The Midnight Writer's Cafe

Discuss Auto Insurance over a Cup of Java

2010-02-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

It can be a difficult task choosing car insurance because there are so many companies and many important factors to consider in making this decision. Literally, your well being depends on choosing the right coverage for your needs. I personally prefer a relaxed atmosphere like a coffee shop for making such important decisions. Take your laptop and log onto the Safety First page of American Car Quotes and read the most important feature of auto insurance policies. Safety is the first rule in driving so its no wonder it would be the first recommended consideration in choosing a policy.

Drink Italian Roast if you like a Rich, Bold Coffee

2010-02-15T16:02:00.001-08:00

My husband Cephas and I have experimented with coffee roasts and flavors as well as brands. In our experience, we learned a lot about our coffee preferences. I want to share that with you now.

Along with flavor as a pre-requisite for favoring coffee, scenery plays a vital role. In this photo, Mount Shasta is looming large in the background while Cephas enjoys the rich taste found in this cup of Starbucks coffee with espresso shots. He likes it with raw cane sugar and half n half. We have both learned that we favor this cup of coffee while traveling. But when we are camping or visiting family and friends, we buy Starbucks or organic Italian roast coffee beans and grind them to the espresso grind to release the potency of the bean’s rich taste.

There are several ways to brew the ground coffee. We have used electric automatic drip coffee makers without paper filters because this is closest to the French press taste. The French press method is preferable so the coffee oils will be preserved. From the first sip until the last, this is the essence of heaven.

Avenue of the Giants Redwood Cafes

2010-02-13T21:16:00.001-08:00

The scenery and ambience of this historic Redwood highway is both breathtaking and awe- inspiring. For coffee lovers, the trip is even more memorable because of the quaint coffee shops and coffee booths along this twenty-five mile stretch of magnificence. To truly enjoy the drive, take your time and stop at all the little towns and historic sites along the way. Take in the view, enjoy the natural settings and pause a few minutes at each of the coffee shops to experience the flavor the Avenue of the Giants has to offer.

If you’re heading north, the first stop is Phillipsville. Be sure not to blink more than a few seconds or you’ll miss this first rest stop on the tour. It is filled with small adventures that include a Mexican restaurant purported to serve cuisine extraordinaire. A country market stocks all the basic snack foods and a collection of fine local wines. Sign their guest book and grab some brochures to help guide the rest of your Redwood country tour. It stays open till 7pm daily.

The town post office is just a couple doors down from the market so you can mail all your post cards to friends and family. Keep them up to speed on the fun details of your adventure. Spend a night or two at the Madrona motel. Take your rest in a room that wafts of the cottages in the 1950’s. Soak in the atmosphere and let your cares be absorbed by the redwood tree essence and pure mountain air.

In my Travels I’ve visited lots of Coffee Shops

2010-01-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

I am a bonafide Starbucks fan! No contest. Give me a choice in coffee shops, I’ll choose it over another any time. When I select coffee in a grocery store or specialty health shop, I always look for Starbucks brand first. If there is a good organic brand available, I give it strong consideration…unless there is a Starbucks Italian roast available. In my travels with my husband Cephas, we have visiited dozens of coffee shops and cafes but I have not shared many of those adventures with my readers. It’s time to start sharing.

Meet the incredible mascot for Joe Monkey in Oregon. I love this adorable monkey. Unique identity for a coffee shop, don’t you think?

When we visited this unique coffee booth, it was relatively new and still building. The plans included an outdoor sitting area, pavilions, organic coffees, teas, smoothies and foods. These industrious local folks were planning to bring a community together by hosting events at their shop. Vendors were part of the scene for special events with Joe Monkey serving up great drinks and food.

I am contacting the owners of this shop who should be celebrating the end of their first year to find about the success of their grand opening and their first year’s business. It is my hope to get updates and an interview. I promised the owners to give them a little free press in the spirit of community so I’ll keep that promise to the best of my ability. When you’re traveling in Oregon, be sure to drive by for a great cup of Joe and tell them The Midnight Writer sent you.

Cephas Drinking in the View of Mount Shasta and a cup of Starbucks

2010-01-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Last spring we took a tour from the coast of California into the Redwoods then over to Mount Shasta. Our trip took us through some scenic high mountains then up through Oregon into the National Forest of the Ochocos. From there, we drove up to the Dalles and followed I-84 along the Hood River. This leg of our journey was awesome filled with mountains, rivers and waterfalls. The one thing that stayed with us to all these sites was good coffee. The photo below is one taken of Cephas standing with Mount Shasta for his backdrop.

