12 Days Of Canadian Christmas

back in the 80's rick moranis and dave thomas were better known by their canadian alter egos, bob and doug mckenzie. as the mckenzie brothers, moranis and thomas recorded a comedic version of the 12 days of christmas. in this version the mckenzie's list the 12 days as: christmas, christmas eve, new years day, new year's eve, boxing day, 2 saturdays, and 2 sundays. what do they call the 3 remaining days? double punches if you know the answer! the answer to tuesday's trivia: head of the household.

Festivus

today is festivus, a holiday alternative to christmas created on seinfeld. on this day we make a contribution to the human fund, put up an undecorated metal pole, air our grievances, and compete in the feats of strength. TRIVIA: who is wrestled and pinned to the floor during the feats of strength? double punches today for everyone who knows! the answer yesterday's trivia: merry christmas (i don't want to fight tonight) by the ramones.

Christmas Week Already

christmas is just a few days away now. we've already had our first snow of the season, christmas decorations are up, christmas cards are arriving in the mail, and christmas music will be playing until christmas eve @ homer's. here's a lyric from one of those songs that i played on my shift last week: christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's hearts. if you know which song has that lyric you'll get double punches today! merry christmas!

Oak Tree

as i was sipping my first cup of coffee this morning, i watched a 1985 music video by morris day where he was doing a dance called the oak tree. the video is pretty cheesy, but that's why i like it. hey if you can do the oak tree (hint: look at the pic or watch the video), you'll get double punches toward a free drink today! the answer to last wednesday's trivia: true

True or False: Nintendo Coffee Table

TRUE or FALSE: if you have $1300 lying around you can purchase a working nintendo coffee table for that special someone this christmas. if you know the right answer you'll get double punches toward a free drink! the answer to last wednesday's trivia: pat benatar

Tuesday Jams

angie came over to our house to work on music with me before our afternoon shift today. we're playing @ homer's in a few months and we've been building up our setlist on tuesday mornings. when you see beep goes the weasel scheduled to play @ homer's, that's us.

Put Up Your Dukes...

hit me with your best shot is usually NOT a request heard in coffeehouses (although it should be), this phrase is more likely to be associated with: a)paul newman b)pat benatar c)muhammed ali. if you know the right answer you'll get double punches today! oh and hey, big thanks to angie for being an idea consultant to the blog!

Thanksgiving Reflections

it was a good thanksgiving this year, and i'm still reflecting on things like this sunset in mccook, NE (about 40 miles away from my wife's hometown) where we ate dinner inside an old railroad building. do you have good memories or stories to share?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday Match Up

here we see three mugs from three baristas. some people would have you believe that you that a coffee mug reveals alot about a person... i don't think that's the case today. however, if you know which mug belongs to jerry, dave, or nate you'll get double punches toward a free drink today! oh and the answers to last tuesday's match up trivia: A2, B3, C1.

Live Plastic Dinosaurs

tuesday morning i was listening to NPR on my way to homer's. i heard a story about a new book called what the dinosaurs did last night. two kansas city parents wrote this book for their children. since 2012, refe and susan tuma have positioned their children's toy dinosaurs to appear as if they have come to life overnight.

Tuesday Match Up

yesterday we played a few monday songs @ homer's: manic monday by the bangles, monday monday by the mamas and the papas, and i don't like mondays by the boomtown rats. today we'll see if you can correctly match up the tuesday song with the recording artist.
the songs are: a) ruby tuesday b) tuesday afternoon c) tuesday's gone
the artists are: 1) lynyrd skynyrd 2) the rolling stones 3) the moody blues
if you match up the song with the artist correctly, you'll get double punches toward a free drink today! the mystery customer in last thursday's throwback photo: jeff todd

Seinfeld's Ferrari

jerry seinfeld picked up amy schumer in a ferrari yesterday on his web series, comedians in cars getting coffee. the sporty ride vroomed, sputtered, smoked, and eventually stopped. they walked to a nearby diner for coffee and breakfast.

Throwback Thursday!

this guy is one of our regular customers. this dazed and confused pic is from 1977. double punches today if you can correctly identify him! the answers to monday's trivia that we would have accepted: hammerhead, depth charge, black magic, red eye, bellringer and just about any other name that can be imagined for a coffee espresso mashup.

