That scene arrived Saturday and looks like it will fall two-thirds of the way through the sequel to Indigo Dancer.  Tentative title: Nightshine featuring Coven the Katran Hunter and Ilisha Mordreaux last seen firing upon my Katri renegades.

Breakfast:

coffee with a bowl of creamy banana oatmeal.

Treats and Snacks:

I took chai iced tea (treat) to-go in my thermal. The pic below was the extra that I chugged down quickly. Later during the day, I had a small banana (snack).

Lunch:

"Turkey" sandwich. I hate saying the word Turkey when describing my food. That's what the company calls it, so in order to give an accurate description of the food I ate, I guess I have to use their lingo.

Along with my sandwich I had chips and homemade salsa. Low-fat graham crackers (treat).

Dinner:

Immediately after slurping a little bit of this yellow liquid, a huge smile formed across my face. I finally made a curry dish that I liked! Like always though, I have to give my critique. Here I go....The color is a little off, but I think the taste is pretty darn close. I tried toning down the spice level by adding less peppers, but my self-dried peppers were way too potent. If anything, this curry experiment was a little spicier than the last.

Another Treat: Late night treat. dulce de leche ice cream dipped in walnut pieces

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

Breakfast: Trader Joe's Honey Nut O's with plain soy milk and a cup of coffee. Later, as a snack, I had lemon soy yogurt.

Lunch:

Yves "turkey" sandwich (lettuce, "turkey," ketchup, mayo, and pickled peppers).

treat: caffeine kick with chai iced tea.

Dinner:

Pho on a hot night. It's so weird how I crave hot foods during warm weather. But, No matter what temperature it is that day, a bowl of pho will always make you sweat. I look at it as clearing my pores. (pores and food--gross I know).

Dessert: A little bit of dark choco.

... and you gotta love the "jam" play on words. Amazing, amazing event. The coffee/barista community in this city (and elsewhere, of course) is such a source of inspiration.

And so- that's all folks, that's the last gasp of summer, because classes start TOMORROW and it's time to both crawl back in our cocoons AND to work a lot harder. Sucks. Now I will admit that the beginning of a school year is always a bit fun and very interesting, what with adjusting to a new schedule and getting my lecturing sea legs back (this was obviously not an issue last year with my fall sabbatical), and for the first couple of weeks it's not too bad. But I know that ennui and exhaustion are right around the corner, so I'm, yes, a little depressed.

And my balm for depression is to think about what I have to look forward to, and there is tons. You know, I hate to get all diary-y here, but as long ago as when I was in grad school- we're talking maybe 1990 here- I was writing about how depressing "contentment" is. I'm talking about that feeling that everything has fallen into place, you've accomplished everything you'd hoped to accomplish, and now, NOW WHAT rears its ugly head. It's a surprisingly unsettling and (sorry, just once more) depressing. I love not having financial disaster, unemployment or even homelessness to worry about (and yeah those things are in the backs of the minds of plenty of grad students and even untenured professors), but people need future and not just the luxury of being satisfied in the now, and it's occurred to me, a lot lately, that it's having things to look forward to that makes life worth living.

For me, that mostly means "travel" these days, and it just hit me like a bolt from the blue the other day that (1) I find planning for trips to be just about the most exciting thing I do, ever ever, and (2) something that's just crept up on me is that I finally have the means to travel pretty much whenever I and wherever I want. I was looking at German rail shedules for my trip to Berlin next February and I said to Brian, "I should go to Europe every year." As recently as, say, two years ago, that sentiment was unthinkable. That's an amazing thing to comtemplate. And it will happen to you, too. Someday.

So what travels am I looking forward to? Well, we're off to Singapore and Malaysia over Christmas, big trip, departing Dec 15 and returning Jan 6. Why those places? Because Brian cashed in many thousands of Aeroplan points, enough to get us one 1st Class and one Business Class ticket on Singapore- he gets the 1st of course but I'm perfectly happy making the "sacrifice" to only fly biz. I'm beyond stoked, actually. Brian had to book way back in January but as of now our whole itenerary is done: two days Singapore to get over jetlag, a week in KL, five days in KK (Kota Kinabalu) and then another week in Singapore before departing. Any tips are welcome. We're taking the intercity bus (there are many, and many are luxurious) from Singapore to KL and then flying, of course, to KK (it's a 2.5 hr flight). I have a feeling that this trip will be all about food for me, so look for that.

