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is making an important announcement.

This important announcement is brought to you by the letters 'W,' 'T,' and 'F.' =) Yes. I have some very good news to share, news that is undoubtedly about to cause me a great deal of stress in an accelerated fashion. I'm betting you can guess...

In an earlier post from a few months ago, I announced my little family is planning to move from our home in Denver, Colorado to the part of the world I grew up and lived in for most of my life, Northern California. At the time we were planning to settle near my family in Sacramento, but this has changed -- we are now instead planning on moving to a fashionable area just minutes from Sacramento (largely owing to far better school systems in these parts), AND we are now planning to relocate at the end of February 2010. Yes, a full three months earlier than originally planned. =)

This all came about quite suddenly when the perfect opportunity for a house presented itself, a house in a trendy neighborhood I am already very familiar with as it is the same neighborhood I moved from when I relocated to Denver just over seven years ago. The house is just steps from an excellent middle-school that will be perfect for Jerrod to start at in the fall, and a few steps more from an equally excellent elementary school that will be a good landing place for him to finish out his final year in the lower grades. Although none of us wanted to move in the middle of the school-year, opportunity is definitely knocking loudly and Nathan and I feel we must answer.

Although Nathan and I are definitely far more urban than suburban, and are sorely going to miss our big-city lives, the city we are moving to has far more than the run-of-the-mill amenities of chain-restaurants and big-box stores to offer and if we just can't stand it another minute our home-away-from-home, San Francisco, will be a short car-ride away. In our recent trips back to Northern California over the last couple of years, we have both been very impressed with the steps this part of the world has taken to become more sophisticated and cultured as more and more ex-Bay-Area-ites move further inland to take advantage of a lower cost of living than they're used to, and our hopes are high we won't feel too much culture-shock. We'll see... =)

Jerrod is actually thrilled at the excitement of such a significant change to his environment taking place much earlier than he'd thought, and as he was already very pleased with the idea of moving we're taking this enthusiasm as a rare gift when he just as easily could've had a very different opinion. Those of you who know me in person know how the task of managing an inter-state move of this magnitude was already starting to leave a slightly crazed look in my eye, and that chaos is now in full swing as our home is already starting to look far less holiday-cozy and far more like a shipping / receiving center inside a very small warehouse. I have already started a bit of the initial packing of items we usually have stored deep in the recesses of our loft, and plan to start the real packing immediately after the holidays.

We're all going to be extremely busy in the coming months, most of all me, running around like mad trying to tie up all the loose ends and last-minute plans of our lives here in Denver, so more than likely this will be the last time you hear from me, dear reader, for awhile until after things stabilize. Send me your good wishes, your happy thoughts, and your positive feelings as the insanity of moving a household overtakes me and I slowly go a bit nuts ... well, nuttier than usual. At this point, my one big fear is that somehow I'll forget to pack one of the cats.

Happy Holidays from my family to yours ... see you in 2010! =)

GOOD LOOK: Gunshot Detection

Here's a Good Look at the actual technology behind ShotSpotter, Inc.'s gunshot detection systems in case any of you were curious to know more about the company Nathan is a project manager for.

doing the java jive

Before we get started, I think we ought to have a little mood music while you read this post. Please play the video above and then read on. :)

After a recent discussion on Facebook with a friend of mine, I realized many people seem to be a bit mystified by the art of preparing and drinking a good cup of coffee or shot of espresso at home. I decided to create this blog post as a guide for those who want to learn how to create espresso drinks very similar to the ones you pay several dollars for in your local coffee shop. Like anything worth doing well, this can require a bit of preparation and practice, but it isn't difficult at all. I value my little morning ritual of preparing myself a satisfying latte or espresso shot - it's relaxing, takes just minutes, and with practice can even be easily squeezed into any busy weekday routine.

I love coffee. I love it real good. Espresso shots like the one at right, hot cups of black drip coffee, coffee with a bit of cream or a bit more of whole milk, coffee-flavored ice cream and candy -- I'm thoroughly addicted. My addiction started when I was a good deal younger and still in middle-school - my Mother brewed the most delicious drip coffee using an individual filter like the one in this month's issue of Saveur, freshly ground quality beans, and boiling water from the kettle; the filter was stacked on top of a waiting coffee cup and allowed to slow-drip down, creating a fantastically rich and barely bitter brew I was allowed to enjoy a cup of on weekend mornings. Ever since, I have enjoyed a cup of coffee almost every single day of my life. I'm doubtful it's healthy, but it's certainly worth it! Everyone needs a good vice or two, don't they?

I won't discuss the entire history of coffee and the world's ardent love affair with it as it is quite extensive, but if you're interested it's well-worth reading about by clicking here. For centuries, people have been fascinated with and completely bewitched by the deep, dark, hot magical brew that has evolved and transformed to become the coffee we are familiar with today. 77% of adults in the United States drink coffee on a daily (52%) or occasional (25%) basis (source), and with such enthusiasm it's easy to understand why people like me have become such fanatics about coffee consumption.

Did you know coffee has 1,500 discernible components of flavor - three times more than wine (source)? Drinking coffee made from quality beans and produced with quality equipment has definitely elevated the humble deep-brown concoction to something far nobler and more enjoyable than its earliest forms, but if you squint you can still glimpse what coffee once was like centuries ago. Such a time-honored practice, in my opinion, should be respected and enjoyed in the best possible way and for me this means taking my coffee consumption more seriously than I once did.

And now, I'm going to lecture you for a bit. I couldn't possibly write this post without sharing my opinion on the mass-commercialism of coffee today (and as I warned you way back when I began this blog, I might from time to time rant about such strong opinions of mine). =) I'm not here to judge, but to educate. If you're not open to change, or to learning, or to self-improvement (and you haven't done this already), just move on. =) Go hit up Starbucks and get yourself a hot cup of their mess and suck it down quick. And be happy in that! I tip my cap to you!! But if you're interested in familiarizing yourself with the differences in the levels of quality in coffee available today, and understanding why I have changed the way I drink, order, and pay for coffee, read on.

