Lola at the Coffee House, Cafe 101

No, it was merely a rather dull historical project.

Just back to find the thread has turned sour. Why?

Pope Spendius XXX decided to show up and all the milk soured for the lattes -- and it was in the fridge!

Is Viagra derived from a trace compound in bananas is what I want to know?

Spendius and his observations, I suppose.

Mine was a joke, I hope not misplaced.

Sour, this thread?

No way, it's an inexhaustible source of merriment!

I was catchin up after being on a three day field trip. George's definition of a hot spot is pretty accurate. To be a "registered" hot spot, we must see an area of at least 100 km in radius in which there is a surface expression of a persistent rising plume of mantle material. A registered hot spot must be persistent for several tens of millions of years and because they usually lie outside of volcanic arcs and oceanic ridges, they are often overlain by thinner areas of continental or oceanic crust. The crust slab usually just rides over the hotspot as the two features arent coupled. The result is that the crustal surface gains some new material (like Hawaii's Big Island) or just gets severely baked (like the Snake River/Yellowstone Caldera)/
People often speculate that hot spots are areas of future continental sutures .

There has been a solid three days of really crappy rain and fog . Ive been trying to photograph some map features for my book and have spent these days waiting for the right shot. Finally, yesterday, the sun broke through and it warmed up. It was a glorious day in the Appalachians. I was down at Grandfather Mountain and Spruce Knob West Virginia.

Anybody know a good recipe for fern fiddleheads?

Why I help these dickheads with their homework I don't know. It must be my generous nature I suppose.

Ingredients:

* fiddleheads
* mushrooms
* garlic
* onions
* butter
* garlic
* garlic oil
* salt and pepper

Applies to anything. I prefer 'em in kinky boots myself with a pony tail. Hotspots obligatory.

Preparation:
Wash fiddleheads several times in cool water to remove grit and chaff. Place in microwave-safe dish in a little water. Cover and steam for a few minutes. Cut up mushrooms. Chop garlic and onions and place all in frying pan with garlic oil and butter and with drained fiddleheads. Fry for a few minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta or as a side veggie...

Perhaps it's merely my own overreaction to what sometimes appears to be unnecessarily abrasive commentary. Spendius doesn't annoy me at all: on the contrary I often (not always) find his commentary a good balance to all the rest, and occasionally insightful and on point.

Francis, however, is another matter.

You are trying to goad me into something, aren't you, George?

Bar fight! Bar fight! Anyone have a camera?

Don't forget that's hot coffee, not cold brew, which will not liquidate anyone like the Wicked Witch of the East -- it will merely turn one into a cross dresser (maybe even Papal drag).

The road to hell is paved with adverbs.
- Stephen King

OK - we got cameras, Lightwizard has set up enough lighting to film whatever epic bar fight is taking place, we got actors, a plot loosely based on this bestseller >

> what else do we need? Will the film-making experts here please advise?

Sorry McTag - this Coffee House already did the Toga Party scene from "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" some years ago; you weren't a member at the time, if memory serves. We could do Inferno, by Dante - filled with colorful characters and activities - unless somebody has a better idea.

That's a tremendous idea but I think it could be more fascinating if we mussed it up a little by combining "The Inferno" with Saroyan's "The Human Comedy."

george, farmerman...thanks for data

We could do The Caretakers: a Pinteresque long night of the soul.

I've been informed by one of my intellectual mates on Trivia that garlic is Non-U for fiddleheads. Vinegar is the thing it seems.

No, not at all. You only rarely require goading, Francis.

No barfights either. I am a much more peaceful man than most here.

I was thinking of dueling with Eskimo Pies.

Count me out!