Then on February 12 I am off to a confernce in Berlin- so, yeah, that trip last October was not even close to once in a lifetime and I'm thrilled about this. The conference is the 15-17 and, thank God, is the first part of reading week, so I don't return until the 22nd. I was planning as per last year to stay one night in Frankfurt (flying Lufthansa, YYC-FRA nonstop, about 9 hrs there, 10 return), but there is the world's biggest housewares show there that weekend and hotel rooms are charging about quadruple their normal rates (I saw 350 euros for ONE NIGHT at a two-star hotel at booking.com, which is a great service by the way), so I'm just going to take advantage of hourly trains to Berlin and head straight there- it's 4+ hours but so it goes. Anyway, the conference is at "UdK" which is in the Charlottenburg area of Berlin, sort of the opposite side of where I stayed last October, so, yeah. Berlin. I am happy.

                                                    - ANON

Their coffee and tea is genuinely amazing. I'm a bit of a chai elitist. I prefer old school, the way my grandmother makes it with all the spices coarsely ground in a mortar and pestle, simmered with milk, tea and sugar on the stove. That said, after being severely disappointed in cinnamon tea posing as chai in coffee shops all over, this has been thus far the best chai I've had in Los Angeles. Their Moroccan Mint Iced Tea is also one of my favorites. Crisp and doesn't taste like watered down Starbucks brew. Instant happiness. I've also had a sip of their Mocha and Iced Mocha from friends' drinks, which were also delicious and strong.

That said, their service is a little wanting. They can claim a barista champion, and all, you know. I remember I had a friend with me (recently moved here from abroad), who made the mistake of asking for a bit of cream on her mocha. She got a bit of a scowl and was ultimately ignored. I think a "We don't do that here," or a simple "No," would have been a better response. Other times, they have not been impolite, but certainly not welcoming. Sometimes, they say nothing and just stand there. Just completely awkward silence, until you're forced to say something equally awkward like, "So um, er, uh can I have a [insert name of drink here]." And even then, they don't quite respond. They step off to make your drink, and you walk to the left, hand them your form of payment, usually met with similar silence after one of the baristas calls the name of a drink (unless there is some kind of confusion, in which case, more scowls and perhaps a slightly condescending form of seeking clarification like, "Ok, look, what I'm saying is, do you want it separate or together?"). Oh yes, forgot to mention, they don't take your name during any part of the process. So if ten people order Moroccan Mint Iced Teas, you just walk up like one of them is yours. Either it's some incredible honor system based on a serious and profound hipster code of trust, or they just don't care who you are. You pick. For kinder service and a warmer atmosphere, Casbah up the street far surpasses.

The real cause of the heartburn arising after drinking coffee needs to be ascertained. It has been thought that the heartburn is caused by the effect of the acids of the stomach leaking into the esophagus where they are not supposed to be. As a result of the esophagus lining coming into contact with the stomach acids irritation is caused at the linings and heartburn is felt as a result of the acid irritation. The taking in of caffeine has been observed to be a reason for such heartburn. Upon consumption of a caffeinated drink like coffee the body tends to produce more acid and the extra acid produced go into the lower esophageal sphincter. So, the high caffeine content of coffee can be help responsible for causing or aggravating heartburn.

A new technology has been developed referred to as the Hevla technology that seeks to address the problem of heartburn arising upon coffee drinking. Ardent coffee lovers can now get to find a ray hope in the way that the technology can help enable production of caffeine free coffee drinks thus negating the possibility if any caffeine induced heartburn arising.

The Hevla process seeks to steam coffee beans at a high temperature. This helps eliminate the caffeine content of the coffee beans while keeping the great taste and aroma of the coffee intact. Using these specially treated coffee beans to prepare single serving of coffee using one cup coffeemakers can deliver in a short time a cupful of piping hot coffee for you that has great taste and aroma and is free from caffeine.

