Good Coffee

27th of September, 2010

Dear Cassi,

Well, I got my Tanzanian coffee. Its coffee grown on a volcano to insure that it lives in the best soil on earth, grown in the shade of other plants so that it does not damage the environment, and packed in a worker owned plant. Maybe I have too much of a thing for coffee, but it wasn't all that expensive. Less than Starbucks at seven dollars a 12 oz bag. It sounds funny to me to buy lavish coffee, but better coffee does the trick and bad coffee gives you acid gut.

Yesterday, I had a headache from lack of coffee. I could have avoided it by buying soda with my lunch but I'm sure I didn't need those six-hundred calories. On the one hand I should just go cold turkey on the whole coffee thing, and on the other I'd just need to get back on it when I work. If I ever get out of security I'll drink less coffee. Or I may just keep up the coffee and have some other reason to work at night. It depends on what I wind up doing.

The webcomic thing is still not where it needs to be even if I got the stuff for site two today. I still need to put up a banner and pong, those are images the site needs, and then promote my comics. It's a grueling process full of long hours, and sounds a lot like my early days in security. 'Keep working until you get it right,' is my new life slogan. God, this is just too much.

I watch the mail every day hoping for a letter from Tor Books knowing that I shouldn't even expect one until December. It's mind raking, and I should be focusing on getting other things done in my life. Focus on getting it done not what will happen if it does? We move through the humdrum of our little lives, and fight to find a bit of this world to feel safe in. Some of us never find one, some can't stand it when they do, and others never need to look.

Every time I deal with one problem another comes up, they stack like dishes in a sink, no matter what you need to deal with the ones on top before you get to the ones deep down. Still, it's the ones deep down that really stink.

Regardless, if it comes about that you need that old laptop after all let me know? It runs like crap, but the thing is sturdy as a rock. I haven't tested to see if the wifi plug in works with it or not, but you might be able to get online at your local MacDonalds. I gave my other old laptop to Ken and he will be using it until December 19th or later. I think I could get his other computer working if he let me look at it, but he is waiting for his son to come down.

Anyway, I'm sending along something different today. It's an essay for one of my classes. You might find it interesting. It's based on a story the teacher gave us that I have included at the end of the essay.

Have fun reading it

Richard Leland Neal

Essay will be posted on March 28th so keep check back in two days.