on a roll

i have become a road warrior. really.

in the past two weeks i have attended a natural foods show in anaheim (where the trends of mate and acai will soon continue taking the natural menu and marketplace by storm) and a tea show in las vegas, cupping an exquisite oolong tea that was so good many of us turned down other opportunities to drink tea, trying to allow the highly aromatic "master's choice" to linger on our tongues, drawn out subtly by saliva; tomorrow i leave a coffee show in north carolina, bound for home, until i depart for my parent's homes for a brief respite at the end of this week.

but today i beheld part of the barista competition with a sort of awe and a chuckle that wanted to leap out of my mouth. the judges bend down to watch the barista hit the espresso tamp and jot down notes, as the music of derek webb scents the background intermingling with the dark rich notes of coffee- the serious nature of the moment a little hard to believe. i wonder if the winning barista will go on some sort of coffee tour like miss america, but instead of a crown of rhinestones and a bouquet of flowers will get a bouquet of espresso cups and a crown of hot glue gunned espresso beans...

and so i digress. i am contemplating trading in my phone and cell plan for some pda device that will allow those hours in the airport to be fruitful beyond the usually great fodder of people watching and novel reading that ensues. i am learning to beat my body into the submission of time zones in a foreign bed that feels familiar only when it will never be enjoyed again. alas and alack.