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An ode to that “coffee friend”

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Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#91

Post by kqr »

quickthrower2 wrote: post #18
plantain wrote: post #7

I do the exact opposite. Buying a gift for an expert when you are not an expert is always going to lead to disappointment, no matter how well they hide it. I buy gifts only from areas that I am an expert in, and I hope my friends may not be as enthusiastic about the area as I am, but at least we both know I got them the best for them.

Agreed. Beans from an exotic location are widely available worldwide, and they might care about how they were roasted as much as the origin. A gift voucher for a good local roaster might be good. Or ask them what gadget they want next for their setup.

Any coffee nerd I've come across cares almost only about type of bean and roasting (recency followed by intensity).

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#92

Post by BluSyn »

fishtoaster wrote: post #47

I thing I decided late in life is that being really into things is cool. Something I'm rather sad about is that highschool kinda beat that attitude out of me. I was a classic nerd, including all the bad attributes that label comes with, but also one really good one: I was really into a number of things. But I learned from hard experience that being super into stuff was lame - being disinterested and too cool for stuf…

This resonates, as I've had bad experiences with being "too into" things when I was younger. Eg, being called a "fanboy" in a derogatory way, just because I'm really passionate about a specific hobby, product, or technology. In my youth this was quite hurtful, and sometimes discouraged me from talking about my hobbies.

There are entire subreddits dedicated to hating on specific things or people. As if they define themselves not by what they love, but by what they hate, and derive some sick satisfaction from mocking others.

As I've gotten older, I realized these people are probably dead inside. So now I almost pity them. I can't imagine being so spiteful that I must shame another's passions.

LPT: Always pursue your passions without shame, and encourage others to do the same.

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#93

Post by renewiltord »

rootveg wrote: post #81
bliteben wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was recently struck by this tidbit about Cormac McCarthy: > As a child, McCarthy saw no value in school, preferring to pursue his own interests. He described a moment when his teacher asked the class about their hobbies. McCarthy answered eagerly, as he later said, "I was the only one with any hobbies and I had every hobby there was ... name anything, no matter how esoteric. I could have given everyone a hobby and…

Not to mock but that sounds like a classic ADHD trait... coming from someone who in the last few month bought a e-piano, started painting and sailing

Everything a pathology, innit mate? ADHD is only ADHD if it impairs your functioning. If you're interested in a lot and can complete things then it's clearly not a disorder. And the man has written many books so clearly does not have an attention disorder.

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#94

Post by derefr »

rootveg wrote: post #81
bliteben wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was recently struck by this tidbit about Cormac McCarthy: > As a child, McCarthy saw no value in school, preferring to pursue his own interests. He described a moment when his teacher asked the class about their hobbies. McCarthy answered eagerly, as he later said, "I was the only one with any hobbies and I had every hobby there was ... name anything, no matter how esoteric. I could have given everyone a hobby and…

Not to mock but that sounds like a classic ADHD trait... coming from someone who in the last few month bought a e-piano, started painting and sailing

You're thinking of having 50 attempted hobbies that you pretend you'll get back to one day. (I know; I have ADHD too.)

But McCarthy meant that he had 50+ concurrent consistently-actively-pursued hobbies/passions.

Which is something that's possible... if you have a lot of time on your hands, and you never allow anything into your life that drains you mentally so much that doing it kills your motivation to do anything else for the rest of the day. (Which IMHO is really only an option for people who are either retired, "independently wealthy", or being homeschooled.)

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#95

Post by hinkley »

rootveg wrote: post #81
bliteben wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was recently struck by this tidbit about Cormac McCarthy: > As a child, McCarthy saw no value in school, preferring to pursue his own interests. He described a moment when his teacher asked the class about their hobbies. McCarthy answered eagerly, as he later said, "I was the only one with any hobbies and I had every hobby there was ... name anything, no matter how esoteric. I could have given everyone a hobby and…

Not to mock but that sounds like a classic ADHD trait... coming from someone who in the last few month bought a e-piano, started painting and sailing

> is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and two short stories

Still think he has ADHD?

