Two of my favorite things (Early Intel Mac edition).
- Thread starter eyoungren
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WriteNow
macrumors 6502
My only objection to Peet's in general--the price!
But every now and then, there is a good sale...
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
Well, my wife spotted an HQ for WotC (Wizards of the Coast), which is the company that started Magic: The Gathering and bought out TSR. That was cool.
TSR, by the way is known for the game they created in the 1970s - Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Another thing I've liked (role-playing games) since 1983.
B S Magnet
macrumors 603
So…irony.
We visit Seattle and the place where we stay (Airbnb) has no coffee maker and canned coffee. The promised Keurig to borrow never made an appearance, so Safeway provided instant Starbucks in a can for three days.
Our flight back was cancelled, so there was a two day stay in a hotel, which had only it's own brand coffee in it's own filter (you dropped it all into the drip coffeemaker). The night before flying back we finally got filters and were able to brew some Major Dickison's blend. Only, we were using Seattle tap water.
While waiting at the gate to depart we got the only 'good' coffee we had the entire trip - from a Peets in the South Satellite of Sea-Tac airport.
So yeah, we went to coffee nirvana and got bad coffee.
I should mention that there were opportunities to visit Starbucks, but we were often in between doing things that it (and the snow on the ground) just seemed a hassle.
Oh yeah, did I mention the snow storm which pretty much shut Seattle down? Yeah, there's that too.
Bleh. Bad timing. Sometimes it all works out, and sometimes it’s Murphy’s law all-around.
When you said you got Peets in Seattle, I sort of did a double-take before realizing this was a location inside Sea-Tac. The only other one in Seattle proper (I had to look this up) is actually the dreaded Capital One Café in South Lake Union selling Peets as a branded (or co-branded) outlet.
The general first rule in Seattle is you don’t drink Starbucks in Seattle, unless you’re hosting out-of-towners… or it’s 3am, you’re next to a 24-hour drive-thru location, and you need some bean in your bloodstream.
The one bit which did surprise me to read was your description of Seattle city tap water. In general, I actually like Seattle city water — even if it has that aforementioned taste-colour of green (like a transparent-darker green). When I travel back and forth between here and there, I always remember to fill a Nalgene bottle of water (in checked baggage, since our airport here is in the next municipality) so that I can compare waters when I get into town (and vice-versa). It’s always trippy to taste one whilst standing in the other town.
On a merciful upside: at least your visit with family is over.
WriteNow
macrumors 6502
What? You realize this, plus the computer bit, makes you a NERD! LOL
Kidding aside...I remember the Dungeons & Dragons name. I've never played it--the opportunity never came my way ?.
D&D and (probably) TSR were both names I'd recognzie when I was a teenager in the 1980s. I definitely saw references in Games (a magazine which had everything from crossword puzzles to board game reviews.) I'm not sure about this, but I have a sense now (and only a sense) that Games might have included D&D in it's annual "Hall of Fame" (basically classic commercial games that endure).
One fun memory: my father once saw the rule book for D&D. He took one look through it, and announced loudly he'd never, ever play any game that had to have a rule book like that. Or something like that. I guess a couple of pages of instructions were as much as he felt like dealing with. LOL
WriteNow
macrumors 6502
I just did a fast search, and it looks like my "sense" was right. D&D was inducted in 1984. Although presumably it was the "original," not Advanced. I'm not sure of the differences; however, I noted with my search the dates involved. And Games apparently required something to be aroudn for 10 years before going into the Hall of Fame.
Games Magazine Hall of Fame
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
In regards to the water, and in all fairness, the tap water was from a Airbnb (in Kent) and a suites hotel in Renton. But yeah, bad timing I guess.Bleh. Bad timing. Sometimes it all works out, and sometimes it’s Murphy’s law all-around.
When you said you got Peets in Seattle, I sort of did a double-take before realizing this was a location inside Sea-Tac. The only other one in Seattle proper (I had to look this up) is actually the dreaded Capital One Café in South Lake Union selling Peets as a branded (or co-branded) outlet.
The general first rule in Seattle is you don’t drink Starbucks in Seattle, unless you’re hosting out-of-towners… or it’s 3am, you’re next to a 24-hour drive-thru location, and you need some bean in your bloodstream.
