*Coffeetop

The surface of

a cup of coffee is

the night sky

each bitty bubble

a creamy cluster

of stars

There is an

entire system

of stars

in my coffee cup!

I blow it around

the pressure of my breath

makes a

somewhat-black-hole

sending my bulbous stars

across a robust

and flavorful universe.

-Heidi Rose Krill

This is one of 25 poems I wrote for my second-quarter creative writing portfolio. I hope you like it.

*An original poem written while I was drinking coffee and watching **Julie&Julia

**A very good movie I do recommend to everyone. :)

'Tuesday Feels Like A List Day To Me' or '5 Coffee Themed Pictures I Followed My Impulse to Share'

1. The first time I saw this one, I was starstruck. Prince Charming comes in a cup.

2. I'm being a little wiser about my little choices this year, but if I weren't, I would be all over that caramel and whipped topping like butter on toast.

3. One more way to say, 'You give me something great.'

4. Coffee is my only companion while writing for my Creative Writing class.

5. It's so true, and you know how the truth is: it demands to be spread around.

*
Today I am thankful for innovative ideas and recommendations (such as for an awesome older movie or trying chocolate via KitKat in your coffee), potatoes, sour cream to top them, and offers from people to hang out or go on a walk together or do happy baby pose.

Chatting Over Coffee

photo source

So imagine we meet for coffee at a cute little coffee shop, Sweet Beans. We rush inside to escape the light snow flurry, and our cold noses and pink cheeks immediately warm from the wave of heat coming off the fireplace on the side. We smile at each other, equally relieved by the existence of this little safe haven. I gesture to the excessively cushioned seats near the fire, you nod, and after plopping our insulated winter coats and scarves onto our seats, effectively marking them as 'occupied', we order our drinks. Carrying hot cups foaming at the top with pure goodness, we make our way back to the little nook we've created and settle in for a long chat.

For my part, this is what I say:

"I love Sundays for, let's say, three reasons. For one- it's the beginning of a new week. Call me silly, but it just gives me this feeling of a fresh start, every time. Okay, for two, it's so relaxed. Everybody's just sitting around their houses, sleeping or doing something equally relieving. And for three, ...it's not Monday yet.

"I just bought this new box of Twinings Irish breakfast tea. I can't wait to try it - every morning before school, I make myself either coffee or tea. It's really nice. Kind of gets me into the mode. I'm definitely becoming more of a morning person because of it.

"Oh, I meant to tell you- I think you know that I read Eat Pray Love a few weeks ago? You should read it, it's so good. Well, I read in a magazine yesterday that the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, is just coming out with a new book called Committed. There was a little half-page article about it, and it's basically about marriage. I'm really looking forward to reading it now. Otherwise I've just started another book called Into the Wild. It's like a biography of a man who was really well-to-do and had just graduated with fantastic grades from college and then he just donated all his money to a charity and lived off the land for a while. It's really interesting..."

What do you say?
*

A Personal Note From The Writer

photo source

Is it alright to have more whipped topping than coffee in your cup? If it's a small cup, I think so. Sometimes we just need to indulge ourselves.

Oh, and if you want to know my opinion on anything, just ask. I know it's a bit far reaching to say that, but hey- who doesn't like sharing their opinion?

I am reminded of these lines from Casanova (2005):
Casanova: I have too long dominated the conversation. What are your thoughts on the matter?
Francesca: What did you just say?

Oh, Heath Ledger. You win me over every time.

Side Note: Today is 9-9-09, and I would like to give a little hoorah! This is also my 99th post. (Isn't it great how irony works? By the way, I was writing a paper on irony when I realized the date... wow)So here are your balloons. Check out the song 99 Red Balloons, while you're at it.

Thanks a Latte!

It started last night when I actively (or in this case, inactively) decided not to set my alarm. This is a lesson that I never seem to learn: Without an alarm to wake me up, I do not wake up when a normal human should. For some reason I continue to suffer from the delusion that I will naturally wake up after 8-9 hours of sleep instead of the more realistic 12 hours I usually take.

SO! In the 10th hour of my snore fest, I was awakened by Amy at my door (I was really half-awake and just unwilling to get out of bed) and the moment she called my name, I yelled (as much as a half-asleep drone can), "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Only slowly, and like I was being called to the other side. I sat up in my bed and after a very intense moment of us not moving...

Amy: "Do you want to go to the coffee shop?"

Me: "....Okay."

Yay for Cherry Almond Lattes. Or any kind of latte for that matter. Afterwards, I took the cute little cups and turned them into little cup-banks for coffee money. One for Amy and one for me. I love being creative, and I'm becoming more prone to it, which is extra good. What do you think?

What was something creative you did recently?

COFFEE EXPERIMENTATION

Since-due to complications with equipment-I could not load pictures of the real thing, I found a very nice substitute. I have recently discovered the secret to making a mocha: Homemade chocolate syrup. Of course, what I just made for Amy and I is not fancy with whipped cream or some shredded chocolate bits to top, but still yummy. My experimentation probably ends here though because I can't steam milk and I have no other resources (i.e. whipped cream, various flavored syrups). Ah well.

How I First Became a Coffee Lover

<("COFFEE!!")
Well, it all started a couple years ago when I was best friends with Steffanie Maher. We used to walk to STOP-N-GO and buy some cheap cappuccino. I favored the French Vanilla, and would sip at it sparingly as we walked back to her house. Once there, I would typically put it in her fridge and leave it there. Then after watching a movie or two, Steff would fall asleep, I would step silently over to the fridge, grab my now cold beverage, turn on her Mac laptop, and stay up for hours. Ah, it was so refreshing; I connect good feelings to cappuccino still. I remember one particular night in January, I was reading a story online or posting to my livejournal, when I looked out the glass patio door to my left. The sky was a dim navy (Think 5am in January) and there was snow piled up a foot high on their patio including on its table and separate chairs. It was so serene, and I just paused to take in how beautiful it was. Before anyone had walked out and broken into the perfectly smooth blanket of snow. I took another drink of my cool cappuccino (which by the way tastes much better than hot cappuccino and won't disable your taste buds) and went back to my reading.
Around that time, I also tried some drinks at Perc Place, and Katie (my oldest sista) would offer me coffee around the house. Of course, I took the coffee Katie offered me because hey, I wanted to have something in common with her. Well, the caffeine hooked me. I loved that freshly brewed coffee smell, and the feeling of being more like my sister [you know, "cooler"]. Soon enough, I became a coffee devotee. I bought coffee and cappuccino from the local grocery store, drank it occasionally with my grandma, and soon I was the one trying to convince younger siblings to try coffee.
After I got my braces off, I became more conservative in my coffee habits ("I don't want to stain my teeth!"), and drank it less and less often. Now, I think I've got it to a good balance (somewhat...) and even if I'm not enjoying a daily cup of cardboard (haha, Lilly), I still enjoy a mug now and then.