Yes, I'm going to write about Starbucks. Starbucks has evolved into something so vastly different than what it was originally intended to be that it's almost unrecognizable. Starbucks is easily the most popular coffee chain in the world, and through clever marketing has become the gold standard (among those who don't know better) of coffee quality. I'm sure you've seen the phrase "We proudly serve Starbucks coffee," and that is definitely the attitude here - pride. The funny thing is Starbucks coffee isn't very good. It tastes bitter, almost burnt. If you have drunk a lot of Starbucks coffee, you may not notice this consciously. If you have ever drunk coffee from somewhere other than Starbucks, however, you almost certainly have noticed the new coffee doesn't taste anything like the Starbucks coffee you normally drink, and this is *completely* intentional. I'll let that sink in for a minute.

And for a minute or few more - all this writing about coffee has made me want some. =) I'll be back in a bit. ... That's better!! No, that wasn't a clever contrivance - I really did go make myself a delicious pumpkin-spice latte. And a double-espresso shot for Nathan. And I took some pictures for this post. =)

Anyhow, I drank a great deal of Starbucks when I was younger. It's not that Starbucks uses bad coffee beans or anything. The quality of the beans they use is actually quite good. But in the name of achieving consistency amongst all of their locations world-wide, and privately (according to several of my friends who were once Starbucks baristas) in the name of training palates to prefer the taste of Starbucks products, Starbucks over-roasts their coffee beans. They burn them. On purpose. This is why the coffee and espresso you purchase at Starbucks tastes bitter, requires so much sweetener, and leaves you feeling rattled and icky after you come down from the extra sugar/caffeine in your system.

When a coffee bean is over-roasted, it drastically changes many of the oils found in the bean from which coffee gets its distinctive flavor, and even actually *lowers* the caffeine content. Ever wonder why you have to drink such a large quantity of Starbucks coffee or have at the minimum a double-espresso or perhaps even more shots in your Starbucks espresso drinks to get that caffeine kick? This is why. When I discovered this, I began comparing coffee from local coffee shops to Starbucks coffee and realized there really was a startling difference in taste. That's when I began learning more about coffee, and also when I stopped drinking Starbucks. I encourage you to do some Googling about this practice of Starbucks' and read about it for yourself.

Another distinct difference between Starbucks and other less-commercialized coffee shops is the coffee drinks which are served. If you have ever tried to order a macchiato anyplace other than Starbucks, you have probably been disappointed when your drink arrives looking like this photo. This is actually what a macchiato looks like, not at all even remotely similar to the large container of syrups, flavorings, whipped cream, milk, and Starbucks espresso you may be used to. Starbucks altered several coffee beverages, while keeping their Italian names, to make them more attractive to consumers. The macchiato sold at Starbucks is loaded with calories, something many of us are trying to watch these days (as have generations of our fore bearers). It's worth considering, or at least it was for me, and once I began to learn about the many differences between Starbucks' commercialized sticky-sweet coffee drinks and their original counterparts, I became less and less enchanted -- the coffee I was drinking at Starbucks wasn't anything like the yummy drip coffee I remembered from my youth.

Starbucks' marketing campaign is quite clever, elevating the humble morning cup of coffee to a status symbol, a hallmark of quality and personal good taste. I'm sure if you think back to pre-Starbucks days, you'll remember it used to not matter what logo was displayed on your to-go cup of joe, but now it does. And depending on the company you keep, it matters a lot. By charging more for their product and thereby playing to the misconception of many that bigger and more expensive always equals better, Starbucks effectively priced many of its smaller competitors out of business while managing to turn astronomical profits.

They then proceeded to capitalize further by becoming ubiquitous and über-convenient. Starbucks' to-go coffee cups with their logo prominently displayed were marketed as more than eye-catching containers - they became veritable accessories which advertised to anyone who saw you with one that you were willing to burn through several dollars for the privilege of carrying it without a second thought. I'm not going to discuss today whether this is silly or not, and I am just as guilty of paying a premium price for my non-Starbucks gourmet coffee, but regardless of your opinion on social norms it is undeniable Starbucks has changed the face of coffee today, perhaps permanently.

But enough about all that. As I wrote, I am merely trying to educate you, dear reader, in case you weren't aware of the facts about Starbucks and why I no longer patronize their stores. I suppose in closing out this rant I would encourage you to give your local coffee shops a second chance -- find one whose' coffee you like the taste of, learn where their beans come from -- Are they locally roasted? If not, are they purchased from a reputable supplier or are they mass-produced? Are they grown in micro-batches like the beans of my favorite local coffee shop, Novo? Are they fair-trade? Re-educate your palate to appreciate the many subtleties of what is truly a delicious (and to many, like me, essential) beverage.

SO, we finally arrive at the lesson phase of this post. I have been asked by more than a few people how I can stand drinking the coffee I make at home and why their home-brewed cups of joe and espresso and lattes and such never taste as good as the coffee they purchase while out and about. My primary reason in writing this post was to discuss that in detail.

The number-one reason for this unpleasant inconsistency, boys and girls, is not all coffee-making equipment and ingredients are created equal, plain and simple. You will get infinitely better results using a quality (and usually expensive) espresso machine or coffee maker than you will if you're just using a Krups machine or the like. This shouldn't be much of a surprise, as it is generally the case with any small appliance, but the differences don't stop there. You must also consider the water you use, the beans you are buying, the way you prepare them, and the quality of any additional ingredients you add to your coffee or espresso. Although this isn't always true, in this case like with most home-cooking you really do get out of this what you pay for/put into it.

So why does the coffee and espresso I make at home almost certainly taste better than yours? Here's how I do it, from start to delicious finish. I'll be focusing on making a latte here; there are plenty of other resources available online if you want to make other drinks like a cappuccino, for example, or if you need tips on making drip or French Press coffee. Forgive me for stating the obvious or explaining things you undoubtedly already know, but as my English professor Mrs. Klyse taught me, "When writing for a broad audience, you should always assume they know nothing about your subject."

