The Running Barista

@sleeplessinokc!!! She is the one with the fastest fingers and the happy winner of a 1/2 pound of coffee this week. Roasted just for her.

Enjoy!!

Question of the day:

What is the name of the French naval officer who first introduced coffee to the Americas and when.

This is a two-part question and I need both questions answered. Text your answers to 501.336.4494.

Whoever answers correctly first gets the 1/2 pound of free coffee!!

Good luck!

I might have forgotten all about it last Tuesday, but not this Tuesday!

A half-pound of coffee will be given away tonight - 8:00 PM Central.

Be there!

It must have been because today is my first day at the new job. My brain just could not shut down. It ws 2:00 am and I finally got up to take a sleep aid because I knew I could not stay up any longer.

About 10 minutes later it worked it’s magic. Not the good night’s sleep I was hoping to get, but better than staying up till 4:00 am, I guess.

Wish me luck today!

The recent rains and overcast sky made for decent riding weather this morning. It wasn’t the usual 100+ degree weather. So I took off with @michaeltroeger at around 10:00-ish from my place and rode down the river trail, over the new bridge into Two Rivers Park, and all the way up to the Pinnacle State Park entrance. Then turned back.

Biking is better when you have somebody else with you. Way better. I guess the talking keeps your mind distracted from how hot and tired you really are.

Afterwards, we had lunch at Whole Hog Cafe. You can’t ask for a more delicious post-workout meal than that!

FYI - If you are traveling to Conway for the Soaring Wings Half and like BBQ, you have to try Whole Hog. It is the best BBQ I’ve ever had.

jonathandoeslife replied to your post: My unemployment is finally over…
So was this the first job offer or interview #2? Sorry if I missed that distinction earlier… Either way, congrats!

This was the offer I got from interview #1 (last Friday). I liked the people, we established good rapport, and it is a young company that is growing rapidly. They have huge potential to grow and move up in the company. And since they are new, they are very open to new ways of approaching things and new ideas. It seems like a fun place to work. And they offered me awesome pay.

brooksylite replied to your post: My unemployment is finally over…
better cut back on that caffeine man, those drug tests are sketchy haha.

Well, they have already been warned about my caffeine intake!

because I accepted a job at Clark Contractors just moments ago.

I have to go in tomorrow morning to get a drug test, do boring paperwork stuff, and then head on over to AT&T to get fitted with a new iPhone. How freaking cool is that!?

I think I am going to enjoy working at this place. It is going to be challenging. I will be pushed beyond my comfort zone, but it will be a great learning experience for me as an architect.

I start Monday. And I cannot wait.

Tridad!! He is the lucky winner of the 1/2 lb. of Dominican coffee this week.

Congratulations!!

Try not to post anything on tumblr while under the influence of giant margaritas!

After dinner with friends, we went to watch The Help and I was buzzing the entire first half of it. I can’t remember last time I was buzzing like this but it was awesome.

I think I was still buzzing when I posted the coffee trivia question over an hour later. Ha!

Question of the day:

What is the only coffee producing state in the USA and what us the coffee called?

I need both answers of this two part question answered!

Text your answers to 501.336.4494. First to answer correctly gets 1/2 pound of Dominican coffee FREE!!

Good luck!!

I just had Mexican for dinner with friends, which included a huge margarita. And I am buzzing so hard right now it’s not even funny!!!

I just had Mexican with friends, including a giant marga

How do you insert a link in your posts? I cannot figure this out?!?!

Don’t forget! Yesterday’s coffee trivia is happening tonight at 8:00 PM Central. This time I think I’m giving away some coffee from the Dominican Republic. It’s good stuff!!

See you then!

So 14 days after being unemployed (10 if you don’t count weekends) and I received my first official job offer. Way more money that I was making at my previous job. And I can start as soon as I want.

I asked them to give me a few days to think about it, even though my mind is already made up. I do, however, want to know how much this place I interviewed with yesterday will offer. But I have a feeling they won’t offer nearly as much.

This just goes to show you that being laid off is not the end of the world. And it can quite literally be the best thing to happen to your carreer!

It is a very happy day indeed!!

I totally forgot the coffee trivia for tonight! I must have been so distracted with my job invervews that I didn’t even think about it.

Coffee Trivia Challenge will be re-scheduled for tomorrow. Same time: 8:00 PM Central.

See you then!

This is with a different construction company, for a different position. This might get interesting, since this company and the place I interviewed on Friday are rivals.

Wish me luck!

Have I mentioned how much I hate running in this weather? It is 89 degrees, with a heat index of 99.

Miserable. I hate it. I want winter again.

Last Wednesday when I was first laid off I knew I would probably have something by Friday. And sure enough, I got a job offer today.

The interview was at 10:00 AM at one of the local construction firms. I got there with a few minutes to spare, I met with one of the construction administrators and one of the principals, and we hit it off. The meeting went so well it was 11:30 before we realized it. It was actually fun.

Now, I have to admit my palms were sweating cold while I was sitting in the lobby. I was nervous. It has been 6 years since I have been on a job interview so it was a little unnerving. All those butterflies quickly went away once we started talking, though.

On the way out, I was given a ballpark figure on what I would be making. And it is a good deal more than what I was making at my previous job (pre 10% pay cut). And from what I gathered, they are pretty excited about having somebody with an architectural background working on their team.

The job offer is there. I just have to get back to them with an answer. Hopefully I get at least one more interview in the next week with other places. It would be nice to have a few choices to pick from.