Does the view improve the taste? Of course it does! Even if it’s Starbucks. Cephas had fun posing for this photo. He likes the TV show NCIS so this is his impersonation of Gibbs drinking all the coffee on the show.

We have some favorite coffee flavors which include Italian roast ground espresso fine on the top of the list. Pike’s Place is one of our favorites but I personally prefer this with vanilla flavor and two shots espresso added. Cephas likes it the same way but often puts in raw sugar then adds lots of half and half. I add lots of cream to mine as well. This flavor is best when it’s hot. French Roast would be our second favorite on the list if we are brewing our own Starbucks. When we can’t find our favorite coffee shop, we look for a place that serves organic coffee or we buy a pound and brew our own.

Do you know my favorite place to enjoy a perfectly brewed cup of coffee in the morning? I love to sit by a campfire in the morning when we camp in the high mountains in the summer time. It’s a great way to watch the sun rise higher in the sky while smelling the essences of nature.

Visit the Blog Onederlnd and Read the Random Banters of Randy Christenhusz

2009-08-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you that this review is a true pleasure because I was impressed with Randy's blog onederlnd DOT com. First of all, the captioned header title caught my attention and intrigued me. It's a spin on the word "Wonderland" in my mind which spelled captivation to me. I knew that I was clicking onto a creative writer's blog. Do you know how many blog titles are just run of the mill and outright boring?

Hats off to you Randy for your creative flair. Just so you know, the title of the blog is The Blog of Randy Christenhusz - Thoughts on Everything while the header subtitle reads Random Banters of .....Stuff.

Great thinking again Randy. You played on those variable keywords to increase the reader's intrigue with your subject matter even further.

I have a confession to make. When the page opened up I was expecting another blog that I would have to politely critique in an effort to find the good qualities to write about in order to help encourage the author to make the proper changes....without offending or discouraging. It is tough to be a good critic. On ONDERLND, I did not have to make any effort. The receptive eye pleasing layout of the blog was an immediate pleasure. As I started reading, I was even more gratified to be reviewing a quality blog.

Randy is making some changes to his theme about which he notifies the reader immediately in a nice little pop up that appeared when the blog opened, where he apologizes for any mess. I did not find any thing out of place. This layout is clean and neat with a good order to the posts. Titles are clearly displayed. Ads in the sidebar are neat and properly limited. At the top right side bar you will immediately find the rss feed button, twitter and email prompts to help you follow Randy's Random Banters and his blog.

Font size was perfect for the eyes and the colors blended easily with one another. The true pleasure for me lay in the writing style - above all else. Randy writes on variable topics which shows he is a versatile writer with a broad view of the world. His content holds that personal touch with a professional prose that is refreshing. I found all the sentences to make sense with complete thoughts and actually find the content interesting enough to read down the page onto various blog posts.

Randy, you have a winning blog and it will be a pleasure to follow you on your freelance writing/blogging journey. I love your outlook on life and hope you continue to share it with the world.

The Midnight Writer

An Important Role as a Writer Means Being a Good Critic

2009-08-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

As a freelance writer, one of the most important yet most difficult tasks I find myself faced with is learning to be a good critic. I review lots of written material in my personal and professional life. I love to read! Blogs are part of my reading list because they are an innovative part of the modern world. Today, I am reading a new blog called Critics - Today.

To be fair, I need to critique this blog honestly to help the writer grow in the freelance writing world. This blog is about being a critic, so my review serves the same role that this blog serves as its function. Writing about ads, music, jewelry, advertising companies, web hosting and a wide range of topics, the writer Vishwakarma (read his full profile to learn more about him)- exercises his talent in being a critic on a daily basis.

Reviewing other people's work and being objective about it is a difficult task because most writer's who are new at this side of the work want to be sympathetic. Let's face it, writing is a skill or a talent, for some, that can be a challenge to utilize in the freelance writing market. Vishwakarma writes with an optimism that I find refreshing. His site is clean as far as layout and does not contain too many window dressings and flashy ads so I am able to view the titles and blog articles easily. The background and layout are also basic, being black lettering on white background, is very easy on the eyes.

As I stated above, I want to be a good critic so I might need to point out any flaws in this blog that I found. This is not to be critical for the sake of negatively impacting the writer's emotions in a negative way. On the contrary, I want to learn how to encourage new writers to grow and blossom so their confidence and talents will increase to help them become a success in the freelance writing industry. This is a competitive market, probably the most competitive industry today. Vishwakarma does a great job by selecting a variety of topics that are well written for a person that is not a native of America.

