What better thing to write about than the birth of my new nephew!! Yesterday the world welcomes into it Eli Lange Stamps!  Great job Matt & Althea!  Ya did good little sis.  Now the real work begins :=)

This has been a pretty excited time for Brotherhood of the Bean, my Coffee product & culture blog. For a long time I have worked to develop it into a coffee resource that offers valuable product and culture insights. In truth it has been a lot of fun.

Some time ago I became aware of the 9rules blog network, from what I saw I knew it was the community for me. The problem was that thousands of others had the same idea. So I decided to sit back and enjoy the community while I waited for my application to be reviewed.

Along the way I found some of the most interesting people on the web, and with the newly available notes feature, I could communicate my thoughts with them. I thought it was pretty cool.

You can imagine my pride and excitement when I was invited to become a member. To have Brotherhood of the Bean recognized as being being of a high enough caliber for 9rules means a lot to me.

For those of you wondering what 9rules is all about:
9rules is a place where members and readers can connect, build relationships, gain exposure, learn new things, and have fun. 9rules started in 2003 with a set of 9 rules:

1. Love what you do.
2. Never stop learning.
3. Form works with function.
4. Simple is beautiful.
5. Work hard, play hard.
6. You get what you pay for.
7. When you talk, we listen.
8. Must constantly improve.
9. Respect your inspiration.

I really have no respect for our President any more. His latest antics over the $35 billion expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) was the last straw in a long line antics on his part that made me utter — “What a fucking asshole.”

He huffed, he puffed, he said he would veto it, but in the end it was all just one man’s attempt to bully the Congress into backing down. And why?

What is $35 billion when compared to a pending $189 billion request for Iraq & Afghanistan in 2008? And how was this $35 billion to be paid for? Increase in my taxes? No.

By an increase in the federal tobacco tax from 39 cents to $1 a pack. What better way to have something that kills people pay for health care for children. As a Father I know how important being able to get medical treatment for my son is.

I can only imagine the panic that I would feel if I found myself in that grey zone of income where I made too much to qualify for public aid, but not enough to afford insurance. Hell a simple trip to the ER could end up costing $5-6k for something simple. What will a parent say? No son, we can’t afford to take you to a doctor.

Its insane, this president is out of control. In the end he signed it. He had to, his pet project (the war) forced him to. The sad thing is that he will have a legacy, the world will remember him, just not in the way that he thinks it will.

Well we are fresh back from dropping Maverick off at kindergarten. The ladies (Karin & Betty) are off shopping to give me some quiet time before Karin puts my ass to work cleaning the house in preparation for her party tonight (I love my days off).

This morning started with one excited boy, he was in a good mood and not at all hesitant or scared like I feared he might be. At times he can be pretty shy, so I had hoped today would go well and it did thankfully.

We ate some of Betty’s banana bread and drank some coffee that Karin has added Tastefully Simple Vanilla Bean chiller mix to which was totally kick ass tasting. At 8:25 AM we headed out for pictures and to join the “Mom Parade” as Karin calls, heading down to the school.

I really think talking up how cool school is helped Maverick, he clearly was not afraid or hesitant, excitement bubbled behind his eyes. As we came closer to the school the ladies started to feel more emotional. I was waiting for the waterworks from Karin, I really thought she would be bawling like a baby, but alas and alack — they never came. Good for you Karin!

Grandma Betty on the other had, did not fare so well. There were tears, but they were well hidden. My attempts to capture them with the camera were met with disdain, and generally failed. All in all, it was a pretty cool experience. It really made me think back to when I was in kindergarten.

Its amazing the things I still remember — the door outside, my friend Jim, my mom taking our photo, the hooks outside the room, the orange day glow chairs in the room. Looking over their curriculum for the year its wild how much different, how much more educational the kindergarten program is today compared to when I was in kindergarten some 32, almost 33 years ago.

Every year our friends Megan & Matt host a series of Friday night movies in their backyard. It’s a chance for the adults to relax and enjoy a cocktail or two while the kids run around like banshees and play on the playset.

Matt has a great setup for the movies — a sweet computer projector that makes a nice ten plus foot screen. As the night heads toward twilight the kids and adults have had their fill of any number of treats that have been brought for the festivities.

As the sun slowly sets the screen on the side of their house slowly starts to become more and more apparent and the kids know movie time has finally come. We hosted a movie night once at our house to give Matt & Megan a break and while we all had a great time, it just didn’t have that touch of magic that exists in their backyard.

That’s not to say that our yard won’t ever have that magic, but right now its a barren wasteland of grass. Megan & Matt’s yard by comparison has well thought our flower gardens that hold surprises one might not normally expect to see in a typical garden. Its just a fun place to be, centrally located between two other of our friends. A win-win situation really.

So to Megan & Matt if you are reading this — A hearty thank you from us to you! This summer’s movie night was a smashing success, we are looking forward to next year already!

Went to some friends house today for an event they put on called “Wiffle & Wings” — despite the overcast sky the party pushed forward. Some of the biggest wings I have ever seen were BBQ’d to perfection.

After we had all gorged ourselves and had a few beers, the party was moved to the backyard. With the kids playing contently on a fort, in the trampoline, or on the swings, the guys broke out the Wiffle ball equipment.

Wiffle Ball — how that brings back memories of playing pickup wiffle ball games with my neighborhood friends Pym, Keet, Du and Dave (he never did get a nickname). Its funny the things you remember when thinking about past events.

Like the gnarled old tree that we used as a backstop (and would later become the tree that Dave would fall out of onto his head). I remember a giant pussy willow tree that led to their dilapidated old patio. That to this day I am not sure if was ever actually used.

I even remember the rules we setup for the game — first base was next to the bush by the barking dog house, second base was on the back lot line, third base was the top right corner of the vegetable garden and home plate was the gnarled old tree.

I smiled to myself tonight as the same sort of haggling went on regarding what was foul, where a home run was, etc. Some things just never change.