Two Weeks Later

I was intending to write another post but I got ridiculously busy with work and then I got pretty much some of the worst news I could have received a few days ago: I lost my grandmother. These words sting and drip with regret as I naively thought that this day would never come. Yet it did, and now I have to face the absence of a woman who sculpted me to be as strong and knowledgable about the world as she was. It broke my heart to see her laying in the casket, knowing that if I said anything to her that there would be no response. She was and is to this day, the quintessential grandmother and role model. I am missing her dearly although there is a wave of shock that is not allowing me to fully accept her death.

This is the woman who introduced me to tea parties and jinn rummy. We would spend hours and hours just drinking tea, nibbling on ginger snaps and playing each other. I still remember the one game where I finally beat her and I ripped the score chart out of the notebook and hung it on my wall. Anyways, she made tea a special part of the day, this luxurious time where we could just sit down with a cup of tea and pretend we were these, well-to-do women who had nothing better to do but enjoy the finer things in life. Looking back now, I think this is really where I get my fascination with tea and coffee from, it is not just a pick me up or a chore; it really is up to you to take the time and enjoy what is in your hands. Are you with someone special, important to you? Take a moment and think about where you are in that moment, in that day, in that week, month and year. Think about it hard because someday you will not be able to enjoy that moment ever again.

Brief Stint

For the small amount of time that I spent in Germany, I became a heavy smoker. Nothing goes better with coffee than a cigarette, which you could smoke right there in the restaurant. However, my smoking days are long behind me and I've needed to find another vice.

My obsession with coffee somehow grew out of that, and coffee became more than just a morning ritual but a luxury. I mean, yes it costs a great deal of money in order to keep good coffee in your daily routine but furthermore, it is your private and personal experience that is catered to your pallet and desire. I may be embellishing that delicious first sip just a bit, but I truly believe that the mind and body automatically responds to a great cup of coffee. It is hard to find it, but when you do it is impossible to break your "usual."

At Starbucks, my usual was an iced triple grande, extra caramel, caramel macchiatto; which eventually turned into an iced double tall, four pump, no whip, white mocha. (Yes, I have a sweet tooth.) At indie coffee shops I prefer cappuccinos with no sugar at all. The only reason I do not get cappuccinos at Starbucks is because the foam dissolves quickly in the paper cups, so unless you are getting a drink made in a mug I would recommend not getting one.

Still Unfinished

I have been obsessed with palmistry lately thanks to an article I read in the NewYork Times a few weeks ago. Even though I am painting with coffee and trying to keep the art itself relative, I am finding that palms and trees (NOT Palm Trees) are just abstract versions of each other.

For example, I printed a hand and turned it upside down and printed the same image again. When I compare it to the tree I have been working on, I realized that the fingers at the bottom looks like roots and the fingers at the top looks like branches. Im starting to incorporate this into the work I have been doing with the tree. Ill post a picture really soon, and when I do, I would love some feedback!

Just A Single Shot of Espresso Please

Im slowing starting to just forgo the milk and the occasional syrup and just take espresso like a shot.

It seems to me as though espresso is sometimes meant to be downed as is, no embellishments and no cover ups. This is the heart of your favorite espresso drink, so why wouldn't you want to see what the shot tastes like? Before you start to sip, smell your espresso. Does it smell sweet? Smoky? Nutty? Even before you smell you should be watching the shot form as it is being poured into the glass, watching the vast layers of smoky crema fall in and out of each other. Watch for the crema that lingers on top after the shot is done pouring and its contrast in color to the body of your espresso. While sipping, ask yourself the same questions as you did when you inhaled the steamy heat. The questions will come to full fruition as you sip. The taste might alarm you, but you will get used to it fairly quickly. I tasted a shot black today at one of my jobs and was quite disappointed when I realized the quality of the beans were not very good, leaving my shot bitter and tasteless.

Who Is Keeping Count?

I think almost every person who drinks coffee and spent the previous day moving up three flights of stairs, definitely needs their fix of java the minute they wake up.

Coffee in general seems to have this calming effect on the body, as well as an oiling agent to the moans and groans of the body. Much like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, we need that *oil to keep us going throughout the day, no matter if you are taking a long stroll down a yellow brick road or trying to focus though a mountain of paper work.

I made the mistake of taking a long walk without my usual cappuccino beforehand. To make matters worse, I did not even have one cup of tea yet OR my vitamins (which usually fizzy-lifts my ass into gear). Needless to say I was falling asleep in my favorite chair for a good portion of the morning while watching reruns of Saturday Night Live. (Impossible I know.)

Finally the realization kicked in that I had literally wasted most of the day away and all the things I promised myself I was going to do were not even started. So I walked over to my favorite cafe (located less than 40 seconds away from my apartment) and ordered my usual. Even though I got a latte, *do NOT get me started* it gave me my jolt of energy back and now I feel like conquering the world!

Well, the dishes and the laundry might be a good place to start the conquest.

Works

Unfinished, but I was/am having the worst time finding the right consistency of coffee and tea to paint with. It's super frustrating because of course there is no "how to" guide for painting with coffee to my knowledge. Certainly google is not the best source but it is the only thing readily available in between coffee jobs.