EQUIP YOURSELF -> I start with specific equipment. We have a FrancisFrancis! X5 espresso machine which we purchased a few years ago as we primarily drink espresso drinks. This by no means is the very best or most expensive espresso machine on the market, but it produces excellent espresso and we love the design. When we have regular coffee, we make ours French-Press style in a Bodum Young Press. I like my lattes with more milk than traditionally required, probably due to years of drinking Venti-sized lattes at Starbucks, and favor oversize coffee cups while Nathan frequently drinks espresso shots. Different cups are required for each. Espresso cups are traditionally very small (the photo at the top of this post is of a double-size espresso cup; single-shot cups are half the size), and oversize cups are of course huge. You can find these cups for sale pretty much everywhere; Crate&Barrel has a very nice selection.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEAN -> I use whole coffee beans, and purchase a variety of different roasts and blends from my favorite coffee shop, Novo. As we don't drink much regular coffee, I primarily buy beans specifically roasted to be made into espresso. Whole beans are *essential* if you want to produce a quality espresso shot or cup of coffee. Yes, pre-ground and pod coffee is simpler to use, but the flavors aren't nearly as potent or fresh after sitting ground in the bag / pod for awhile, and almost gone by the time you finish a half-pound unless you use it all within the first day or two of purchase. Even then, it's just not as yummy - take my word for it. Remember, the flavor of your coffee primarily comes from the oils within the coffee bean, and just like with spices freshly ground *always* tastes better. By the way, you should *never* store your coffee beans, whole or otherwise, in the freezer -- freezing the bean freezes the oils, which will *significantly* affect the flavor of the espresso or coffee you produce.

GRIND IT DOWN -> Because I use whole coffee beans, a coffee grinder is required. I favor burr grinders over the far more popular blade grinders like this one because the grind of coffee produced is far more consistent and a finer grind is easily achievable. Controlling the consistency of your grind and using as fine a grind as possible is essential for the way in which espresso is made (which is by forcing heated water through the ground beans using a tremendous amount of pressure). Think of water flowing through a layer of sand as opposed to a stream bed. We use this Cuisinart burr grinder, and I am very happy with the results. Again, it's not the most expensive burr grinder on the market, but it suits us just fine.

SMALL WONDERS -> To prepare espresso, unless you favor a completely automatic machine that does everything for you like this one, you will need a tamper (I recommend an aluminum tamper such as this over the flimsy plastic one which might have come with your machine) and a brush to remove coffee grounds from your espresso grinder as well as clean the brew head of your espresso machine. The stainless steel brush I use (I think I bought it at Crate&Barrel but I'm not sure) is double-ended and has shorter stiffer bristles on one end specifically for cleaning and longer bristles on the other end specifically for brushing loose grounds out of your grinder's receptacle. To prepare any espresso drink to be paired with steamed milk, you will also need a stainless-steel milk frothing pitcher and thermometer. Finally, you will need some way of measuring and containing your espresso shots - I use these, but espresso shot glasses are easily found in stores such as Williams-Sonoma, Sur la table, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate&Barrel, etc. After amassing all of this stuff, you're ready to start making espresso.

JUST ADD WATER -> Follow the directions of your machine specifically. All will require you have water in some sort of container stored within the machine; always make sure you have enough water in the container as running out in the middle of pulling an espresso shot or steaming process can damage the pump within the machine.

PURE AND SIMPLE -> I use *only* filtered water, *never* tap. We do this for all our cooking, food-preparation-rinsing, etc. The benefits of filtered water are widely known, and the quality of the water you use to prepare your coffee or espresso will *definitely* affect the taste of your coffee, tea, espresso, or really *any* food you prepare using water. In case you weren't aware of why filtered water is a good thing, read this.

CLEAN IT UP -> I *always* clean the brew head of my machine before I begin (and before I start heating the machine) because there is always ground coffee clinging to this area from the last time I used it. You might prefer to do this as part of your cleanup process after you finish brewing your espresso so that your machine is ready for next time, but I prefer to do this while the machine is not heated so I don't burn myself. ;) I use the short end of the brush for this process, and remove all of the previously used coffee grounds.

HEAT IT UP -> At this point, I turn on my machine and attach the portafilter (the assembled arm and filter attachment that come with your espresso machine and attach to the brew head) onto the brew head. I let these components heat up which helps ensure consistent temperature in my pulled espresso shots. Your machine will have directions on how long this process should take or even indicators (like mine) to watch for to tell you the machine is pre-heated and ready. I also heat my cup(s) - my machine has a cup-warmer along the top which I can store the cup on while I am pulling the shot; you can also heat your cup with heated water run through the steam wand, or heat your cup for a few seconds in a microwave. This step is all about controlling the temperature of the finished product and keeping your drink, which takes a bit to assemble, as hot as possible.

ONE LUMP OR TWO? -> At this point, I add any coffee syrup I am choosing to use to my empty coffee cup. *NOTE*: I never sweeten plain espresso shots. If you want these to be sweetened, it is traditional to serve them with a small lump of raw sugar alongside of the shot.

I don't always sweeten my espresso drinks, but I usually do depending on my mood. I could go on and on about coffee syrups, but I will briefly state it's best to use a quality (and yes, probably more expensive) coffee syrup whose' primary ingredient isn't corn-syrup and with no added chemicals, coloring, etc. I use Monin Coffee Syrups consistently; their quality ingredients make the best-tasting syrups out of the various brands I have tried. I add a very small amount of syrup to my heated cup before pulling my espresso shot because I am striving to lightly *accent* the taste of my espresso with whatever flavored syrup I am using.

I am of the opinion the taste of the syrup should not overpower the taste of the espresso at all, but be a delicate note in the finished coffee drink. This will of course come down to personal preference, but remember, most people over-sweeten their coffee / espresso to mask a bitter taste, and if you are properly brewing your coffee / espresso, it should not taste bitter at all. This is why over-sweetening is a very common practice for people who patronize that wildly popular mega-coffee shop I mentioned at the beginning of this post. =)

FINE AND DANDY -> *Always* grind your coffee just moments before you are ready to pull your espresso shot, ensuring the best results and taste possible. The ground espresso you use should be as finely ground as possible while still allowing water to be forced through it, and here we get into timing. Your goal, according to the National Coffee Association of U.S.A., Inc., is to have the coffee in contact with the water as briefly as possible (completely the opposite of brewing regular drip- or press-style coffee), usually within the range of 20 - 30 seconds. Your machine may have specific guidelines here, but the overall rule of thumb comes down to personal taste - if your pulled espresso shot tastes flat, you are probably under-extracting your espresso (allowing not enough time for the shot to brew), and if it is overpowering you are probably over-extracting it (allowing too much time for the shot to brew).