Kick In The Face

late sunday afternoon jenny & i drove to gardner for the groundhouse coffee experience. she ordered an egg nog latté, and i ordered a kick in the face. every coffeehouse has a different name for this drink that combines espresso and drip coffee. this blog listed at least 10 alternate names for a shot in the dark (that's what it's called @ homer's) over the last couple of years, if you can name one of those other names you'll get double punches today! the answer to last week's trivia: joust.

More Shows About Nothing

jerry seinfeld picked up kevin hart in a 1959 porsche today to start off season five of comedians in cars getting coffee. this is only show where you can see espresso shots being packed and pulled in every episode. don't look for it on TV, comedians in cars getting coffee can be seen on its own website, youtube, or crackle.

900 Retro Arcade Games

eric is a regular customer @ homer's. he always orders a big mint mocha. last night he posted a link on my facebook wall to an internet arcade. i clicked on it and found out the internet archive has over 900 classic arcade games. if you have a computer and internet access, you can go back in time faster than marty mcfly. double punches for every customer who knows what game the screenshot above comes from.

Extremes

Jeff "Monk" Todd

yesterday jeff todd walked into homer's and immediately started straightening chairs. i said "jeff todd IS adrian monk!" making a reference to the obsessive compulsive character played by tony shalhoub. jeff took the joke in stride, and ordered his usual: medium skim latté in a mug.

The Pope's Approval

for the last few weeks i've been reading about daily life in the 16th century. here's something i didn't know: coffee was once viewed as the devil's drink until pope clement VII blessed it in 1594. according to internet sources the pope said "this devil's drink is delicious, we should cheat the devil by baptizing it."

Laura's Royal Tribute

it was great to watch the royals bounce back in game 2 of the world series last night. laura clark made this latté art as a tribute to the royals a couple of days ago. laura started her coffee adventure here @ homer's, and is still going strong @ kaldi's.

Chuck & Toddy?

happy birthday to rock and roll pioneer, chuck berry! john lennon once said "if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it chuck berry." berry's string of rock hits started in the 1950's, but before he caught maybellene at the top of the hill or rolled over beethoven, he married themetta suggs in 1948. true or false: themetta's nickname was toddy. if you guess right, you'll get double punches toward a free drink today!  

Caffeine = Weird Things

gary larson, creator of the far side, once said "i don't know where my ideas come from. i will admit, however, that one key ingredient is caffeine. i get a couple cups of coffee into me and weird things just start to happen." if you've never seen a far side cartoon, google it now. seriously. go... DO IT!

Do The Robot

i ordered an audio reality gadget from thinkgeek last week. it came to homer's on wednesday. i've always been able to move like a robot, but now i can sound like one.

Caffeine Crawl Returns!

homer's will be one of the stops on the 4th annual caffeine crawl this sunday! come by between 12:30 and 3:15 and meet new friends, hear good music, and of course... drink great coffee!

Atlas

temperatures took a big dip last night, but if you still want to venture out, here's a pre-game plan: atlas is performing an acoustic show @ homer's before the royals play tonight! warm up with some coffee and come join us!

52 Years Ago Tonight

on this day (or night) in 1962 the tonight show starring johnny carson aired on NBC for the first time. johnny would host the program for the next 30 years, giving coffee drinking insomniacs something watch after the network news. TRIVIA: johnny carson actually began his broadcasting career in what midwestern city? dubuque, iowa? omaha, nebraska? springfield, illinois? double punches for everyone who can name the correct city! the answer to last week's trivia: weird al.

Summer Yule Duck

man, signs of christmas just keep coming earlier and earlier. a couple of weeks ago two women and a toddler came in for cubanos (i know, it sounds like the start of a joke, right?). they left this christmas duck behind, and it's not even halloween yet!

Minnesota Coffee Break

morning show hosts on a minnesota radio station asked listeners this question today: "what movies do you think are horrible, but that produced a great movie soundtrack?" it's something called the 9:30 coffee break, and it always provides an unusual music selection that listeners put together. here are a few songs that made today's list:
song: kiss movie: under the cherry moon
song: tempted movie: reality bites
song: meet me on the equinox movie: twilight
do you know any good songs from bad movies? tell a barista and get double punches toward a free drink today!

