Crimson Cup Taste Casting

This morning the Taste Casting crew met at the Headquarters for The Crimson Cup for a tour, tasting, some education on coffee and a "cupping" session. Cupping is kind of like a wine tasting only with coffee. This is a video I took of Armando Escobar the "Chief Espresso Officer" and Greg Ubert, Founder & President of Crimson Cup compare beans then, Armando and Janie Brooks "Lead Instigator" create frozen hot chocolate and strawberry smoothies for us to taste.

Sorry about the quality of the video, it's from my cell phone. :)





Here are a few pictures I took as well:



I also highly recommend the Carmel Apple Smoothie! Yum!
You can follow the Crimson Cup on Twitter too!

Taste Casting at the Suisse Shop

So you probably saw the previous video from 10 TV about Taste Casters and you know that I was at the first two events. I put together a little slide show of pictures from the Suisse Shop. You can find more information and other Taste Casters blog posts non the Taste Casting web site.

Now for the show:

Taste Casting On Channel 10

I am part of a new group in Columbus called Taste Casting. We are a group of social media users that get invited to local restaurants to participate in a food tasting. During the tasting, we tweet about our experience and later blog about the event.



We launched just last week with two events and WBNS 10 TV in Columbus did a story about it.

Look Ma! I'm on TV!

Tell Me Thursday

Welcome to this weeks Tell Me Thursday. Where I explain yesterday's Wordless Wednesday Picture.

This picture was taken several years ago on the Great Ohio Bike Adventure (GOBA) sorry to say the raccoon was road kill. It was a particularly hot day and all of the safety staff were reminding us at every turn to drink plenty of water. Someone saw this raccoon along side the road we were riding on and though it would be funny to leave his/her water bottle in the raccoons paws.

Every one was cracking up when we rode past. Funniest part was this was at the bottom of a long steep uphill. We were all laughing so hard, we couldn't pedal ourselves up the hill. Many just gave up (me included) and walked our bikes up the hill, giggling the whole way.

To see others participating in Wordless Wednesday go HERE.
To find links to other Tell Me Thursday's go HERE.

Wordless Wednesday

Remember S & H Green Stamps?

Are you old enough to remember S & H Green Stamps? All of the local grocery stores were giving them out when you bought food. A couple of gas stations were in on the deal as well and gave out Green Stamps when you purchased gas. That was way back when gas stations had attendees that pumped your gas, checked your oil and washed your windshield as part of the deal on a fill up.

When I was little, I remember my mother sitting me down with the green stamp catalog to pick out what I wanted for my birthday. I used to think of Green Stamps as birthday stamps. That was how my mother financed birthday presents for her kids. With six kids to feed, that meant a pretty expensive grocery bill, which meant a lot of Green Stamps, which meant a pretty decent birthday present.

So today is my birthday and I'm thinking I'd like another chance to perused the Green Stamp catalog to pick out my present. Imagine what that catalog might have if Green Stamps were still around today. Adult toys like ipods and mac books would be pretty cool. Maybe some blue tooth gadgets or even a big screen hi def TV?

I'd still stroll through the toys for little kids though, you never know what you might find.

My Improve From Ignite Columbus 2

As promised, Here is the video of my surprise improve on a deck of slides I had never seen before. If you aren't familiar with Ignite, go HERE.

Other wise, Sit back and have a laugh on me.

Tell Me Thursday

Here is the explanation for yesterday's Wordless Wednesday. As I wrote yesterday, those two pictures are related. The link is the scuffed up shoes. I have always been unreasonably fond of old, broken in, scuffed up shoes. Until recently, I couldn't explain why. I just enjoyed the sight of them as I put them on in the morning and tied the laces.

At my birthday party last year, my mother created a poster board display with pictures of me through my childhood and among them was the other picture you saw in yesterday's post. On the left, you will see my mother's shoes sticking into the picture. They're old, broken in and just a little scuffed up.

I love this picture of me because it always made me feel special to my mother. The idea that she thought so much of me as a baby, that she climbed up on a chair to take a picture of me. This picture, more than any of the others, gives me a sense of belonging. I am my mother's daughter, I am part of a family and I am loved. When I look at this picture, I sense that I delighted my mother as a child and so when I see my scuffed up shoes, that sense resonates in me a new.

I've been through many pairs of old scuffed up shoes and have a terrible time letting go of them when it is time. Always wanting to wait until the new shoes are worn before throwing away the old ones.

I came to this realization some months ago and held on to the knowledge of it, keeping it to my self for just a bit longer. It was my special secret that I am now choosing to share with you in the hopes that you will tell me what you have that reminds you that you are special to someone.

Wordless Wednesday

This week's Wordless Wednesday has two pictures. Check back tomorrow for Tell Me Thursday for the explanation.