Rachael Ray + Joe Burgum = Wormhole-christened coffee mug gift

Grocery shopping is one of the most boring necessities of life. So, anytime the fridge was depleted, Joe would have to convince me to go.

When we checked out at the Jewel Osco, he’d be sure to collect stamps that were earned with each purchase. 

Back at the apartment, I saw the half-filled book of sticker stamps on top of our fridge and questioned his dedication.

“What are those even going to buy you?”

“Fill this page with a certain number of stamps and then you get to select from a list of items from the Rachael Ray dinnerware line,” he replied.

My look let him know how stupid I thought that was. He was acting like such a boy scout.

“What kind of dinnerware is even worth getting?” I asked.

“Dane,” he snapped, “we don’t even have oven mitts in our kitchen. We need some supplies!”

His dedication to slowly accumulating stamp credits was admirable, but every time we’d check out I let him know how lame I thought it was.

Then, I went home for the holidays and didn’t see him for a couple of weeks.

One afternoon, a packaged arrived containing an assortment of Christmas gifts from Joe.

There was a Wormhole Coffee t-shirt, a cafe we’d frequent on a daily basis; a punch card full of holes, ready to be exchanged for a cup of coffee; and random odds and ends that I’d left at the apartment.

But, central to the package, wrapped up in the shirt, was a blue Rachael Ray mug and a note.

It told me that he’d finally redeemed those stamps from the grocery store and was able to purchase this mug.

Not only that, but he’d taken the mug to The Wormhole Coffee shop and had it christened there – allowing it to circulate through a day’s worth of coffee pours and customer hands.

Now, as I slowly sip from my Rachael Ray mug, pausing to think of Joe’s good-naturedness, I feel an apology is in order:

Joe, I'm sorry for making fun of you for wanting to collect stamps to buy Rachael Ray dinnerware. You’re actually really cool and the mug is great and Rachael Ray is awesome. I was a jerk and a naysayer.

But, in all honesty, thank you.


...ramble on...