Here is one bit of advice I would give this author to improve blog ranking in order to compete in a good way on the American literary market. The writer's English is good enough to be acceptable. Thoughts are clear and concise, but sometimes come across a little choppy because the sentences are too short. Carry over in thought patterns using English requires a good command of the English language. Study the composition side of English written blogs, books, and listen to audio recordings to gain a better understanding of English syntax and our ever common slang terms. New ones pop up everyday.

I recommend that since you write for Smorty Vishnakarma, review blogs written by native born Americans, like mine, so you can continue to practice being the good critic you already are and you can improve your English writing skills by reading lots of English composition. Keep up the great work. I like your reviews on products and really enjoyed reading your optimistic viewpoints. I know that Critics - Today will be a successful blog in the blogging market if you keep writing as you are. And please, take my criticism from my heart to help you increase your chances of obtaining more blogging assignments under the tight constrictions placed by many advertisers who seek English speaking writers.

This blog is one to follow on culture in India. I really enjoyed the reads about the temple so take a look at Energy Entrained in Music. The photo is captivating. I've never been to this country but would love to visit sometime. Thanks for sharing with such passion.

The only other piece of advice is to write more often so your rank will increase. I would suggest a minimum of two posts per week. Most companies who hire writers for reviews require this minimum post number per week.

Readers, please visit and encourage my new friend to share more culture, reviews and music with us in the critics corner. I'll be visiting again soon.

The Midnight Writer

Let Forever Be

2009-08-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

Image by _Massimo_ via Flickr

Isn't this a fascinating photo? It's titled "Let Forever Be". That's a powerful and empowering sentiment that invokes thoughts of surrender to me. Maybe I should consider an art and prose/poetry/literary blog. I can relate to the creative profundity of such a forum.

I borrowed the photo title for this post particularly because that is what Cephas and I discovered as we spent a month stranded on a high mountain in New Mexico.

Pure surrender.

To the will of God, to all Creation...to destiny and the only moment in which we exist...the metaphorical NOW....the present instant that is so fleeting a butterfly net cannot capture it. A breath...and your total moment is gone forever into the vapors of eternity. That is what we are and how we exist in this mortal realm...flittering breaths of spirit...more elusive than a butterfly.

These thoughts remind me of a song that I often find myself humming..."In my hour of darkness, Mother Mary came to me..and whispered words of wisdom...Let It Be."

A most profound realization of truth.

The Midnight Writer

Memorial Fund for Gabriel

2009-05-30T03:03:00.000-07:00

It is with a heavy heart that I write this today because I miss a little boy named Gabriel. Watching his brother Raven and his father Woodstock, a/k/a Loren David O'Connor, suffer through the pain of their loss while trying to make arrangements for his burial, memorial and wake is really hard. Gabriel Jaden Coates was with us for a short 3 years, 2 months and 2 days, yet he has made a profound impression on the hearts of people that will last forever. He left this earth to enter the spirit world on Sunday, May 24, 2009 at about 11 am. Gabriel fell into the water of the Antelope Creek, which was fast moving and deep. His body was recovered by very compassionate rescue workers about two hours later.

Woodstock, Raven, his friends and family are sort of moving in a state of unreal shock. Things need to get done. So we are helping in whatever way we can. Funds are urgently needed to buy the casket and to buy a plot where he will be laid to rest. Please spread the word and help in whatever way you can.

Please visit the dedication site for Gabriel at http://www.angelsforgabriel.org. News and information about his memorial, burial and wake will be posted on this blog. Lots of pictures will be loaded soon that I took of the gathering site where little Gabriel drowned. We took photos of the creek and the campsite where he laughed, played and enjoyed. There is a very spiritual picture on the site now that shows what we believe is Gabriel's spirit that appeared while Woodstock and I were standing by the stream talking about Gabriel, about what happened, about his life, about what to do now. It is then that we both felt his presence and a butterfly landed on Woodstock after that moment. I took a photo in the direction of where they found Gabriel's body in the water and that is where the column of light appeared. It was an intense, sad, happy, etherical time.

We will be assisting Woodstock with transferring of funds to the Funeral home when it is placed on the paypal in the amount we need. The general manager Chris Girdner at the Girdner Funeral Chapel is giving us until Tuesday at closing time to come up with the total for the casket. This is urgent. Other arrangements are being made and other funds are needed very much. Please email angelsforgabriel@gmail.com if you have questions or if you want to help in some way.

The Forest Service, the fire department, the Siskiyou county Sheriff's department, the Fish and Game dept. personnel, and the townspeople volunteers from Tennant were very gentle, kind, compassionate during the entire ordeal. We are all grateful to them for the way they handled this situation.