The one bit which did surprise me to read was your description of Seattle city tap water. In general, I actually like Seattle city water — even if it has that aforementioned taste-colour of green (like a transparent-darker green). When I travel back and forth between here and there, I always remember to fill a Nalgene bottle of water (in checked baggage, since our airport here is in the next municipality) so that I can compare waters when I get into town (and vice-versa). It’s always trippy to taste one whilst standing in the other town.
On a merciful upside: at least your visit with family is over.
I suppose that being a transplant (despite being born in Washington state) and having lived most of her young life outside of Washington, my sister didn't get the message about Starbucks.
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
The original was D&D, but I usually say AD&D because for some reason more people have heard of it. Advanced did come later and the difference is basically what you'd think, more involved rules.I just did a fast search, and it looks like my "sense" was right. D&D was inducted in 1984. Although presumably it was the "original," not Advanced. I'm not sure of the differences; however, I noted with my search the dates involved. And Games apparently required something to be aroudn for 10 years before going into the Hall of Fame.
Games Magazine Hall of Fame
www.boardgamegeek.com
Your father would be similarly unimpressed with my game choice. I play Rolemaster, which is a game by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE). But more people 'know' about D&D and AD&D then they do about Rolemaster. So when telling people about what I like to do, I use the AD&D reference.
AD&D (or D&D) is now in their fifth edition. The version I play, if I do, is the 2nd edition. Same with Rolemaster. In the mid 80s, TSR was trying to get people into the game so they created the basic D&D set which came in a red box with red colored rule books. That was never the first version.
Anyway, Rolemaster has three different books to cover what AD&D does in one. Some people call it Chartmaster, or Rulesmaster. But for realism it's pretty much the top of the heap. Later versions of AD&D have attempted to offer more realism I think, but there's a style of play that is expected by AD&D players that won't ever let it become Rolemaster.
I also play other RPGs, but I'm way off topic here anyway. Let's just say that when it comes to tabletop/pencil/paper/dice RPGs I'm stuck in a time period from 1986 to 1992.
B S Magnet
macrumors 603
Kent… KENT! NO WONDER. ?
(Sorry for all Kent-lovers: I have an ex from Kent, and my bias is showing.)
I suppose that being a transplant (despite being born in Washington state) and having lived most of her young life outside of Washington, my sister didn't get the message about Starbucks.
I lived part of my time there in the exurbs and part of my time there in Seattle-proper. I suppose there are gonna be folks in the burbs who lean to Starbs, though all the people I knew back when I lived in a non-206 part of the region would first drive (the exurbs, after all) to a local, independent kiosk probably named euphemistically after grizzly bears, jets, or sasquatch before hauling over to a Starbucks.
B S Magnet
macrumors 603
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
So…as this thread states, two of my favorite things. Only this time its RPGs and Macs.
Sorry, no Mac in the current pic, but do know that I do all my pre-session game planning on my Macs. I have forms that I have created for these games with the Mac and a lot of my paper trail (from about 1989) has been converted to Word.
Anyway…working on the garage, got a start on this area after about three days of moving things around.
Top left…Mechwarrior 1.0, with various supporting materials. This was before FASA shut down and entirely predates any MW RPGs you may see now. Based on Battletech, a boxed set I got in 1986 for my 16th birthday. I used the form inside to order MechWarrior. A friend and I played this game from 1986 well in to 1994-1995. Some of the books listed support the Battletech segment of Mechwarrior. There is an MW 2.0 manual in there - I've never played it.
Top right are folders and notebooks supporting my various RPGs. That Trapper Keeper is for MW and yes, it was used in highschool for actual schoolwork.
Middle left is Rolemaster 2.0, my main game. In the middle is SpaceMaster and Cyberspace, both games also by Iron Crown Enterprises. They use the same system Rolemaster uses. To the right middle we have ShadowRun 1.0 and 2.0. I prefer 1.0 rules.
Bottom left to middle: Dungeons & Dragons. Basically all the 2.0 stuff with some version 1.0 mixed in. The better looking DMG and PH are later reprints of 2.0.
One thing you'll probably notice right away is that some of these books seem to be in folders. That's because they were well used and the bindings were either crappy and fell apart or it was preferable to place them in 3-ring binders for easy access. I hate losing pages of books when the bindings go.
Sorry, no Mac in the current pic, but do know that I do all my pre-session game planning on my Macs. I have forms that I have created for these games with the Mac and a lot of my paper trail (from about 1989) has been converted to Word.