How much ground espresso (referred to as the DOSE) do you use? Your machine should certainly have instructions on this, but the general rule is 8 grams (approximately 0.3 oz or two tablespoons) per shot of espresso, and so a double-shot pulled all at once would be twice that amount as well as require a slightly coarser grind than what you would use for a single shot. You will undoubtedly have to play with this a few mornings to determine your espresso preference.

TAMP IT DOWN -> Once you have loaded your ground espresso into your portafilter, you need to tamp it down. I load my portafilter twice - once all the way to the marked maximum indicator before compressing the grounds quite firmly (using enough pressure so I am close to hurting my hand) with the tamper, then I gently tap the portafilter with my finger to settle any grounds clinging to the wall of the filter. I then load a second time with the rest of the coffee I have ground for the amount of shots I am brewing (usually a double) and repeat the tamping and tapping process. You are striving to create as firm and level a compaction as possible. If the grounds aren't firm or level, the forced hot water could blast a hole through the center of the dose which will result in over-extracted grounds immediately surrounding the flow of water and under-extracted grounds closer to the wall of the filter and leave you with an espresso shot that tastes, well, nasty.

THINK CREMA -> Any good espresso machine worth its salt will easily produce wonderful crema as long as your espresso is ground finely enough (but not too finely). Crema (named for the town in Italy and the delicate floating layer of tan-colored bubbles formed when espresso is extracted) is highly desired and essential to a well-pulled shot of espresso. To read more about crema, go here. As you are pulling your shot of espresso, you should see it separate into three distinct layers - a dark layer on the bottom, a dark tan layer in the middle-top, and a tan-colored layer of crema forming immediately on the very top of the shot. Just like in this picture. =)

*GASP* I WOULDN'T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU! -> If you are brewing more than one espresso drink at a time, *NEVER* reuse your ground espresso!! 0_0 That is a BIG no-no. The espresso you make from doing this just tastes bad. Don't do it!!

POUR OUT AT ONCE! -> Avoid letting your beautiful espresso shot sit for too long!! Immediately serve it in your heated espresso cup, or if you are making a drink with steamed milk and your machine requires you to pull a shot and steam milk separately (as mine does), pour it from your shot glass into your heated coffee cup.

ALL FROTHY AND SWIRLY -> Unless your machine allows you to steam your milk while simultaneously pulling an espresso shot (many do not), it's now time to do this. In either case, *always* start with a chilled stainless steel milk frothing pitcher. How much milk you use will be dictated by the size of your pitcher as well as the size of your cup. Avoid using too much milk or

your cup will runneth over!! Nyuk nyuk nyuk. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

What kind of milk you use will be according to your personal preference and dietary restrictions; I use whole milk as it produces the very best froth and taste. I'm not going to discuss the soy nonsense, but I'll tell you flat out I don't like it. It's your drink, however, so your mileage may vary. I tilt my pitcher (with thermometer attached) at an angle until the milk reaches 100 degrees, at which point I rest the pitcher flat and continue to steam the milk. You may have seen people froth milk by swirling the pitcher around, a practice largely unnecessary if you have a quality machine which will have a steam wand specifically designed to properly create froth, so I don't do this. Depending on your machine, again your mileage may vary - some experimentation here will be necessary in

determining what you will have to do to produce steamed milk velvety with smooth creamy froth. You should steam your milk to at least 150 but no more than 170 degrees Fahrenheit (more than this and your drink will taste scalded as well as your risking injury when sipping it). I steam my milk to 160 degrees because I like it hot like that. =)

MIX IT UP -> Pour the steamed milk into your waiting coffee cup, mixing it with the espresso shot you prepared earlier. If you want to, you can practice getting all fancy with coffee art, but I don't bother as I'd rather leave that to the pros.

Some people advocate holding back the froth from the still-liquid part of the milk in your pitcher with a special spoon, but I have never found this to be necessary when using properly frothed milk as the froth should be so dense and heavy that it will naturally separate itself from the rest of the milk as you pour.

SAVOR THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR! -> You should now have a perfectly concocted espresso drink made just to your liking with a layer of velvety-smooth, tightly-compacted frothed milk on top.

Take a moment to appreciate its beauty before you savor it, sip by sip, until it is allll gone. =)

Making a great cup of coffee or espresso or latte or whatever at home will require a bit of practice and tweaking, but I think it's completely worth it. I look forward to this ritual every morning and skip it in favor of take-out coffee only if I'm in a terrible rush or traveling. After some practice, you'll quickly be able to speed up your routine to under a few minutes which is the same amount of time you'd spend traveling to a coffee shop to grab take-out coffee anyhow. I hope I've encouraged you to try it out for yourself, or at least to appreciate the art of producing quality espresso.

a quiet moment

I am wide awake, not really part of my plan today, but where that would normally piss me off, today I am not rattled. It's probably the sizeable amount of wine I drank throughout the evening yesterday that did the trick, kicking me out of sleep's oblivion-cocoon earlier than planned. But what an opportunity afforded to me!!

I'm sitting on the private terrace of the room of my penthouse suite in Manhattan just off Central Park in one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in during my life, watching the dawn. I figured that was a far better choice than lying in bed trying for sleep that I'm pretty sure will elude me for the rest of the 'night.' After all, how many sunrises will I get to see 17 floors up in one of the nicest parts of Manhattan? How many more sunrises will I get to see period, for that matter?

The hotel robe and my pajamas are lovely-warm in the cool of the early morning. Nathan lies slumbering inside. We are staying with my parents, and I wonder if my Mother is lying awake in their own suite on the other side of the building.

The dawn is beautiful. I am so incredibly luckiy to be having this experience. The day is full of the promise of all our fun plans over the rest of our vacation, not to mention the promise of coffee, and this quiet moment here amongst so many yet isolated in rare luxury and privacy is truly priceless. I will never forget this moment.

Good morning to you from New York, in the middle of the 36th year of my life and the second day of our long and lovely trip.

Sent from my iPhone. ;)

~ C

How We Spent Our Summer, or, oh god is that the time?

It's funny how time is changing for me, speeding up when I so want it to slow down so I can catch my breath. I remember years ago listening to those older than myself discuss how quickly time was moving for them and thinking how bizarre it would be to have a sense of things moving faster than they used to. For better or worse, I too feel time speeding by these days. I know time hasn't actually sped up, but I still can't shake the feeling the year has just flown by.

