Bru... oh forget it...

As the faithful readers know, I have been quite vocal about my dislike of my new coffee travel mug from Brugo. For those who are interested, I simply wanted to share another trial it presented me...

This morning, as I poured my coffee in the mug (yes I use it still... mainly because I lost my good mug and the replacement was crappy)... so I poured my coffee and started to tighten the lid... the only problem was the lid kept spinning. It took a moment before I realized that the lid was not spinning, instead the metalic rim was spinning due to the fact that the glue that holds it on lost its glue-y-ness. I just had to laugh at that point... the mug I thought couldn't get worse, actually got worse. So, I am officially starting my quest today to find a new mug... so all you coffee drinkers out there, if you have the bomb-digity travel mug, let me know cause I'm in the market...

the Brugo saga continues...

While I still stand by my review of the Brugo coffee mug (here) I wanted to let you read the reply that was posted on my blog by the inventor of the Brugo. I appreciate his honesty (and the fact that he stopped by the crockpot in the first place). So, in honor of his efforts and his public relations prowess, here is his post:

1 Comments:

At 4:18 PM, http://www.brugomug.com/ said...
Hello All, Well its been a long couple of months . Let me tell you. I am the inventor of Brugo. I have been paying close attention to all the comments, good and bad. Your both right!!! A few years back I set out to make a coffee mug that addressed every problem that a coffee drinker faces in his daily travels. I came up with the PTZ( Perfect Temperature Zone) concept. By separating 1.5 oz's of coffee from the main content, it would cool your coffee one sip at a time. This would take the wait off the front end, keeping your coffee hotter for the life of the cup. I also wanted to make a fashion statement with my mug. On Sept 1,2005, I had the first working prototype, By Nov 1 I had made 1200 to test and do some focus groups. Somehow, Without asking for it,A mug made it to "Mens Health Magazine". They put it in their December Tech Guide Issue as a "Top 100 Product" for 2006. One week later, "Good Morning America". Holy Cow!!!!!! What do I do now?? Within a week, Running my company by myself, 15000 mugs were sold. Scrambling to figure out what to do.I did the best I could. I ordered mugs to fill orders and had them airfreighted in at a loss. I am not looking for sympathy. I feel that Brugo customers deserve an explanation.The mugs that were rushed in, although good, could have been better.Customer service at the time was no where near what it needed to be. We stand behind our product and are continuously improving PTZ technology. To anyone who has had problem, I do apologize and would like to make it up somehow,please call me or Email me. 1-877-brugo-go. Keep on posting your thoughts, It makes us work harder at getting better. Sincerely, Spero Pavlos President JolexUsa Posted by: Spero at February 17, 2006 08:32 PM Post a comment

twocent politics...

OK, first things first, I am not a political know-it-all. Also, I just finished listening to 4 hours of lectures on ecclesiology and it is almost midnight... So, take my two cents as just that...

Anyway, I read an article in Time the other day that got me thinking. The article was about the freshman senator, Barack Obama, and his rise to fame amongst the political landscape. While his political career is still quite young, many are pegging him to be the first black president. He has already said that he does not intend to run in 08, but many speculate that anything after that is open game.

The thing that struck me about the article was the sense of "game" that was about Obama and politicians in general. Everything they do (I know not everything) is a calculated move to position one's self for a better, more powerful position. My problem with that is I want "public servants" to have me, their constituent, as their motive... See, it seems to me that the government is designed to serve the people... Police and armed forces are formed to provide the citizens protection, education systems are designed to help educate and empower the people, courts are established to help govern the people... all these are, to a degree, the byproducts of the government. So, my problem becomes that when issues are brought before congress or the senate and my representative, or any representative, factors into his decision how his vote will impact his next election, or even an election in 10 years... not only that but how his or her vote will rest with his party members... that bothers me.

Actually, I don't mind too much that those thoughts figure into the equation, just how much is the real issue. I believe that our representatives should always be asking themselves, "regardless of what this means for me, what does this mean for the people I sit here representing." If that is not the lions share of the equation then I am greatly saddened and disappointed.

So, the question remains, can a person can make a career out of politics and keep the focus on the people. I wonder how many politicians are in anguish about the votes they make because they have waded through the out-working of how their vote effects people like me and you. I would say, saddly, they may be in anguish, but more likely it because of how their votes will effect themselves and not you.

1 Peter 5:2-3 says, "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock." oh that God would raise up politicians that fit that bill...

twocent flu...

