adventures in roasting my own coffee beans

So last week I was talking with someone that I work with and for actually.  He is quite a gourmet cook and we have had quiet a few really great talks about cooking, places we frequent to shop and favorite recipes.  So the other day he stopped over at my desk to ask me about a meeting schedule and we talked about the trip to Portland and how crazy it was when we went to the Coava Roasting and "tasting room"  that we walked into such hipsterdom and them actually roasting in the middle of the freakin' room.  

He mentioned that he roasts his own beans. I said that it was on my list of things to do. Yeah that list that I promised I would update over on the sidebar?  Yeah give me a little bit and I will post it up over there... I promise that I will be accountable to you all. So we were talking about the Madagascar Single Origin that I ordered from La Columbe.  I have been drinking it most of the first part of the week.  Oh my gawd it's incredible.  But way more caffeine than I am used to.   personally haven't tried it because I have been working through my Sumatran I have in the grinder right now (oh did I mention I bought a burr grinder? yeah... kinda a big deal and makes a HUGE difference actually... didn't think that it would but yeah... "they" were right... ) and don't want to mix the beans up.  So probably by this weekend I will have the madagascar out.... but I wanted to bring it in so he could try it.  And then he gave me to try (I am assuming) one of their old roasters.  HOLY all that is really super nice right?

So here are the results from some beans that I don't have a clue what they are from when I bought green un-roasted beans from Paris on the Platte like 10 years ago.  PS I don't expect that it will be amazing coffee but green unroasted beans don't usually sour like roasted to.  Certainly this is not going to be great coffee and I get that but it's so so very very exciting!

I was really excited to try this process... add one more level of insanity to my coffee routine right?  Well.... the machine didn't work.  NOT because he gave me a dud... But because the machine uses more amps than my little house can handle with things plugged in on every breaker that I have. SOOOOO I tried.  But because I tried I think I get credit don't I?  But it was really great because honestly and this is the truth... one more accessory on my counters to make coffee is a little insane.  The roaster only works for literally two cups of espresso so not like a whole pot of coffee even.  That is silly to me. But I tried it (sorta) and made an educated decision that I can let someone else roast beans for me.  I don't need that added pressure.  I have the burr grinder and that is a huge leap in coffee snobbery and that is plenty ok by me.

I promise I will get the todo list up shortly.... promise...

Daylight savings jacked me up yo...and then no more Google Reader... the Mayans are winning and it's a SLOW APOCOLYPSE

Had a really really rough time getting out of bed and into work this morning... I have to admit. It was really really tough waking up to a dark room and getting motivated. BUT I know that all this is going to matter not at all when F and I adopt a furry baby soon so I need to embrace knowing that the idea of sleeping in at all, is a novelty.

Went and ordered glasses this weekend.  I really feel party to the old "bate and shift" issue with this living social coupon.  I gotta admit.  I am not happy about it at all and am hoping that the business will do right by me. I have been a customer since 2000 and honestly feel like I got taken for a ride.  I am hoping honestly when I go back into the business to pick up my glasses that I will be able to be logical and have them do right by me. If not I will find an alternative.  Easy to do that actually.  I have about 10 frames that I would be happy to just have new lenses put into over and over again someplace else, even at the dispensary that contracts out of where I work.  Honestly it would be easy enough to do.  I am just annoyed that I even have to have the conversation. 

~~added after I wrote that above ~~

So I went in to pick up my new glasses.  The gal at the counter was open to my issues and offered me a very paltry (but it was something) credit.  It was the gesture that mattered the most t me. I am happy to return but it will be VERY cautiously and knowing that I can order online from an optical store online.  But the fact that without question I got a little bit of a refund was really outstanding and a really great business model.  PS have you seen the options at Zenni Optical?  

Had a great weekend. Celebrated the begining of Denver Photography month by going and seeing Andrew Novick's Sweet Tooth show at The Shoppe.  It was really fun. There is a wall of pictures with 1000 deserts that Andrew has eaten.  He is even running a contest for the pictures.  Such such great fun but that is what Mr. Novick really is all about. He is super fun and I have the most immense girl crush on him... I always have... I try to be cool around him but I am not.   I become a stupid giggling idiot.  

