SLO-Town Love

"...full of sun and loveliness and a kind of invitation, so that you wanted to climb into their warm foothills almost as you want to climb into the lap of a beloved mother. They were beckoning mountains with a brown grass love."

- John Steinbeck, East of Eden

On a weekend when many people are enjoying barbeques, picnics, and the tenative beginning of summer, this is how we're dressing in Seattle on this wet, 54 degree day.

Wait, I'm missing something.

That's better.

Crazy to think that yesterday would have been my grandma's 100th birthday.

During the year I lived in San Francisco, Muni transit struck pedestrians no less than four times while I was riding. So far, zero such records the past year in Seattle. Is that a reflection on the bus drivers or on the pedestrians?

Third Grade Rules

Self-Espression

I've never felt so uncultured in my life.

I just got back from training at Herkimer Coffee on Phinney Ridge, about eight espressos and two lattes the worse for wear. Is it possible to barf from too much espresso?

My head is spinning from all the detailed information.

Let's start at the beginning. Last week I got a third job working weekends at a coffee shop in my neighborhood. They send everyone to be professionally-trained at Herkimer Coffee - an amazing coffee roaster here in Seattle.

My previous barista jobs have consisted of simple equations: espresso + steamed milk = latte. Espresso + foam = cappuccino. I've never been expected to time shots or hold the espresso cup up to the machine so the espresso doesn't cool off and become bitter in the four inches it drops or taste notes of leather and blackberry in espresso.

The trainer kept pulling shots and giving them to me to taste. "In this one, you should get a smokier profile," he said, searching my face for a reaction. I thought for a second about just frowning a bit and nodding sagely - maybe swirling the cup like I'd seen people do with wine - but ultimately I admitted, "I don't think I have an advanced-enough palate to notice subtle differences yet." I'm getting worse at pretending as I age. Sorry. Espresso tastes like coffee. Besides Starbucks, I don't really notice a difference, (possibly because I add a good 1/4th of half and half).

Despite feeling like an idiot, I really enjoyed the training. I love the minute detail of how many times you should tap the espresso before you tamp it down, how many seconds is ideal to start seeing the "spotting" of espresso coming through the filter... And this was just the first training session. Whew.

Horse Feathers

Last week I saw Breathe Owl Breathe, Megafaun, and Horse Feathers at the Tractor Tavern and ever since I've been listening to all three of these amazing bands who I'd never listened to before the show. Horse Feathers played this song last at about 1am and every single one of the 50 people left in the bar was holding their breath. Complete silent expectation.

"Orphan Girl," Horse Feathers

Can't you just feel your heart swell at 1:25?