Sorry for not posting last week. I came down with the black plague or something like that Wednseday afternoon and it lingered until Saturday afternoon. I'm working right now, so I can't post more than this short snipit, but I want you to know that I have two posts lingering in my brain... one is about the idea of making a career out of politics (spurred by a Time magazine article I read last week) and the other is about the education system in America (spurred by an NPR piece on Darwin vs. ID debate). So, check back later this week for more twocent goodness.

The "urban renewal" of my chin...

So, a while back I posted about a gray hair that I had found on my head. It was an odd moment, but I basically forgot about it... until yesterday morning, when shaving my face I saw, almost glowing, in my ghotee, a WHITE hair... Now, this was just a strange feeling... looking at my face and seeing a white hair. See, on my head it seemed, well, a bit normal. But for some reason, seeing a white hair on my chin was really odd. I find myself staring at it every time I am near a mirror, as if to see if it is still there or if the lighting was playing tricks on me in the last 4 mirrors I looked in... Inevitably, it is still there each time.

Now, mind you, I don't have a problem with white hairs on my face or the reality that some day all the hairs on my head and face could turn white... it is just, well, something I didn't really give any thought to until it happened... I wonder when more of his white friends will move in... will my face slowly play out the 'urban renewal' that is happening throughout richmond... will my chin be the next Carry Street? Will all the diversity of my chin, with its brown, red and yellow residents, slowly dwindle away as more and more white hairs take over. It is kind of sad... But maybe there is hope... maybe just a few whites will show up... and the diversity will simply increase as a new resident joins the neighborhood of my chin... As with Cary Street and the other like it, for my chin only time will tell.

twocent book review

4 out of 4 crockpots

There are lots of books that you will read in you life that will give you good information. There will be books that cause you to think and ponder great issues. Then there are books that will change your life. The Supremacy of God in Preaching falls into the later category.

With an amazing blend of practical and theological, historical and modern, timely and timeless, John Piper delivers a clarion call to all those who would stand to preach and teach God's word. The call is back to the bible and to Jesus Christ. With the eloquence and humility of a man who has truly internalized the message he brings, Piper challenges young and old to a higher standard in our preaching.

While I could continue here to give you a more technical review, I would like to focus more appropriately on the impact the book had on me. Namely there were two things that this book did for me. First, it reminded me that above all things, the hearers of my messages need to gaze upon the Glory of God in the face of Christ. Our preaching is not a means by which we are to encourage people to "hang in there" or "6 ways to be happy"... Our preaching is to exalt Jesus Christ who is the only way to hang in there and the 1 and only way to be happy. Anything less than preaching satisfaction and suffiencey in Jesus Christ alone is a disservice to those who listen. As Piper puts it, "the goal of preaching is the glory of God and the grounds for that preaching is the cross of Christ."

The second great impact of this book on my life was that of encouragement. As one who stands in front of people to glorify God through the teaching and preaching of his word, there is often occasion for discouragement. It is our hope, as preachers, that our hearers will be impacted by the words of Christ and caused to grow in passion for him in life. However, we often can not see the usefulness of our preaching, as we can not watch the outworking of all the lives around us... So, for me, it was of GREAT encouragement, when at the start of his book, Piper says, "that the true usefulness of our preaching will not be know to us until all the fruit, on all the branches, on all the trees that have sprung up from all the seeds we have ever sown have ripened of the sunshine of eternity" (p. 22). For me, this was a healthy reminder that I carry close to me every time I open my mouth.

In conclusion, this book is highly recommended for anyone who plans to, or is currently, in vocational ministry. For those who are not, I think that it is equally important due to the reality that we are all preachers... heralds of the King. For some we stand in pulpits on sundays, others stand behind coffee counters, others in board rooms... Regardless of your case, we must always keep Jesus Christ as supreme.

Screw your courage...

I have wanted to make this post since earlier in the week but have been held up by one thing or another... so, lets see if it is still as fresh in my mind...

Last Sunday I went to church to hear Robert Greene finish his series on what would happen if we stopped going to church and started being the church. While Robert is not much of a sermon-title-giver, I would say that the title was "Screw your courage to the sticking point." A little more palatable than my entry title (which I assume might not go over well on a sunday morning). Anyway, the reference to screwing your courage to the sticking point is from Macbeth. In a critical moment in the story Lady Macbeth is laying into her accomplice who is starting to chicken out when she challenged him to "screw his courage to the sticking point." The sticking point is a reference to screwing the tension on your cross bow to the perfect point where you have optimum control and power to kill your target. The concept is that when your courage is locked in to that point where it is supposed to be, then you will find success.

The application to the Christian life is that Christ is our sticking point. When we are in the midst of chaos, confusion, doubt, ect... it is that moment that we must screw our courage to the sticking point. We must fix our eyes upon Jesus "look full in his wonderful face. And the things of this world, they'll grow strangely dim, in the light of his glorious face."

