Grumblers, sourpusses, nay-sayers and other ne'er-do-wells...

In the coffee business you meet a lot of people, the overwhelming majority of which are really wonderful, upbeat and involved individuals. I think good coffee...artisan coffee...attracts those kinds of positive folks. But just like most anything else in life there also inevitably exists that small contingent of people who seem to feed off of negativity, who love to knock others down, and wish failure upon those who venture off the safer, well traveled road...where the grumblers would never dare go themselves. Even worse, in my opinion, are those people who are in business themselves and yet who seem to wish failure upon anyone who is also gutsy enough to lay it on the line by starting a new business.

It's a sad, pathetic way to bolster one's own ego and sense of worth, by knocking others down, and the fact that their success would surely also have a positive impact on everyone else's business, particularly in small towns where economic vitality is so much more precarious than in larger cities (three or four empty storefronts in a small town and suddenly you have what appears to be a ghost town, where nobody wants to shop).

Since opening Stumpjack Coffee I've been privy to a great amount of rumor, gossip, unsolicited opinion, back biting and just plain bitching. Practically none of it is worth the air it consumes in the telling. We've heard negative stories about just about every business person and/or person involved in the community from Two Rivers to Manitowoc, and the longer they've been around or the more prominent their business, the greater the number of critical stories there are. While there may be some element of truth to some rumors it is also apparent that there are also agendas attached to just about all of them, and those agendas are never positive or supportive. The most reliable truth I've found is that until someone does something directly confrontational or negative to you it is wise to simply and completely ignore or discount the negatives you hear about another business person...even if they come from a friend (people who I like and respect have had their own stories about others, which while perhaps true in their own specific individual situation do not necessarily have any impact or bearing on our relationship with those people).

People are people and even Mother Theresa and Ghandi had their critics (how pathetic is that!). This sort of gossip- and rumor-mongering is on my mind lately because we too have had to deal with it since we opened around a year ago...things have gotten back to us that "so-and-so heard this" or "so-and-so said this about you guys." Of the perhaps three instances I seem to recall, in every single case what was said was untrue and a complete fabrication. The most recent story is that I had a business and a lease for a business in Manitowoc that we had run out on, allegedly leaving the landlords holding the bag. Well, I've never had a storefront business of my own in Manitowoc (or Two Rivers before Stumpjack Coffee. Did do the typical home-based business thing for a little while), have never had a lease of any kind anywhere until Stumpjack (other than, of course, apartment leasing when I was in college), and have certainly never run out on any lease anywhere.

One wonders where this garbage comes from, how it originates and what the agenda is behind it. Did I unintentionally (or intentionally) slight or insult someone (that's possible...lol), did someone get a bad cup of coffee here (definitely not possible), are they peeved because we got more press coverage one week than they did (that has actually come up...as though we control the media), or are they a competitor just spreading lies (that too is a definite possibility), or are they bent because we had the biggest banner at some music fest (no, can't be...no one could be that petty, self-righteous or short sighted...could they?...I know, rhetorical question).

Success, perceived or real, is bound to spark resentment is some people it seems. I believe that with achievement you will also create enemies, for whatever legitimate and illegitimate reasons (and when I say "enemies" I simply mean those who don't like you and talk smack about you, not necessarily someone who is "out to get you," although I suppose that might be the case in some instances). I'm fine with that...if you have an enemy or two it likely indicates that you are having an impact, that you must have some influence or importance in some arena...no enemies perhaps means that you haven't yet done anything of significant consequence or value. I would just prefer our enemies to be honorable and at least somewhat factual in their attacks.

Damn Flies!

Workin' it!

The houseflies seem especially bad this end-of-summer. They're everywhere...and for every three I kill three more take their place without any break in the action. The swatter has wracked up well over 100 kills in just the last week, sometimes bringing squishy death to two and even three at a crack. The shop vac has sucked up a veritable cornucopia of hornets and flies...enough to feed dozens of frogs. These little barf slurpers are just ticking me off big time. Tried the sticky strips, which are kind of cool because they remind me of the ones my Grandpa used to have in the barn, just covered with hundreds of mummified flies. They definitely work, but seem rather unsanitary (not that squished fly guts on the counter are particularly sanitary either). I always thought what an ingeniously simple device those strips were. I am going to stock up on Venus Flytraps next year...have them spread out around the room...that'll be fun. For now, I'm just waiting for a good first frost.

Invenusable Flytrap, one of the more interestingly goofy villains on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Where's this guy when you really need him?

Royal Order of Hipsters

One of my favorite, funky web sites is Fez-O-Rama (makers of handcrafted fez hats). I've always been intrigued by fez hats, especially the richly embroidered and bejeweled ones, with the little gold tassels. There's something goofy (picture an army of Shriners on scooters in any parade), exotically "Ali Baba and his 40 Thieves-ish" about a fez...it's one of those things that is "so unhip it's hip."

