This is a weird time of year. Here in Berkeley it's a gorgeous day, sunny, though chilly. The magnolias are already blooming. It's not spring yet, not even winter. The looming New Year makes a guy think about transitions, the passage of time, new stuff—the usual. The numeral 2005 sounds new—shiny and pristine, just out of the box, wheareas 2004 sounds (already), old, scratched, a little battered, like my camera cellphone (which I bought in 2004). This blog is one of the transitions for the new year. I've started it This is a weird time of year. Here in Berkeley it's a gorgeous day, sunny, though chilly. The magnolias are already blooming. It's not spring yet, not even winter. The looming New Year makes a guy think about transitions, the passage of time, new stuff—the usual. The numeral 2005 sounds new—shiny and pristine, just out of the box, wheareas 2004 sounds (already), old, scratched, a little battered, like my camera cellphone (which I bought in 2004). This blog is one This is a weird time of year. Here in Berkeley it's a gorgeous day, sunny, though chilly. The magnolias are already blooming. It's not spring yet, not even winter. The looming New Year makes a guy think about transitions, the passage of time, new stuff—the usual. The numeral 2005 sounds new—shiny and pristine, just out of the box, wheareas 2004 sounds (already), old, scratched, a little battered, like my camera This is a weird time of year. Here in Berkeley it's a gorgeous day, sunny, though chilly. The magnolias are already blooming. It's not spring yet, not even winter. The looming New Year makes a guy think about transitions, the passage of time, new stuff—the usual. The numeral 2005 sounds new—shiny and pristine, just out of the box, wheareas 2004

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Sex, Starbucks, and Rock and Roll

2:34 PM Wednesday, March 30, 2005

[Ray Charles and a Rainy Night in Seattle]

When was the last time you were at Starbucks and either 1) had sex or 2) heard rock and roll? Never, right? So what is the common thread that links these three phenomena of contemporary culture? More than you might think.

But first we have to settle the question if Ray Charles actually played rock and roll. If you say "no" I won't argue. Call it gospel, R&B, gospel-tinged R&B, pop, white people's music, whatever. Hip-hop it wasn't. But Ray was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and they think he played rock and roll.

Well, then, where does Starbucks fit in? If you visit this website you will learn that a Ray Charles memorial CD has been a big seller at the Seattle-based coffee chain's stores. The site is worth a click, maybe, but beware of the bizarre sound effects which make the noise of a motorized 35mm camera drive while photos of Ray Charles slowly fade in and out from black. What were they thinking?

OK, where's the sex? That's why you're reading this, isn't it? According to this lovely lady (the human, not the mermaid) whose book is quoted on the website Tantra in Atlanta, the neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in the pleasure experienced during sex. By the way, the lady's name is Liz or Marnia, depending on which site you read.

Now follow closely: According to the aforementioned Tantra site orgasm is basically a big blast of dopamine in our primitive brain; moreover,

"Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that occurs naturally in the brain. Its primary job is to "light up" a section of the primitive brain with intense pleasure when we take any action that once furthered mankind's survival. The dopamine reward is so powerful that in an experiment where rats could push a lever to stimulate this portion of their brains, they "blissed" themselves to death… Evolutionary biology has found its uses for this mechanism… We receive a dopamine reward for…eating high calorie foods…taking risks, …and having sex…"

But that's a Tantra website from the Peach State. Can it be trusted? Let's turn to the fount of universal absolute knowledge whose veracity is beyond question. That's right, Wikipedia. In their "Dopamine" article, they say,

"Dopamine is commonly associated with the 'pleasure system' of the brain, providing feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement to motivate us to do… certain activities. Certainly dopamine is released (particularly in areas such as the nucleus accumbens and striatum) by naturally rewarding experiences such as food, sex, abuse of drugs and neutral stimuli that become associated with them. [Like rock and roll—Ed.]

So what does that have to do with coffee? Aha! Once more we turn to the Wikipedia:

[C]affeine, similar to amphetamines, increases the levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is commonly associated with the 'pleasure system' of the brain… This theory is often discussed in terms of drugs (such as cocaine) which seem to directly produce dopamine release… the firing of dopamine neurons occur when a pleasurable activity is expected, regardless of whether it actually happens or not. This suggests that dopamine may be involved in desire rather than pleasure.

Next time you see a Starbucks, think of Ray Charles, dopamine, sex, and this blog. It's not called the "Coffeeblog" for nothing.—JDL

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