[djmcmath]

Well, Terry, there's some wisdom in those words. The distinct flavor of coffee brings back memories. When I was younger, coffee was church -- we always had coffee available between services. Coffee was camping -- cold mornings in front of a hot fire with a thick dark coffee-like fluid.

Now, the flavor of brewed coffee brings me back to the boat -- midwatches in the Maneuvering room, waking up at 0200 to surface the boat, sipping a hot cup of joe between staring out the periscope for hours on end, engineering training in a galley full of nukes who haven't showered for two weeks because the evaporator's down. The flavor of brewed coffee brings back the nervous twitch caused by sleeping in 10 minute shots for weeks on end, surviving on caffeine alone. A latte means I'm back in port -- there's milk, and the beans haven't been soaking in the oily haze of the engine room for 3 months, and the barista is a female.

I'll still drink brewed coffee, if I need to, but it requires a conscious effort not to "put my boat face on."

Dan