How to dumb down more stuff
November 29, 2008
Here’s what you do when you’ve written a Dummies book about everything.
Posted by email from rufus’s posterous
Happy Eating Day
November 27, 2008
Happy Eating Day, everyone! Oh, I know, our American friends are celebrating Thanksgiving but let’s call the holiday what it really is.
A few years ago, a friend of mine spent August through January in Europe and called me on Thanksgiving, very much depressed they didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Despite his best efforts, he could not convince these Europeans to take a day off from work (and the Friday after) cook turkey and stuffing, watch some sports and fall into a food-induced coma.
But even worse than not having an Eating Day, how does everyone in Europe know when to begin celebrating the Christmas Holiday? Having Eating Day lets everyone know it is ok to slough off work, kick back and not really feel guilty about not getting anything done between Eating Day and New Year’s.
So why not call it Thanksgiving and work on making that a holiday around the world? Because Thanksgiving is the American holiday. Eating Day would be the WORLD’S holiday. After all, we tried exporting democracy and look how that turned out.
So, Happy Eating Day everyone!
Posted by email from rufus’s posterous
I like Lego
November 26, 2008
I like Lego and I like the music of Johnny Horton. Somebody finally put the two together. Enjoy.
Posted by email from rufus’s posterous
Merry Season
November 23, 2008
Joe does not really care what you call the upcoming season of giving stuff to other people, but he wants you to know that you will NOT be getting a catalog in the mail. This is your only source for Plain Joe Stuff. (Be sure to catch the out takes at the end.)
A Cup of Joe
November 19, 2008
If your like me, a morning cup of Joe is a ritual. Reportedly, I share my love of Joe with 1.6 billion other cups worldwide every day. It’s nice to know, in my own kitchen I share a ritual that know no boundaries.
Nancy Oakley authored a great summary of the influence coffee makes worldwide. Found in Delta-Sky online, Oakley provides fellow Joe lovers a bit of history, nostalgia, and how Joe stands today. It’s amazing through all the technological advances, society evolution (labor, race, and sex), kingdoms fall and rise, coffee is still on top worldwide.
Sure a cup of Joe has transformed into a bit more frothier, cooler, creamier, and a variety of containers. When it comes down to it, a cup of Joe is still enjoyed in the same way today as it was hundreds of years ago. Warm, brewed, and shared over great conversation.
Next time, when grabbing your cup of Joe, know that you are apart of a long-term tradition that transcends boundaries of all types. A cup of Joe is here to stay, forever.
Coffee Nostalgia
November 17, 2008
Big brand coffee has conquered the world’s view of American coffee through airport kiosks, stores in international capitals, and on every American mall. American fondness for coffee dates pre- large brand domination. Are the well known brands a true representation of the American coffee style?
American coffee nostalgic memories are wrapped in Fred Astaire in a cafe, Harriet filling Ozzy’s coffee cup, and laughing with Lucy while she fumbles in the kitchen. The mall based coffee shops isn’t apart of any of those all American moments. Simple black, grocery store shelved coffee was. No one knew the brands that where brewed behind the scenes, but American’s did know what was on Kroger’s shelves.
Year after year, I toss out bags of expensive gourmet coffee received as gifts. To all that know me, I am a coffee addict. It’s warm, acidic tastes left it’s first marks on my tongue at the age of 6. It wasn’t that named brand stuff, but just what my mom had from the store. I like my coffee plain, simple, strong, and nostalgic. For me, these well-known brands of today doesn’t fit in the mix. I didn’t grow up with enjoying select imported blends, so I don’t enjoy the taste.
The kind of coffee I do like, is your basic black coffee. Doesn’t really matter what mountain the beans came from, just that it’s packaged All-American. I wish instead of being grouped with an era of coffee that I did not grow up with, people would give me coffee of my era. An era of drive in movies, Keds shoes, Plain Joes, and black coffee.
Holiday Scents
November 17, 2008
Holidays are just around the corner and nothing goes better with Pumpkin Pie than coffee. Coffee with desert is a Holiday favorite across the world. 54% of American’s brewing their beans at home, making coffee a great gift.
The fresh smell of home brewed coffee mixed with fresh oven scents is great for holiday parties. The gift of coffee doesn’t need to break your pocket book, so don’t assume the high-priced flavored kind will make the best gift. Strong, delicious, plain American coffee will do the trick. Let your guest choose to spice it up with flavored creamers or keep it simple and black. So this season, pick your favorite All-American coffee and share it with those you love!
Free stickers and a nice shout out!
November 14, 2008
Thanks to the really cool folks at Sticker Giant for the shout out on their blog!
The folks at Plain Joe saw a sticker I did for Guy Kawasaki at Alltop and wanted something similar. This design has four designs on one sheet, they are kiss-cut with a steel rule die so that each design can be peeled off individually.
Get your free stickers by joining our Facebook page.. and follow us on Twitter, of course!
How to profit from stupid and sloth
November 14, 2008
I subscribe to the Wall Street Journal. So do hundreds of my neighbors and I know exactly who they are.
The WSJ gets delivered to my front door every morning by a carrier with the Dayton Daily News. About a year ago, I noticed that the mailing label in the upper right hand corner of my copy of the WSJ was not me. It was a neighbor who lived in another part of the subdivision or worked at another business.
So, I started saving these labels. Sometimes I would get my own label, but most days, I would get someone else’s. Eventually, I reasoned, I would probably get everyone who subscribed to the WSJ on my carrier’s route. I think I am right.
Now, I have a mailing list of neighbors with whom I have something in common. When I want to refer to an article in the WSJ that I think might affect them, I can send out a cheap postcard, with a URL to my blog to the list and I know they will most likely have read the same article as me. And, they will most likely go to my blog, read, comment and maybe pass it along.
They may wonder how I got their name, how I knew they also read the WSJ. Or, maybe not.
Or maybe, they have been getting my newspaper and tracking me the same way.
Posted by email from rufus’s posterous
Free Stickers!
November 13, 2008
Hey all Plain Joe Coffee fans…Hot off the press is our Plain Joe Stickers and they are FREE!
To get them, you simply need to join the Plain Joe Coffee Club on Facebook..send us your address and we’ll send you stickers. Stick them on your car, coffee cup, notebook, or your dog’s food bowl..just enjoy them and share!
