Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Coffee Cup Blues

It's that time of year again.

Mornings are getting progressively cooler, cool enough for me to start bringing coffee along on my commute.  It's been a few months since I last used my commuter mug, and I won't describe what I found inside when I pulled it down from the cupboard.  Suffice it to say, it's only of interest to people of science.

With a pot of coffee brewed, and not enough time to drink it all before I left to catch my bus, I scrambled to find another commuter cup in the cupboard.  After digging through the cupboard as quietly as I could (didn't want to wake Astrid, and thus Jill), I waded through the collection of mismatched cups and lids.  After finding a lid that fit a cup, I poured my coffee and headed out the door.

By the time I got to my bus stop, I was wearing some of the coffee.  Sure enough, I'd neglected to close the sliding lid before I dashed off.  I'm used to this happening, which is why I tend to wear darker colours (or light browns/beiges) around this time of year.

After getting on the bus and securing my belongings, I opened the cup and took a sip... and promptly dribbled coffee down my beard and onto my chest.  Turns out the lid that fit... didn't.  Was probably for a different but similar cup.

After cursing myself for rushing this morning, I mopped up what I could with the single crumpled tissue I had in my pocket, and spent the rest of the ride with a leaky cup, dripping wet hands, and a wet patch on my shirt.

I'm sure my fellow commuters can relate...

Tonight's task will be to pick up a decent commuter mug.  Non-plastic, of course, both for environmental and thermal reasons (coffee cools down too quickly in a plastic mug).  I'm specifically looking for one without a handle, that will also fit in my Bar-ista cup holder... thinking about a ceramic mug that's in the same form-factor as a Starbucks cup.

That's it for now, more relatable workday drivel to come later in the week.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

A Couple of Old Friends Dropped By Today

A couple of old friends from Europe dropped by this evening.  It had been a while, we haven't seen each other since before Jillian and I were married - possibly even before we started dating in the late Noughts.

I've truly missed these old, dear friends.  It was a heartwarming reunion for the three of us, and now that they're back in my life, we'll always be in touch.




The only two things I miss from my bachelor days are cocktails and cigars, and with Autumn a little under a month away, it's time I cleared a path to my liquor cabinet.

It's been a while since my cocktail heyday, and I am terribly out of practice.  If it weren't for muscle memory, I don't think that Martini I made around Christmas would have turned out at all.  Worse still, I couldn't remember my signature Martini recipe... the same recipe I used thrice daily for several years!  This is not good.  Not good at all.

Hell, when I went to have a little Pernod this afternoon, I realized I didn't have the glassware anymore!  A most of my barware was broken when we moved to Westdale in 2015, so I was forced to use a generic glass tumbler.  So uncouth!  Suffice it to say, this next payday, I'll be buying a cheap set of glassware (Hiball glasses, tumblers, etc) from Wal-Mart until I'm able to invest in a quality set.

(My Martini glasses were in a separate box, and survived the move.)

Anyhow, time to take stock.  Do any of you know where in Winnipeg I can buy soda bulbs/chargers for my soda siphon?  I've tried a few Wal-marts, Canadian Tires, and Superstores, but none have stock.  I'd rather buy local than order online...