A Hill of Beans
I recently uploaded some pics from Kelly's wedding to my flickr* account. Today I noticed that a side profile, taken for the sole purpose of showing off my kickass updo, was tagged as a "favorite" by another user. Thinking that the other user probably had hair similar to mine and was looking for hair ideas for an event, I decided to check out her profile. Except in the profile, it's a he, not a she. Also? He belongs to a photo group called "Brunettes." I am kind of creeped out and thinking maybe he has a fetish. I am not sure I want to be part of a fetish, unless, you know, I know about it before hand and consent.
* For the love of god, why couldn't they have just added the e?!?!
*****
One of my favorite breakfasts is coffee and a banana. I don't know why I don't prefer a Danish or a scone, or a heaping pile of cream chipped beef on toast... Well actually, I would prefer any of those things... just after I eat the banana.
And speaking of coffee: I've been having issues.
I own two coffee makers. One is a little 4-cupper that I bought myself. Cuisinart. Not too expensive. Perfect for its purpose, which is to brew a small amount of regular ol' coffee so that I don't have half a pot of leftovers sitting on my counter getting stale all day.
My other is a Black & Decker Spacemaker 12-cup, which I was given as a very thoughtful housewarming gift when I moved into my apartment. I mounted it under the cabinets, a feature that I loved because my counter space was limited. It also made a decent cup of coffee when anyone other than myself was measuring out the grinds (apparently I lack skill in this area-- always too weak or too strong. I never get that perfect Little Bear "just right" cup of coffee. But I digress.)
The point is, neither of my precious coffee makers is currently working. The small one, which should take about 10 minutes to brew a full pot, takes about 30 minutes. And you know that gurgling sound you hear when the pot is forcing through the last few drops? Yeah, it sounds like that for the entire half hour. Also, the entire outside gets beads of water all over it.
My bigger pot has a similar problem with the beads of water, but minus the gurgling, plus the added bonus of the filter drawer popping out halfway through the brew cycle, causing all of the water to pool up in the filter basket and then flood over. Sidenote: coffee grinds are oddly difficult to clean up.
I thought maybe there was a clog somewhere. I have tried running a cycle of vinegar and water through the small pot. Twice actually, without success. Still with the gurgling and beading.
I guess my point to all of this (sorry to have made a short story long), is that I need a new coffee pot, and need suggestions. I am not picky about grinding the beans myself because I am currently being forced to drink instant, and preground beans are definitely better than that. I don't want to spend a ton of money, though I don't need the cheapest one either (unless it is freakishly the best), and I would not like anything that is too much of a monstrosity, as I am still limited in counter space.
Right now, I am really into the idea of a Keurig or something similar, because of the pre-measured pods and the lack of wasted cups. Though, I wonder if the cost of the pod is still cheaper than stopping at Wawa every morning? I guess it still is if I have no way to get enticed by a breakfast sandwich as well. Added bonus: Maybe my pants will fit.
What kind of coffee maker do you have? And do you love it?
*****
It never fails.
My students are usually pretty bad, but today they were even morefucking annoying deserving of a punch to the jawbone ornery than usual.
This just in from ABC News: Full moon tonight.
* For the love of god, why couldn't they have just added the e?!?!
*****
One of my favorite breakfasts is coffee and a banana. I don't know why I don't prefer a Danish or a scone, or a heaping pile of cream chipped beef on toast... Well actually, I would prefer any of those things... just after I eat the banana.
And speaking of coffee: I've been having issues.
I own two coffee makers. One is a little 4-cupper that I bought myself. Cuisinart. Not too expensive. Perfect for its purpose, which is to brew a small amount of regular ol' coffee so that I don't have half a pot of leftovers sitting on my counter getting stale all day.
My other is a Black & Decker Spacemaker 12-cup, which I was given as a very thoughtful housewarming gift when I moved into my apartment. I mounted it under the cabinets, a feature that I loved because my counter space was limited. It also made a decent cup of coffee when anyone other than myself was measuring out the grinds (apparently I lack skill in this area-- always too weak or too strong. I never get that perfect Little Bear "just right" cup of coffee. But I digress.)
The point is, neither of my precious coffee makers is currently working. The small one, which should take about 10 minutes to brew a full pot, takes about 30 minutes. And you know that gurgling sound you hear when the pot is forcing through the last few drops? Yeah, it sounds like that for the entire half hour. Also, the entire outside gets beads of water all over it.
My bigger pot has a similar problem with the beads of water, but minus the gurgling, plus the added bonus of the filter drawer popping out halfway through the brew cycle, causing all of the water to pool up in the filter basket and then flood over. Sidenote: coffee grinds are oddly difficult to clean up.
I thought maybe there was a clog somewhere. I have tried running a cycle of vinegar and water through the small pot. Twice actually, without success. Still with the gurgling and beading.
I guess my point to all of this (sorry to have made a short story long), is that I need a new coffee pot, and need suggestions. I am not picky about grinding the beans myself because I am currently being forced to drink instant, and preground beans are definitely better than that. I don't want to spend a ton of money, though I don't need the cheapest one either (unless it is freakishly the best), and I would not like anything that is too much of a monstrosity, as I am still limited in counter space.
Right now, I am really into the idea of a Keurig or something similar, because of the pre-measured pods and the lack of wasted cups. Though, I wonder if the cost of the pod is still cheaper than stopping at Wawa every morning? I guess it still is if I have no way to get enticed by a breakfast sandwich as well. Added bonus: Maybe my pants will fit.
What kind of coffee maker do you have? And do you love it?
*****
It never fails.
My students are usually pretty bad, but today they were even more
This just in from ABC News: Full moon tonight.
posted by Jess at 5:19 PM
4 Comments:
sadly, i am of no help to you today; i am a tea drinker. however, our overflowing-coffee-pot phenomenon was solved when my genius sister figured out that the little valve thingy that lets the coffee into the caraf was sticking. but when we would run water through, it would work. but maybe yours isn't like that. i suggest buying one from costco. but that is because i buy everything from costco because you can return anything to costco if it breaks. ever. well, almost. good luck.
Janie - I will definitely check out Costco... Well, Sam's Club, because that's where we have our membership. I'll go on a day when we are out of money and there is not food in the house, because Free Samples!
Jess,
Have you tried using descaler? You can pick it up in most Starbucks; it cleans the gunk out of your machine (if that's the problem--it usually needs a going-through if you have hard water).
I have a 12-cup Black & Decker that is awesome (by 12, I mean 2, because no mug is too large and no amount of coffee is too much) and was like $20. If you want something a little more awesome, I love the kind with the thermal carafe--the coffee stays warm for hours, without a hot plate. This is the kind I bought my mother, and which I'm trying to steal back.
Sarah - I have never heard of descaler, so no. I will definitely try it, though! Thanks! And yes, a thermal carafe seems to be the trend. For good reason.
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