I have many things to write and memorial signs and brochures to make, and a website to update, so please help us facilitate this link being spread far and wide to get the funds together. Gabriel deserves a decent casket, memorial, burial and wake. Help us give him that much, please. Woodstock should not have to concern himself with money at a time like this. Right now we are all camping in our rigs while this is all taking place, so family please plug into this compassionate service.

Much love and blessings.
Summer Breeze on behalf of Woodstock, Raven, Gabriel & Raven and
Jazzy all his friends and family.

There are Coffee Shops and Booths Springing up Everywhere

2009-05-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

As Cephas and I traveled through Oregon into California, we noticed a lot of new coffee shops and coffee booths springing up in places where we couldn’t find good coffee before. From Burns, Oregon to Sisters, Oregon we counted several new shops on the way. In Sisters, we stopped to buy a good cup of coffee from a little coffee booth hidden off Highway 20 behind the gas station just as you get ready to drive west down the mountain. It was good to give them our business. Yes, they have a little shingle out along the road.

In Burns, Oregon we discovered a new coffee booth just across the parking lot from the new booth that we noticed six months ago when we traveled through their town. The new one sits on the inside corner of the lot towards the back across from a major family restaurant along highway 20. The other newer booth sits in the lot of the gas station adjacent the other coffee booth and gas station. One fuel center is an automated one while the second one is a newly remodeled convenience store with the newly built coffee booth. Business must be good for the coffee industry to see this much growth in a recessive economy!

I should’ve taken pictures of all the shops we passed in our travels. I would have a dozen or more shops to feature on this blog. You know what they say, though, hind sight is 20/20. The lesson was learned and we started to photograph and document the specialty coffee shops, cafes, and coffee booths that we encounter. You’ll be seeing dozens of them featured here in the coming months.

Our first feature will be a little coffee shop, cafe that is a little more than a booth with a patio for seating and outdoor cafe. It’s called Joe Monkey. I won’t say any more about it yet. You have to wait for the special feature coming soon. We took photos of the shop and its owners and gathered some contact information for the owners. Cephas and I are excited to be writing coffee features. We feel like espresso reporters!

Out of Newspapers so Pull up this Blog on Web Hosting

2009-05-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

I am always in search of quality web hosting so I read through one site after another in my quest. This is one person's offer for inexpensive web hosting that I want to share with you.

A Personal Blog Review for your Sipping Enjoyment

2009-05-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing some personal blog reviews for your sipping enjoyment as you visit the cafe and lounge with your coffee or tea. Alone in Home is a personal blog so pull up a comfortable chair and enjoy some reading about family and life in general.

The first thing that I noticed was the title and how it had a personal at home feel to it. The subtitle sends a message that welcomes you into the journal to read more about this person's family, I thought. "I'm alone. Accompany me." I felt a personal connection with the author from the beginning and that feeling continued as I read the first post titled "I Got a New Uncle Named Pak Tam". This post is all about a wedding at their grandparents home complete with a photo of the family attending the ceremony. It takes place in Labu Besar, Kulim, Kedah.

Then I realized I don't know the blog author's name at this point, so I went searching to find out who was writing about their family life. As I looked for the writer's name I found a related post below the photos of the family wedding. It moved me very much and gave me insight into a life that I can only imagine and not really understand. This post is called "Save Gaza - Save our Brothers & Sisters". Upon reading this entry I felt much compassion and I realized that the name was not so important because I felt the touch of another soul and I feel like I know this person who is writing the journal. I saw a glimpse into another world and some strangers lives who now are close to my heart and are not strangers any more.

The blogger is not alone in home any more because I am there, too. Thanks for the wonderful stories about your life and family. I will be visiting again soon and often. I feel like I've made a friend. By the way, the author's name is Nas or just Alone.

The Cafe's First Poetry Round Robin

2009-05-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

Image by . SantiMB . via Flickr

It is my pleasure to introduce The Midnight Writer's Cafes First Poetry Round Robin. I will begin the poem with the first two lines which I will base on inspiration taken from the picture above.

The rules for this round robin are simple. Ponder the photo above and read the two lines of the poem that I wrote. Add two lines in the comment below along with a link to your site and any comments or suggestions about the round robin or the cafe blog or the photo or the poem. All of this information will be taken into consideration in future round robins.

What are you waiting for? Sprinkle your creative magic dust to the two lines below.

