Appears an important memo has leaked out of the high ranks of DoubleShot Coffee Company. Some of our most important company secrets were in that document!

With a moment's notice, the Channel 6 news team showed up here to interview me about the conclusion of the Starbucks debacle. Ashli Sims came with her camera man, whose name I didn't get. They grilled me with questions, filmed my every move, and listened intently to all my utterances. We laughed, we cried, we got mad at each other... What an interview!
The story will run tonight on the 10 o'clock news- channel 6.
Or you can probably watch it online.

Ok, so here's my theory.
I see these people coming in to my store yesterday with ashes on their foreheads. And my mind starts spinning. Ashes, huh? What is this all about? And then I realized that I could do the same with coffee grounds. So I put a mark of espresso ground coffee on my forehead- so I could fit in and see what it feels like. And then I started thinking... wait, it's just like coffee, except it's burnt. Burnt coffee... burnt coffee...
STARBUCKS!
So I'm thinking that maybe this is a ploy. Maybe Starbucks has infiltrated the Catholic church and is putting the ashes from their burnt coffee on the Catholic people. It's a sign, like the lamb's blood on the door frame at Passover. Maybe someday, Starbucks will decide to do us all in. All of us that aren't Starbucks people; all of us without the ashes of burnt coffee on our foreheads. I don't know... I'm just thinking.
But I think, if you look really closely, you'll see that those ashes are not in the form of a cross at all, but in the shape of a mermaid.
A MERMAID!!!

(If Howard Schultz turns out to be the next Pope... well, you heard it here first.)

On Sunday afternoon, I went out for a ride on my nearly-new mountain bike. It has been quite some time since I've ridden, so my legs were weak and I was sucking wind like a Hoover.

So that night, I had a dream. I dreamt that I chased down Paul Tay (in his santa suit) and beat the shit out of him. Except that I felt so weak that when I punched him (in the face), it was like I was under water. My fists seemed to be moving slowly and no matter how hard I punched, I couldn't seem to get any power into it. I did bloody him up pretty good though, and everyone around cheered.

Guess I need to get on my bike more often. Coffee should help.

On a related note (not really), The DOUBLESHOT COFFEE COMPANY 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY is coming up. March 5. Stay tuned...

I don't know if you've been listening to my podcast, but if you haven't, you're in for a treat. Well... "treat" might be a strong word.

Anyway, AA Cafe is the official podcast of DoubleShot Coffee Company. We're up to episode #38. This week's podcast is less about coffee and more about the ultramarathon I ran in last weekend. In the end, though, we do cover one CoffeeNews™ story and you get the pleasure of hearing me cup Burger King coffee.

You can find the podcast in the iTunes music store or on the podcast feed listed on the right side of this page.

A woman came in today and had a cup of coffee in ceramic. A bit later she came back and asked for a refill. I told her that the first refill is free. To that, she said "That's a good deal."

I thought... "Not unless you like the coffee."

I learned something this weekend, which will probably come as no surprise to you.

I can't run 100 miles without training.

I know that sounds weird, but I guess that thought never occurred to me. I don't live like that- with limits on myself. Deep down, I think I can do anything, any time. And that's not exactly true. I can't run 100 miles without training.

I haven't exercised in months. I don't go to the gym; I don't run; I don't bike; I don't do anything but work. I ran once in August, twice in September, twice in November, and again this past weekend (all races). I didn't have the physical capacity or the mental clarity to finish. I stopped at 60 miles, not because I was physically broken down- I had run the cleanest race ever- but because I simply did not want to run any more.

It's very difficult to withdraw from a race, and this one was especially hard. I've finished it the last two years, and I might could've this year, had my mind been in the right place. And when it was all over, and I distanced myself from the situation, I came away with three things:
Don't try to run 100 miles without training.
Don't run in worn-out shoes.
Get brighter lights.

That's it. If I decide to race this length in the future, I'm going to have to find time to train. I really want to get back on my bike, but we'll see.

The guy who won, Anton Krupicka, (and his girlfriend, Jenn Shelton, who got third overall and first of women) were incredible. It's like they're not real people. They run like antelope through the woods and at the end (finishing times 13:32 and 14:57) they didn't even look tired. They are amazing.

Thanks to my friends Kari and Audra (pictured, left to right), who drove me down to the race, catered to my every whim, put up with my attitude, and generally did the dirty work of crewing an ultra-runner. That can't be fun. So thanks a lot to both of you for that.

Back in business tomorrow. I just finished roasting, and we're raring to go with $2 Tuesday just hours away.

More (obvious) revelations when I come up with them...

I have returned from Costa Rica.
I have been trying to blog about my trip to the La Minita estate, but the words just won't come out yet. So I'll give it time.

In the mean time, I am headed off for another race. This weekend I'm going to Texas to run in another 100 mile ultramarathon. The Rocky Raccoon 100 in Huntsville.

Therefore, DoubleShot will be SHUT Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I will be open again regular hours on Tuesday (7:08a).

Wish me luck; I haven't run in a couple months.