November 2009 Archives

I can't find a reference for it right now, but I remember reading once that the physicist Richard Feynman ate the same lunch every day. He figured out what he needed and then just did the same thing all the time so he could stop wasting any more of his life worrying about 'Gee, what should I have for lunch today?' Could be apocryphal, but it's believable to me.

I'm not so ascetic that I'd accept no variety in my daily food, but I recognize the value in having standard procedures for some things. If you can make any potential decision point a Solved Problem, that frees up your attention for other things.

So it is with our morning coffee. We've tried a number of varieties and brands and flavor profiles, and after years of iteration we've hit on a combination which is satisfying every single morning:

• Use Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend whole beans. Grind them fresh.
• Add a bit of Penzeys Mulling Spices to the grounds. Around a teaspoon most of the time; if making a pot later in the day, or if the weather is cold, double that.

It's awfully good.

Lately I've taken to customizing the spice blend by adding even more Cinnamon Chunks than there already are in the Mulling Spices. Makes it even better.

Knowing in advance that we're going to be drinking this all the time lets us order in quantity --

• DD actually has a Home Delivery option that works out pretty well cost-wise. We started with a 5-pound bag every 10 weeks, which is the longest interval they offer; we may well need to shorten that in the end.
• Penzeys takes off a bit if you buy a lot of Mulling Spices at once.

(Not affiliated with or compensated by Dunkin' Donuts or Penzeys Spices. Though they are welcome to send me merchandise or money if they feel so inclined.)

Some other folks have already picked up the ball and run with it, posting about several Excellent Things themselves. I like!

• Medley
• Dan Lyke @ Flutterby
• Katxena @ Breaching the Web

I see both Medley and Katxena mentioned other Penzeys Spices. This is not surprising as they are generally awesome.

Back in the mists of 2008 or so, there was a Facebook/LJ-meme going around called '25 Random Things About Me'.

I lack the wiring to put any effort into that sort of overtly public navel-gazery without prohibitive amounts of throat-clearing mixed with impatience with myself for participating in it.

So, I never did get around to that. However, thinking about such lists inspired me to do something else I find less annoying and more interesting.

What I'm willing to write about instead, and what I'd like to know from other people, is:

What things are excellent?
What do you not just like, but think everyone should know about?
Can be anything. A food, a place, a website, a product, an idea, a song, a book ... whatever.

So, in Facebook parlance, I tag anyone who reads this. Post about some Excellent Things and why you like them. And you can post 1, 5, or 25, it really doesn't matter.

I have several Excellent Things in mind, and will be posting about them for the next little while.

Not so coincidentally, it's November! When some people try to post regularly on their blogs! And try to come up with approaches which will help them do so!