(1) Arching above the confines of my mind run pillars of artfully crafted wood

(2) Whose designs compliment the geometric symmetry below me

Please number your lines in sequence with the ones before your comment, such as (1)(2)(3)(4) and so forth....

This round robin will run until it reaches a sensible completion of the poem. If that is doubtful in my mind, I will put a vote out to the readers to let them decide. There will be prizes and other rules made up as this goes on and you will help contribute to all the action.

Have fun and show us your talent.....

The Midnight Writer

The Cafe Blog Made the Smorty Hall of Fame

2009-05-05T02:51:00.000-07:00

Great news everyone! Mark your calendar so you'll remember what date we will celebrate this momentous anniversary in The Midnight Writer's network blogging history. On May 4, 2009 I received the long awaited email from Smorty. It relayed the great news that this blog, The Midnight Writer's Cafe, has been accepted into the Smorty blog program.

It was well worth the effort and the wait. I signed up last year for Smorty and entered blog after blog into their program, reaping one failure after another. Scratching my head, I asked "what am I doing wrong?" I was more determined than ever to qualify a blog for Smorty. So I set out to read and understand their rules.

Apparently, I had found a challenge and I was up for it. I was unaware in the beginning how different Smorty is from other companies and programs that I had joined. You have to live it to understand it. Now this blogging for the notable Smorty became a quest. Success has come!

So how did I figure out what to do to qualify? Pure inspiration! You want to hear about how I figured it out?

The Midnight Writer

Round Robin Let's Keep the Herbal Tea Going

2009-04-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

There are a few subjects that I would like to cover today starting with the continuity of a "round robin". First of all, I should ask you if you know what a round robin is? I'll explain it for you just in case.

The term "round robin" is French in origin and has its roots based in France where many people signed a petition to the Crown in protest of authority and the signing was done in a circular or ribbon fashion to disguise the order in which it was signed. This way no one could be dubbed the ring leader.

My hope for this blog is to introduce the platform of a round robin whereby modern practice creates letters or contests or sports events with multiple people participating. One example would be many people signing a petition or many people sending a Christmas letter by passing it around. We will define the rules for our "round robin" together as we explore its use and define how these sessions will take place at The Midnight Writers Cafe.

I found a round robin generator that I want to try out here.

The first round robin event that I would like to promote is a poety writing. We'll start with two lines to a poem which I will write here. People will add to it by posting comments until two lines that act as the perfect closure for my first two lines are written. Then I will write the ending or solution to the poetry or prose and publish the final version with all the authors being given credit. I will provide a link back to your site if you have not already placed it in the comment section.

This should add a little creative fun to this site while we slam espressos, or tote tea or sip a smoothie. Come back often because there are more ideas brewing. Watch for the beginning of the round robin in my next post.

The Midnight Writer

How did Espresso Arrive in the Coffee Scene?

2009-04-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Espresso means made expressly for you.

Whether or not you are a history buff, that is a good question. It is a question that I would like to explore since I am such a coffee fan. I think it would be good to know where my favorite beverage originated. Don't you?

So I went digging on search engines looking for the answer to this question: "when, how and from where did espresso enter the coffee scene?"

Here is what I found:

The first true espresso originated in Italy in the early 1900's. I found some impressive information at "1st in Coffee" so visit their site to read more. According to their information, "Luigi Bezzeri patented the first steam driven espresso machine."

Fascinating. Did you know that?

How did the word spread about this new coffee taste sensation with lots of caffeine kick?

The Word for Today is Relaxing so Pick a Calming Tea

2009-04-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Today I feel very relaxed and sort of melancholy. I'm imagining all those leisure walks we used to take just strolling with no particular place to go. I'm hoping that my hubby will be open for a nice walk either down by the river or along a mountain road. We have been way too stressed out lately with our vehicle problems and the burdens of life in spiritual, personal and financial areas. I'm making a healthy decision to bring about some changes in my life to protect my spiritual and physical and emotional well being.

One of the steps I decided to take that I want to share with you is to take in more healthy food and drinks. You all know from reading my posts how much Cephas and I love coffee. It's like a staple for us and some days it's more like a daily ritual. That is why I want to change it. I want to drink coffee because I want to enjoy it not because I need to drink it. If anything becomes an addiction it could be a problem so we're going to attempt to nip this habit and make it a drink of choice, not need. How will we do that?

By drinking more teas and juices an smoothies. These are all healthy for you and they are part of the Cafe/Coffee Shop experience as much as coffee. This is exciting news for all of you because we can delve into many new territories here. You can learn with me as we share information on great drinks and their benefits. I would like to find the best economic deals on some of those products as well so help me out here. I still want to hear about your favorite drink.

