COFFEE HOUSE BLUES

In a few days…

I will be going on stem cell therapy….
Here in Mexico.

I have 2 cervical discs…

And 2 lumbar discs…

Suffering from stenosis…

a.k.a. pinched nerve.

The stem cells are given by injection….

And, as the doctor said…

The stem cells will find what needs fixing.

Well, she didn’t use those terms…

But you get the idea.

The doctor also said…

“There are two things you can’t drink:

Coffee and citrus juices.”

No biggie, right?

Right.

No wait!

YES, BIGGIE! 

Giving up citrus is one thing…

But Coffee????

WAA WAA WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

If you’re not a coffee drinker….

Than you perhaps you don’t understand…

Besides the caffeine withdrawal…

There’s the whole ritual of coffee…

Coffee is how I start my writing day….

And I’m not alone…

See for yourself….
Some writer's thoughts on coffee.  

"Coffee is a lot more than just a drink; it's something happening. Not as in hip, but like an event, a place to be, but not like a location, but like somewhere within yourself. It gives you time, but not actual hours or minutes, but a chance to be, like be yourself, and have a second cup" -

Gertrude Stein 

As soon as coffee is in your stomach, there is a general commotion, ideas begin to move, smiles arise, the paper is covered. Coffee is your ally and writing ceases to be a struggle."  
Balzac 

"It was a pleasant cafe, warm and clean and friendly, and I hung up my old water-proof on the coat rack to dry and put my worn and weathered felt hat on the rack above the bench and orderd a cafe au lait. The waiter brought it and I took out a notbeook from the pocket of the coat and a pencil and started to write.

Ernest Hamingway.  

"It is inhumane, in my opionion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait inline behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. I bet this kind of thing does not happen to heroin addicts. I bet then when seriousl heroin addicts go to purchase their heroin, they do not tolerate waiting in line while some dilettante in front of them orders a hazelnut smack-a-cino with cinnamon sprinkles."  

Dave Barry 

So?

What about you?

Are you a coffee fiend/fanatic/fan/addict?

What's your brew?
Or…

Do you prefer another beverage when writing?

Always,

Em-Musing

Me on my September roadtrip
in Veracruz, MX holding 
bags of Havana Blend coffee. 
Veracruz is a major coffee producing 
state.  

PARADISE LOST?

YAY!

My sister and her husband came for a visit…

It was wonderful!  

While they were here…

It rained a little, was cloudy some…

But mostly, the sun shone…

However, every day the same question…

“What’s the weather gonna be?”

“I don’t know,” I’d say, “look outside.”

But they were bothered…

Kept checking their weather aps.   

I told them…

“I live 23 miles south of Playa del Carmen…

And 105 miles south of Cancun…

So the weather between here and those places…

Can be very different than what’s on your ap.

“Relax,” I said…

“You’re on vacation; enjoy being unplugged.”

Our excursions included beaches & cenotes…

Shopping, eating, and just major fun…

Always though, when we came back home…

CLICK

On went the TV to a U.S. news channel…  

Or the obsession with Facebook and emails.

“Relax,” I said…

“You’re on vacation; enjoy being unplugged.”

And I had to keep redirecting the conversation…

Away from U.S. politics.…

And comparing the U.S. culture to here in Mexico.

“This is not the U.S.”  I said…

“They do things differently…

And it’s OK, it’s their country.”

*  breathe  *  breathe * breathe *

I told myself.  

They’re new to paradise.

So? 

What about you?

Do you take your same mindset… 

Wherever you go… 

To a new or different place, setting, or country?

Or can you embrace the difference…

And really unwind, relax and unplug…

Not only your electronics…

But your mind?

Always,

Em-Musing

A ROOTING INTEREST

Every story has a character… 

That you like…
You want good things to happen to them…

If they're faced with adversity or obstacles…
You have sympathy for them… 
And pray they overcome whatever they have to. 

Or if you can identify with the character…

You'll have empathy for them.

That’s a rooting interest in a nutshell.

If the story is in a book…

And if you don’t like how it’s going …

You can flip to see what happens …

Or quit reading altogether.

And if it’s a movie…

You can turn off the TV…

Or walk out of the theater.

But when you have a real life plot…

Scurrying right in your own house…

A mouse in this instance…

You have to deal with it…

There's no page to turn…
No TV to turn off or theater to leave.
So you either have to clean up blood and guts later…

Or find the damn thing and…
Eeeeeekkkk!

Capture it and throw it back outside.
 

                  The plot thickened 

Hmm?

Interesting!
I had to ask myself…

Who am I rooting for here?

My cat who I love so he can have a snack?

Or the shaking mouse staring down at death?

I mean…

Why would I care about a mouse?
I didn't know this mouse…

I had no emotional bond with it.

But I did care. 
Why?
Because he was smaller?

Defenseless? 
The under-dog? 

Because he was cute? 
Naw, my cat is cute too, see?

Ultimately I felt sorry for the mouse…

I put my cat in the bathroom to prevent a ruckus… 
Captured the mouse and put him outside.
Ugh!
The things we do for love, eh?




So?

What about you? 
What rooting interest qualities…

Do you give your characters?

Do you plot/plan to make sure they have one?

Or does it happen organically?

Always,
Em-Musing

Indie, my muse who every other day brings in a mouse, rat, bird, bat, snake, lizard, or squirrel, and yup… I've either had to clean up their guts or capture them. Oh, the fun never ends folks!