Cafe 510

Just watched a crested night heron fly by my office window. Sweet.

Thanks to Weight Watchers at Work (WW@W), I do more brown bagging of breakfast and lunch than I used to. It saves me money, reduces my carbon footprint, and assures food is made by the best cook I know, IMHO, me.

Not that we have a glut of ceramic knives, but we had one we couldn’t make room for in the hanging block, so I have one here now at work. And a cutting board. These are two fabulous tools that make someone like me feel great about food prep. Years ago I used to take cooking classes at Kapiolani Community College, and one of the first things I learned was how to use a knife. I won’t look away, but theoretically I could. Lousy knives are dangerous, so if you like to cook or prep like I do, make an investment in a couple that will thrill you.

Here I am at Cafe 510, my desk for breakfast and lunch, and although I’m among friends, it’s not really as much fun as when I’m at home with a bubble of wine within arm’s reach, my interesting husband nearby, a netbook to stay connected to the virtual world, and a window above my main counter through which to gaze. Sure, it’s into the garage, but I can also see trees and shrubs and two fur children, sibling kitties, who come to the top of the washer and chirp at me through the window to see what they could whine out of me.

Just lately I’ve connected with a woman on Twitter who goes by @macroHawaii, thanks to another friend on Twitter, @Rodney_o. Rodney rides bike and is into fountain pens, creating beautiful works of caligraphy. Leslie Ashburn, aka @macroHawaii, is a personal chef who teaches cooking with a macrobiotic bent and is into motorcycles. So we turned her on to another Twitter guy, @ajfortin. Leslie and I have shared a few tweets and she’s an encouraging cooking teacher.

So while I’m eating at my desk this fabulous salad of fresh veggies from Otsuji Farm and lettuce from a hydroponic farm on Maui, I’m not exactly eating alone. I’m sharing a twitpic, observing what others are up to, catching up on world and local news, and tracking my friends as they Tweet about their day.

If it weren’t for the Internet, I would never had made these connections, nor would I have gotten back in touch with people from my childhood. Politically we could be miles apart, but virtually our friendships are true.

There are so many amazing things in place thanks to the Internet. Ponder the benefits it provides you and your employer or your business.