Since only a few people may want decaffeinated coffee it is best to prepare the decaf for one person at a time using one cup coffee makers. Usage of one cup coffee makers will also ensure quicker preparation of coffee and the fast delivery ensures that the taste and aroma of the coffee is kept just perfect while drinking. So, using the Hevla process to treat the coffee beans and employing a special machine from among the one cup coffee makers of the day will assure a wonderful coffee drinking experience sans the risk of heartburn.

Coffee is known to everyone.Its the first thing we usually take in the morning before we start another day at work,etc.But here are some facts you didn't know...

Health Benefits:

• Coffee can lift your mood, make you happier, and make you feel better. It alleviates depression.

• Have a headache? Drink a cup of coffee. It's been shown to help people get rid of their headaches.

• People who drink coffee have less colon cancer than people who don't. That's a big deal, especially if you have a family history of cancer.

• Parkinson's disease has also been shown to be reduced by drinking coffee.

• Coffee drinkers have lower rates of Type II diabetes, and that's an especially important finding since diabetes is becoming more prevalent today.

• Gallstones and cirrhosis of the liver – both lowered by drinking coffee.

• Coffee can protect your teeth from cavities.

• If you have asthma, drinking coffee can help manage your condition and might help you stop an attack if you don't have your medication available.

• One of the biggest benefits? People who smoke or drink alcohol get protective benefits from drinking coffee and have lower rates of liver problems and heart disease.

Other Uses:

• Coffee can be used to dye paper and fabrics. If you put the beans in hot water their color will start to come out. You can use that water to dye fibers.

• If you need a good facial scrub, you can coarsely grind some coffee beans and use them to scrub your face. They have great exfoliating properties.

• If you've been preparing food and your hands smell like it, rub some coffee beans between your hands for a few seconds; you can also suck on a coffee bean to freshen and clean your breath, no matter what you've been eating.

• Have a garden? Coffee makes great compost if you don't use it in excess, and sprinkling coffee grounds and orange peels around plants will keep cats from bothering the plants or using the garden as their personal litter box.

• Greasy pans can be cleaned with the left over ground beans that you used to exfoliate and scrub your face.

• You can also use coffee beans, placed in a bowl in your refrigerator, to get rid of food smells that might accumulate in there.

that coffee's so smooth it doesn't even know it's coffee

.

This is my sophomore year.  Let me tell you: its busy.  I have absolutely no spare time to do anything except for the things I need to.

Why you might ask?

I decided to join the marching band and do volleyball this year...in the same season.  Smart me.....  So what this means is that right after school I go to volleyball practice, then after volleyball practice I go to marching band practice.  (Keep in mind that both the volleyball and marching band practices are three hours long).  By the time I get home at  night, it's around nine o'clock.  That leaves me about three more hours to do my homework, take a shower and straighten my hair.

I end up going to bed around twelve.  Then I have to wake up at five the next day.

Hello coffee.

So I'm looking for a job right now.  Yeah I know what your thinking, I have got to be crazy.  I'm gonna figure something out hopefully though.  I need the money and the experience.

Sigh.  Busy.

Thank Christ for Sundays!

Ever since I started working with international students, it has always been a point of amusement to examine the contents of the fridge.  There was the one day I opened the freezer, for example, and a dead fish was staring right at me.  However, this morning, I noticed coffee alongside the usual Korean fare as I reached for the jelly.  Let it also be noted that with seven guys living in the same apartment, the simple task of keeping things cool turns more into an artform.

The convenience of a coffee shop in our apartment complex was an added bonus.  On my days off I still had easy access to caffeine.  When I changed jobs, I became a regular downstairs getting my soy latte every morning before work.  The true downfall to this shop though, was my debit card use.  I don't carry cash and they only take cash.  Inconvenient.

About a month ago, we hired my coffee shop girl  :)  No one was opening 15 minutes early so I could get my coffee before leaving for work.  I had to find a new place to go.  I experimented with a few shops, but not having my coffee first things was not fun with an hour drive to work.  I know...I am an addict.

