First day on the job!

Yep, that's right!  Yesterday was my first day working at Press Coffee!!

Nope, I didn't pour this, but it's pretty right?? (C) Press CFW

So, it was great!  It feels good to finally get working after this long long process!  I learned a LOT on my first day!  I learned how to clean mostly, and clean I did!  A lot of things need cleaning that you wouldn't even think of!  I also learned how to take orders, brew coffee, etc.  It is hard work, but everyone is so nice, and I just enjoy being there!  My goal is to work my way up to being able to work on the espresso machine! 

Tomorrow, I am leaving for my cousin's wedding in Sedona!  I have never been there, but everyone says how beautiful it is, so I think it will be good.  I am not excited about missing my bike ride saturday morning, but I am going to running in Sedona, and i hope to have some beautiful sights!

Well, that is pretty much all I have for you, I made a few interesting food items, but I will put those in another post.  

I hope that you are all having weeks that are just as Beautiful as you are!

Scott

Great weekend!

So this weekend had a LOT of varying activities!  So, we worked a lot, I am tired now, and I hope I can get up in the morning!

First of all, on Friday afternoon, I finally got Killin's postal address and sent him a letter =D

We did a lot of stuff around the house, to help us be able to organise all of our boxes and such...

I built this shelf with my dad to put holiday things and other storage on top, and hang the bikes from underneath it:

ya, we have too many bikes ;)

 

My dad also cut this hole in our wall :O  No worries, it is for a dog door so the dogs can go out whenever they want to!

that is the kitchen as seen from the outside of the house ;)

And I cut the bottom of my portafilter on my espresso machine so I can see what is going on when I pull a shot <-- LOTS of coffee geek talk right there!  I'll cut to the chase, here is a video:





Then this morning I had a race!  It was the Tour De Scottsdale, and it was different than any other race I had done before.  It was open to anyone (no license needed) but it was timed with a chip and everything.  Pretty cool!  Anyway, there were 1300 riders, and it was a pretty fast race up at the front, but I stayed for quite a while with the fast guys.  The race was 70ish miles and the winner finished in around 2h:20min or so, and I got 2h:58 min, so I was pretty happy with that :)  There were a BUNCH of crashes though :/  I mean like 4 or 5, and it was pretty much all because of the organizers did stupid things to try to keep us out of the way of traffic!  Thankfully, I don't think anyone was seriously hurt though. Here are some pics my mom took of me afterwards with the medal we got for finishing.  And you can see my bike rack on my little car ;)

And I hit the Jackpot on Nut butters today!!  Three different kinds I have never tried before :p

sorry for the crappy photo, I was tired...

She does this ALL on her own!

And, of course, the dogs got some relaxation even if we didn't!  They wanted to be on my blog :)

Well, that was my weekend, all the business and fun I could handle! 

How was your weekend??  I hope it was fantastic!

Have a Magnificent Monday my friends =D 

Scott

So, I guess I was a bit too optomistic...

Well, I should have known not to promise you more frequent posting because as you can see it just didn't happen :(  I am so so sorry my wonderful readers :(  But I think I have a pretty good reason: we moved into our house this weekend!  So basically, last week I was all preparing the house to move in, and working on stuff to move in etc.  Then this weekend, we opened boxes all day long.... but I actually got quite a bit done...

• Set up the tv and stereo with my dad: way harder than it sounds! 
• Set up the network and computer, all to find out that the Internet isn't connected to the house yet :/
• brought stuff from the apartment to the house
• set up the pantry :)
• set up the espresso equipment!  More on that later ;)

So, it doesn't seem like a lot when I list it, but it took fooorrrreeeevvvveeeerrrr!!!

Well, on to other news, school.  Well, school has been ok, I mean, I am getting good grades and stuff, and I like my friends there, but some of the classes are just awful.  So, that makes school as a whole just kinda feel like it drags me down :(  I like my Psychology class, and I like Trigonometry (mainly because my teachers are awesome, especially in Trig) so that is half of my day that is always good.

On the negative side however, is US history and Healthcare Careers.  Ok, so the main problem I have with US History is that our teacher teaches us like we are completely below him (ie. no respect)_and it seriously bugs the crap out of me. Just an example for you, every single day when we do the pledge of allegiance, he says "stand up you commies!"  Now, I guess that isn't the greatest example, but he is just so rude all the time!!!  And it doesn't help matters that he doesn't teach us anything.....  And my Healthcare Careers teacher, well she is just crazy.  I can't even explain it!

So right now, I am not worried about any classes grade wise, but I just can't wait to get out and away from these horrible teachers I have!  Ugh :/  I am looking forward to next semester when I have German and Physics :)

Sorry to be such a downer, I will try my best to rectify that now!

New Espresso machine!!

here she is!  With my hand grinder and brand new tamper :)

I like this shot!  It is SOOO shiny!  And the tamper again :)

and because my mom is absolutely fantastic, Gaggia with her big sister!!