ON to Today's Word Pick: relaxing and calming.

I am choosing one of my favorite teas for this effect, chamomile.

Have you ever tried chamomile tea? It is smooth and calming with a slight euphoric effect. If you are tired it will induce sleep or it will enhance your desire to meditate. Babies will calm right down if you give them some chamomile for their stomach or their teeth. I have used it for my grandchildren with great success.

Chamomile has many benefits from helping children with teething pain, settling the stomach, calming the nerves or aiding with sleep. Herbal journals purport that it protects against staph and strep so it is a handy medicine to keep in your kitchen. Mixed with a bit of yarrow it carries great antibiotic and antiviral effect.

I love the taste. If you want it sweet add a touch of honey but do not give honey to children or infants under one year old.

Brew a warm cup of chamomile today and relax.

The Midnight Writer

Famous Coffee Shops Around the World

2009-04-24T16:55:00.001-07:00

Image by Ewan-M via Flickr

Image by Ewan-M via Flickr
As of yet, I have not received any nominations for any one's favorite coffee shop or cafe. So I'm extending the invitation again and hoping that my readers will reciprocate with an entry. I'm really anxious to start writing features here about coffee shops, cafes and your favorite drinks as well. Hurry and send those entries today and include a photo, too if you can. Send all information to themidnightwriter1@gmail.com for a quick response.

While I'm waiting for the nominees of all those great cafes around the country and around the world, I'm starting my own feature spot on famous coffee shops around the world. Maybe this will stir some inspirations from my audience.

The photograph shows the lovely "Old Coffee House in Soho, London, England". The address is 49 Beak Street which was formerly known as Silver Street. I love the design of this coffee house. It is featured on The Randomness Guide to London so visit their site to learn more and tell them The Midnight Writer's Cafe sent you.

What do you find attractive about The Old Coffee House?

I like the location, the building style and the colors are very nice. As for the service, I've never been to this lovely coffee house yet but it is on my list of places to visit.

Aside from serving ale from their own micro brewery and they have a wine list, too. Food is served with banquettes held in the back, according to the Randomness Guide to London. When I conducted a google search for this coffee house under its name The Old Coffee House, they were the first one on the list. I found a google map to locate it so you can bookmark i t for your travel plans.

Tis the Season for Iced Frappuccinos

2009-04-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's heating up outside so folks tend to go for the ice. Featured drinks everywhere add the ice, from iced tea of all kinds whether it be earl grey or green, to frappuccinos served on ice- blended or not. There is an appeal for these iced coffee drinks that are espresso based. They come with a host of flavors added such as vanilla, hazelnut, caramel and mint. The icing on the drink is the whip, of course.

With all the craze for iced drinks and frappuccinos, how much information is available about whether iced drinks or hot drinks are better for you in the warmer weather?

Between you and me, we can uncover this information and share it right here on your favorite online cafe. Now don't get me wrong. Regardless of the outcome of our research, I fully intend to enjoy some iced tea and an occasional iced vanilla frappuccino this summer with lots of whipped cream on top. Cinnamon adds the perfect finishing touch to any iced or hot coffee. You should try it!

My personal preference in drinking coffee remains with the hot espresso based drinks and lately I'm leaving out the syrups 75% of the time. I need to cut back on the sugar. You might consider using less sugar in the summertime to help keep those bugs away! If you're sweet smelling they will love you more.

The Midnight Writer

Watching "The Day After Tomorrow" Makes me Want a Capucchino

2009-04-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

The cup is warm in your hand as the steam rises teasing your nostrils with its rich sweet aroma. A cozy feeling washes over you while you inhale its aroma and let the scent of the vanilla that mingles with the rich French roast coffee you used to make the espresso shots. The cream makes it thick, rich and soothing to the stomach as you drink copiously from the venti sized cup in your hands. You are still savoring the warmth within your hands.

The warm beverage is creating heat inside your stomach which feels good as you watch the approach of the superstorm on the movie. A polar shift will take place and the whole northern hemisphere will be plunged into an ice age. Anyone who steps outside during the temperature shift will freeze almost instantly. That is cold. Now they're talking about giving orders to the National Guard to evacuate as many people as possible to Mexico to prevent total loss of life during the freeze.

I'm watching this storm advance with high winds, rain, ice, snow and frigid temperatures invading the continents freezing everything still in place as it advances. The scientists are sharing a twelve year old bottle of scotch. I look down in my still warm hands and gingerly sip some more of this delicious capucchino that I have been nursing for ten minutes now. The foam has all dissolved by now adding more creamy texture to the beverage.

