to here, 72. Beyond?

In approximately 19 minutes ( @2pm on August 30) I will have been 72 hours ( 3 days ) without a single cigarette, for me this is amazing, and shocking. I started when I was 23 years old, and am now 27. This is monumental for me as I have been attempting to quit now for probably two years.

I'll be the first to say that only 72 hours in is by no means victory, but if you have ever struggled with this or read anything about smoking cessation, these first few hours are the leprechaun at the end of the rainbow, or better the allusive rolling football; always awkwardly just out of reach, and only making you look more the fool as you stumble after it.

I am excited to have made it this far, and hope to continue this, but i will say a couple things.

Coffee is NOT better with cigarettes, I can taste it so much better.
My face has already cleared up a bit, read about it, it will surprise you.
I am breathing better, although, I do have a bit of a cold and that is hindering things in a way, but i feel as though I can breathe far deeper, and at a more decelerated rate, while not getting winded quite as easily.

As i finish this up I would like to restate, I am by no means through with this, but I am well on my way. To here, this moment, it's been 72 hours, and beyond...(?)we will see. But I have my fingers crossed.....

A new one

So, I love to do this thing, where I go to coffee shops when I'm out of town. When I enter these shops, I make it known that I work in coffee as well, but I do it by getting them to talk about what they're doing until they ask if I work in coffee. They usually figure it out because of how focused the questions are, and not that they are rude or "know-it-all"-ish, but my curiosity seems to always get the best of me. I want to know everything about the shop. If they have a roaster, then what type is it; does the person that I am talking to roast; if not, is the roaster is in; if you don't roast in house, then where do you get your coffee from; if you do, where is your coffee imported from; all of these questions.....?

Today, I finally got to go to Primavera Coffee Roasters in Birmingham, Alabama. This place is one of the most perfectly crafted coffee shops that I have ever been to. They have an Ambex roaster (15kg) that does all of there roaster. The music was at the perfect level, and created the warmest ambiance. The coffee was divine, and fresh; the tea was loose leaf and steeped with a knowledge of how it should be treated (a.k.a. weighed, temperature tested, timed, and served in a ceramic mug).
The barista greeted me, explained everything, and, as is always the plan, eventually asked me if I worked in coffee, and then I got to talk about our lovely Blackbird Coffee, which always makes me smile, because we have worked so hard to make it be what it is, and is becoming.

If you are ever in Birmingham, Alabama, do yourself the favor of stopping in this place, the capps are velvety smooth; the teas attentively attended to, and the service is the embodiment of modern southern charm, probably wearing plaid, skinny jeans, and glasses (whether they need them or not) but all the same, more than happy to offer suggestions, and advice, with a smile and care.

Having a great time in Alabama with Laurene,
Chris