So, I am quite happy with it thus far.  It is a learning process, but I am already making some pretty good espresso with it. :)  I just find it so cool that I had grind the coffee, and apply the pressure by hand as well! So hands on!


End of coffee geek rant

That is pretty much all I've got for now!  I won't show any picture of the house yet, because it is FULL of boxes ;)  And I won't promise anything, but I will try my very best to post more often :)

Have a wonderful next couple of days! 

Scott

Lack of posting, but GREAT NEWS!!!!!

I am so so sorry for my lack of postage, I have missed you all and your wonderful comments :/

But.. I have been having a great time and enjoying life!!  Everything is going awesome :)  And here are just two of the reasons why:

Espresso machine!

There she is!  It is a Gaggia Factory, and I am already producing great shots!  It has a learning curve, but I am really happy with how well I am doing with it right out of the box!  Sorry for the bad photo, I couldn't get the pic off of my camera so I took this with my phone.  Better glamour shots and pics of drinks to come!!

CAR!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, you read right, I got a CAR!!!!!  Guess what it is... A SMART car!!!  So I found it on craigslist on Friday, and it looked great from the get go.  It had only 4,000 miles, it is a 2008 model, and a convertible!  So, I looked up reviews, and they looked good so we went and test drove it saturday afternoon.  It drove REALLY well, and i just loved it!  So we talked about financing and stuff (my parents and I) and decided I would buy it!  I calculated monthly payments and I think i can afford them with my upcoming (hopefully) job at Press Coffee.  (knock on wood!)  So, here are the pics from the previous owner.  I will be picking it up tonight, I am SO excited!

the inside, suprisingly big for such a teeny tiny car!

Again, not the best pictures, but you get the idea ;)  I am SUPER excited  =D

So, in other news, I am just about ready to move into the house!!  We get possession this wednesday, and we are moving in next saturday!  Finally!  It seems like forever!  But it will be worth it :)

And, because we are getting quite tired of this apartment kitchen, meals have been good, but simplistic.  IE, I haven't wanted to post pictures!  Really not all that exciting ;)

I hope you are all having a FANTASTIC start to your week!!  I will talk to you soon, I promise this time :)

Scott

Lack of pics!!

So, I am a bit upset because the reporter at the barista jam hasn't sent me the pictures she took yet :/  And I am quite bummed because they were really good!  Oh well, I will share some of my own ;)  Thanks to my parents for taking them!!

an ARRAY of expensive grinders!!  Elektra Nino, mazzer electronic, and Compak k10 WBC!  I love it!!

A fellow competitor along with a BEAUTIFUL shot of this incredible machine!  4 Group La Marzocco Linea...It was an absolute JOY to work on!

another competitor starting her pour

a picture of me with this machine, about to stop my pull.

me pouring my first latte

I poured my last drink with the help of my future boss and it was my best ever!  Unfortunately no pics :/

I didn't win, but I am so glad I went!!  It makes me really excited for my interview and (hopefully!) job.

Some foodie pics ok?

Chef spinach salad made by my mom :)

I had this as a snack one day, it was really good!!

grilled steak salad.  The steak on this, if I do say so myself, was cooked to perfection!  Perfect medium rare :)

Veggie sushi with edamame, yumm!  I bought this, because I can't make it ;)

and I used this to hold my soy sauce for dipping because I had no cute little dishes ;)  

and my messy table with the dish haha

I guess this is one of the only hot dishes on this post, but it is hot here!  A nice burger on a bun. simple. delish.

and finally...oats in a jar!!  It was just as good as it looks, possibly better ;)

And a pluot! (with a bite nonetheless!  Isn't it so pretty inside?!?!) part plum part apricot...

So, as you can tell, dinners have been a lot of salads.  Simple explanation, it has been HOT HOT HOT here!!!!  This kitchen gets even hotter, so we cook as little as possible!  Here is a pic of the thermometer in the car (measures outside) yesterday after school.

No joke there.  That is legit!  (haha that sounded ridiculous!) Sorry it is blurry...

Well, other than that, nothing else has really happened!  School is school. I think it is easier than the school in Indiana, but... that's ok I guess.  I think it will get harder... But I have just been working through the week, staying on track with my work, and we are already over hump day!!  I can't believe it, this week is going so fast, but it really makes me happy!  I can't wait for the weekend, but I also REALLY want to hear about my interview before then ;)

I hope all is going well for you!  We are more than half way through this week my friends!  I wish you all a terrific thursday, and hopefully I can talk to you all before the weekend!

Scott

REAL trip report and first days in Phoenix

WARNING: Novel Ahead

So, I will give you a real trip report, sound good?  (of course I will focus on the coffee stops we made because that was the best)  ;)  I wrote this tuesday but didn't get to post it until today because I needed to get pictures up.

Day 1-  we got a late start because it took forevvvver to load the truck.  We completely filled the truck!  Our driver wasn't sure he was going to fit it all, because he had this stupid picnic bench in the back haha.  He is a nice guy though.  Anyway, we started driving around 9:30 PM and only got about an hour out to Terra Haute IN.  Our hotel in Terra haute sucked!  But, it was only one night...


