Tag Archives: coffee

from the cradle to the grave…

18 Jun

It’s been said many times that small babies and our very elderly have a lot in common…and before I go on I must point out that I mean no disrespect to our much loved old folk…I am merely making an observation (about myself).keepcup

That observation is… that I suck when it comes to drinking from a feeding cup …and despair that in the future I may need to use one.

Here’s the thing… These days is is commonplace to grab a coffee on the run. In order to at least feel a little environmentally responsible, I carry my re-usable coffee cup rather than use the take away cup on offer… however I struggle to drink from it without wearing at least some of my ‘extra hot, double-shot, decaf, skim milk cappuccino’.

Let me explain… The lids of the ‘throwaway’ variety have a decent spout which helps to control the flow… but my reusable  ‘KeepCup’ has no such thing and I dribble …frequently. The lid has a small hole through which to sip, but the lip of the cup is missing too, doing nothing to enhance the drinking experience. Apart from the potential to scald oneself, there is also the frequent chin wiping (and associated make-up removal)  and risk of coffee stains on my clothes.

So, while I will persevere and put in plenty of practice before my time comes to check into a nursing home …I would just give a shout out to any ‘sustainable coffee cup designers’ who may be reading this and strongly recommend the reintroduction of the humble spout, for those of us who are  challenged when it comes to drinking our coffee on the run.

 

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wayfinding gone feral…

22 Apr

Today I met a friend for coffee in an unfamiliar… yet ‘oh so familiar’ shopping mall in Sydney. I say unfamiliar because it is not one I frequent normally… yet familiar because once inside, that are all so ‘same same’.

That is … except for the carpark.carpark

Oh my goodness I felt like I was driving in a foreign country as I tried to negotiate the unfamiliar space, complete with construction work…barriers…one way signs and temporary redirection signs. The markings on the ground were confusing to say the least with arrows having been re-routed… and at one stage I found myself going up the down ramp !!!

wrong wayNow I don’t know a great deal about traffic flow …BUT I was part of a “way-finding strategy working party” (yes I work for a Gov’t Dept)  for a new Health facility …and I know that the signage in this particular car park would have failed miserably on any way-finding measurement scale.

Shame on you Macquarie Centre …lets hope the new look centre is worth all the bingles, road rage, lost cars and frayed nerves.

Here endeth the rant 😉

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first world worries …

14 Apr

This morning when I was jumping into my nifty little hire car to head off to the classroom for another day of growing my brain…I was suddenly hit with panic. I COULDN’T FIND THE CUP HOLDER !! coffee-to-go-since-1890

OMG What would I do with my take away skim milk, extra hot, extra shot, decaf cappuccino??

Who (in these days of all things instant gratification), would design a car that deprived me of my ‘coffee to go’?  I couldn’t possibly wait until I drove 10 minutes up the road.

But relax… of course Mr Toyota had my best interest at heart, and after a little poking to see what popped, a cup holder appeared right there at my fingertips.

Phew.. crisis averted (great start to the day that crisis intervention was our hot topic of learning).

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how to ruin a good movie …and lunch

8 Feb

Sitting in a cafe today and I was acutely aware of the bizarre scene that was unfolding at the next table.

Nothing dreadful (well I guess, that’s debatable lol), just two ’50 something women’ talking. Perhaps I should rephrase that ~ one talking …loudly and non stop, while the other made strange noises like ‘ooh’… ‘o-h’…’reeea-lly’…’mmm’ …’yeah’.

It was the most absurd demonstration of one sided babble, while woman #1 proceeded to tell her friend (and anyone within earshot), the entire storyline of a new release movie. At every opportunity she mentioned ‘Geoffrey Rush’  by name, as though she was trying to sound cultured, although the loud and monotone voice was a dead give-away on the question of culture. shhh

Then, only mildly more irritating than the Geoffrey Rush echo was the repeated chorus line  ‘you’ve just GOT to see it’  … well here’s the truth ..No she doesn’t…. and neither do we, now that we know the whole darn story.

Perhaps it’s vocal envy, and my inability to compete… but I have to say that overbearing voices are right up there on my list of the ten most irritating behaviours ~ even worse than nose picking or pimple squeezing.

I’m irritated and ’50 something’…P1120647 but not dead yet.

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coffee cringes

6 Feb

I love my coffee just as much as the next person …but I really find ‘coffee snobs’ hard to swallow; they are popping up everywhere and are just as bad as the know-it-all wine snob. I really don’t care whether it’s plunged, perked, dripped or instant…as long as it is hot strong and not-too-milky.

Which brings me to my point…. when IS it ok to complain about a bad one, without sounding like a complete tosser?

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Today I had the pleasure of meeting a friend for catch up and coffee at a cafe in her workplace … It was made even better when she offered to shout…( I should have suspected something when she opted for a cold drink instead).  So, there we were settled into our conversation and I took my first sip… eeek… watery and very very odd flavour. I just smiled and we continued to talk as I felt awkward that:  (a) she has paid for it …and (b) I hate to complain (and sound like a tosser).

So…I persevered for 2 more  mouthfuls until it all became TOO much…The vile after-taste had me imagining that I was about to succumb to some sort of bizarre toxicity and be rushed off to the local hospital ( and THAT wasn’t a good option – I know because I work there).

I eventually fess up and tell my friend that it is god awful, and she laughed saying “that’s why no-one buys coffee here”. (LOL thanks Karen).

I decided to brave it and tell the barista…BUT… given the crowd and my ‘vocal challenges’, it just all became too hard …so I binned it !! (and left feeling bad for the next victim)…. BUT I am happy to report that I’m 50 something and (still) not dead yet despite my ordeal.

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