You Don't Love Me Anymore

many recording artists have songs about couples falling out of love, and some of them manage to tug at our heart strings... but only one performer can take a serious subject like that and hurl it over a comedy cliff when he combines lost love with coffee, a poisonous cobra, and an elevator shaft. double punches if you can correctly identify the artist (one of the guys pictured above) or the song! the answer to last thursday's trivia: breaking us in two

Today In Rock History

today in 1983, night and day by joe jackson entered the album charts. it was jackson's highest rated studio album, peaking at number 4. two hits came from that album, one of them was steppin' out, do you know what the other one was? double punches today for everyone who knows the name of that other hit (or at least how it goes)! the answer to tuesday's trivia: fayetteville.

The Crossing

while camping out in arkansas last week, my wife and i visited a coffeehouse in russellville. the crossing could be the offspring of homer's coffeehouse: it's christian based, hosts live local music, and they give back a portion of their profits to local charities and organizations. we went there 3 times in four days. the gable bradley band (above) drove over an hour to play friday night. double punches if you can guess what arkansas town they came from! the answer to last friday's trivia: true

National Chocolate Milkshake Day

today is national chocolate milkshake day, so come to homer's, order a chocolate shake, and show your national pride! TRUE OR FALSE: the term milkshake was first used in 1885 to describe an alcoholic beverage that was a "sturdy, healthful, eggnog type of drink." double punches for everyone who knows the truth or falsehood of this statement today! the answer to tuesday's trivia: theodore roosevelt.

National Teddy Bear Day

hey! it's time to share a cup of coffee with your favorite stuffed animal. why? because today is national teddy bear day (not to be confused with the november teddy bear day celebrated in vermont). TRIVIA: who was the US president that the 'teddy' bear is named after? theodore roosevelt? george washington? william howard taft? double punches if you know the correct answer today! the answer to last friday's trivia: multiplicity.

Happy Birthday Michael Keaton!

michael keaton is 63 today! TRIVIA: what movie has this scene where michael keaton reads a paper, makes coffee, and pours it down his shirt all at the same time? batman? mr. mom? multiplicity? double punches if you know the right answer today! the answer to wednesday's trivia: tom hanks

Hanx Writer

someone is ALWAYS reading or writing when they come inside homer's, whether on their laptop or smart phone. it's very unusual for someone to order a drink and then just stare into space. it would be even more unusual to hear the clickety clack of a manual typewriter, but now there is a new app called the hanx writer that might bring that sound back. TRIVIA: who is the celebrity that turned a typewriter obsession into an ipod app? whoopie goldberg? tom hanks? lady gaga? double punches if you know the answer today! the answer to thursday's trivia: 23.

Thumbs Up For RVGB!

homer's was the place to be thursday night for retro video game bash! radio hits from the 90s and 80s mingled with the familiar sounds of golden eye, mario kart, defender, and missile command. when the asteroid dust settled there were three guys left standing. ben took home the first place trophy (and a gift card to homer's and vintage stock), ian won the worst zelda game ever made (along with a free homer's drink coupon), and the third place prize was my lava lamp (ian stanford received as a proxy, the actual winner went home early). the N64's golden eye was based on the 17th james bond movie by the same name, TRIVIA: how many james bond movies are there? 20? 21? 23? double punches if you know the answer! the answer to thursday's trivia: moon patrol.

No Quarters Required

hey put on your parachute pants, monogram shirts, and grunge flannel tonight 'cause we're going back in time for a retro video game bash @ homer's from 7-9pm! gamers will go head to head bracket style for first, second, and third place prizes! there will also be free play games for less competitive players. TRIVIA QUESTION: what is the atari 2600 game pictured above? moon base? moon patrol? stuck on the moon? double punches today if you know the answer! the answer to the last trivia question: smoke on the water.

Jeep Coffee

Retro Video Game Bash!

make sure everyone is buckled up august 28th 'cause we're driving a metaphorical delorean 88 mph and going back in time for a retro video game bash @ homer's 7-9pm!

