Danger

Danger. It lurks around every corner dear friends. 

In short, the coffeemake at work tried to kill me yesterday. I contend it was a murder-suicide that luckily didn't come to fruition. 

So, here's what went down.  You know I love me some coffee.  Love it. Luckily the vast majority of my coworkers drink coffee so there is always and endless supply throughout the day.  So I do my part and help out. I make coffee all the time when the carafes are empty. I'm sure you are familiar with the kind of coffeemaker we have. It's the huge industrial one that brews directly into the giant metal carafes. You know the kind. They hook up directly to a water line and the water is always hot and ready. All you have to do it place coffee in the basket and hit the button. Simple. Easy. Usually. 

So yesterday I get to work early, as is the case on Fridays. So I decide to brew the first batches of coffee. I take Stella with me and she is happily chewing down on her kolache (Friday is "Donut Friday" for the kids). I clean out the first carafe, put it in place, add the coffee, and press the button. Then I go about cleaning out the second carafe. I hear the coffeemaker doing its job and I glance over. However, I don't see the liquid elixir pouring into the carafe. Nope. Instead, steaming water is pouring out of the top of the back tank, down the sides of the coffeemaker, and onto the counter. Crap. I grab paper towels by the handful and begin to (unsuccessfully) mop up the growing puddle to prevent a bigger mess. The water keeps coming. I keep going at it with paper towels. Side note: these are those paper towels found in most places. The white ones. Ok for drying your hands, but not much else. I'm basically soaking the paper towels and moving water around. It gets chaotic. Think of the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel get a job at the candy factory.  You know. It was a lot like that only it was just me trying to race against time and clean up the water. All the while Stella is watching me, happily munching on her kolache. 

So, where's the danger in this?  The near-death experience?  Just wait. It's coming. So the water finally stops. I breathe a sigh of relief and finish cleaning up the water. Still wanting my coffee and not wanting to have a hit put out on me by my coworkers for breaking the coffeemaker, I decide to try again. But I notice the coffeemaker is no longer on. It's plugged in, but not on. The clock plugged into the same socket is not working either. Crap again. Being a gfci outlet, I'm not alarmed. So I unplug the coffeemaker and the clock and hit the reset button. Plug the clock back in and it works!  Woo hoo!  I'm on my way to caffeination!  Plug the coffeemaker in and the socket blows, sending little sparks out and popping. I believe it was the coffeemaker's grand plan. Electrocution. Crap. Again. This is where I drew the line. I would find some other way to consume copious amounts of coffee during the day.  But not with this murderous appliance.  So I unplug it, reset the socket, write my coworkers a note, and move on. 

Luckily the church office has a similar coffeemaker and someone else goes to make the coffee. They didn't die. As of the end of the day yesterday the coffeemaker was still dead, unable to be resuscitated by our school's handyman.

This is the second run in I've had in the Workroom. Last year I nearly got my tie and lanyard caught in the laminator, nearly escaping another freakish fatality. Maybe it's just me?  Who knows?  But my point is that it's a dangerous world out there, at least for me.  Last night I had the feeling I was having my own Final Destination experience. That or it was like Transformers and some rogue machines have it out for me.  We will see what Monday brings. Coffee?  Death?  Stay safe friends. 

All is well, unscathed, in Drosche Land. 

Pay It Forward

So, the topic of this post happened a while back but I have still been wanting to write about it.  Here goes.

Remember last week, before Thanksgiving, when Amy and I took Stella and headed for the conference in Austin?  i thought you did.  Well, after dropping the dogs and the boys off at their sitters we drove to Starbucks for a little treat to kick start our mini road trip.  Now, you know I love me some coffee, and I love me some Starbucks.  Plus, it's the holiday season which means all of their wonderful holiday flavors are finally available (pumpkin spice latte anyone?)!  For my birthday a few weeks ago I got some gift cards.  I loaded them all onto my main card and have been using Passbook on my iPhone to pay.  Side note - love this!  No more carrying cards around and it's simple!  Awesome.  Back to the post.  So we order our drinks, a salted caramel mocha for Amy and the aforementioned pumpkin spice latte for me.  We also threw in a few edible treats because why not?  We get to the window and I'm all psyched up to show Amy how to use Passbook and finally redeem my free birthday drink.  The barista tells us that the car in front of us had already paid for our order, we were the 8th car in a pay it forward line!  What up!