I intended to write this entry a couple of months ago, but it seemed another busy Summer was contriving against me to prevent this from happening. Jerrod finished the fourth grade a few months ago and has now started his fifth and final year of elementary school.

The Summer was a blur of parties, friends, and fun, reading light-weight books pool-side, sipping cooling drinks to beat the heat on roof-top patios, weird rainstorms from a lingering spring, spontaneous plane rides for Jerrod and I, and before we knew what had happened it was over, time to start shopping for school and time to start thinking about the final four months of the year.

Jerrod finished up his fourth-grade year with good marks, another band concert, and an expressed desire to spend less time at Summer Camp and more time at home. =) An easy fix, that, and so we planned short camps instead and a round of tennis lessons. Jerrod spent a week at the Denver Art Museum studying the method behind the creation of art, working on his own projects, touring parts of the museum, and enjoying lectures of featured DAM artists discussing their latest pieces on display in the museum.

Jerrod really enjoyed this camp, as he did his tennis lessons.

He became better friends with a neighboring classmate whom we didn't realize lives just two blocks from our loft, had several sleepovers, and in general enjoyed himself silly with long days spent gaming, reading, swimming, skating, and creating art.

The highlight of Jerrod's Summer was a spur-of-the-moment trip to Manhattan to spend a few days over a weekend with Nathan, who chose to stay in the city instead of return

home for the weekend as usual. Jerrod was thrilled and amazed at being whisked away quite suddenly, and it was his first visit to the East Coast and Manhattan itself.

He took tons of pictures (we're still working on getting those on his Flickr account, and I'll update when he has gotten them uploaded), saw the city his father and I have been talking a blue streak about for months now, and fell in love with it as we have. He's already talking about not being able to wait to go back, and Nathan and I are so pleased we were able to give him a very special memory of his first plane ride alone to a magical place filled with excitement, delicious food, and so unlike the familiarity of the city he has called home since birth.

I had my own impromptu trip to Manhattan in at the beginning of June, my second visit and falling over another long weekend when Nathan decided to treat me to several days and nights on the town instead of flying home to Denver. Every bit as thrilling as my last visit, we spent much time doing several of the things we didn't get to the year before and I also took scads of photos (which you can check out here). I enjoyed my first pizza experience in the Bronx at Zero Otto Nove and it was pure bliss! We spent more time in Central Park, toured the Museum of Natural History, and I also got to see Nathan in action on the job when I wasn't enjoying some much-needed weekday down-time relaxing in our hotel. Every bit as stunning and thrilling as the last time, Manhattan is quickly becoming a favorite city of mine, right up there with Paris and San Francisco.

Although Jerrod wasn't thrilled to return to school two weeks ago (Colorado schools start so early!!), the break in Summer routine was somewhat welcome and his year is off to a good start. Unexpectedly, I was able to sit as a member of a panel of interviewers to hire replacement teachers for Jerrod's school as a few positions opened up toward the end of last school year, including the two fifth-grade positions, and I feel extremely confident about the two dynamic instructors I and the panel selected to teach Jerrod in this important and pivotal year of his education. I have had much experience in interviewing and hiring people over the years professionally, but have never utilized this skill in this setting and choosing people who will hold so much influence in the development of our son and his classmates was exciting and humbling. Jerrod loves his new teachers and everyone is very excited about what this school year will bring.

And what of Forrest, my regular readers might be asking? The year brought some big changes our way, and one of the most significant occurred in February of this year when Forrest let us know he was wanting to move in with his Mother, Tara, whom you might recall was in a very serious automobile accident last Spring. Out of the specialist clinic and on her own, Tara now faces the huge challenge of being significantly physically and unfortunately mentally handicapped and requiring daily living assistance, and Forrest felt strongly about wanting to help support her and be close to her. After some discussion, Nathan and I agreed Forrest, who turned fourteen this year, was at the right place to start making these kinds of decisions for himself and so we gave Forrest our blessing and helped him move in with Tara. He has started his final year of Junior High at a good school in the area they now live, and we are kept up to date with regular telephone calls, visits, and news from Tara about how things are going for him. I will write more about Forrest as I have more to report.

Nathan has successfully closed two large-scale projects in New York and New Jersey, and has begun work on an expansion project in New York as well as the preliminary work for a project in Chicago. Busy as ever, he is enjoying his work and trying mightily to balance it with cooking, fun, and family (like everyone else). =) Nathan started a food blog as an outlet for his culinary passion chronicling and sharing budget-friendly recipes and cooking techniques, and you can see the delicious Tomato Pie I tweeted about a few days ago there. You can also find him tweeting about cost-effective and delicious cookery on Twitter under the monniker BudgetCooking. =)

The coming weeks will see us traveling to the East Coast yet again!! I'm telling you, it's like Disneyland for grown-ups and if you haven't been you should seriously consider making the trip out that way! As Nathan has gotten to know my family better over the last couple of years, he has developed quite a friendship with my Mother and Stepfather in particular who share our passion for fine foods and delicious wines. Nathan decided a few months ago he wanted to treat them to a proper tour of the upper East Coast. Planning for the trip has consumed the last several months, and Nathan and my Mother have narrowed down the huge list of amazing culinary experiences to a bit above fifty and no I'm not kidding. =) We'll start the trip in Manhattan, and then continue on to Boston, Cape Cod, Salem, and parts of Maine. We leave in just three weeks, and none of us can hardly stand the anticipation! Jerrod will not be accompanying us this time, and will be firmly ensconced at school and staying at the home of my dear friend and chohort SK, whose son is a close friend and classmate of Jerrod's.

And now, it is time to take the wrappings off a long-pending announcement I have been hinting to a few about making over the last few months. No, we're not moving to Manhattan (I WISH!). =) But we are moving. This will be our last year in Denver, Colorado and next June after Jerrod has finished with school we are planning to relocate to Northern California. It has long been a goal Nathan and I have had to return (a returning for me, anyway) to California as I very much miss being close to my family, most of whom still live there, and Nathan has always wanted to live in California. We decided this year the time had finally come for this change to take place. One of the benefits of Nathan's current job as Project Manager for ShotSpotter, Inc. is he can work from anywhere in the world, and so all we will have to worry about is relocating our household. As Jerrod is finishing his last year at the elementary school he has been a student at since the second grade this year, we didn't want to deny him that experience and a last year of time with the wonderful friends he has made (they're all in the same class again this year), and the transitionary Summer next year as he prepares to start Junior High will be the perfect time to make this monumental and exciting change for our family.

