Ditch Doc

I’ve finally found the way to break coffee addiction within a week or two without budgeting three days to lie quivering in a corner. And it’s not what you’d expect. The reason the Fool can’t even cut back from four coffees a day is that the least he can order is a small, which he must then drink in its entirety rather than waste any of the precious fluid. But the Wise Man begins his day with a large thermos of espresso. Then, whenever the headaches, mood swings or hallucinations begin, he serenely takes one swig and puts it away again. And the demon of the bean lies and gnashes his teeth in the outer darkness.

You know it’s time to cut back when you’re more worried about the lost coffee than the thermos you lost it in.

“I also asked him for coffee, and as he refused it I took him
to be a heretic and went down the road making up verses against all
such, and singing them loudly through the forest that now arched over
me and grew deeper as I descended.”

Hilaire Belloc, The Path to Rome

Ecumenism is a Hasidic Jew singing reggae in praise of Hashem and reigniting your zeal to say the Rosary in public. Enjoy.

Jerusalem – Matisyahu

And if this doesn’t work, tell me. I want you to hear this guy.

At the beginning of the shift today, I put on a radio and walked over to the hospital residence to try out the lab tech’s new espresso machine. As soon as I plugged it in, it broke out in an unearthly anguished howling. Taking the noise for an alarm, I pulled the plug, fiddled with a couple of bells and a whistle, and tried again. Cue the apocalypse. But was the noise actually coming from the espresso machine? I looked up at the startled but battle-ready faces of my cohorts in the dining room. I looked down at my belt. The cause was suddenly clear, and with a flick of the wrist I returned the fabric of the universe to its proper state. “Hey guys… Guess what frequency the espresso machine broadcasts on.”

Thanks to Dz, this is now my favourite CD.

I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to it, but I hear something new every time. Even adjusting the equalizing reveals new layers of meaning. Most of the album hangs together almost like one song, and subtly quotes itself throughout. The best parts are firmly anchored in a well defined, driving bass line that still manages to sound searching. Hints: #1 Make sure you’re playing it on something with pretty good bass. This is music you hear with your kidneys almost as much as your ears. #2 Think of a train while you’re listening.

Waking up ten minutes before shift change, pulling out into a brilliantly sunny, snowy morning, and flying down the highway with lights, siren and the Hendrix cover from Black Hawk Down all blaring. You can’t beat it.