Now, I have always wanted to do that but have never done so.  Why?  Well, I'm not sure.  I could say I've never had the funds to just blindly pay for something but I'm sure I have.  I could say that I've forgotten, and I'm sure that's true too.  It's probably a combination of the two really.  Anywho.  Amy and I were pleasantly surprised and immediately told him to pay for the order of the person next in line.  I was stoked to keep the chain going and it was fun!

Now, I will admit that Amy and I felt slightly guilty because our order was about 3 times the cost of the one behind us.  What if they only had the money for their order and not a larger order?  Well, I guess they could just always accept the free drink and call it a blessing.  But it did make me wonder how long the chain went on.  Just the car behind us?  A few more?  It's totally not about the amount you didn't have to pay or the amount you ended up paying.  The fact of the matter is that you are in some way part of a larger, positive action.  Something to show that people still do care and show love to strangers for just no reason other than, as we've been told in church and Sunday School, because we love because He first loved us.

So, since that day I've vowed to start my own chain the next time I visit Starbucks.  I haven't been yet but I really do want to do it.  Even if that person accepts it without passing it on, maybe they needed a free coffee.  Maybe they will pass that blessing along to someone else throughout their day in a non-caffeinated way.

So, I just thought I'd share that fun little story with you dear readers.  Maybe it'll make you smile.  Make you think about something nice someone did for you.  Maybe inspire you to do something nice for someone else.  Who knows.  Regardless, I think it was a good story!

All is well, paying it forward, in Drosche Land.

C is for Coffee

Of course it is.  If you know me, you shouldn't be surprised by the topic for today's letter.  If you don't know me, you'll soon discover how much I love coffee.  I mean, I do have a label for it, this making the 4th coffee-centric post, but I'm sure there are others in which it is mentioned!

It could quite possibly be the most perfect drink.  Hot or cold, I drink it.  Morning, afternoon, evening, I drink it.  Flavored or unflavored, I drink it.  I think you're getting the point.  Although the root addiction is caffeine, coffee is the most coveted form.  The only thing I won't add is a creamer or milk.  The main reason for this goes back to my Weight Watchers experience.  Coffee is a point-free drink.  Add a calorie-free sweetener in place of sugar (Splenda is my fave) and it's still point-free!  What could be more wonderful.

Although its purest, liquid form is by far my favorite, I do enjoy anything containing coffee or coffee-flavored. Ice cream, candy, sweets, savory foods; I love them all.  Is there a food or drink you are addicted to and couldn't live without?  Coffee is of course, mine!

My favorite, and largest mug.  It hold over 20 oz. of the beloved drink!

All is well, always caffeinated, in Drosche Land.

    

Sunday Snapshot - Coffee

My new favorite from this morning.  I accidentally spilled it when making my first cup but saw the potential beauty!

A change for Sunday Snapshot?  Exciting!  To learn more, visit its awesome creator (and one of our favorite bloggers ever) Stefanie.  I've been a fan of Sunday Snapshot for over a year now and have been dutifully posting weekly since discovering it!  So, I'm stoked about this new format.  Here goes!

Honestly I had no clue what to post about this weekend.  This past week has been crazy busy and I've not been taking lots of pictures lately, save for my Instagram challenge ones.  So I was somewhat at a loss.  So, I decided to scroll through the Camera Roll on my beloved iPhone.  Were there good ones that I hadn't posted yet?  What exactly was included in the 537 photos on there?  Well, turns out I enjoy taking pictures of coffee almost as much as I love drinking it!  Whether it's for an Instagram challenge or just to express my caffeinated love, I have an affinity to capturing the glorious beverage.  So, I thought I would share some of them here.  Per the rules of the new Sunday Snapshot, I'm putting my favorite first (up above), which just happens to be the most recent also since I just took it this morning.  If you love coffee I hope you enjoy the pictures in all their coffee-related goodness.  Coffee not your thing?  I hope you enjoy them as photos.  I don't think I'll be slowing my photographing of coffee any time soon!  Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter (links all under the About Me tab at the top) to see future pictures!    All of these pictures were taken with my iPhone (the older ones with my old 3GS and the newer ones with my 4S) I use Camera+, Instagram, and Diptic for editing!  Enjoy!

