Blog update:  I’m putting together a “Look back at 2018” post.  Should be up in the next 1-2 days.

//

I got a request for a review of Espresso.  Haven’t done espresso in a while, so it’s teed up for next weekend.  For now, I’ll just make an observation about convenience store coffee.

The best convenience store coffee – hands down – goes to Wawa.  Good selection, the staff stays on top of keeping it fresh, and the coffee bar is well stocked.  I always go with a good medium roast with a very generous amount of light cream.  Also, it has none of the convenience store “red flags” that indicate a weak coffee game.  These are:

1)  Pots on burners:   Unless you personally observe the pot in the drip cycle, stay away.  That coffee could have been brewed two minutes ago, or five hours ago.  The burner does just what its name claims it does:  it burns it.   Coffee on a burner is usually overcooked and burnt, and often over-concentrated.  Additional red flags for when there is burnt dried coffee caked onto the outside of the pot.

2) Machines:  Especially coffee machines, but this includes specialty creamer machines and sweetner machines.  You don’t want some mystery liquid coming out of a giant box that sounds like a diesel generator.   Furthermore – some of the machines I’ve encountered require a computer science degree to operate.  A few months ago I was at a breakfast buffet near where I work, and the machine had a system of buttons and menus that stumped not just me, but half the restaurant staff.  They had to call in backup and dissect half the machine before I gave up and went on with my day un-caffeinated.

3) Powdered non-dairy creamer:   Usually accompanied by unmarked white styrofoam cups and burnt coffee.   I understand some people can’t do dairy – but this is a poor substitute.   The ingredients list is largely unpronounceable, except for the the words “hydrogenated” (which I think I pronounce correctly), and “corn” (which I’m told that I pronounce correctly).    If you see powdered non-dairy creamer on a countertop, it is a symptom of larger problems.

//

Why is there still cable TV?   This business model should be dying pretty soon.   If anything, it is being kept on life-support by live sports.    Commercial breaks are horrible, and I would think they are an outdated and ineffective way to advertise.  Example:  was watching a bit of Forrest Gump on cable TV last week, and the flow of the movie was ruined by awkwardly placed commercial breaks for products and services that seemed to represent the antithesis of what the movie was about.   One second Forrest is at Jenny’s grave talking to the recently passed love of his life;  the next I am assaulted by horrible music and an ADHD-inducing montage of clips flashing across the  screen in an “America’s next Pop Idol” (or something like that) commercial.  Then I was provided unsolicited information on the science of hair conditioner (which is apparently pretty simple;  you have damaged hair, then microscopic blue particles from the hair product go into it and it gets better.  Thanks, science! )    I feel a little bit like a geezer with this rant, but c’mon.

Commercials are creeping more and more into streaming media as well.  Most good youtube videos now have commercials built in, but at least there you can usually click through them.   I understand how advertising largely drives the media market, but hopefully people gravitate away from platforms that interrupt the viewing/listening experience with interspersed ads.

//

Just got back yesterday from 10 days on the east coast.  Very warm weather out there, basically t-shirt weather most of the time.  Spent most of the time in North Carolina near Raleigh visiting Allie’s side of the family, and a few days in VB seeing old friends.   Got to do a lot of reading, eating, drinking, and exercise/rehab.   Good to be back home though.

This week we prep for the move; the movers should be starting to pack our stuff up one week from today.   I think we’re ahead of it, but there’s always some last-second snags.

//

My hip is feeling better overall, but mobility is not increasing, and running still is off the table.   I’ve been keeping up on daily stretches and strength work, and general pain throughout the day seems to be going down.  But running aggravates it pretty quickly…can’t run more than a few hundred meters before it the pain becomes acute.   My mountain bike is down hard (bottom bracket is seized up), so I’ll try to get in some road rides this week before the bikes get boxed up.