Anyway…working on the garage, got a start on this area after about three days of moving things around.
Top left…Mechwarrior 1.0, with various supporting materials. This was before FASA shut down and entirely predates any MW RPGs you may see now. Based on Battletech, a boxed set I got in 1986 for my 16th birthday. I used the form inside to order MechWarrior. A friend and I played this game from 1986 well in to 1994-1995. Some of the books listed support the Battletech segment of Mechwarrior. There is an MW 2.0 manual in there - I've never played it.
Top right are folders and notebooks supporting my various RPGs. That Trapper Keeper is for MW and yes, it was used in highschool for actual schoolwork.
Middle left is Rolemaster 2.0, my main game. In the middle is SpaceMaster and Cyberspace, both games also by Iron Crown Enterprises. They use the same system Rolemaster uses. To the right middle we have ShadowRun 1.0 and 2.0. I prefer 1.0 rules.
Bottom left to middle: Dungeons & Dragons. Basically all the 2.0 stuff with some version 1.0 mixed in. The better looking DMG and PH are later reprints of 2.0.
One thing you'll probably notice right away is that some of these books seem to be in folders. That's because they were well used and the bindings were either crappy and fell apart or it was preferable to place them in 3-ring binders for easy access. I hate losing pages of books when the bindings go.
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eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
Poking around through the library of various cellphone pics today and ran across this old pic for a Facebook post.
My wife originally gave this to me for my birthday as a gag joke. When I unwrapped it and excitedly exclaimed "Kitty!!!" she found out she was involved with a cat lover. And her joke fell flat, but she was okay with that.
The mug has since died, I believe it fell off the roof of my car, but don't exactly recall.
Been keeping an eye out on eBay though.
My wife originally gave this to me for my birthday as a gag joke. When I unwrapped it and excitedly exclaimed "Kitty!!!" she found out she was involved with a cat lover. And her joke fell flat, but she was okay with that.
The mug has since died, I believe it fell off the roof of my car, but don't exactly recall.
Been keeping an eye out on eBay though.
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
I'm guilty of just buying whatever mugs I see that I like. It's gotten to the point where it irritates my wife some times. But since she got me started on coffee, she has only herself to blame.I'm not much of a coffee drinker so I like to start my day off with a big ol mug of tea, Earl Grey, hot.
(I actually also have some tacky cat mugs which I found in thrift stores, I just love buying weird mugs)
WriteNow
macrumors 6502
I'd be tempted to have a tea party that seems classy on the surface...but full of touches like using tacky cat mugs!I'm not much of a coffee drinker so I like to start my day off with a big ol mug of tea, Earl Grey, hot.
(I actually also have some tacky cat mugs which I found in thrift stores, I just love buying weird mugs)
B S Magnet
macrumors 603
This makes me remember, long ago back when I lived in the southern U.S., how when a visiting friend asked the server at a diner what kind of teas they had, her reply was, “We got iced,” (which sounded a bit like “We got ahhhsed.” My friend blinked, then after a pregnant pause, said, “I’ll have a coke,” to which the server asked, “What kind?” More blinking, and then, “Uh, Coca-Cola?” The server said, “We got Pepsi,” and at this point I was wondering if my friend’s head was going to implode. “Pepsi’s fine.”
I had to unpack for my friend what had just happened (especially the part how “coke” was regional slang for any sweetened soft drink, such as Sprite, Dr. Pepper, or whatever), and although they knew in advance how iced tea was very popular where we were, they didn’t realize the only tea brewed might be for iced only.
Your tea party there would involve whether or not to use lemon, use sugar, or — ::fanning self:: — both.
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
When my wife was hired as a teacher last October, her district gave her a welcome packet which included coffee.
Today, we finally opened it and brewed it up. So, we have discovered a new brand, Torrefazione Italia. And it turns out the history of this brand goes right back to Seattle's Best Coffee and Starbucks.
In 1986, the founder of Torrefazione Italia, Umberto Bizzarri formed Seattle Coffee Holdings with Jim Stewart. Jim Stewart, is the founder of Seattle's Best Coffee. Seattle Coffee Holdings produced both brands.
In 2005, when Starbucks bought SeaBest, they ALSO bought Torrefazione Italia - something I did not know until now. Starbucks, acting just like Adobe and Microsoft, closed all the SeaBest stores and the Torrefazione Italia stores. Torrefazione became Starbucks high end blend.
