Home brew

I bought a new laptop computer and I love it.

Unfortunately, it was sort of expensive. So in an effort to save money, I’ve been using the free internet connection at the coffee shop near my house. Since the shop is so close, I was hoping that I’d be able to pick up the signal in my living room, or at least from my patio. But to date, I’ve had no such luck.

Instead, I actually have to go inside and buy coffee each time I want to use the connection.

A large coffee (the size I usually get) is $1.25, which seems pretty economical. But now I’m starting to wonder if it would be cheaper to pay for my own internet access and just make coffee at home. I’m almost certain that I lack math skill required to accurately compare the two scenarios, but still I wonder...

A few years back, I remember seeing those commercials that said you could sponsor a starving kid in another country “for the price of a cup of coffee.” An internet connection should cost a lot less than feeding a hungry kid, right?

Then again, those commercials were around way before double-mocha latte drinks that cost $3.00 or more. I’m not sure about how inflation or exchange rates work “over there” but at today’s prices, it’s possible that “the price of a cup of coffee” could be enough to send a kid off to college with an XBox 360° in tow.

For my part, going over to the coffee shop is sort of an inconvenience, but it does get me out of the house. And truthfully, at this point in my life I’m at least a little worried that if I could get the internet, or even extended cable TV at home that I’d never leave the house.

Then how would I get coffee?