Beep Goes On Live TV

angie and i were on kc live this morning promoting a summer project called beep goes the weasel. the folks at homer's even tuned in to watch! we showed joel nichols and michelle davidson how to play vegetables like a keyboard. joel showed off his mad music skills when he tapped out a certain tune... can you guess what it was? louie louie? i can't get no satisfaction? smoke on the water? double punches if you guess right! oh and the answer to tuesday's trivia question: alot of puns.

Jeff The Painter

jeff is a regular customer @ homer's. he usually drops by in the afternoon, orders a medium sized cup of coffee, and then he sits down to paint. most of the baristas are on a first name basis with jeff, and they know that he's handy with a paint brush-- but there is something else he is prone to use. here are three guesses (if you don't know jeff): a) a number two pencil b) a bic ball point pen c) alot of puns. you will get double punches toward a free drink if you guess right! just in case you were wondering, the answer to thursday's trivia: 1943.

Stormy Weather

i took this pic from homer's right before thunderstorms rolled through overland park. we had a few storm refugees rush inside for coffee and shelter. if stormy weather doesn't push you toward a warm drink, i don't know what will. stormy weather is actually the name of an old movie. do you know what year it came out? 1966? 1943? 1932? double punches for everyone who knows! oh, and the answer to tuesday's trivia: booking flights.

Those 80s Girls

i recently found out that a blogger is interviewing women who were in some really cool 80s music videos. whatever happened to robert palmer's all girl band in addicted to love, or the girl outside the tastee freeze in jack and diane, or bunty bailey who was pulled in to a comic strip while drinking coffee in aha's take on me? is bailey currently booking flights? flipping burgers? still starring in music videos? double punches if you know the answer! the answer to friday's trivia: general foods international.  

"Celebrate The Moments...

...of your life," was a TV slogan for certain kind of coffee in the 70s and 80s. do you know which one? sanka? folgers? general foods international? double punches for everyone who knows the answer! and if you're wondering why i'm asking this question it's because "there is no present or future, only the past happening over and over again, now." - eugene o'neill. the answer to tuesday's trivia: louisa may alcott

Who Said That?

have you paid someone a compliment today? giving compliments is good, but not when someone desperately needs a cup of coffee. "i'd rather take coffee than compliments just now," who said that? was it jon stewart? oprah winfrey? louisa may alcott? if you know the answer you will get double punches toward a free drink today!

Friday

friday was the name of a cannibal rescued (on a friday) by robinson crusoe. can you name any other people real or fictional that are named after a day of the week? you will receive double punches toward a free drink today if you can! the answer to last week's trivia: john belushi.

Saying Nothing, And Everything

jerry seinfeld is mostly known for his show about nothing that ran on NBC for eleven years. he is currently hosting an internet series (another show about nothing) called comedians in cars getting coffee. on the subject of coffee, seinfeld said, "we want to do a lot of stuff; we're not in great shape. we didn't get a good night's sleep. we're a little depressed. coffee solves all these problems in one delightful little cup."

Stay Puft

tyson wore this t-shirt into homer's yesterday. he was surprised when i knew it was the stay puft marshmallow man from ghostbusters (which came out 30 years ago). today's trivia: what SNL actor was originally cast to play bill murray's role in that movie? garrett morris? chevy chase? john belushi? you'll get double punches if you know! the answer to tuesday's trivia: 1981.

About The Weather

i'm pretty sure we'll get some mixed responses about the weather since it's only getting up to 76 today. trivia: what year did the group magazine release a single by the same name? 1978? 1981? 1988? double punches for everyone who knows! the answer to saturday's trivia: joey, johnny, or dee dee.

The Last Ramone Is Gone

tommy ramone was the last surviving original member of the ramones. he died of cancer yesterday at the age of 62. the ramones were a new york punk group in the 1970's that inspired a horde of garage rock bands that came after them. trivia question: can you name one of the other 3 members of the ramones? double punches for everyone who can a ramone! here at homer's we host music friday and saturday nights that is played by artists and bands of all genres. the answer to wednesday's trivia: no.

Bulletproof Coffee...

...is the latest drink that will "optimize your cholesterol and program your body to burn fat" according to a recent article in Indy Weekly. but will it actually protect you from gunfire? double punches if you know the answer to that question today! the answer to monday's trivia: partly true. jimi hendrix did set his guitar on fire at the monterey pop festival, but no molotov cappuccinos are known to be in existence.