Evidently, one can post videos on Flickr now. Who knew? Colin is walking, and doing so confidently. Please check out the great video I shot today. You just can't beat a cherubic toddler (wow, he's toddling) clad only in a diaper, I defy you to try.
... don't order 3 shots of espresso on ice at Murky Coffee. And you probably shouldn't leave a tip with an expletive on it, that's just not nice.
What a kerfuffle, as reported by the Washington Post and in blogs of the two involved parties (the customer and the coffee-shop owner) as well as BoingBoing and others.
Far be it from me to pass judgment, but:
1. Customer guy, maybe you should cut back your caffeine intake. I do respect that you acknowledge that you were being sort of a dick, although I could understand your anger. I love that you created your own iced espresso by ordering espresso and ice, separately.
2. Coffee shop owner guy, I respect that you love your craft. But wow.
Check out the agility and grace here -- unfortunately, he's not playing goal and probably about to touch the ball with his hands. When will futbol-supporters learn that hands should be an important element of every sport, at least those played and beloved by Americans?
But hey, soccer is the "Sport of the Future" (slogan in public domain, originally (c) 1974 NASL) and we're trying to help the boy assimilate into suburban life. Next up? Although lacrosse is tempting, I don't think they offer it for 4-year olds, so probably more soccer in the fall, as well as a fall T-ball league.
Click on the photo to see others I've posted from that game. I didn't take these pictures -- they actually came out way too good to be shot by me. One of the other parents did and kindly sent them along.
It appears as some sort of spambot is sending out German spam and making it appear to originate from harrison3.com (due to the significant uptick in e-mail I've been getting from spam-defense systems as well as "out of office" notes from people whom I do not know).
While I am in the process of preparing a full statement for the press regarding this scandalous occurrence, I can share the main talking points. (It's a good thing I'm in PR and have myself on retainer.)
1. I don't speak German.
2. I'm afraid I haven't seen a copy of the actual message that was purported to come from harrison3.com. That said, I am almost certain it did not come from me.
3. Since 2002, Harrison3.com has been a trusted, valued, perhaps even treasured, source for content of limited interest ... It is very rare that this content is commercial in nature, and even more rare that it is German, as I don't speak German, as stated in 1.
4. I have loyal readers available for comment (Hi Mom and Dad!) that can confirm that 1) I don't speak German; 2) As a child, I took part in almost no German-language chicanery .
... and it is JP Licks' "White Coffee." Oh my goodness. It's basically sweet cream ice-cream that they let sit in espresso beans so the beans' oils infuse the ice cream. No coloring, no additional sweetness -- just hardcore, espresso-y goodness in every bite. Wow.
Speaking of the future of ice cream, I once got caught skimming The Onion during a day-long client-planning meeting (I had my laptop out for "taking notes") when I laughed out loud at this article:
Time Traveler: Everyone in the Future Eats Dippin' Dots
As first questioned by me on Twitter two weeks ago, angst is actually a verb. Jan Freeman, thanks for helping me to realize that I owe WEEI's Butch Stearns an apology, which I begrudgingly bestow.
Big day at the Newton 4th of July Carnival. Juliet, Jacob and I were walking (Colin was in the stroller, and thus, riding) through the relatively sad-appearing collection of rides and hoping we could get off relatively unscathed -- maybe a ride on the little cars or the like. Then we walked past the trailer hosting one of those squirtgun-target-races games, where the prize is ... Goddammit, Spiderman. Jacob's been on a huge Spiderman kick lately. Here's my internal and external dialogue, as I recall it some 24 hours later.
"Maybe if I distract him ... hey, look, Jacob, there's a dog over there. No luck, he saw the Spiderman. OK, how much is this going to cost me? $3 per gun? OK, we'll get two, one for me and Jacob and one for Juliet. Jacob, I realize this goes against everything we've said re: guns being bad and trying to avoid the Hollywood marketing machine and its merchandising tentacles. [Did I tentacles? I always confuse that and testicles (verbally, not written, or not actually in real life, either).] Can't win if you don't play. There's only 4 of us going, we have a good shot."
"OK, we're off. The kid running the game is jabbering on but being very nonspecific as to prizes, qualifications to win certain prizes, and the like. He hears us talking about Spiderman and hey, if he was a decent human being he'd tell us that it would take either beating a field of 12 or 3 wins vs. a field of 4 to win, right? So we're going and ohmyGodohmyGodohmyGod Jacob, we won! Jacob, Daddy has never won anything in his life! [Well, his Little League team won a championship in 1980, and Daddy contributed with a bases-clearing triple ... and his corporate basketball team would have won a championship if Daddy had boxed out those two deceptively-springy Asian players. Can't believe I allowed that putback at the buzzer.] This is great!"
"Sir, we will take that Spiderman!"
"What do you mean we'd have to win two more times? We don't want the teddy bear. Dear God. How much is this going to cost me ... right now ... he wants Spiderman ... no Jacob, we'll figure it out. You know, Jacob, life is filled with disappointments but they are incredible builders of character. FDR had polio, yet he was President! Really ... this is pretty small ... "
At this point, a woman, whose name I never learned, appeared as my deus ex machina. She had played in a bigger field and won some sort of huge dragon thing that her two-year old daughter found frightening. Amazingly, the dragon could be exchanged for a Spiderman ... and her daughter wanted ... the pink teddy bear.
Exchanges were made, and before I was able to profess my undying love for her ... she was gone. But we did get the Spiderman. And Jacob carried it with him all day today. And for at least another 24 hours, I was his hero. Not his superhero, though.
If I play my cards right, perhaps I can get the digits of the top-right Beth Orton fan in this Spin.com article.
Wow, was the Bicentennial really 32 years ago? Good Lord. It seems so long ago, what with the oil crisis, disillusionment with our government and its leaders, high unemployment and stagflation. Thank God those things will never happen again!
I remember some elements of July 4, 1976 -- lots of products with a "Spirit of '76" theme slapped on. Swirly red-white-and-blue things, a patriotic pastiche with a touch of mid 70's trippines thrown in for good measure. The summer between kindergarten (PS 17, which closed that summer) and first grade (St. Paul's Parochial, which closed the next year). Enjoying a BBQ with my family in Troy, NY, topped off with a patriotic cake from the good folks at Freihofer's. I also insisted that if 1976 was the Bicentennial, 1977 was the Tricentennial. Come to find out, I was wrong.
(As an unrelated aside, the Adidas flip-flops with the "TPR massage footbed for comfort" which I am wearing today couldn't possibly be squeakier. Perhaps I will douse them in WD40.)
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