Souljourn

Oh it's on!

McDonald's is coming out swinging in the coffee war.  They are taking aim directly at Starbucks and hoping that people's penny pinching will help them win the day.  I'm not sure who will emerge the victor, but I do hope that Tim Horton's is brought down.  You will notice from the picture that both coffee cups have proper lids!  Not the stupid - "slice, then scald your finger while trying to get at your beverage" lids that Tim Hortons has (I avoid that place simply for the lids!)

You can read more about the battle plans here.

Will this affect where you purchase your coffee?  Have you made some adjustments to your coffee purchasing? (I have - I almost never purchase coffee anymore.  I purchased a machine and now I do it all from home.  While this cost more initially, it will very quickly pay for itself.)

mmmm bacon...

This looks like a great training food for our Fit for Life bootcamp.  The higher your weight when we start, the more you can potentially lose, and the more money we'll raise for missions.  So why not settle down with a nice plate of bacon and cheese rolls.  C'mon, it's for the children!  (you can find the recipe, and some mouthwatering pictures here)

The battle is on!

It looks like McDonalds is taking a shot at Starbucks.  So tell me, have you adjusted your coffee drinking habits in these economically challenging times? (please don't tell me you've switched to Tim Hortons!).

I have made a significant adjustment in my coffee addiction habits.  We purchased an espresso machine so we can make all our coffee drinks at home.  Since purchasing this machine I have only gone to Starbucks once.  I know that it is a bigger investment initially but it will pay off in the end.

Coca-Cola time

I haven't had a soft drink since January.  I really missed them at first, but now I don't miss it a bit.  Between water, coffee, tea, various juices and, the occasional glass of milk, I have managed to keep myself sufficiently hydrated.

Over the next couple of weeks as we travel in Ghana & Uganda, I know that I will be drinking soft drinks again.  Probably Coke, but I'm sure there will be a few flavours of Fanta and variations of Sprite along the way.  

I'm curious as to what my first reaction to Coke will be.  Will I find it sickly sweet?  Will I have a dormant 'addiction' wakened? 

I'll let you know. (Just in case you were wondering, I wrote this post on Monday and scheduled it to post on Wednesday)

A tasty morsel?

This eagle has been hanging around in a tree in our back yard.  We are wondering if it is looking at the 'appy menu'?                                                                                                         

$4.25 Chai Tea Latte

I broke down tonight & tried something different.  My usual Starbucks routine after being politely asked what I would like is to reply, 'mild, grande, black please'.  In one concise statement I've told the barrista everything he/she needs to know (some still ask me if I want room for cream) and with the exchange of $2.00 I can be on my way in a very short period of time. 

My wife on the other hand is a different story.  She has made a commitment to never ordering anything straight off the menu (don't ever get behind her at a Dairy Queen) and must modify (improve, she would say) the menu item with multiple additions and/or deletions.  This whole exchange takes longer than I would like, costs more than I would like, and then requires an additional wait after the exchange of funds. 

Well tonight I broke down and deviated from my normal routine.  I've been in meetings all day and quite had my fill of coffee and with the savoury taste of steak & prawns (thank you National Office) still lingering in my mouth I wanted something a little sweeter that would take the chill of a wet fall night (did I mention I'm also away from my wife).  So I ordered a Chai Tea Latte, spent $4.25 and 4 minutes getting my drink and I've got to tell you...it was worth it! 

I'm going to spend the next 45 minutes hanging out at Starbucks, sipping my drink and trying to finish of 'The Blogging Church'.  Then I'm headed back to the hotel and calling it a night.  I've got more meetings tomorrow (First 1 starts at 7:30 am, last one starts at 7pm) and I know I'll have more Starbucks.