It is also, sadly, an opportune time to move closer to my family as we discovered this year my Stepmother has been diagnosed with cancer. She is battling valiantly and managing very well, amazingly, and it will be good for us to be near by to help support her and my Father through this challenging and frustrating time. We are all of course very excited about this significant change for our family - Jerrod, who will continue to live with us, is in particular quite pleased at the prospect of living somewhere entirely new. We are also more than a bit saddened at moving away from all that we love about Denver - the wonderful friends we have made, the amazing restaurants and culture of this vibrant city I have grown quite fond of during my time here, the snow ... but the move will be a very good thing for us, and I can't wait to be closer to the ocean again as I miss it desperately. I will report further details as we navigate this transition, and I'm certain it will be requiring larger and more significant amounts of time, planning, and attention, as next Summer draws closer.

The alarms have gone off here (I woke far earlier than usual and decided to work on this entry instead of lie in bed thinking about it), and it is time for me to start another busy week-day. I hope all of you have enjoyed your own busy Summers and hope you will drop me a line about the interesting and exciting places this year has taken you!

So I finally had time this week, while Nathan was out of town traveling on business, to watch Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and directed by the incomparable Baz Luhrmann. It took me two evenings to finish it. Yes. Two. If you haven't seen the film or heard of it, you can find trailers for it here.

This was a very long film. That doesn't start my review off on very good footing, does it? Hmph. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the film, and I have sat through films much longer (and some even all in one sitting), so it's not the length that is bothering me -- it's that the film felt long. Some of my musings here can be considered spoilers, so if you're planning to watch you might want to skim / skip with care.

Baz Luhrmann directed a wonderful film here, and you can see the quality of his direction and personalized mark all over the place. At its core, Australia is a love story, but there were a few interesting elements thrown into the mix: quite a bit of current political commentary couched into the portrayal of the plight of the 'Stolen Generations,' with a healthy dose of related racism thrown in appropriately; a battle of 'good' versus ... well, not evil, per se, but we'll go with morally corrupt here; a bit of the struggle to become a man plot element many 'feel-good' films feature... there really was a bit of almost every major film theme in the storyline, as one would probably expect from a film of this scope.

I don't want to sell the film short. It was gorgeous. The cinematography was excellent, the visual effects stunning (but without automatically being realized as such except to more keen eyed viewers) with deft (but heavy) reliance on CGI enhancements, the look, feel, set design, and color of the film were in keeping with Baz's other luminous undertakings, the acting exemplary and featuring a well-chosen cast - they really all gave remarkable and enjoyable performances.

But something didn't quite work for me with Australia.

The most obvious and universal complaint among viewers is the main plot was unsophisticated and unsurprising, but then, most romance films have exactly the same plot so in my opinion that isn't necessarily a bad thing. In other reviews I've read of the film, some even call the plot 'weak,' and I can definitely see what they are driving at -- Australia was a bit like Disney meets Gone With The Wind, with a few eerie similarities. There were definitely no surprises in its ending for me whatsoever, but again as I wasn't expecting any, that didn't necessarily bother me.

I can definitely see how many people would find the film slow and even a bit boring, however. A friend described Australia this way: "Long? or was it long? Long, maybe? I thought it was long, with 4-6 fake endings. And long." =) My friend BugFrog is marvelous, by the way - you can read more about BugFrog here.

I heartily warn away any and all (well, almost all) straight men from this film. Almost definitely, they either won't get it or won't want to tolerate it, will find it irritatingly tedious, and in general won't be better off for the experience of watching it. That's not a jab at straight men, mind you. Viewing this film will probably drive most straight men to drink. Heavily. And not in a necessarily good way. And no offense to my dear BugFrog, whose assessment of the film I have to agree with.

So that might lead you to believe this film is really more for guys with tastes more like mine? Wink, wink. =) You can laugh. That was funny. But the surprising (for some) answer is NOPE, not necessarily. Of course, Australia will appeal to some men who enjoy epic films largely for their aesthetic value. But that definitely doesn't mean if you're a gay man you'll go ape over it as I didn't feel that way myself and I can definitely say Nathan wouldn't sit through it unless I made him.

No, this film is definitely largely one for the ladies, and those of an artistic mind at that. Even so, not all ladies would enjoy it either -- another friend of mine who is a die-heard romance film junkie, gave it only three out of five stars on Netflix, and probably because, as BugFrog so aptly puts it, the film was "long." =)

To its credit (or detriment, depending on your taste) Australia is decidedly Luhrmanesque, and to the gills, as well as almost overwhelming in scope -- the film reaches to encompass many things, many elements, many epic shots, many beautifully lit stylized moments, and consequently almost thumps you over the head with its 'epic-ness.' Some might find this irritating. And confusing. And most will definitely find it long.

I couldn't finish it in one sitting. Although I had the time, after the fourth "fake ending" or so, I found I just didn't have the strength and shut it off, deciding on some 'The Sims 3' instead (Yup, I play. I admit it. It's fun. Too fun.). Anyhow, that should definitely tell you something; I love many different kinds of films, from thrillers to documentaries, from feel-good to horror, from drama and character study to silly comedy, and I really wanted to love this film, but I just couldn't. Instead, we'll go with 'I liked it.'

Slow doesn't bother me. Even long doesn't really scare me away. But as I said at the beginning of this casual collection of observations, the film felt long, and I don't think that's a good thing. Perhaps in its sincere and even aggressive attempts to try to be a truly great film it overreached and missed its mark a bit, leaving some viewers befuddled, overwhelmed, tired, heading for a serious sugar-crash from its saccharine-sweetness, and in need of a bathroom.

If you have some time to kill, and if you want to see a truly beautiful film that saturates you with color, dazzles you with scenery, intrigues you with presenting a side of Australian life you might not be familiar with (the film does an excellent job of this), and wows you with its epic stylized gorgeous saturated glowy long-shots, you should see this film. Australia isn't a bad film, not at all, but I don't think I can call it 'Great.'