A few weeks ago, I met with a bride.  We were helping her figure out her "theme" for her wedding.  After dinner, she offered us coffee.  She was very excited about her new coffee maker and not only gave me a full sales pitch but demonstrated rather than just making me a cup.

Two days later, I had to buy one for myself.  I have paid for one cup of coffee since.  It haven't had it too long.  But it is awesome!  A single serving pre-packed with a little mini paper filter built right in.  It filters the water for me, and even has a metal filter that I can put my own coffee or tea into.  Rather than boil some water on the stove and wait for a cup of tea to steep, I cut open a tea bag, dump it into the filter and brew.  I have a perfect cup in under a minute.  This morning, Pete made me my coffee.  It was awesome  :)  

So, if you are looking for a coffee maker and only need one cup.  Or even need some forced moderation...check them out.  Keurig makes a few different models.  We bought the one with the built in water filter (Phialdelphia water needs it).  

Check them out.  It is pretty sweet!

“What’s that I see over there?  The ‘Break Your Wallet’ Café?  Oh, I have GOT to go in!”

“What are they building over there?  The ‘Five Dollar a Cup’ Café?  I can’t wait till it’s finished-I am SO there!”

            No matter the time of day or night, if it says “café” on the building, or it is just smells like coffee when I’m walking by, I am trying to be up in it.  I told you, it’s a vice, and I have it bad.  (Ok, I know I have it worse than some other people, but not as many as you think). 

“But as a single parent, I work extra hard; I deserve to enjoy a few little things every now and then, right?”

Sure I do!  We all do, single or not.  The key phrase here is, “every now and then.”  When you’re on a tight budget, those daily trips to the coffee shop can really break the bank.  Think about it.  If you paid, say, $3.59 for a cup of joe twice a day, that’s $7.18 per day, times 5 days a week, equals $35.90 per week.  Multiply that by 52 weeks per year, and you’re looking at $1,866.80 *blink* $1,866.80 per year on café coffee!  Even if you only go to the café once a day, that’s still $933.40!

            Now I know some of you are saying—“She must be outta her mind if she thinks I’m going to give up my caramel vanilla fudge swirl double shot latte with whipped cream on top…”

Listen, I understand.  I’m just suggesting that maybe you could enjoy your caramel nougat milk chocolate triple bang—whew!—you know, your coffee-based drink, less often, like once a month, or one on each payday (presuming you are paid on a weekly or biweekly basis).  Drinking one café coffee per week at $3.59 a cup still adds up to $186.68 per year, but that’s a significant savings over the previous calculations.  And if you wanted to get truly economical about it, you could even try the following recipe:

1 coffee grinder (between $10 and $20 at most discount stores)

1 12 oz. bag of store-bought coffee beans of your choosing

1 coffee maker with filters

Cold Water

I could continue, but I know you are smart enough to fill in the rest.  The point is that you can enjoy the same delicious freshly ground flavor you get at the café right in your very own kitchen.  You can find plain whole bean coffee, as well as many flavored varieties in your local grocery.  Depending on your drinking habits, one 12 oz. bag of whole bean coffee could last three to four weeks, and all for the cost of two or three café cups.

My friends, as a lifelong member of Café Coffee Drinkers Anonymous, I know it’s hard, but just give it a try.  Then the next time you walk past your favorite café and the sweet aroma begins to overtake you, you’ll remember that you already had your hazelnut toffee crunch etc…this morning, and that’s $3.59 the café barons won’t be getting out of you today!

Starbucks at Westportal has no French Presses, and the store was filled with flies yesterday. There was about 8 flies buzzing around in the center of the store. The should have cleared out the store and gotten rid of the flies or they should install a screen door. If you buy a coffee and a pastry, it is likely a fly will land on top of it, and then you will to throw it away. I heard flies throw up on your food, when they land, and it's too small to see that to notice they threw up, but they throw up. And it goes without saying they had no coffee grounds out, and they are very rude if you ask them for coffee grounds.