i’ve installed a pandora widget in the sounds category to let people explore other music i’m into.

how can this actually make people want to buy it? or is it supposed to give you the headache first?

so…i think you’re supposed to apply it to your forehead….

or something.

here’s a quick run down of things that have been going on with me:

trivia night:  tonight’s topic is wine.  sorry for the short notice, but i’ve been pretty busy as of late.

movies:  saw a scanner darkly with kate and carissa last weekend.  it was meh at best.  seeing rotoscope on the big screen is pretty awesome though.  still need to see the new pirates, the al gore movie (is this worth a big screen viewing?), and a few other things.

travel:  kate and i just got back monday night from seeing her family in illinois.  hellacious travel to get there, coming back a lot smoother.  next trip will hopefully be down to see my sister and her baby in wilmington, after that will be the roaster’s guild trip.

reads:  finished up sarah vowell’s assasination vacation.  really awesome if you are into history, travelogues and the genius wisecracking of sarah vowell.  admittedly, as i read it i imagine her voice, which makes it all the funnier.  i’m now reading neil gaiman’s american gods as well as a little graphic novel action with five fists of science.  all good stuff.  on the horizon is the new york city trilogy of auster, a boatload of kurt vonnegut i picked up, and don delillo’s underworld.

sounds:  kate and i went to see maude maggart last night.  awesome combination of music history lesson, personal anecdotes, and really beautiful performances from the american songbook.  her version of skylark absolutely blew me away.  in other listen’s, i’m digging the new EP from richmond’s prabir and the substitutes, the heavy metal beauty of dragon force, trying to make my way through katherine whalen’s solo album, and countless other things.  still, my choices for the summer jams this year remain the same:  Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy and Schooner’s Trains and Parades.  both great songs to cure some summertime blues.

work:  how the hell can people drink this much coffee when it’s so freaking hot outside.  tim and i have been working hard covering for each other’s vacations, dealing with new accounting software, and getting into some really nice new coffees.  counter culture’s new kenya auction lot is awesome, and i’m also a big fan of our nicaragua matagalpa san ramon, and the fair trade organic ethiopia yirgacheffe is still one of the most elegant coffees i’ve had in a while.  while traveling i got a chance to come across some espresso paladino at coffehound and really enjoyed it.

mad props to kate for sending me this totally sweet link.

upon scott’s recommendation, this week’s trivia night will be based around units of measure. the topic for next week is still up in the air, so feel free to keep suggestions rolling in.

well, as if you haven’t heard enough of these already, we’ve got yet another opening at counter culture. this one is pretty cake. it’s just putting coffee into bags. maybe some occaisional blending, shipping, or driving the delivery van, but mostly, just bagging. standard counter culture benefits apply… as usual, email if you or someone you know is interested.

ok, so in the interest of me trying to save some time and not wanting to dig through the crazy trivia file, i’m opening up the floor for suggestions for the next two weeks for round 2 topics. i’m heading out of town this thursday, getting back on monday and then next tuesday i’m off to see maude maggart in greensboro. so my standard days for working on trivia are a little shot.

so…what would you like to see a round 2 based around?

for those of you that like radiohead, you might be interested in this fresh air interview with thom yorke regarding his solo album.

it’s all about the pirates tomorrow night. look for it to be tough.

so in addition to the roaster position that i mentioned a little while ago, we also have an opening in our coffee traffic department. it’s not a super glamourous job, you’ll basically be talking on the phone with customers and taking orders. it’s a lot of desk work, and requires good phone and social skills. i’m not sure about the pay range. if you’re interested, shoot me an email.