Day 2- I woke up and had oatmeal at the breakfast buffet, and made coffee (I brought my French Press and a hand grinder for my beans).  Then we headed out for St. Louis.  We got there in about 3 hours and stopped for coffee at Northwest Coffee Roasters.  They roast right there in the store! I got a delish espresso, and the fam. enjoyed their drinks as well.  Quick note for anyone who happens to be a coffee geek as I am:  They had a PID'ed La Marzzoco Linea!  It was pretty sweet ;) 

Then we headed on to Oklahoma City.  We saw the memorial and it is absolutely breathtaking.  It is a memorial for the bombing that happened there and pictures speak louder than words so here you go:

Statue of Jesus crying

An artistic blur shot with the zoom of the 9:01 wall

Hotel was great tonight :)  Especially after an 11 hour day in the car!

Day 3-  We got up, I made my coffee and had breakfast when I realized that I had a coffee shop to go to!  (don't worry, I drank the french press later)  So we went to Coffee Slingers!  It was really good.  They had NO drip coffee, so they brewed a fresh French press for my dad, I had a great espresso, and my mom had a latte and my sister an iced chai.  Funny, because it was right next to a bike store so we had to go in to that as well!!

Synesso, I like it ;)

Then it was time to drive.  We dove about 8 hours and got to Albuquerque at a decent time to have dinner there.  The best food of the trip, we went to a sea food restaurant.  I got this:

and no, I didn't eat the fin! ;)

This hotel was also nice.

Day 4-  we woke up, and I went with my dad to a coffee shop I wanted to go to.  Turns out it is closed on Sundays.  Fail.  So we wasted about an hour trying to find it and it wasn't even open.  We went home and had breakfast.  I had oats and halfway through the bowl I realized it was missing something, so I went out to the car and grabbed my jar of PB.  It was quite funny, because I was in this restaurant with my coffee, a grinder, a jar of PB, all that I brought myself haha ;)  Well, it was time to get to the driving.  We drove another 8 hours through some beautiful scenery and a bit of traffic.  One point in New Mexico, we were at such a high altitude, the temperature was only 57!  Well that changed, by the time we got to Phoenix it was 100 at like 7:00.

curvy mountain roads

I love mountains!!

(Not much food was pictured because it consisted of fast food grilled chicken sandwiches for me, so not all that exciting.)

And of course the dogs enjoyed the trip ;)

haley with the tongue out

gretchen :)

Mini sleeping like a baby, how cute!

So, I have been in Phoenix 3 days so far, and I like it :)  The only problem is our apartment (until the house is finished) had the AC broke our first night there.  So we wake up to a 90 degree house, and are like what the heck.  So we called the landlord, who called a repair guy, and it got fixed around 4.  In the meantime, we stayed in shops and stuff as much as possible.  Then while my parents were moving things out of my dad's old apartment into our new one, my sister and I went to the pool by our soon to be house.  It was so great to just jump in the water!  The night was nice because the AC was fixed.  We all slept well.  Tuesday we woke up and ran a bunch of errands. One of which was very important!

So I went to a coffee shop on Monday called Press.  It is only about 4 miles from our new house, so I would LOVE to work there.  I got a application on Monday and returned it tuesday.  I met a manager who asked me a few casual questions and said he would pass on my application to his manger.  I think it is a good sign!  I am so so so excited  =D  She is going to call me, and I am assuming interview me. 

Every time we stopped home it got hotter and hotter in the house.  It turned out it was broken again, and the repair man couldn't come to fix it that night. So we packed up our things and went to my dad's apartment, that he still has until the 14th thank god!  We slept there in AC and hoped to get it fixed today.  Well, we are spending another night here because it isn't fixed!  And there is a heat advisory, as it is 110 today and going to get to 114 tomorrow.  so ya ,it needs to be fixed ASAP!  Fixed!! :}

The highlight of my day today was stopping by LUX coffee bar here in Phoenix.  It was hard to find (no sign on the front), but boy was it worth it!!  The atmosphere was unique and I liked it.  Very artsy, and very focused on incredible coffee and food.  Everyone there had Mac computers :)  They had a beautiful three group lever machine :)   I had a macchiato and it was fantastic.  That was one of the best shots of espresso I have had in quite a while!  So I bought another ;)  This time it was a straight shot and OMG it was delish!!  I would say it was the best shot I have had outside of Seattle, and it rivaled those :o

Espresso and mom's latte

Pulling a shot on the San Marco lever

(EDIT)  I went again today and got another shot of espresso, and the guy gave me a free one because it was a better pull than the first ;)  I got some pics today.

Well, I am off to go to the pool, try to catch up on more blogs, and relax some more ;)

Have a great day all!  You deserve it :]

Scott

P.S. if you are in any of these towns, I absolutely recommend you go to these coffee shops.  They are the best of the best and they all take their coffee very seriously.  It shows in the taste ;]

P.P.S I have a pic TT that I forgot to share, so here it is!

Quite an intense expression!