Rendezvous in paris: A Film by Claude Lelouch

I don't understand what all the fuss is about - this is exactly how my driver behaved when I visited Paris (and I'm not really kidding). It's not normal? =)
_____________________________________
On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris early in the morning . The film was limited for technical reasons to 10 minutes; the course was from Porte Dauphine , through the Louvre, to the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. No streets were closed, for Lelouch was unable to obtain a permit.
The driver completed the course in about 9 minutes, reaching nearly 140 MPH in some stretches. The footage reveals him running real red lights, nearly hitting real pedestrians, and driving the wrong way up real one-way streets.
Upon showing the film in public for the first time, Lelouch was arrested. He has never revealed the identity of the driver, and the film went underground.

cool it

In a conversation on FaceBook this weekend, I offered to send a friend of mine some mojito recipes, and I had so many other requests for them I thought I'd post them here. =) The mojito is a perfect summertime drink, making it way too easy to have one too many without realizing how the rum is hitting you until it's too late, but then that's part of the fun and a great way to come to terms with the higher temperatures Summer always brings. Make sure to drink responsibly, and hydrate hydrate hydrate - a full glass or few of water as you imbibe throughout the weekend-afternoon/evening can almost completely cancel out unpleasant post-drinking effects if you're liberal with the H20.

I'm not sure of your level of comfort in the kitchen or with such recipes, dear reader, so I've tried to be as descriptive as possible. =) Forgive me if I'm outlining things you already know.

Here is the classic mojito recipe and then one with a twist for you plus an extra Summertime staple; there are tons more recipes floating around out there, and I encourage you to explore some of the more unusual ones and find your favorites, and experiment with golden / dark rum as well as it really changes the flavors! You will need a muddler which can be purchased anywhere that sells barware and accoutrement; I'm assuming you have basic barware such as a cocktail shaker, highball and double-old-fashioned glasses.

Classic Mojito (serves 1)
A cooling, effervescent cocktail born - thanks to Prohibition - amid Cuba's thriving international bar culture. Probably derived from the Mint Julep, it was popularized by the legendary bartenders of Cuba's El Floridita and Labdeguita del Medio bars during the 1930's and '40s. Read more about the Mojito here.

12 mint leaves / sprigs
1.5 fl oz simple syrup (increase to taste if you like sweeter drinks)**
1 lime, cut into wedges
crushed ice
2 fl oz white rum
soda water

Muddle the mint with the simple syrup and 4 of the lime wedges in a highball glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice, add the rum, and stir, then top up with soda water. Decorate with the remaining lime wedges.

**To make simple syrup, use a 4-4 ratio (4 Tbsp sugar and 4 Tbsp of water) into a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil, without stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Simple syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months. This will be a very small batch, so for a large pitcher of drinks that requires simple syrup, you will have to multiply the measurements by several. Keep in mind, however, that cooking large amounts of sugar over heat can be tricky, so if you need quite a bit of simple syrup, you might want to work with more than one saucepan etc. and perhaps make one pan at a time.
(from New Classic Cocktails by Allan Gage)

Apple-Soaked Mojito (serves 1)
8 mint leaves
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
2 teaspoons simple syrup (increase to taste if you like sweeter drinks)**
crushed ice
2 fl oz golden rum (use a top-shelf aged rum, or as close to the top as you can afford and at least 3 years old)
1 fl oz filtered apple juice (unfiltered will work fine but produce a cloudy drink)
mint sprig and red apple slices for garnish (if desired)

Muddle the mint, lime and simple syrup in a shaker. Fill a highball glass with crushed ice. Add the rum to the shaker and shake well. Do not add ice to the shaker! Strain the drink into the highball glass and top up with apple juice. Decorate with a mint sprig and apple slices.
(from New Classic Cocktails by Allan Gage)


One more you'll love; play with the ratios and beware - they go down easy. =)

The Caipirinha (serves 1)
The much-beloved Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil and shares some of mojito's primary ingredients -- lime and sugar. It is made with Cachaca (pronounced ka-sha-sa), a Brazilian rum distilled from sugar cane juice. The caipirinha is typically served in a short, wide glass, since it contains less liquid than the mojito. Crushed ice works best because the smaller pieces melt faster, adding volume to the drink. Read more about the Caipirinha here.

1 lime
2 oz Cachaca rum
2 Tbsp sugar
crushed ice

Cut lime into 8 random pieces (not wedges); you're going for a really rough effect here. Muddle lime and sugar in the bottom of a glass or cocktail shaker. Add the rum. Add about 1 cup crushed ice. Cover whatever vessel you are using and shake vigorously. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve with a straw (if desired).

(from www.mojitocompany.com)

Twouble with Twitters: SuperNews!

hysterically poking fun at our obsession with Twitter. I want to point out, as in my earlier post, I described how for some Twitter *can* be so much more than just banal updates (like the kind I type) about my day and meals, but this is still really funny. =)

finally someone explains what facebook is for

=) at last, and in terms we can all understand.

is afraid of the social media neonazis

You'd really have to be hiding under a rock these days to have not heard the term 'social media,' but on the off chance that's you (and I'm not judging), you might want to watch this video before you continue reading this post. You ought to watch it anyway because it's really nifty. =)

I spent a great deal of time today catching up on several articles I've been meaning to digest, following links to sites I'd always meant to visit, and analyzing many of the emerging aspects of the social media craze which is rapidly morphing and growing at speeds faster than I can properly explain - things have already changed in some way, maybe major or maybe minor, even before I can end this sentence.

One very interesting and perhaps disturbing change is the emergence of a growing dissatisfaction with some of the more inane aspects of current social media practices, particularly focusing on the kind of content people are sharing online about themselves. 'Rules' are emerging. Boundaries are being set. Lines in the sand are being drawn. Alliances are being formed. Within a very short time, factions have already arisen within the social media universe with the sole purpose of insisting any thought launched into the social media stream follow certain criteria or face the dire consequences of cyber-ire. I first became aware (probably late to the party) of these factions of self-appointed cyber-regulators when someone I'm connected to on Facebook joined a Facebook Group demanding status updates must be kept interesting. This caused me to raise my eyebrows a bit. 'There are rules now?' I pondered. 'Who says?' I wondered. 'How come?' I queried.