BUT the biggest and nicest treat about the show was the cupcakes.  I have to hand it to the folks there at The Shoppe.  Gone is the shittay attitude, the snottieness and the super sweet frosting.  Seriously the flavors of the cupcakes we got were completely manageable, they were not over frosted, the girl at the counter was a delight and everyone in the place really did seem to be enjoying themselves at the show.  Congrats to ALL involved, it was the nicest 15 minutes I have had in there EVER.

Seriously... just read (I am slow to the party I guess since it was announced yesterday) that Google Reader is going away.  I am guessing that they can't monetize a RSS reader anymore and are going to push for using Circles, or something... I dunno.  Google Glass can't take up all their engineering can it???? And besides Reader doesn't or hasn't really changed in over two years.  Server space? That can't be it... yep bored.  I bet they are bored. They make so much money and don't want to create an interface that is beautiful and interactive... there are other places out there.  I have had a Feedly for about a year maybe.  Hardly ever used it because I am actually kinda happy with the Reader interface, it was easy and quick... but you know what.... Feedly seriously is gorgeous, also easy to use, includes pictures on the feed (where as sometimes Googles RSS reader would drop it)... and now Feedly is kinda my new reader of choice. I don't want to sway you either way to any specific reader out there... and you can always subscribe via email on the feedburner link over on MY sidebar (but keep in mind that is a google product too and will probably go away next, that is my guess).   But if you are looking for a pretty feed aggregator... Feedly would be my choice (and they have assured users that when Google Reader Sunsets they are prepared).  We will see.

In the meantime if you do use Reader... go to the Google Take out and back your shit up yo.  I have also because I am slowing becoming "that" girl.... exported everything to an excel spreadsheet.  Note that I seriously needed to just proved that I could go that geeky.  Understanding just a little about code and xml was helpful.  But seriously... just move your feed reader someplace else...

I also have several people that I know that are at SXSW. I can't say that I am too jealous of them.  I suppose next year we may be interested in going and checking it out... I should start saving my money and vacation days now because seriously I would want to go for both parts and that is super expensive, just for hotel and for badges, not much to say about food, beverages and miscellaneous shineanagans. 

I could probably get the technical side invites and F could get the media side invites and we would be good to go... but here is the rub... I don't really like that many people all around me all in one place trying to get into to see a show for 300 people with 3,000 waiting to get in line.  Fuck that.  I can't stand that business.  That is the MAIN reason why I took absolutely NO part in the Denver UMS this year.  I just couldn't take the lines and crowds.  Maybe this year I will find someway to get into it.  I don't know.  Doubtful.  

Off to play in the work sandbox for a little bit ... 

 

So in an effort to do some work tonite I thought I would really go through and edit my photos down.  I was plowing through and got stuck on these show shots from 2008... why because I was totally torn.  Do I delete even blurry terrible pictures of Jello Biafra opening for Slim Cessna's Auto Club or do I keep them even though they are blurry and well... not good... I decided that even blurry pictures of Jello Biafra are better than no pictures of Jello Biafra. 

Alot of the pictures from say 2007 and to 2008 that I have looked at are just terrible.  I mean drek.  Drek in a way that makes me sometimes go "what is that really a picture of" drek.  Those I have sent to the recycle bin.  Happy to do it I need the hard drive space to be quiet honest.  But I have gotten better.  I strongly adheare to the philosophy that even if there is ONE single shot that is great it was worth taking a 100. 

An aside from this show that I remembered as I was looking at the pictures... how awesome is Jello Biafra's shirt/sweater (you can see it is a sweater in the second shot up there)?  I mean seriously that is one really awesome article of clothing.  I remember telling F when we were at the show it was so great I wanted to find something like that for him because that is one punk rock fucking (sorry Valentine ... I did say I wouldn't use fuck so much... but I had to) shirt/sweater thing.  I never did follow up on finding something similar. Maybe the next time we see him at a show I will ask him about it... yeah we are (absolutely not) friends.  Another aside I did go up to him at the Wanda Jackson show and ask him for a hug... I don't think he liked it HALF as much as I did... I mean the guy is amazing and a legend... I had to...he was VERY nice about it by the way... I had my moment, he let me have it and moved on. I have not apparently.

