Casual coffee

Walking, listening, thinking, breathing, needing - always needing, all is needing. If its' not needing to be somewhere, it's needing to take a minute and get a few of those deeper breaths that would all do the body a little good. There's is no compromise in regard to getting a good coffee. I particularly like the Al Pacino coffee ad for Vittoria Coffee. Sadly, the advertising worked and I went and tried their coffee (advertising deserves it's own post - relating to how much I loathe and admire it).

Not really knowing a good coffee, my premature palate has yet to grow. There is no line to set those good from those bad. Deciding to have a coffee grew like an instinct - the notion that "If I don't have this coffee, I'll probably write right off the end of the page.", and fall asleep before I can go back to the next line. I don't like cold coffee. Making a coffee (back when all I knew was instant) and then letting it sit on the table beside me until it's so cold that it almost has its' own microclimate, is not understood. Iced coffees are good, but on the same token, how can it be enjoyed if it's completely different from when it was made? I know, there are always exceptions.

What I'm finding out is that maybe coffee does have a taste. Maybe there is a reason that the woman with the purple and white scarf always goes to the coffee shop on the corner. Maybe there is a reason why Chris walks in at about 8:00AM -+5min and grabs a smile and a coffee from the barista at the register, several doors up from scarf-ladies shop, I'll call her Annie. My reason is that I enjoy the taste.

Someone once told me never to wash the plunger with soap. The same person told me about some of the wonderful types of coffee - affogato, macchiato, ristretto, doppio macchiato...well maybe only 4 but still. My point is, coffee isn't just coffee, to me anymore. It would almost be incorrect to go in and ask for a coffee, hand over your money and expect a hot beverage. This person would most likely be asking for a flat white, and this person is most probably too busy to worry about what shape or how fluffy their coffee is. Ignorance is bliss. What does it take to be a coffee aficionado and when do you become just a prick? There is a fine line.

At the moment, I might just stick to drinking coffee. Building and learning from what I see and what I taste. What I can remember will only be used if it is a colourful and bright memory. Only if there is extra feeling instilled and can be expressed accordingly. What is the use of saying the cat can jump over the house if, in fact, it can only jump over the sandpit? How long is a piece of string anyway?

Knee deep in 'dirty' water

Here is a conundrum. Simple as it may be, I'd rather write it down than think about it at the moment, or let someone else think about it. I'm actually looking for some references for a university assignment but I might as well write about what I need them for before I try and find them. The problem has definitely presented itself rather surreptitiously and is actually not much of a problem. Having to travel along much of Brisbane's Bulimba Creek, sometimes even entering it, there was, and expectedly, rubbish here and there. The usual plastic bottles, car tires (parts of), crisp packets, pieces of string or twine, clothing and just stuff that you would classify as rubbish.

Now most of the creek was running quite nicely and freely, probably due to the amounts of rain we have had over the last week. The water was also fairly clear and when I was in the creek, it felt nice - it didn't feel like stuff climbing up my leg or like I was knee deep in a pile of wet mulch. But this is where I think the thinking needs to be done. How can a creek that has scattered pieces of rubbish lying on the banks, less than 2m from the water, and still be clean? Did I mention that I could see to the bottom...

So I guess the story isn't complete. I haven't run the water through and ICP, or run several Inorganic tests for levels of N or P. But instinct usually tells us something about the situation before we attempt to take action. There were moments when I felt like I could drink from it, and maybe I should have just ballsed it and seen what happened. It probably isn't so important because on the scheme of things, I'm sitting at home, drinking water that has been filtered and pH adjusted to my own desire.

Maybe this plastic substrate has been washed free of the pollutants and there is more to this idea that stuff that is classified as rubbish, isn't actually rubbish - a small percentage of it is. The small percentage that we cannot see. The small percentage that dissolves or floats down the creek, along with the leaf that has just fallen from a Eucalypt tree.

Hopefully I can find some decent references, furthermore I hope I can make sense of it all before I'm senseless. Here's a little link from my university website. I've discovered RSS feeds and though I think they're just chewing up my memory, I'm sure I'll see something one day. Water is important. Act now or be axed.