I reach for a fleece blanket and wrap my legs in it to warm up. My room isn't really cold. It's just the power of suggestion watching all this ice advance on the city of Manhattan. Someone is convincing people to go outside but the young man whose father is a scientist is warning them not to go outside into the frigid temperatures. He's telling the people they will freeze to death but they are not listening. Droves of them are leaving the library to walk outside trying to run south before the snow gets too deep. What a terrible misjudgment!

I pull my blanket closer to my body and add a dash of cinnamon to my vanilla capucchino. I'm thinking about sitting closer to my husband for this movie so we can emulate sharing body heat to survive the frigid storm onslaught...by proxy from The Day After Tomorrow.

Do you suppose that all the predictions of the polar shift and weather disasters predicted for 2012 will happen?

Is Hot Chocolate Just for Cold Winter Days?

2009-03-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: The Midnight Writer
Seriously, what is your opinion? Hot chocolate- is it just for cold winter days or is it just as enjoyable in the summertime?

Oh, you thought this blog was just about coffee? I'm sorry if you had that misconception, but I thought I explained it very well in the introduction to this blog. This is a cafe. Here, we will share about all drinks shared in a cafe/coffee shop setting. This includes many kinds of drinks, such as:

~ teas
~ coffees, espressos, capuchinos, lattes
~ hot chocolate, cocoa and chocolate based drinks
~ herbal teas
~ energy drinks
~ smoothies
~ juices

As you can see, there is a lot of room for discussion. But this post is about hot chocolate.

MMMMmmmmm......Delicious, rich, hot, steamy cup of chocolate is great for the cold hands in winter time. After coming in from sledding all afternoon, we used to cozy up in the living room near the woodstove and share hot chocolate with marshmallows. Mom knew how to make it best. The conversation centered around the chocolate, the next day's sledding excursion and who was going to shovel the driveway after the next snow. Beyond that, we talked excitedly about a good movie to watch that night and was there enough cocoa and marshmallows for the next round.

Can you relate?

What about drinking hot chocolate in the summertime? Do you have some good experiences to share or suggestions as to when and where this is a good warm drink to share with family and friends?

My favorite place to drink hot chocolate in the summertime is while sitting around a campfire during a high mountain campout. Usually we spend the days hiking and foraging for neat rocks and plants, so come night fall when the moon rises we build a cozy campfire and circle around to share exciting adventure stories. Sometimes we tell ghost stories or discuss possible adventures for tomorrow.

Camping. Campfires. Family. Friends. Moonlight. Hot chocolate. A perfect combination. With toasted marshmallows from great willow branches.

Smorty will Help you Make Money with your Blog

2009-03-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

You have probably seen the ads for many companies that pay you to blog or the ones that allow you to make money from your blog. Smorty is unique in that it works to help prevent you from losing page engine ranking.

I know, two questions come to mind.

How does Smorty prevent page rank loss?
Why is this important to you?

The answers are fairly simple.

First, Smorty helps prevent page rank "spanking" from major search engines because they encourage the use of high quality blogs without all the "paid posting" tags. These sites are targeted by search engines who drop the rank because they consider sites that have paid repetitious blog posts written about them to be sort of "spammers". Smorty's method encourages tactful practices and it controls the quality of blogs in their network.

Smorty does not use Wordpress because they do not allow paid posting.

Why does any of this matter to you?

Your site will climb faster in page rank if quality is maintained, if paid ads are kept to a minimum and the layout and content are clean and copy free. If you have a higher page rank, your site will likely be read more frequently by people who browse the internet. This means sales for you.

If you have a higher page rank, and you are a freelance blogger or ghost blogger who uses their own blog domain to write ad copy or reviews for clients, you will get more work. Higher page rank means a site is rated to receive more page views. This tells the advertiser that their ad will receive more exposure than a site with lesser page rank. What do you think the advertiser will choose?

Smorty takes the guesswork out of it for you by outlining the guidelines on their site. Check it out today and consider applying to be a blogger with Smorty. Be sure that you follow some simple rules.

1. I highly recommend that you establish a blog exclusively for Smorty because it's guidelines are unique and differ from many pay to blog companies out there. I have checked out a lot of them so I can attest to this as a fact. That is why this blog will be geared to be a "Smorty blog" reserved exclusively for my personal use and to write reviews and ad copy for Smorty and their clients.

2. Buy the domain and write posts for three months before you submit to be a writer for Smorty. It may be six months before they approve you but give it a try at three and be willing to continue posting on your blog as it increases in size and page rank. Then resubmit when the six month time frame passes.

