Applications have opened

The time for transfer students to apply to universities have opened...

Praying to God that this year will be my last year at community college and that next year I'll finally be at a university.  My transfer has been long overdue... a lot has happened in the recent years to cause the stoppage, and it's honestly heartbreaking in a sense...

But I just have to do the best that I can and hope that things will piece together and that I get into the right place.  I'm incessantly asking for God's help and guidance in my life at this time and for the strength, grace, and faith to accept whatever happens to me and my future.

"At the end of our lives we will be judged by love."

-St. John of the Cross

In times like these...

Sometimes there's that emptiness in the way you're feeling, as if you're hollow - like you're missing something.  But when you have everything you need, what's there to feel empty about?

Wants that come and go, temporary pleasures that don't last
Fleeting superfluous moments that came to be only because of the seeming necessity for it

Then I remember the big picture and I'm whole again.

Yonder bar keep!

Tonight I tried bartending for a room full of people and I raise my glass to all the bartenders out there - it's a tough gig! I had fun and everyone was polite despite my mediocrity... but I do have a specialty drink that's not so bad if I do say so my self hahaha.

And calling out the traditional "Last Call" is seriously one of the coolest things I've ever done.

Fridays for me

Just set the tea bag in the cup to let steep for four minutes.

Spending the night studying for my Saturday morning class tomorrow. 

This is perhaps one of the sadder blogs I've ever written.

So while you're out there on a Friday night, let it be known that somewhere, someone at this exact time is stuck in the corner of his room wishing he were probably in your position.

Tasty Opportunity Cost?

I was drinking coffee this morning that made me remember another time when I drinking tea and made me realize this:

Source: http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=aromes

I know this is a Cognac Aroma Wheel (and mmm is Cognac tasty), but for all intents and purposes, it serves as a great list of aromas and flavors in general.  I use it to train and study for when I'm having a hard time discerning flavors.

With experience I learned that different beverages have distinct flavor echelons with only the best of each drink having the complexity of many different distinct flavors. 

I realized that, while I was drinking my coffee this morning, I remembered having a hard time discerning the flavor in a special tea I had a few weeks ago. And I came to the conclusion that in my drinking coffee, I've lost a lot of the fineness of discerning subtle vegetal/fruit flavors for harsh complexity in robust, earthy-bittersweet flavors. 

I guess the only way to keep up is to keep a balance of drinks to brush up on different areas on taste. I'd be sad if I lost some senses for some flavors. But it's good to know so I can always relearn and refine :)