By the way I remember a couple people in the crowd that night actually heckled him. It was rude and uncalled for and whoever you are...suck it.

Because this was the first time I actually took pictures of Slim Cessna's Auto Club I wanted to include the four shots that I actually am the most proud of from that night... keep in mind... the shots are not good... I know this but the show was unbelieveable (well they all are) and I had a great time. 

Not the best picture I have taken of Slim and Munly I have definately taken better, but this was the best of the bunch from this night. 

 

 

Slim without his hat on... I don't think in ALL the years I had seen them play this happened. It was August and hot as hades in there so I understand, but it was crazy.

 

The obligitory dark photo of Munly.

I have a a ton more pictures to go through... the files are sitting in the folders alphabetically... but I rocked through 2007 rather quickly.  I am looking for two specific pictures for my project (and they are from 2010, I think) but I wanted to begin the editing process at least and dump the out of focus picutres, the pictures of bands I don't remember that played at the hi-dive that I don't recognize (I was really bad about naming the folders correctly and in a fashion that allows for easy recal) and pictures of food and junk that I bought.

Remember when I thought that would be a neat project? Taking pictures of the things I bought at Target?  Well keep in mind, I bought alot of chocolate apparantly.  I dumped those pictures quick. 

Off to edit...

 

There is so much change on the horizon.  And its tremendously great.  

I have actually decided that after all the trials and tribulations that I have had over the last 60 days dealing with an unnamed cable provider that I am only actually going to turn said service on once during the week and on the weekends with F.  I really feel like over the last several YEARS (yes... fucking years) my sense of creativity has plummeted.  And only now can I say that I feel the need ... the need for... speed (into making art).   Doing something with myself.  

Over the weekend we went to a coffee shop, while F worked, I guess in a way I did too.  I busted out the pen, put it to paper and actually wrote.  Wrote y'all. It was glorious.  Oh how I have missed you coffee shop writing jags.  When I used to go to coffee shops all those many years ago, I plotted out screenplays, location shoots, shooting schedules, all that non-sense. I made art... when it was far less easy to do than it is now...dangfabled new technology that fits in the palm of your hand, where were you when I was in film school? 

But now I actually have ideas for all different types of mediums to work in.  

I was inspired by a painting of the Bluebird theater that I saw at Dazzle about a month ago and I just need to get and get a really good picture of the marquee so that I begin my project!  I mean seriously... I have a plan, I know how to execute it and seriously it's going to happen.  I have two other locations I want to do now as well... places in Denver that need this treatment.  I am making a spreadsheet.  That is how serious I am about this.  You know it's serious if I am making lists and spreadsheets!

Denver is really an amazingly creative town and for the last 10 years or so I have been so out of the loop, I have had my reasons... but the lull is officially over. Is it that the days are getting longer? Maybe. Is it that I realized honestly that there is no excuse. Absofuckinglutely.  

I made this promise to myself that I needed to do something... ANYTHING besides living as I have.  It's time.  

We came back from Portland on Thursday from all it's weird and wonderfullness and I realized...Denver really isn't all that different actually.  There is a growing coffee culture here. There is a growing wifi culture here.  There is an amazing art culture here. There is great pop culture here.  I know players in this culture (some much better than others of course).  Why am I sitting on my ass on my couch watching tv every night not "in it"?  It's completely ridiculous. 

I have a great situation during the day now (finally) that will allow for me to fly my freak flag a little higher than I have been able to in the past.  And not too high of course and certainly not in a rainbow mohawk kind of way (we saw a young lady in Powells with her amazing rainbow mohawk that I wanted to go up and hug...but this girl does have her boundaries) but, certainly in a I am going to do stuff kind of way. 

So here we go kids... it's on.  

Now to be completely and utterly domestic.  I am going to turn up the tunes ... a little Clash to get my booty shaking... and I am going to clean the house.  I have far too many piles of things laying that are keeping me down... time to start the major purge.  It's the best way I can think to start!  

Plus I have new art to hang!