not in awe of the shuttle and many could hardly tell what its name is or when the last time it launched was. I would be hard pressed to propose that the same people would not know the name of Tiger Wood’s latest woman or her last appearance. But peoples priorities is not the reason I am writing now. I am writing in order to point to differences between two complex machines. But so far I have only mentioned one. This will have to be a two part blog since I am out of time. But a hint is we all own one.

Michael Garrigan

Pennsylvania the Beautiful

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:03:30 +0000

I have decided to add another small lesson into my Penny University blog series. These past four blogs have inspired me to write a book and I am 800 words into it. Also I found a self publishing company that seems to be a possibility in the future.

The lesson of this blog is: Everything/entity/place is beautiful from a particular angle. I currently live in the hard coal region of Northeast Pennsylvania. I chose to live in this area, above any host of other cities or towns scattered around the world. This area (like so many others) has soaring beauty and utter ugliness. Many sons of this region would like nothing better than to leave and live anywhere else. But I have a deep affection for these coal valleys.

The other day I came out of my wood shop and startled a falcon sitting on a branch above me. This bird slowly launched off the branch and ascended away from me with an acute confidence. It was large and beautiful in that sharp morning wind. I stood still as I watched the falcon leave hoping that it would change course and come back so I could get a better look at it.

Two weeks ago as we climbed the hill en route to our church and experienced what can best be described as a fairy tale inspired scene. The clouds were dense, sharply defined and dressed as a laurel wreath on a celebrated Romans head. The sun had struggled above the mountains height and was firing its waves upon the dense fog. I am noticing how dificult it is to express this experience into language. So I will sum up by just saying the scene was surreal and strangely magical.

These are only two of the thousands of examples of the beauty of Pennsylvania. I do not have the energy to tell of the: smell of summer rain, oak groves, ferns, snapping turtles, the polka people, Old Forge pizza, peacock coal, Rickett’s Glen, snow, scenic ridges, railroad cars and pierogies.

If we cannot find contentment in the now, the future can offer us nothing.

Jobs, Jobs Everywhere

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:39:27 +0000

I would like to continue on the idea proposed on my last blog about Penny Universities. A quick summation of a Penny University is an education or learning that is either free or cost very little. During this past few months I have started to recognize a trend in the various artisan craftsman trades. My other small business is restoration of antiques, focusing on various styles of seat weaving. This has given me a different lens to see the world through and I am noticing that very few people are taking an interest in apprenticing with these men and women who practice various types of traditional manual crafts. For the reason of not knowing these jobs are there for the asking or a desire not to develop skills necessary for craftsmanship (laziness), I do not know. But I do know these men and women will run there course and eventually retire (usually from exhaustion). I can scarcely go more than a half hour without being reminded about how bad the recession and job loss is, but around me I can see jobs for the taking. Jobs that are only limited to your own desire and energy. Jobs that will provide a one on one professor and no tuition. Jobs that strike at the very heart of American entrepreneurial spirit. The main attributes needed are patience, manners and critical thinking. Does the new generation have such skills? Maybe if they are lacking in these skills it would answer the question of why they are not taking these jobs.

One of the sadist things under the sun is for a man or women to acquire important, useful and hard won knowledge and have not a single pupil to teach.

Penny Universities

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:20:45 +0000

It is funny how thoughts wash up and over us in an instant and hold our attention for seconds, hours or days. I just paid attention to this concept of thoughts as I was out in the wood shop tracing a pattern onto an oak board and this single directional thought rose up and sat on me as a wave. If you ever swam/surfed/boogie boarded in the ocean than you may have experienced a wave that slams down on your head and physically pushes you down against the ocean floor. There is really nothing that you can do except be calm and wait for the wave to pass. I only go through the trouble of building this description of water to serve as an analogy to best describe my being conscious to and aware of this most current thought that sat on me as a wave. And that thought was PENNY UNIVERSITIES. If you go back a few hundred years to the principle cities of Europe there was coined a term called a penny university. This was another word for the coffee houses that were the hub of political openness, talks of revolution, news and other things that are social and peak the interest of men. In many of these coffee shops for the price of a penny you could get a cup of coffee and therefore be allowed to stay and listen, learn and speak. I believe that in this age of information (especially) that there are penny universities all around us. I can see the value in a proper education in one of our modern university campuses but far to many children are going. I don’t believe every child needs to or should attend a four year degree orientated university. Children have a four year degree in such and such and are actually less intelligent plus have large debts. There are many sources of knowledge that are completely free or very low cost that any one can access. I will attempt in the following weeks to articulate these penny universities and comment accordingly.

Oh, before I sign off, I would ask that if you have not tried my coffee at poconomountaincoffee.com that you should go there and buy a few pounds. The quality is great and the prices are right and it will help you think.

Does What You Drink Reveal Who You Are?

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:26:38 +0000

It has been said “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” And I was wondering if that can be extrapolated to beverages as well. It seems the world is divided into the tea or coffee drinkers. East vs. West? Is it true that the industrialized western nations are coffee consumers and the asian, middle eastern and eastern european population are tea drinkers. Where does that leave the continent of Africa. What do they drink? Since I love the topic of worldviews/religion (of which I personally swung from one side of the spectrum to the other) I wonder how much tea or coffee influences a persons worldview. Because it is through the lens of our worldview that shapes our perception of reality, and ultimately trickles down to our actions or inaction. I wonder if there could be a definitive winner(answer) to the question ….Has the east or west done more to benefit mankind?
I imagine we would have to define benefit. Then we would go round and round discussing our worldviews and if we believed in absolute truth, and almost certainly not come to any conclusion. My bet would be on the west. My coffee is almost gone so I will stop writing now.

Michael Garrigan
Pocono Mountain Coffee
www.poconomountaincoffee.com

First Glance

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:46:33 +0000

As my initial entry for Philosophy of Coffee I feel it is proper to give an introduction of myself. I am Michael Patrick Garrigan (a good Irish name, yes) owner of Pocono Mountain Coffee and www.poconomountaincoffee.com . My hope is to give you little information about the myriad of arabica beans sold by my company (my newsletter has the honor of that task) and give you much of the Philosophy of Coffee. Albeit through the stereoscopic lenses of a bipedal Son of God, of course.

Coffee is a tremendous addition to our society in-that it stimulates our mind, contains certain romance, grows forth from the ground with wild chemical attributes, unites people in social arenas, has an iron grip of addiction, an acquired taste on the scale of hoppy craft beers and best of all those roasted oils smell wonderful as they are crushed in the grinder. The arenas of the European coffee house from two centuries ago were the pathways to our modern era of questions, revolution, bonding, joy and lies. What thought that has been thought of recently has not had the narcotic influence of coffee to awash over it. Have you ever gone a day without a cup of coffee?

As I am not sure how long these modes of communication are supposed to be, I shall stop here at the risk of seeming too much out of place. And I would be amiss to end without the extended invitation to you in receiving my other publication which is the newsletter. So if you are interested in receiving this please find a way to respond to this blog and I shall be delighted to share.

Buenos Noches,

Miguel