CoffeeStudyTalk

Previously, I was under the impression that 10 years was considered old for a car and usually got rid of them before then.  I've owned several cars and 2 in particular hit the decade mark with 120-130k miles on the odometer. Goal: 20 Years @ 2027 This time around, I've been more careful with my 2007 Lexus sitting at 12.4 years, which is both the oldest car I've ever owned and to my surprise the average age of most cars in the Western United States.  The Lexus is doing surprisingly well and I'm hoping to keep it for 8 more years until 2027. I've got warranty coverage for 2 more years until 2021 so I just need to 'survive' 6 more years on top of that.  But if it doesn't last...no biggie, I can just pick up a Civic or Corolla for under $10k and start a new odyssey. With 72k miles on the odometer and 8k miles more per year.  I'll hit 136k miles by the 20th year mark, which also seems reasonable considering my old daily beaters hit that m

It's getting harder to find Mr Brown Coffee and I know of only two locations in my area that still carry them.  A friend of mine told me about a local specialty grocer that might have them in stock. Like the other locations they had 4 flavors, but instead of my favorite Cappuccino they had a new flavor (Caramel Latte).  I got 2 cans of each flavor and decided to try the Caramel Latte. Sadly, it was disappointing and appears the only flavor I still prefer is the Cappuccino.  I'll have to stick to the known locations that still carry it and stock up. But for now these are not half bad and perfect for a morning treat.

I started blogging Jan 2014 (well...Nov/Dec 2013 to be specific).  I guess that makes it 5 years since.  Some things have changed in my life and I've learned quite a bit from blogging, I'm just amazed at how much time has gone by.  It feels 'almost' like yesterday when I started blogging. My primary goal in blogging was to wean myself away from social media and it has proven successful.  I'm able to post whatever I want, whenever I want and not feel pressured or watched by my friends and family who may find offense with what I write.  Granted, I write generally benign, practically boring stuff, it's still nice to be somewhat free under semi-anonymity (we are never truly anonymous online). By freeing myself from the constant need (addiction) of checking social media every few minutes...I've probably given myself back 2-3 hours to invest in the mundane habit called 'living' and 2-3 hours a day is a lot of time.  I can sit and relax, get lost in my

I've had the pleasure to enjoy many different types of whisky's and grew up on the sweeter side with bourbons (primarily Jack Daniels) then graduated to the peat smoke of a good scotch, but no matter what I fancied at any given point in time, I always find myself going back to my all time favorite Johnnie Walker Black Label. I'm not sure why I'm drawn to a dram of JW Black, but I can enjoy it neat, on the rocks or even in a mixed drink and find something pleasing about it.  It has just enough of a taste profile to keep me intrigued.  And after several years, I've reached the conclusion why I enjoy JW Black so much, consistency.  This realization hit me when I bought a new bottle of Macallan 12 from a reputable store and found it to taste utterly appalling and worse than rotgut.  I've yet to experience such a thing with any Johnnie Walker, no matter where I've procured it. I've had JW Black in over a dozen countries and dozens more different cities an

It's taking a while and I just completed Chapter 6 of Kimball's 3rd Edition of Data Warehouse.  It's probably one of the best books I've ever read in the 'Data Analytics' domain.  I started in November 2018 and six months later have only cracked a portion of this book. I'll keep at it and will try to improve the pace by hitting Chapter 7 on Sunday as this is something I need to finish and focus on in my life.

White shoes are one of the most versatile items in any wardrobe.  They are about as essential as blue jeans or a black or white T-Shirt.  Granted, white shoes require additional maintenance to keep clean, but are worth the effort considering their utility. I've owned several pairs of white sneakers over the years between the classics of Nike, Adidas, Converse, Reebok and more, but never really maintained a set after one wore out.  I previously, would keep just one pair of sneakers, no matter the color. I've since remedied that and embarked on establishing a basic set of the major classics and two of the most iconic are the: Converse All Stars Adidas Superstar Both come in a variety of colorways, but the ones primarily in white are the ones you would want to invest in first, before trying out new color options.  Both models are so popular, you can easily find them on sale periodically or at a discount retailer. I got the Converse for about $40 and the Adidas for $20.  Making the