Today I tasted the smell of burning leaves in a southern winter, where that aroma slips into your car through the cracks between the window and the doorframe while you're driving to your parent's house for thanksgiving dinner.
-intelligentsia's lapsang souchong
Getting to know the lay of the land, the weather, and the people. So quick to be out of university and so quick to forget these conversations that spring up about fundamental differences between freud and maslow, and the evil that is student loans. The college town is low in height, lower than athens, but spread out on a functional grid with Volta gracing somewhere near the center of town. Hello, college town.
I am going home tomorrow, a day too early, really. But it's necessary if I am to move to 180 with any efficiency... not to mention it would be nice to be well rested for SCAA. I am a little overwhelmed at the thought of putting together a million faces with a million names I've only familiarized myself with over the past year. I would place Coffee Fest 2007 in Atlanta as my first experience with the coffee community, so it's almost an anniversary for me to celebrate. A year in the making and so much farther to go.
Rambles today.
Did you know that expresso is a valid alternate for espresso? blasphemy.
28 April 2008
27 April 2008
the crashing of the wave, or when a question is answered in a sonnet
I could have never anticipated how much I would enjoy a prairie life. The Volta family lives with a pharoh hound and three cows on a stretch of land that reaches ten acres out right near a state wildlife preservation area. This morning before heading into the shop, True took me to what was quite possibly one of the most naturally awesome and frightening places I've ever been. Around one of the naturally occurring sink holes in Gainesville, FL, alligators roam in the wild, roaring within a stone's throw, and other wild life fly around amongst the grasses as far as the eye can see. Truly spectacular and humbling.
Driving just three miles into the city, we find ourselves on the corner of West University and SouthWest 1st in downtown. Bars and other trendy night spots surround the shop, but not in a towering sort of way. Volta's name graces the insides of the windows on "Now Open" signs, and at night you can see the beautiful steel lettering of the shop's name on the pegboard inside. It stands strong on its own, and everyone who enters can't help but remark on the beautiful interior. Despite following the progress along at True's blog, actually entering the shop is a refreshing experience in bar design... but getting BEHIND the bar is an enlightening experience, proving that it is possible to design a bar for five people working simultaneously and efficiently.
I don't want this to end up sounding like a review of the shop, but I seriously have to mention the outstanding selection of chocolates. It reminds me much of Japan where coffee shops and other retail and food spots often offer great gift items, for yourself or others. The chocolates are perfect for this. I have to bring some home for myself and friends.. too good to go without. Vosges, Askinosie, l'Artigiano... chocolate with sea salts, chocolate with orange rinds, single-origin chocolate, chocolate with bacon. Yes, it's delicious. It's all delicious.
It's good food I've been eating, great sleep I've been getting, and incredible hospitality of my hosts and the general population of this little town. Let's say I'll really enjoy the next couple of days here.
Driving just three miles into the city, we find ourselves on the corner of West University and SouthWest 1st in downtown. Bars and other trendy night spots surround the shop, but not in a towering sort of way. Volta's name graces the insides of the windows on "Now Open" signs, and at night you can see the beautiful steel lettering of the shop's name on the pegboard inside. It stands strong on its own, and everyone who enters can't help but remark on the beautiful interior. Despite following the progress along at True's blog, actually entering the shop is a refreshing experience in bar design... but getting BEHIND the bar is an enlightening experience, proving that it is possible to design a bar for five people working simultaneously and efficiently.
I don't want this to end up sounding like a review of the shop, but I seriously have to mention the outstanding selection of chocolates. It reminds me much of Japan where coffee shops and other retail and food spots often offer great gift items, for yourself or others. The chocolates are perfect for this. I have to bring some home for myself and friends.. too good to go without. Vosges, Askinosie, l'Artigiano... chocolate with sea salts, chocolate with orange rinds, single-origin chocolate, chocolate with bacon. Yes, it's delicious. It's all delicious.
It's good food I've been eating, great sleep I've been getting, and incredible hospitality of my hosts and the general population of this little town. Let's say I'll really enjoy the next couple of days here.
22 April 2008
At this point it's list writing and list re-writing and check-boxes and strike-throughs. It's making sure you have two of everything. It's speaking the same words over and over with honesty and compassion every time. It's two weeks until competition and we're all going a little crazy.
