Tag: contemplation

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Coffee and Contemplation: Self-Improvement Month

September is Self-Improvement Month. There are all kinds of ways for one to improve themselves. It depends on what kind of person they want to be and what they have to do to get there. It could be something as simple as learning to recipes for dinner or saving money for a new car. I want to share some of the things I’ve done to improve myself. Most of these things I’ve been doing for almost a year. I recommend using Self-Improvement Month as a starting point for short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals being less than a year and long-term taking a year or longer.

I made a list for myself and am happy to say I crossed off all my short-term goals and even a couple long-term. These were simple things like saving money and getting some new clothes. There were many other things that weren’t on my goals list. For example, I had money saved to get some dental work I’ve needed. I had to get a root canal and a crown. I’ve been reading more books and writing a lot more. I’ve even planned a little road trip for my birthday weekend. So what are you doing to improve yourself? 

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Coffee and Contemplation: What’s with All the Stuff on this Blog?

I’ve posted all kinds of things on this blog. I’ve shared some knowledge and holidays and tips. It’s been a while since I’ve talked to my readers. I wanted to share and explain some of these segments on this blog and why I do things the way I do. I considered that maybe others read or like the posts but don’t know what all the titles mean. What’s the difference between Poetry Monday and Throwback Thursday Poetry? Once I’ve explained it all, I wonder of which things my readers will want more. What new things should I share?

I’ll start with the poetry segments. Poetry Monday and Tuesday Poetry are the days I post poems from my newest works. These are the most recent published poems. Throwback Thursday Poetry and Flashback Friday Poetry are poems from many years ago. Most of them were written between 2002 to 2014. After I’ve posted a poem as a throwback or flashback, I feel the need to retire them from the blog. The older poems are not always the best. Now and then I’ll have special segments such as my Protest Poetry this month and Caturday Poetry back in April.

I started Wacky Wednesdays because I had found several lists of words that felt strange and unusual and I wanted to share them. I added the holidays shortly after to give the posts a little more depth. This segment, Coffee and Contemplation, is intended to be about have some coffee and discussing a topic of some kind. I don’t think I always write the posts in that manner, but I enjoy the title regardless. Perhaps I expand this to an actual discussion among a small group of people.

I’m always thinking of new things to post about on this blog and sometimes I struggle. I plan to figure what it is I’m doing with the novels I’ve focused on reading. It’s helped me get a clearer image of my own writing. What I want is to have a post about each of the books I’ve read on this journey. Nothing extravagant. A quick synopsis and the things I took away. I don’t want to write in depth literary analyses about each novel. I’ll get bored of that too fast. Maybe I’ll get to that point. Maybe I’ll find something else to write about. One thing is certain, I’ve focused on this blog and have slacked on my fiction writing. At least I’m writing something.

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Coffee and Contemplation: National Rum Day

Today offers several celebrations. It’s National Tell a Joke Day, National Roller Coaster Day, and National Airborne Day. If you know anyone who was in the Airborne division of the military, thank them for their service and offer to listen to a story they’re willing to tell. If you don’t know what Airborne means, I recommend you look it up. Today is also National Rum Day and that’s what I want to discuss. Of all the liquors, rum is my favorite followed by whiskey. I’m specific about the kind of rum I drink, however. 

My rum of choice is the Kraken Black Spiced Rum. There are many dark rums but they’re often not black. Of the few black rums I’ve found, the Kraken has the best flavor in my opinion. I’ve even learned they have a rum infused with coffee which I plan to buy in celebration of National Rum Day. If you’ve never tried it, I recommend the Kraken. If rum isn’t your thing, then we can’t be friends. 

Did you know rum has been produced since the third century BCE? It didn’t become popular until the 17th Century when colonizers began growing sugarcane in the Caribbean. Molasses came from sugarcane and was used to make rum as well as contribute to the slave trade. In 1764, the British Crown placed a tax on sugar, molasses, and rum on the American colonies. This tax was called The Sugar Act of 1764. It was instrumental in the unrest that finally became the American Revolution.

Have yourself a rum cocktail this evening in celebration of rum. Also celebrate that rum today is slave free. I enjoy having rum on the rocks with nothing else added. How do you enjoy your rum or other cocktails? Did I mention I wrote a poem about the Kraken and it was featured on the Kraken Rum Instagram page? Check it our below.

Dead Men Tell No Tales

The large arm lifted higher
Than the masthead
Shiny and black with
Hooks pushing out of each sucker
The ship crushed in twine
A large beak like a bird
Rose from the water
Catching the crew of the lost vessel
The rest of the beast hidden
We watched from the safety of our ship
As our sister ship was devoured
By the merciless black titan