So now I have the complete story (I assume). SeaBest for the lower end, Starbucks in the middle and Torrefazione Italia for the high end. Starbucks wins at all levels.
But not completely. Turns, out that a relative of Umberto Bizzare opened his own cafes in 2005. And he did it with the very first cafe location that Torrefazione Italia opened. You can find them online: https://caffeumbria.com
They are NOT owned by Starbucks!
Today, we finally opened it and brewed it up. So, we have discovered a new brand, Torrefazione Italia. And it turns out the history of this brand goes right back to Seattle's Best Coffee and Starbucks.
In 1986, the founder of Torrefazione Italia, Umberto Bizzarri formed Seattle Coffee Holdings with Jim Stewart. Jim Stewart, is the founder of Seattle's Best Coffee. Seattle Coffee Holdings produced both brands.
In 2005, when Starbucks bought SeaBest, they ALSO bought Torrefazione Italia - something I did not know until now. Starbucks, acting just like Adobe and Microsoft, closed all the SeaBest stores and the Torrefazione Italia stores. Torrefazione became Starbucks high end blend.
So now I have the complete story (I assume). SeaBest for the lower end, Starbucks in the middle and Torrefazione Italia for the high end. Starbucks wins at all levels.
But not completely. Turns, out that a relative of Umberto Bizzare opened his own cafes in 2005. And he did it with the very first cafe location that Torrefazione Italia opened. You can find them online: https://caffeumbria.com
They are NOT owned by Starbucks!
@eyoungren I just came across this thread today. I also have these two things in common.
There are two specialty coffee shops that are relatively close to where I live. The nearest is okay. The second is the better of the two - it feels more at home and has less of a corporate vibe. They are more community involved and host venues for local musicians and artists throughout the year. They also serve sweet treats made in house of all kinds in addition to serving a specialty brew.
I enjoy the small things in life and I like visiting these kinds of shops, especially when traveling. I just won't be seen on my MacBook Pro doing work in any of these shops, it's just not my thing.
There are two specialty coffee shops that are relatively close to where I live. The nearest is okay. The second is the better of the two - it feels more at home and has less of a corporate vibe. They are more community involved and host venues for local musicians and artists throughout the year. They also serve sweet treats made in house of all kinds in addition to serving a specialty brew.
I enjoy the small things in life and I like visiting these kinds of shops, especially when traveling. I just won't be seen on my MacBook Pro doing work in any of these shops, it's just not my thing.
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
Totally get you. I have not been to a coffee shop since before the pandemic. Things changed in 2018 for us and that became a luxury. The new shop I chose also started to get crowded (although the coffee was still good) and then the pandemic happened.
At some point I will get back, things have changed since then. Just not yet.
I should point out however, that when I go, I'm not on my laptop for work. That defeats the entire purpose of going. I'm there to do exactly what I am now, browse the web, read and post on forums and on Reddit and consume news while I drink my coffee. You will never see me doing work there, same as you.
BTW, this thread is actually a spinoff from the PowerPC Macs section. You can see it here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/two-of-my-favorite-things.1856341/
WriteNow
macrumors 6502
But if new teachers taste great coffee, won't they lose their taste for the delightful teacher's lounge brew of watery, yet burned Folgers? LOL
eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
LOL!!!!
My wife is still the same, despite her new work environment. I bought her a Keurig for work shortly after she started. As with drip coffee makers, it's not (and never will be) the perfect cup. But it's 'good enough' at 1pm when she desperately needs another cup of coffee. And considering the nature of her students, it eliminates the possibility of a carafe breaking.
She has had to rebuff the use of it by other teachers - it's not communal property.
WriteNow
macrumors 6502
I'm personally not a fan of Keurig--but I can see where it would be a practical choice in this (and other) situation.
Years back (1980-something), Melitta made an interesting 1 cup coffee maker that brewed right into a regular looking mug. It was marketed for "travel"--but it seems like that was an ideal solution for a lot of uses, like the office/classroom/dorm room.
WriteNow
macrumors 6502
It's probably best that she doesn't let others use it (or use it that much)--it'll probably hasten the day of the machine's demise if too many use it.
I remember one situation where a Keurig failed in less than a year. It had been used in a waiting room, and I suspect that it was used too heavily.