A drip off the ol' block

This is the new machine.

Monday morning:

After the usual thorough cleaning, and prepping (which includes grinding espresso beans, opening a new can of condensed milk, and finding another location for the espresso lamp), i fired the puppy up.

I haven't felt like such a rookie in a LONG time. Not only did my shots sit under the filter for about a full minute (which 'expires' them) but my steamed milk yielded NO FOAM, and the bottom of the mug held half of the syrups and powders i added UNMIXED.

Poop.

The shots themselves weren't bad, but a little weak. The problem with the milk seemed to be that it was boiling too quickly, which could mean that it either wasn't cold enough, or the pressure on the steam was too high. I spoke to a pro about it, and she suggested that i start steaming immediately after pouring the milk. And that i pour the milk immediately after taking it outta the fridge. I also put more grounds in the filter, and tampered them more. With the amount of pressure coming from the boiler, it made sense. My old machine's instructions specifically stated not to compress the grounds, so i hadn't been.

By Wednesday, i had the new-to-me machine figured out.

Apparently there are little tricks to brewing espresso that are machine specific. At any rate, it's turned out to be a well-spent $7.80.

Stop by for a jolt. If you like your drink, and your name is remembered, don't forget to tip your barista.

Make the weekend memorable.

Peace out, my ninjas.

Solvent as a solution

So,...today i took my little foamy cup to the water cooler, filled up, and started sipping.
After a couple of sips, i looked around and realized that, for an office environment, we in the office don't talk by the water cooler enough.
And by enough, i mean AT ALL.
Typically, 'the water cooler' is a breeding ground for gossip, news, gab, banter, yack, yapping, and all miscellaneous jibber-jabber.
It's an excused short escape from your desk/workstation/cubicle, that allows your mind to clear, while keeping your body busy with an effortless task.

It's all of these things, quite simply, because it's necessary. Water is necessary. It's needed to live. This is precisely why we can excuse ourselves from work to get it.

Smoke breaks? Are according to taste, and are therefore unnecessary.
Coffee breaks? Are according to taste, and are therefore unnecessary.
Potty breaks? Should be used when absolutely necessary, as they can yield undesired results [ie: implied drug use, a medical condition, SMS (Small Bladder Syndrome - found mainly in women), etc.] if used too often. Because of this they're according to nature, and therefore, should be used with prudence.

But water,...water is liquid life. It's the earth's hydrate handshake of well-being.
When served with bread, it's all we need to live (in prison).

Next time you're in the office, stop by the water cooler, pour yourself a cup o' wet-wonder, and see what Janet thinks of your new boss. Find out why Brent didn't buy reduced-rate tickets to the company-sponsored Angels game. Make nice with the boss' son; he'll be your boss one day. Have fun with it: tell people, "This tastes funny," then make a face, to see if they make the same face as you or agree just to fit in.

Do yo' thing! Even if there isn't a water cooler, its equivalent is there. Find it and work it.
The days are too long, and the breaks are often the only thing we can look forward to.

It's "the water cooler."

Dig it.

On a role

Okay,....since I've got this picture in my phone, and i LOVE bragging, here's what happened:

On Sunday, Tawni, my dad, and i went to the swap meet in Imperial Beach, and what do i see as i'm walking in? SNES games.
Used of course.
I flip through 'em, and lo and behold:
'Dear Diary,... JACKPOT!'

Truth is, I've already got Final Fantasy II and Secret Of Mana for SNES (but no SNES). The only reason i collect these titles now is for nostalgia.

I still remember when these games DEFINED my nerddom.
Ah....yesteryear.

Either way, i picked them both up for $15.
Now all i need to complete my SNES RPG collection is Chrono Trigger.
I'm looking to find it for under 10 bucks.

Aside from the games, i also picked up:
One Donavon Frankenreiter CD (Self Titled) -$1.00
One The Postal Service CD ("Give Up") -$1.00
One Switchfoot CD ("The Beautiful Letdown") -Free w/purchase of above 2.
One Dave Matthews Band CD (Crash) -$0.50
&
One espresso machine (possible lamp, if it doesn't work) -$7.80

Swap meet shopping.

Dig it.

Alcohocolates

Can i use 'alcohocolates?'

Chocohols?

Thunder Turds? . . . .

It's chocolate covered Cuervo.Bad experiences aside, it's nice to come home and find that my family's still feeding their sweet-teeth.

I don't imagine this particular tequila experience is gonna end with puke over the neighbor's fence.

Pick your favorite liquor, and i'm certain you can find it somewhere surrounded by chocolate.
Either way,...great with friends, family, your friend's family, your family's friends,... or utterly and bitterly alone.

Dig it.

Joopers Croopers!

This one's for Kat.

Apparently, rubbing the 'e's off of Tras' Jeep reveals two 'o'-shaped embossments.

Long limp the Joop!!

Open mics and minds

tonight was my first open mic in riverside.

it was pretty fun and exciting.

i want to thank Mandy, jeffcarter.net, and my manager/roadie Iceman 'Erik' Baggins for their support and showing up.

Mobile Home

Tonight was a refreshing reversion of pace.
I haven't been to Bux in SB in quite awhile. On a whim i swung by. I was pleasantly surprised, yet not stunned, to find Juanito! sittin' outside at our old table as i pulled up.
We enjoyed a drink, a smoke, a chuckle (at someone else's expense), and cool conversation.

All standard practice.

It's late now, and i'm the only dude left in this old familiar scene. The idea that any night can be great, even without planning, will definitely suffice in keeping me company.

I'll be writing 'til I've said everything i need to.

The weekend begins now.

He loves it when the son goes down...

It's a real thriller.

You can't beat it.

But seriously. Sunset is nature's reward for gettin' through the long day.

Become distracted, and miss something spectacular.

Alright....

Anybody else suddenly feel the urge to build a FORT??

Dishes just like Mission: In-pots-a-bowl

I haven't done my dishes in, like, for-frickin'-EVER.
My guppy, Little Johnny Hitler (no relation), was swimmin' around as if to say, 'Waschen sie die töpfer, sie fauler bastard!'
I wasn't in the mood to be swam at like that, so i busted out the soap, and the rest is history.

The moral: fish can't talk.

Where you go VS What you get

GFE Loma Linda.
I got together here with Mandy just a few days ago, and felt like i was revisiting an old friend.
It wasn't that i'd been here before, but i was comfy enough that i could think, and that's just like home.

I must admit, one of the gifts of NOT going to Bux is the opportunity to see different people, and hear different music.
Just now i was given Matchbox 20, Dido, and Creed back to back to back. These acts take me back to so many different places in time, it'd be interesting to pin them down long enough to map out the 'where's.
Bux plays their HearMusic artist on the XM nonstop, and though most are great musicians, they tend to keep each experience as an echo to the one that preceded it.

Tonight, GFE'll be open 'til 11, so i think i may just close the place down.

Let's see if inspiration hits before i'm tempted to abandon my purpose, and sing along with nostalgia instead.

If it happens, please don't complain if i'm out of tune.
I'm thinking about coming back.

Gotta run.
Hootie's "Let Her Cry" just started....