THE EDGE OF AWAKE

so, it's a bit of a shame, but i haven't had a whole lot to do at work lately.  due to office politics, as it were, my hands as a "manager" have been tied somewhat and i've found myself deflated into more of a figurehead than anything else.

i've been finding ways of making this time productive, however.  i've been catching up on the blogs.  those crazy cats over at dirtycup produced some pretty kick-ass videos out in california at the USBC.  they're a riot.  jacob is the king of karaoke.  also, they're interviews with dale delchamps, kyle glanville, the slayer and la marzocco teams and everyone else they spoke with were all top-notch and insightful.  rock on, dudes.

tonight was the first of what i hope to be many efforts at consumer education.  it's one thing to talk a customer through the process of brewing their cup and it's quite another to let them in on the experience and gauge firsthand what makes a cup great and what makes a cup lackluster.

now, to be fair, the first Be Your Own Barista night was a bit lackluster itself.  no one showed up for the official "timed" portion of the event.  however, as i was packing up all my gear, a gentleman by the name of coleman stepped over and asked me what i thought was the best way to brew a cup.  wow.  that was what i would call a "window."  i jumped through it.  nearly forty-five minutes later he and i were both very much caffeinated and stoked about his returning later in the week to chemex a few coffees side-by-side.  it will be his first foray into cupping, and i'm excited to be part of the experience.

so, i'm just throwing this out there.  if anyone wants, at any time, feel free to drop by and i will take a moment to brew a cup and chat with you about it.  i know if i'm talking to anyone on this thing, it's coffee folks who pretty much know what they're drinking.  regardless, if you ever want to chat about a particular bean, text me, meet me at the shop and we'll get into the drink.

in other news, i've been working on my rhymes lately and i think i have enough verses to get into the studio and record a mixtape or something.  look forward to that.

what else is there?  well, italy is coming up.  the trip is shaping up nicely, with some company visits planned that are sure to knock some socks off.  so far we're booked to visit ducati, ferrari, lavazza, brioni (the suit-ery!!!!), some super-old perfumery, and a couple others that i can't remember.  and then, at the end of it all, i hope to take a train out to trieste to visit illy's headquarters and maybe see their factory!  holy crap.  i'm thrilled, but i'm also nervous.  it's my first time out of the country.  i've been to mexico, but i really don't even count that.  is that wrong?

watch m.i.a.'s new video.  just not at work.

-dan