All is well, picture perfect, in Drosche Land.

Another from this morning!  My reflection, in coffee, for my April challenge on Instagram!

A collage of favorite coffee shots!

An old shot of when 2 different parents brought me my favorite drinks one morning!  Double the pleasure!

Another old shot of a gift!  Hot this time!

My beloved Keurig!

One of my favorite mugs!

One of the best coffees ever!  Fell in love with this when we were living in New Orleans!

Trenta might just be the best size for coffee!  Until something larger comes along!

<center><a href="http://www.nihaoyall.com/" target="self"><img alt="Ni Hao Yall" src="http://i.imgur.com/gcvAK.jpg" /></a></center>

Misconceptions

Ok, so I read something on Facebook the other that day inspired this post. Maybe it will come as no surprise to you or maybe it will rock your world as it did mine. Either way here goes the post.

The Facebook post in question stated that light roast coffee has more caffeine than darker roasts. Seriously?! So I've been wasting time and money all these years by assuming, apparently incorrectly, that the darker and bolder the coffee the more caffeine it will have? The answer my dear readers, is yes! Light roasts do have more caffeine! After some research (thank you Internet) I found that it is because the longer the beans roast, more of the caffeine burns off! I was, and admittedly still am, shell shocked! Wow! Again, maybe this isn't news to you, maybe you've known all your life. Maybe you've been enjoying your light roast coffee with its extra boost of energy-providing caffeine all along. Well, I've been snookered. Or have I? I mean technically it was all based on assumption and you know what they say about assuming! Maybe rather than being lied to for 31 years I was just blissfully ignaorant and uninformed? I mean, I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent person, so how did this tidbit get past me and my caffeine addiction? Sadly though, this is not the first "holy crap that's news to me!" moment I've had lately. Thus the stunning news about light roast coffee has inspired me to blog about this all, hence the title.

It's also been brought to my recent (within the past year) attention that corn is not a vegetable! Seriously?! Apparently it's a grain! I mean I guess it makes sense seeing as how you can make flour out of it and whatnot. But then why does it reside with the vegetables, both the frozen and canned variety? Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing! Again, how did I not learn this somewhere along life's journeys? Elementary school? High school? College? Maybe I missed a day somewhere, or it was in a chapter of a textbook I didn't read, or maybe I just didn't pay attention in class one day? Whatever the reason, it still took me by surprise.

Next up? Another vegetable imposter! Peas. Apparently they also enjoy masquerading as members of a food group they don't belong to. They are a legume. Like a bean or a peanut. Again, this seems to be something I should have picked up somewhere along the way and I am sure you are thinking right now, "Idiot! How did you not know that?". Well, I didn't! Again, where can you find them? Playing BFF and shelf-mate to the veggies! In fact, check the frozen aisle and you'll find they often team up with their pseudo-veggie friend corn in many a vegetable medley! Which makes the medley less of a "vegetable" medley and more a group of ragtag foods haphazardly thrown together! Talk about false advertising.

I'm sure there are many more things that I have only recently learned or things that I've learned far later than I should have, but these three are the most recent and shocking. Have you only recently found something out that you thought you "knew"? Surely I cannot be the only person to be surprised by random things that everyone else seems to know? I guess it just goes to show that you learn something new every day. Plus, looking at it that way makes me feel less moronic.

So, a totally random post, but you were forewarned by the tag and the first paragraph. I can't help but wonder what I will find out next? What other lies and misconceptions have I gone my entire life not knowing or unaware of? Who knows, only time will tell! Until then, I guess I'll be trying out Starbucks' new blonde roast!

All is well, always learning, in Drosche Land.

Caffeination Domination

So, it's no secret that I have a deep and abiding love/addiction for coffee.  I drink several cups every day.  The barista at the Starbucks near our house recognizes me, although admittedly I only go when I have gift cards.  My favorite coffee?  That's a hard one, I like all kinds really but I do enjoy bolder brews and fall/winter flavors (Pumpkin Spice anyone?).  How do I take it, I'm easy here too - just Splenda (or any sweetener if that's not available).  No creamer or milk, just black.  This goes back to when I was on WeightWatchers and avoided this to save points and calories.  My usual at Starbucks is a Trenta (I nearly leapt for joy when they added that size) iced coffee with 2 shots of espresso and 6 Splenda instead of the syrup.  YUM!