I quickly realized the members of this Facebook group, though small in number in this instance, aren't alone in the least. In my reading today, I came across dozens of articles proclaiming sets of rules to be followed for how one ought to use Twitter (if you don't know about it, ummm ... well, maybe you somehow missed what a large part of global society is abuzz over these days and should try watching this helpful video), even to the point of theorizing most Tweeters fall into eight very specific categories that define how they will (and should) use Twitter based on their personality types according to the popular Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (an article by John Martellaro I found quite fascinating; to read it, click here.)

It would seem humans can't leave anything alone without classifying it, labeling it, putting a box around it, categorizing it, forming dissenting factions over it, and otherwise ruining it in general - not even the humble status update posted via Facebook or Twitter, which you might remember from the very beginning sprung from one simple question: "What are you doing?"

I'm confused. Wasn't all of this supposed to be fun? Isn't there a reason we call this bizarre phenomenon of sharing and blogging and microblogging and status updates social media, instead of 'productive media' or 'networking media' or 'interesting media' or whatever? In reflecting on this social trend I found it helpful to read the Merriam-Webster dictionary of the word 'social,' primarily defined as "marked by or passed in pleasant companionship with one's friends or associates." It doesn't say anything about the rules of whether or not something ought to be considered social in nature, nor does this definition define guidelines, specifics, or other end-all be-all commandments which must be followed when engaging in social behavior. I think we're all starting to take ourselves a bit too seriously when we decide we have the right to determine how one ought to be able to tweet, for crying out loud!

One of the things I enjoy most about social media, watching it grow and change so rapidly, is the vast diversity of this amazing concept. Everyone and anyone can have a completely unique and valid experience interacting with it and through it. Many people have compared Twitter (and arguably Facebook) to a massive cocktail party where a myriad of people you know and don't know can connect and chatter on about anything and everything. Some of the chatter is useful to you, some of it is not. When we are interacting socially with anyone, don't we all use various filters to automatically zero in on or zone out of anything we find of interest or don't find interesting in the least? So should social media be used!!

Use social media in the way you want, as often as you want, to get the things you want out of it! People use it for all sorts of things!

• Some people use it to give their opinions on everything from doctors to restaurants.
  
• Some people talk about their day and give it a rating.
  
• Some people bitch about a supremely frustrating personal situation.
  
• Some people talk about their garden.
  
• Some people share images of their pets and children.
  
• Some people use Facebook as a way to connect with like-minded folk about various social concerns.
  

The potential social media has is completely infinite, and in my opinion should always remain so!

One site I use, Momentile, allows users to post one image per day defining a moment from their life during that 24-hour period. You can post as often as you like within that period, but only the most recent image you share will be retained in the stream of images that, over time, makes up your own personal photo journal. The way in which I use Momentile is completely different than that of the next guy. One user I stumbled across always shares an image of himself with his surroundings of the moment in the background. I, on the other hand, post bizarrely unrelated images describing whatever moment I choose to fixate on, from piles of dirty laundry to what I've had for breakfast (here's a link to my photo stream on momentile if you're curious). Yet both of us are completely correct in our interpretation of Momentile's functionality and how we have chosen to apply it to our self-expression on the internet. Each of us have the absolute right to use Momentile in completely different ways, and as there are no rules (other than the 24-hour limitation), we should not be criticized by others on how we choose to express ourselves in this fashion.

My thinking is this central golden rule really ought to extend to every social media site, not just Momentile - people should have the right to use such vehicles of creative expression in whatever way they want to without risking irritating someone who only wants to read interesting updates or who thinks Twitter should only be used for professional networking or creating global change. Indeed, social media is immensely powerful and capable of creating change in huge and measurable and even in many cases instant ways. But that's not the only thing it 'ought' to be used for. I imagine (and could probably prove if I felt like taking the time to research) people once had similar discussions and debates about the purpose of film and television when they exploded onto the fabric of our existence.

Yes, social media can teach you things. Yes, social media can change lives. Yes, social media can massively and positively impact your professional life. Yes, social media can allow you to quickly answer almost any question or get help from a pool of knowledge in solving a variety of problems. Yes, I truly think those ways of using these vehicles for expression are AMAZING and AWESOME and of MONUMENTAL IMPORTANCE. Seriously, I really do - social media is currently completely fascinating to me!! But it can ALSO be used for creative expression. It can ALSO be used as a means to stay connected to distant friends and family (which is the primary reason I started using aspects of it in the first place). It can ALSO be used to develop and maintain groups where people of a variety of backgrounds and locations and positions can interact to discuss a variety of topics. As I wrote above, the possible applications for social media are and should remain limitless.

If I want to tell everyone who follows me on Twitter and all my Facebook friends about the amazing breakfast Nathan whipped up for me in the kitchen earlier, complete with a photograph, I have the right to do that! If someone wants to talk about how tired they are, or how bored they are, or that they're battling a cold or what the weather is doing outside their window or how they plan to spend their evening or share a picture of the sunset with everyone, guess what?? It's OK! If the 'Guest Poster' (hah) who wrote this list of Twitter Tips doesn't want to read about that, or if you don't want to read about that, then quite simply don't. Stop following me on Twitter, un-friend me on Facebook if you find my status updates so inane and unimportant. That's fine with me - I'm not one to count the number of followers/friends I have anyway (some people seem completely obsessed with this)!

I'll continue to use social media in the way that works best for me! Because that's what it should really be all about - applying social media's plethora of tools in whatever arrangement suits me best and in whatever way I best identify with. That's what makes the observation of and participation in social media today so fascinating, being able to dip your itty bitty toe or plunge completely headfirst into this amazingly infinite pool of interaction, connectivity, and expression. Want to use Twitter to change the world? Go for it! Want to use Facebook as a way to promote your blog? Yes you can! Want to Tweet endlessly about every single meal you consume and how it made you feel? By Golly, you have that right! =) Just because I or the next person might not use social media tools in these ways doesn't mean someone else can't. Let's allow social media to remain interesting to us in whatever way we fixate on, to remain creative and fluid and limitless and messy and just plain cool. There you have it - my $0.02. And on that note, enjoy this video of someone expressing herself through social media without trumpeting a cause, changing the world, or instigating any deep thinking - it's OK to not be so serious all the time. =)