When a sailor talks about coffee, he talks about it like he would a lover. Any Navy place you go to, there’s a coffee mess, usually with a tip jar towards supplies but it actually doesn’t matter if someone puts money in there or not. Because there is always going to be someone like me or my doc who will pay out of pocket to fill the thing up just to make sure it’s stocked.

In Iraq, I’m drinking some of the best coffee I’ve ever had. Why? Because of the soldier support folk who send out some amazing coffee care packages. Starbucks? Got it. Hand made hippy French Roast? Yup. Voodoo Child Jimmy Hendrix coffee? Got that too. Sweetened condensed milk to go with espresso? Oh yes. Thank you Doc’s sister Penny, birdlady and others, my happiness is in direct proportion to the volume and how good my coffee is.

Thank you , my taste buds are very happy these days.

You notice the espresso machine on the right? Before you go and think about how spoiled I am (I might be), let me tell you the story behind it. A couple of months ago, my mom and I were going garage saling around Prescott Arizona and saw a sign for 50% off everything at a garage sale. That espresso machine had a sticker for 5 bucks on it, I brought it up and they gave it to me for 2.50. Can’t beat that. It was a wedding present to a Mormon couple who didn’t drink coffee. Bonus! Probably the best two-fifty I spent last year and it’s going to give years of great service to this department long after I’m gone.

The French press arrived today, it was a gift for Doc from his sister Penny along with that huge sack of Gimme! French Roast Coffee out of Ithaca, New York. Some of the best coffee that has touched my tongue. Thank you!