Why blog about coffee, well there is a reason aside from my joy over it.  4 years ago I was blessed to receive a Keurig machine from Amy.  At that time the single-cup brewers were just coming out and the K-Cups were hard to find, only on the Internet and at Bed Bath and Beyond.  I was instantly hooked and have not looked back since.  I do occasionally use regular coffee via the My K-Cup, but mostly I love to experiment with new brews, brands, and flavors.  Regular coffee, iced coffee, tea, iced tea, cider, hot chocolate!  The possibilities are endless, mind-boggling, and delicious.  A few months ago though our trusty Keurig began to show its age.  It was brewing half-cups, making a lot of noise, the "Descale" light was flashing, and the coffee was not tasting up to par.  Our dear friend was at the end of its usable life.  I was sad, Amy was not nearly as affected as I was, but she was disappointed too.  She does enjoy her daily iced coffee courtesy of the Keurig.  We (mainly I) immediately started looking into a suitable replacement.  Our first thoughts went to Kohl's, our favorite department store by far.  They have the best prices, sales, and coupons.  It was a matter of entering a waiting game.  When would the trifecta of sale, coupon, and Kohl's cash become available.  Well folks, last week our dream became a reality as we got an incredible deal on their top-of-the-line model!  

Its beautiful.  5 cup sizes, 60 oz. capacity in the water tank, fully programmable, and it came with coffee!  Needless to say, caffeinated joy has returned to Drosche Land.  We put our old one out to pasture with a simple "Well done, good and faithful servant".  Complete happiness is once again just a button away.  I've even included a picture of the new one below, I'm that proud.  If you love coffee and haven't tried Keurig you must!  Run, don't walk, and get one NOW!  If you hurry I think the Kohl's sale is still going on!  Happy brewing!

All is well, fully caffeinated, in Drosche Land.

Isn't she a beaut?!  By the way, I LOVE the Instagram app!

Addiction

So, it's pretty safe to say that I have a few vices in life. If you know me then you can probably name, in order, the things I am thinking/blogging about. Yes, coffee tops the list! I'm totally addicted to Starbucks, the Trenta size is the best thing to happen to coffee since Splenda. My current favorite is a Trenta iced coffee, without the syrup, 6 Splenda, and a shot of espresso. Ahhhh, just thinking about it brings me to giddy, caffeine induced joy! I also have a pretty strong adoration for my Keurig machines. Yes, that's plural, I have one big one at home and a small one in my classroom. We also get automated shipments of coffee every few months from Green Mountain. So you can see the love/addiction.

Another is sweets. Cake, cookies, candy, I'm not too picky. However, I made the decision to give up sweets for Lent this year and let me tell you it has been difficult! I've stopped counting the days left in Lent because it's too depressing. I didn't realize how much sweet stuff I ate throughout the day, but apparently it's a lot. Boy do I miss it though. I'm going to buy one of those ginormous chocolate bunnies, you know the kind I'm talking about, and bring it to church on Easter. I'll gnaw on that sucker all day, maybe I'll get two!

TV is of course another, although with the busyness of our lives lately and coursework (did I mention the fact that I only have 3 weeks left!) it has shifted slightly to a Netflix/DVR addiction. Streaming to my TVs, iPhone and iPad! Sure thing!

Why do I post this you ask? Well, it's a random train of thought stemming from the fact that I am struggling to muster enough motivation to do homework but instead have gotten lost in blog-reading, my latest addiction. Adoption blogs, teacher blogs (I've gotten some awesome ideas from these, and sometimes random blog wandering. See the connection? Anywho, that's what leads me to this delightfully random post/trip through my thought process! I hope you've enjoyed the ride. Now it's time to get back to my attempt at homework and bemoaning the seasonal loss of sweets! Wish me luck.

Oh, and if you're wondering, no, I didn't post a Sunday Snapshot yesterday. I didn't have material! :( it really bummed me out too because I love me some blogging and Sunday Snapshots! It's just been so darn busy lately. Bummer! I'm hoping the impending start of Braeden's soccer season will solve that dilemma! But that's a post for another time!

All is well, addictions included, in Drosche Land.