I'm thinking of having some made for a Stumpjumpers club at Stumpjack Coffee...a not-so-secret society of creative thinkers, java junkies, doodlers, bad poets, surfers, ne'er-do-wells and street preachers.

Picture an army of fez adorned Stumpjumpers on scooters in any parade...

Lava Lamps & Stumpjack Tiki Lounge

I picked these three little lava lamps at Kohls Department Store in GB a couple weeks ago. They were on sale for five bucks apiece. This really crappy picture doesn't show the bright red colors of the "lava." Also bought a big silver rocket ship lava lamp with lime green lava that I have by my bed at home. Who doesn't love a lava lamp...they are indeed one of the coolest inventions ever (and here's one place where you can learn even more trivial nonsense about this bit of inspired genius: OozingGoo.com)

From the very first genesis of the Stumpjack concept I have wanted to do a Stumpjack Tiki Lounge: coffee & cocktails. I'm still planning on seeing that vision through at some point, so I won't reveal too many details lest some jackanapes steal the concept ahead of us. But the lava lamps and a recent conversation got me thinking about this in earnest once again. The tiki concept is nothing new, it's current revival in popularity notwithstanding, but the idea we have has a few hopefully unique aspects to it to make it even more intriguing.

Some might argue that lava lamps and tiki really define two different styles or aesthetics, one being the retro 1960's/early '70's aesthetic that lava lamps are a part of and the other being the '50's/early 60's Polynesian Tiki aesthetic. I would agree with that wholeheartedly, and yet these days the two seem to have melded together quite comfortably in the consciousness of most people who appreciate the retro aesthetic that both movements celebrate. In any event, I'm just thinking out loud here...in preparation, I suppose, for moving forward at some point with defining and outlining our ideas for the Stumpjack Tiki Lounge.

Anyway, dig these other pics of lamps from the OozingGoo site.

No more shaving with my bowie knife

It's Monday morn here at the Scandinavian Lodge in Sister Bay...nice place, with an outdoor pool, long and roomy 3rd floor balcony, gas fireplace (that we haven't yet used), and a big whirlpool bath to soak away whatever's bugging you. The weather has been fabulous (and the trees are already starting to change color up here! C'mon, it's August, fer cryin' out loud!). It's so nice taking my time getting up and getting ready for the day.

I want to share with you a product experience that I found to be surprisingly good and worthwhile. My normal week finds me getting up early, sometime between 5:00 and 5:30, taking a quick cold shower to wake up, throw something on, brush the teeth and out the door. I generally don't take the time to shave but once a week on a day we're closed and I can take my time in the bathroom in the morning. So, by week's end I'm looking fairly scruffy with a good 1/8"-plus of wiry beard growth.

Last week when Kim went to the store I asked her to pick me up some razor heads for my razor. She came back with a packet of Bic disposables...Bic Comfort 3s to be exact. I griped that they weren't what I asked for, that disposables suck and are only good for ladies shaving their legs in the shower, and that these had 3-blade heads, which I think are nothing more than a stupid marketing ploy aimed at gullible people.
I begrudgingly used it because it's all I had at the moment. That razor gave me the best, closest shave I've ever had. I was duly impressed and made the required apologies to my gal. Well, Saturday when I left to come up here to Door County I just grabbed a few clean clothes and that Bic razor and hit the road. Shaved with that same razor again this morning and it tackled my week's growth every bit as clean and slick as it did the first time...and without any shaving cream or gel, which I forgot to bring. And to further impress and surprise, the little strip that they claim gives your mug a coating of soothing aloe gel actually does...even at the second shave!

I could tell when I finished that that little green baby would still shave clean and cool the next time as well. I am very impressed and will be using those Bic Comfort 3 razors from now on. They're a far cry from those crappy one or two blade white and orange things they used to put out, where you needed to use two or three to shave your face just once before they started tearing you to shreds. And these are cheaper than the replaceable ones I'd been using. Better quality at a lower price...I guess the only thing I might change is the "disposable" aspect.

yea, that's eactly how I feel right now...

I am shamelessly stealing this image from a post on our pal Don Seiler's blog , Mind of Seiler, because it just so perfectly hit the nail on the head for me right now. I am in a room in Door County right now, that I cannot afford but am able to take advantage of thanks to the thoughtfulness of my brother, Rod, and still cannot seem to relax from the overwhelming feeling of "too much work/too little money/why don't I just quit and move to Canada/some of you people have no damn clue/feeling sorry for myself then feeling guilty because there are many more people who have bigger things to bitch about than me" anxiety.

For the Personal Foolishness files

LRS 2006

We're disabling the current Lakeshore's Rising Stars! site in favor of a more streamlined version that Terry will be updating and keeping tabs on himself (sigh of relief...). The images above and below are my little BS bios from this year and last, on the About Us page, and I wanted to grab them off the site before I disable it and redirect the domain. It's really just for my personal archives but you can click on them if you actually care to read them.

LRS 2007