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#96

Post by simonebrunozzi »

bliteben wrote: post #62
fishtoaster wrote: post #47

I thing I decided late in life is that being really into things is cool. Something I'm rather sad about is that highschool kinda beat that attitude out of me. I was a classic nerd, including all the bad attributes that label comes with, but also one really good one: I was really into a number of things. But I learned from hard experience that being super into stuff was lame - being disinterested and too cool for stuf…

I was recently struck by this tidbit about Cormac McCarthy: > As a child, McCarthy saw no value in school, preferring to pursue his own interests. He described a moment when his teacher asked the class about their hobbies. McCarthy answered eagerly, as he later said, "I was the only one with any hobbies and I had every hobby there was ... name anything, no matter how esoteric. I could have given everyone a hobby and…

First time I hear about him, and I feel I should read something by him. What's the single best recommendation you can give us?

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#97

Post by bee_rider »

notinfuriated wrote: post #77
bee_rider wrote: post #61

> I love when a friend is into something like coffee. We all know someone like that— they grind their own beans, brew their own fancy coffees, and have their own favorite coffee shop to get a cold brew. Please somebody tell me this is an incredibly low bar to be "the coffee friend" -- I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility.

Seems like a high enough bar to me. I know zero people like this, despite the article assuring me that we all know someone like this. If I did know someone like this, I suppose I'd think of them as my "coffee friend" or rather, friend who is really into coffee. That is unless they also had a bunch of other esoteric hobbies that overshadow the coffee thing.

Huh, weird.

I have a really basic grinder, actually it is more of a thwacker, in the sense that you just plop the beans in there and it'll thwack them to bits (want fine ground for pour over? Hold the button longer. French press? Don't hold it too long). This shouldn't count. You can get really fancy grinders.

And who doesn't have a favorite coffee place?

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#98

Post by koonsolo »

fishtoaster wrote: post #47

I thing I decided late in life is that being really into things is cool. Something I'm rather sad about is that highschool kinda beat that attitude out of me. I was a classic nerd, including all the bad attributes that label comes with, but also one really good one: I was really into a number of things. But I learned from hard experience that being super into stuff was lame - being disinterested and too cool for stuf…

This "too cool for stuff" sounds like US culture. I never experienced that kind of thing in EU. We each had our own friend groups, and didn't really care what the other groups were into.

I once heard an artist say (can't remember which one), that they loved playing in Europe, since everyone at a festival is there to have fun. While in US, everyone is there to look cool.

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#99

Post by xhevahir »

simonebrunozzi wrote: post #96
bliteben wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was recently struck by this tidbit about Cormac McCarthy: > As a child, McCarthy saw no value in school, preferring to pursue his own interests. He described a moment when his teacher asked the class about their hobbies. McCarthy answered eagerly, as he later said, "I was the only one with any hobbies and I had every hobby there was ... name anything, no matter how esoteric. I could have given everyone a hobby and…

First time I hear about him, and I feel I should read something by him. What's the single best recommendation you can give us?

If you want to read his latest, he put out his first novel in a long time just yesterday.

Re: An ode to that “coffee friend”

#100

Post by nxmnxm99 »

koonsolo wrote: post #98
fishtoaster wrote: post #47

I thing I decided late in life is that being really into things is cool. Something I'm rather sad about is that highschool kinda beat that attitude out of me. I was a classic nerd, including all the bad attributes that label comes with, but also one really good one: I was really into a number of things. But I learned from hard experience that being super into stuff was lame - being disinterested and too cool for stuf…

This "too cool for stuff" sounds like US culture. I never experienced that kind of thing in EU. We each had our own friend groups, and didn't really care what the other groups were into. I once heard an artist say (can't remember which one), that they loved playing in Europe, since everyone at a festival is there to have fun. While in US, everyone is there to look cool.

It's a nice sentiment but really isn't accurate.... unless you're suggesting nerds don't get bullied in Europe
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