So far, I am very happy. Things are going to plan.

runlong replied to your post: 8.17.11 Run - 3 Miles
Dude, are you moving???

I wish! No, I’m sticking around for a while. My girlfriend has to finish her PHD in Speech Pathology first so I have at least a year.

It was hot. And it was humid.

Actually, it was 79 degrees. Normally that would feel great. But the 90% humidity made it unbearable. It was difficult to breathe!

I can’t wait to move from Arkansas. I was not designed to live in this type of hot, humid environment. I need cool, crisp air and lots of snow!

rachelspinks replied to your post: I got a call today…

Hey! I used I live in Arkansas and love the state and coffee. Your blog is so fun and informative. Just wanted to say I’m happy the job hunt is looking good and wishing you well on work and your future coffee business.

I love it when I have complete strangers give me encouragement like this. It makes my day! Thanks, @rachelspinks!

from one of the local construction companies. I have an interivew set up for Friday at 10:00 AM.

And yesterday, another company called and told me I’m almost in with them. All they need is a background check and a spanish comprehension test for me to start work with them.

How cool is that? Nothing set in stone quit yet, but things are looking promising.

I told you I wouldn’t be unemployed for very long!

runlong replied to your photo: This latte art is going in my mouth right now.
Dude, did you do that one?

No. I bought this one. If I had done it I would have made a huge fuss about it.

Pattimae24!!!! Congratulations and your coffee will be shipped out tomorrow morning.

I hope you like it!

What is Maxwell House Coffee named after and where was it?

This is a two-part question and I need both answered correctly.

Whoever gets the correct answer wins a 1/2 lb. of coffee complements if yours truly.

Good luck!!

Just because I don’t have a job does’t mean I’m not doing the coffee trivia tonight.

Be ready. 8:00 PM Central.

So I just had a meeting at the SBA (Small Business Administration) office with a lady named Penny. She was very helpful and gave me a gargantuan amount of information and resources on starting a new business. And it looks like I have my work cut out for me for the next few weeks.

They really are committed to seeing your business succeed. And it is nice that the government has this resource available to the public free of charge. They have classes you can take (for a low fee), people there to help you with any questions, and they can even pair you up with a successful, retired business person to mentor you.

How cool is that?

I’m really excited. It seems there is a bit more to starting a business than I thought. It will probably take a little longer. But I am definitely psyched about this. It means I will get started on the right foot.

This is where it all begins!

This is officially the furthest I have ever biked.

That first half of the ride was very different from the second half. For one, as I started to head back, I realized I had this annoying and ever-present head wind. Not good. It wore me out quicker than I expected. And then there was the hunger.

Oh man, was I hungry. In fact, the last 4 miles, all I could thin about was how badly I wanted to eat a burger with fries or a tall stack of pancakes. I was ravenous.

Next time I will make sure to take some GU with me.

It has been 5 days since I was laid off. I took Thursday and Friday completely off. I didn’t want to have to think about finding another job and I tried to enjoy my birthday weekend as much as I could.

I never really had a problem being laid off. Especially since I was already thinking of a career change. The only thing that bothers me is that there is this one guy in the office that really sucks at everything he does and everybody knows it. And for some crazy reason I was the one laid off. I guess I don’t really understand how the partners decided who would stay and who would go. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall.

Now, I know there is nothing I can do about it. And bitching about this is counter-productive. But it kind of pisses me off that this other guy wasn’t the one to be let go. Especially when I worked the Sunday before I was let go fixing this dude’s messed up work. I guess I will never understand…

In the meantime, I am keeping pretty busy for being unemployed. My apartment is spotless. And I have been searching online for both new jobs and the information I need to start a business in Arkansas. I’ve sent a few emails today on a couple of leads. And tomorrow I will head on over to the Small Business Administration offices to find out what is required to file for an LLC, get a business license, trademark my company’s name, and all that good stuff. I’ve alway secretly wished I had a few weeks off in order to get my new coffee business up and running, and I think this is exactly what I need at this point in time to get my business affairs in order.

I have no doubts I will have a job soon. Possibly even by the end of the week. But the idea of being my own boss and having my own business really excites me. My dad was an entrepreneur. He was self-employed before I was even born. He owned several businesses in Honduras, including a coffee plantation. And I think that is where I get that entrepreneurial spirit. I kind of have a problem with others imposing their rules on me. And I don’t like having a boss. I’m not rude to them or anything. I just want to own my own business and call the shots. Being a business owner has been my plan all along. And perhaps this is my time to shine!

Sorry about the rant. This is quite possibly my longest post ever. I just felt all this needed to be said.

It feels like it should be Monday. Not having gone to work on Thursday and Friday has thrown me off. Makes it see like it has been a really, really long weekend and it is barely Saturday. It is such a bizarre feeling and I am starting to feel antsy because I have nothing to do. I need something to keep me busy. I have a feeling that this is going to get old quick. I’ve never had to experience this before in my life.

Hopefully I can get a job very soon. I am confident I will. And I am sure that being fluent in both English and Spanish will be an advantage for me especially if I take a job on the construction field with a contractor. Somebody has to be able to communicate with all those Mexican workers, right? Besides, I already know how to read construction documents being an architect and all.

One of the other job positions I am interested in is as a designer for the Dassault-Falcon jet interiors. That job would be right up my alley. I love to design and I love airplanes. How freaking cool would that be? I am really hoping I get that job. I’ve applied online. I submitted my resume. Now it is a matter of talking to somebody on the inside to help get me an interview.

There is so much to think about it is overwhelming.