I have touched on the bare essentials to introduce you to Smorty. Don't worry though, I will be posting more in depth reviews of this company. Come back to monitor my progress with Smorty as a paid blogger because this Cafe blog is awaiting approval. We'll follow the timeline and study the blog's progress to be qualified.

Do you have a Smorty experience that you would like to share with us?

Welcome a Special Out of Season Guest

2009-03-06T17:19:00.001-08:00

A&P, COFFEE, SANTA CLAUS, originally uploaded by George Eastman House.

Normally, Santa Claus would not make an appearance away from the North Pole unless it was Christmas and he was delivering gifts on Christmas Eve. Today, The Midnight Writer's Cafe has the honor of entertaining this very special guest. When Santa heard we opened a cafe, he saddled his reindeer, hitched them to the sleigh and headed right on over here to enjoy some of the best company in the world- YOU!- and to taste some of the world's most sensational coffees.

It gets mighty cold at the North Pole, so Santa keeps a plentiful supply of his favorite coffees, teas and hot chocolate for all those elves. You know he needs to keep them happy if he wants to see all that toy production throughout the year. Those busy elf hands take time out to sip hot chocolate by the fireplace with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Thank you for taking the time to join us and our very special guest for a delicious cup of vanilla capuccino with cinnamon. As a special thank you to Santa for traveling all this way just to sample our goodies (we gave him a box of fresh baked cookies for the road. Who says he has to wait till Christmas Eve?) we are also giving Santa ten cases of his favorite coffees, hot chocolates, teas and flavors to carry him over until his next visit.

He told us some funny and adventurous stories about driving the sleigh through blizzards, rain and winds. The whole time Santa Claus talked about his near mishaps because Rudolph forgot to turn on the light of his nose, he still laughed and smiled in his jolly old way. What a pleasure to listen to this mysterious legend up close and personal tell his stories. It was like sharing coffee with my Dad on a Sunday afternoon. Delightful!

Santa is on his way back to the North Pole to feast on one of Mrs. Claus' special dinners that she has waiting for him. Don't worry, you still have time to give him your wish list for next Christmas. Santa will return to pick up your letters right here at The Midnight Writer's Cafe. So be sure to post your list in the comment section any where on this blog. We'll be sure to drop it in our special Santa Claus mailbox for you.

The Midnight Writer

I am Waiting for This Blog to be Approved by Entrecard

2009-03-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Practice some yoga. Take some deep breaths. Stretch. Breathe in deeply. Repeat twenty - five times.

Are you relaxed?

Good. If you came here expecting to drop an Entrecard, please be patient. Admin is reviewing it and I am certain that it is only a matter of time before I receive the greenlight email. Then I can place that wonderful Entrecard widget that we all love so much.

Did you say you're not a member of Entrecard yet? Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry on over to Entrecard and sign up! It is so much fun and it's a great way to find other great blogs to read. Entrecard will help to increase your blogs traffic because it encourages other people to browse the internet looking for blogs to read. Surfers will drop on your widget which will earn you ec points, credits given by Entrecard that allows you to buy advertising on other blogs. Your page rank will increase over time, too.

It's a wonderful way to meet new friends and to learn a lot about blogging, about business, internet marketing and almost any topic that you can imagine.

Joining Entrecard was probably one of the most fun I've ever had online. See you over there, and here. Be sure to come back looking for the widget in my sidebar.

Now, what should I write about in the topics of coffee? Do you have a favorite coffee shop?

The Midnight Writer

Going Radioactive on Entrecard with Midnight's Cafe

2009-03-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

Five posts folks and now this blog qualifies for Entrecard. Right On! woot! Yeah! and all those expletives. You can tell I am overjoyed.

Now I understand that for a blog, five posts is just a hair among thousands to make a wig! I promise you, I will be adding lots of hairs to make an awesome full bodied wig. Okay, enough with the puns.

I have several drafts in process right now and I'm working on many new ideas for this blog while I construct outlines to some really good content to share with my readers. (that's you. uh hum.) I need caffeine!

This is where you come in. My ideas fill boxes and file cabinets galore. That does no good if you do not want to read what I write about. So pull up a chair, pour yourself a brew of espresso or whatever you like, and take a minute to jot down some ideas in my comment section. Leave a way to contact you so I can let you know when your brilliance appears on this blog. Sound like a plan?

Okay, let's get busy and write some riveting content here. Meanwhile, drop on my Entrecard so I can pay you a visit and share more ideas on life, love and coffee.

The Midnight Writer