Middle School Beatniks

"The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot." -Salvador Dali

My younger daughter's 6th grade literature class is going to be having a monthly poetry reading. We parents were asked to help out by providing some sort of food for their poetry readings. You see, their teacher is going to transform the classroom each month to provide 'atmosphere' and everything is better when a snack is involved, right? Immediately an image pops into my head of the quintessential 1950's Beatnik coffee-house. Complete with bongo drums, black turtleneck sweaters, beret's, goatees, dark sunglasses and cigarettes. (Note: I didn't create the image on this page...it's just one I've seen around the internet).

Naturally I signed up to bring food for the first reading, which is tomorrow. I suppose coffee and cigarettes are out of the question, so I have to think of something age appropriate. Chex Mix and bottled water might please the masses but that doesn't seem jazzy enough somehow. I guess I'll go wander the store later and see what kind of inspiration I get. Maybe something from World Market - food with an international flair, if you will. I'd love to find some cocktail napkins with a Beatnik theme - how fun would that be? I suppose I could go to the craft store and find a rubber stamp that says 'cool' and make my own. Am I getting carried away? Probably.

Interestingly enough, I asked my daughter what she thought I should bring and she said, "Mixed nuts. Aren't there always nuts at a coffee house?" She was serious. That was a difficult question to answer without laughing! Perhaps I will send nuts. And we actually do own bongo drums...

In the fine tradition of poetry reading everywhere, I'll leave you with a poem. I read somewhere that he wrote this as a response to some criticism of poets in a newspaper. I can't verify that but it sounds right. Put on your shades, Daddy-O, and give us a recitation:

Epigram

Sir, I admit your general rule,
That every poet is a fool,
But you yourself may serve to show it,
That every fool is not a poet.

-Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Coffee Cups and a Quiz...

Good Morning! Welcome to Saturday! Coffee is how I pretty much prefer to start most every day. Sometimes my teenage daughter indulges as well and that's how I came to have this picture. As you can see, I sat down first at the computer to relax and enjoy my coffee. When I got up momentarily, my daughter thought she could just horn in on the action and take over. Well, you can't really see who was there first but you know I'm telling the truth because just who do you think gets up first on a weekend???

So, I come back over to the desk to find two cups of coffee. This is where the quiz comes in. Which cup of coffee belongs to the mom and which to the teen? It's not much of a quiz 'cause the clues are easy. Hey, it's Saturday and I'm not gonna make you think too hard. Someday I'll give you a more difficult quiz. Long and involved. Probably with trick questions.

It's only natural that you find yourself wondering, "Who in hell uses cups and saucers?" Well, I do. I used to have the huge coffee mugs. Then a couple years ago I bought some new dishes since the old ones were missing several pieces. Not that you care why I bought new dishes. Basically I'm not the sort of person to have 5 sets of dishes and there's not enough room around here or I might well do it! Anyway, the set I bought had everything I wanted but instead of mugs it came with cups and saucers. Not even an option to buy mugs separately.

Initially I was a bit bothered about having no mugs. I have other mugs I can use for coffee. But you know what? I have come to prefer my cups and saucers. First of all, when I used a bigger cup/mug the coffee often went cold (or lukewarm) before I ever finished. With these cups my coffee is hot to the last sip. Second, if you aren't careful walking and your coffee is in a mug, the spill lands on your hand or the floor or both. Not a problem with a cup and saucer. Not that I'm all sloppy...well, I have my moments. Third, they don't take up much space in my cupboard. Finally, they just look so darn nice, don't they? Of course I have to make more frequent trips to the kitchen for re-fills, but I just count that as exercise.

Now, the answer you've all been waiting for: the cup of coffee with sugar in it belongs to the teen. Come on now, you know it's the one on the left. And see there? Mine didn't have a spill!