This was the case for Peter when, in the midst of a great and perilous storm, he see Jesus walking on the water... As all hope was lost he screws his courage to the sticking point (he fixes his eyes and hope on Christ) and walks on the water to his king. However, we know that Peter began to look away from Jesus and pay a little more attention to the waves than Jesus and instantly found himself swimming in the sea.

I think that Robert said it best when he said that we must screw our courage to the sticking point that we might take gospel risks. I think this is true. Believers, with eyes and hope set on Jesus, are willing to do and undergo anything for the sake of their King because their security is not in the moment but fixed wholly on Jesus...

To the bloggers of the world...

For all you bloggers, facebookers, and myspace-ers... I read a good article this morning in the Times Dispatch by Mark Holmberg that you should check out:

Click here to read the article.

Are you kidding...

I have to get this one off my chest real quick... I have the worst luck with coffee mugs. I was at Ellwood's the other day picking up some bison meat for chili (super-bowl chili). I passed by the coffee section and saw that they had a very basic, stainless steal travel mug. I figured, since my Brugo mug was useless (see review) I'd pick this one up. This morning I filled it with my freshly brewed coffee and was on my way... no sooner had I sat in the car than I realized that the lid leaked (both our of the spout and around the base)... the kicker was in the parking lot when I accidentally dropped the mug and the lid popped off spilling all my beautiful coffee on the gravel... needless to say, that mug is now in the garbage...

two cent movie review

3.5 Crockpots on a 4 crockpot scale.

I took Jenn to see this flick on our last date night. After grabbing some burgers at Red Robin (bacon, egg, cheese, onion straws, bbq sauce, and tobasco burger!!!) we headed to the movie. The crowd was thin, which is always nice and we got good seats in front of the rail even though the previews had already started. Thinking this was just another under-dog movie (ie. Miracle, or that one about the high school baseball coach who had a 98 mph fastball) I was thoroughly pleased with the depth of the movie.

Chronicling the trials of 7 black men playing division I basketball in the mid 60's, this film was an excellent balance of nail biting basketball games and the harsh reality of the challenges that this team encountered on their trip to becoming the 1966 Nation Champs.

I haven's seen many movies in the past couple years worth recommending, however Glory Road is a definite exception. As a bonus, stick around during the credits and you will actually get to hear what some of the real life players on the '66 team have to say about their experience.

Luke is cool

While I am aware that thousands of people flock to this blog to keep tabs on my great wisdom and insight into life, I would like to direct your attention to another blog I feel is worth keeping track of. My dear friend Luke is heading off to a two year stint in Madagascar to help a local village... uh... design and implement gravity-fed water systems and other water/sanitation projects... anyway, go ahead and add http://lukejpbarrett.blogspot.com/ to your list of places to spend countless hours not doing what you are really supposed to be doing... like work or studying... cheers.

"one need not always travel far to explore the world - it is sometimes closer than is seems"
- monsieur barrett

The Governor Drinks Decaf... hmmmm...

So, I don't know what this says about his leadership skills, but I have first hand knowledge that the governor of the great commonwealth of VA drinks his coffee decaf. How do I know this you ask? Well, about a week ago I decided to redeem a Dunkin Doughnut gift certificate I received for Christmas. Before entering the building I noticed four 'suits' get out of a white suburban and enter before me. As I walked in I had that,"hmmmm this seems odd" feeling. One of the guys certainly had the 'scoping the room for snipers' look about him. Then, at the counter I hear "decaf coffee and whatever these guys want, I'm payin." As he turns I look at him and have that "I think I know who you are but I'm not going to say anything just in case I am wrong" feeling. On my way out I see several people walk up and shake his hand... at that moment I realize, yup, that's governor Kaine.

So, as I revisit the moment, here are my thoughts on the whole encounter. 1) He picked up the tab for his fella's... that's pretty cool (unless he's just going to take the receipt back to the accounting department and make it a business expense)... 2) he ordered decaf. I don't know about that... I mean, my grandmother drinks decaf... take it like a man! strait up regular, no cream, no sugar! 3) he was riding in a white suburban (tinted windows and all)... how cliche. 4) I had a glazed sour cream doughnut that morning... it was good. 5) I really wish I had something worth saying to him... unfortunatly, I did not, and my chance to change the world or be mentioned in his Democrat Response speech passed by... I can hear it now... "and while I was in Dunkin Doughnuts the other day a wise young man said..." Oh well...

Friends... drink it black (but not in a brugo... see post below)