One of the final tasks upon me is naming the espresso. At the moment "Mère framboise" seems appealing, but the use of a french name is only personal and not exactly pertinent to the competition at hand. "Mother Raspberry" seems a little too much like a nursery rhyme, but the dedication of the coffee to my mother and the leading taste of raspberry seem necessary to address in the title. Maybe "Femme Framboise?" I'm taking suggestions, comments, hints, and clues.
what's left behind
Tonight is the last night in this house. Tomorrow I spend the evening in Athens to see BRMC with some dear friends, and then it is off to Gainesville for a week with the Voltans. Good bye, for now, 2080.
One of the final tasks upon me is naming the espresso. At the moment "Mère framboise" seems appealing, but the use of a french name is only personal and not exactly pertinent to the competition at hand. "Mother Raspberry" seems a little too much like a nursery rhyme, but the dedication of the coffee to my mother and the leading taste of raspberry seem necessary to address in the title. Maybe "Femme Framboise?" I'm taking suggestions, comments, hints, and clues.
what's left behind
Tonight is the last night in this house. Tomorrow I spend the evening in Athens to see BRMC with some dear friends, and then it is off to Gainesville for a week with the Voltans. Good bye, for now, 2080.
20 April 2008
muscle memory (aka twin peeks)
After a bit of blog and life apathy, I have found myself re-energized by the beautiful American interstate system and the stops along the way.
Preparing for USBC has seemed frustrating and fruitless at times, and a motivation to continue seemed miles away. Thankfully I was urged to join Ben and M'lissa on a road trip to Durham, NC to visit Counter Culture HQ for certification and competition practice. I rode shot-gun in the Jag with a box of RitzBitz and a satchel of Cliff Bars, rehearsing my competition routine over and over--it's theraputic effect was unexpected and whole heartedly embraced. Along with the zen of a car ride, I had visits with good people in Greenville, SC on the way there and back to give me renewed energy. I doubt their awareness of such is absent, but that makes it all the more genuine, right?
I never thought I would be so invigorated by the same trees that cause my face to turn into bricks of sinus pressure. Counter Culture's HQ is nestled into the quiet streets of Durham and I found myself more in love with the place than I had ever imagined I could. The true sense of community seemed to infect me with the coffee bug that first bit me a year ago.
We all passed the certification and celebrated with burgers and beers. We had to leave 24 hours later for Atlanta commitments, but couldn't come home without a stop to the blog-house to visit a beautiful blog-family for pizza and floats. It was hard to leave, and I'd like to think that had BenZ hadn't needed to return to work, we would have stayed through the night and left our obligations behind for more home-pulled shots and rambles of ex-patriotism and literature.
The week ahead holds packing and practicing. I am moving to a new home simultaneous with traveling to Florida for the first week of Volta's life, followed by a weekend in Minneapolis. Consider me enlightened, and look forward to the words to follow.
Preparing for USBC has seemed frustrating and fruitless at times, and a motivation to continue seemed miles away. Thankfully I was urged to join Ben and M'lissa on a road trip to Durham, NC to visit Counter Culture HQ for certification and competition practice. I rode shot-gun in the Jag with a box of RitzBitz and a satchel of Cliff Bars, rehearsing my competition routine over and over--it's theraputic effect was unexpected and whole heartedly embraced. Along with the zen of a car ride, I had visits with good people in Greenville, SC on the way there and back to give me renewed energy. I doubt their awareness of such is absent, but that makes it all the more genuine, right?
I never thought I would be so invigorated by the same trees that cause my face to turn into bricks of sinus pressure. Counter Culture's HQ is nestled into the quiet streets of Durham and I found myself more in love with the place than I had ever imagined I could. The true sense of community seemed to infect me with the coffee bug that first bit me a year ago.
We all passed the certification and celebrated with burgers and beers. We had to leave 24 hours later for Atlanta commitments, but couldn't come home without a stop to the blog-house to visit a beautiful blog-family for pizza and floats. It was hard to leave, and I'd like to think that had BenZ hadn't needed to return to work, we would have stayed through the night and left our obligations behind for more home-pulled shots and rambles of ex-patriotism and literature.
The week ahead holds packing and practicing. I am moving to a new home simultaneous with traveling to Florida for the first week of Volta's life, followed by a weekend in Minneapolis. Consider me enlightened, and look forward to the words to follow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)