Preparing for Winter

The weather today was typical for October. It was 8°C when we got up. I could feel the cold tiles of the balcony right through my slippers when I snapped the photo.  It sort of set the stage for preparation of our winter departure.  We don't fly until Thursday.

We've not started packing yet but we've finished purchasing things that'll go into the bags.  On Turkish Air, we each get two, full-sized, checked bags for free.  When going back to Sri Lanka, we buy a whole lot of things that might be hard to find or more expensive there.  This contrasts day-to-day items like groceries which are much cheaper on the tropical island when compared to Canada.

Jay always manages to finish up the produce and food because we turn off all the apartment's power at the panel.  There's no need to keep an empty refrigerator running for four and a half months.  So, Jay's become a pro at provisioning so that the food has run out by the time we leave for a winter.

Leaving for the winter involves a lot of last-minute actions.  For example, I arranged to turn off our Internet the other week, but today, I downgraded the Netflix subscription.  I wrote the 'leaving letter' that we always leave in the apartment complex office.  

I even descaled, Kevin.  He's the coffee maker and that is his name on our home network.  Kevin would complain if he needed descaling but the water here is very very soft.  I just like having the coffee maker ready to go the morning following our return in March.  I gave Kevin a new charcoal water filter too.

My journal allows me to keep track of the little things of life.  After all, they are what make up the majority of life.  It's interesting to look back on the commonplace things when life has moved on.

Your Coffee with a Bit of Spite ...

My coffee maker can be a bit testy.

It's one of those new ones that connects to the Internet.  I thought that was just a way for Keurig to get more customers to sign up for auto delivery of coffee K-cups.  It can read the label of the pods and automatically ship new boxes when it has counted how many are used.

I think it is beyond just that now.  It seems to want to always be online.

When we go away for vacations, I turn off the Internet.  Within the week, I begin getting email messages telling me the machine is disconnected.  The emails try to help me troubleshoot the situation so I can get it back online.

I think my Supreme Plus is simply addicted to the Internet.  Perhaps it's downloading coffee porn.  Maybe it's just keeping up on the news; I don't know.

We just came back from a one-month trip on Monday.  When I turned on my router everything in the apartment reconnected to the Net.  

My coffee maker seemed happy enough.  However, this morning, when I tried to brew my cup of Timothy's Breakfast Blend®, the Keurig started warning me that it needed a descaling.  Just a coincidence?  I think not.

I'm sure my coffee maker is being a little vindictive.  I can remember descaling not long ago.  I think it was just trying to get a little attention and perhaps punish me for leaving it alone for so long without an Internet connection!

I Laugh at Danger

Sometimes, I want to do things simply because it is possible.  It's not hard pressing a button to brew my morning coffee in the Keurig. Yet, it would sound way cool if I could automate that easy action.

In that respect, I'm a little like George Jetson. His only apparent task at Spacely Space Sprockets was to press a button. George took a flying saucer to work in the morning space traffic to do so. On the other hand, I have to stumble just a few meters to the kitchen in our 750 sq ft apartment.  However, this button-pushing seems ripe for automation.  

I just added my not-so-arduous task to a Google Home routine. For years, when I've said, "OK Google, Good Morning," a series of actions occur.  As well as telling me the weather and our appointments, the display screen on my bedside table turns off DND on my phone and turns off the night lights and white noise generator.

So, you can see the coffee machine is first up on the task list now  In order to simplify my life a smidgeon, I have to remember to get a K-cup and empty mug ready before I go to bed.  If I fail to do so, then a cup of hot water will pour all over the kitchen counter.  

That is clearly a small price to pay for the added bragging rights.  As you can clearly see, I don't fear danger, I laugh at it.

Iced Coffee

My Keurig coffeemaker kept spamming me with unwanted emails during our recent cruise. You see, I had unplugged it and it was a little angry.

I would like to report that it's happily on my Wifi network again.  Its 'Brew Over Ice' function is not a gimmick.  I really do enjoy having an iced coffee on a hot afternoon such as today.

Specifically Designed for Fools Like Me!

I will admit it publicly. I am definitely addicted to smart home integration. I know because I'm constantly scanning the Internet to find things other than light bulbs and smart speakers to add to the apartment's home network. Yelling at Google to 'turn on the living room lights' is no longer enough. I'm considerably less interested in asking that my currently-playing Spotify song be moved from the living room and kitchen speakers to the bedroom stereo.

Wait!  A logical addition to our home network would be a smart coffee brewer.  Right?  I'm already sort of hooked on K-cups.  So, this wifi-connected device seems like a useful purchase.  Maybe?  It would require another app on my phone.

 

"Hey Google, brew me a 10-oz Krispy Kreme House Roast, now."  (As long as I had already remembered to put a coffee pod in the machine ... )   Supposedly this Keurig® will recognize the barcode and set brewing characteristics to match.  Okay, we will see if this lives up to its potential after its delivery tomorrow.  

Only Two Months of Coffee at Two Per Day

There's a certain madness that takes place inside a Costco warehouse. Ordinary people suddenly feel like they've become purchasing agents for a large international conglomerate. The 'go-big-or-go-home' mentality prevails.  Go ahead, throw this on top of the pile in the oversized cart too. 

   

I sure hope I like the Costco private-label brand of these particular Keurig coffee pods. I've never tried one. So I guess it was prudent to buy a 120 ct box, right?  I did hear the Kirkland brand K-cups are packed by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters®.

Refillin'

One of the first things I do in the morning is to make a cup of coffee in the Keurig. I drink a black cup to wake up. Lately, I've been refilling small, plastic K-cups with a morning blend. 

Later in the day, I generally prefer a flavoured cup with milk and sugar. This week those have been labelled as 'Folger's Hazelnut Cream'. I bought several boxes of 40 flavoured coffees but the thrill of variety seems to have worn thin.

October has been sort of a coffee month here in Vancouver.  After a very dry summer, rain is again soaking the coastal region.  It's no accident Starbucks™ was born just 200 hundred kilometers south.  Grey, rainy days are the perfect invitation for increased coffee consumption.

Today we felt a little bit of cabin fever, so we drove to the uptown mall.  We put on several kilometers in a determined stroll on both floors of the Royal City Centre.  Whenever we are near that Walmart, we can think of a few grocery items to purchase.

Coffee Time

On certain afternoons, one can pretend to be exceptionally brave.

 

Personal Quote #142

"This has been a weird summer. I've spent more on coffee than beer."

Dennis Sylvester Hurd (1959- )

Killing the planet, one k-cup at a time.

A Warm 32 Degrees Celsius

The original appointment was set for yesterday. We had arranged for a guy to come and install our sliding closet doors. We got a call earlier in the week rescheduling to 12:30 pm today. The first fellow was Russian and helped unpackage the doors and installed the upper-rails. For some reason, he forgot to bring along the drill bits for cement floors and left to go get them. 

His company called us and said he was feeling light-headed and would be unable to complete the job today. I think it was dehydration as we offered him refreshments but he didn't take us up on it. Today has been the very hottest day of the season.  Due to his job, he might be concerned about catching or spreading COVID-19.  

Another fellow came at around 2:00 pm after finishing his first job. He had to drill into our concrete floor to anchor six bolts for the bottom track of each door. This is the type of work which can be heard throughout our entire, 17-storey, concrete building. It always makes me cringe, because it's like having a tooth drilled.   At last, we're all set with the replacement sliding doors and will no longer need to look at our clothes a hundred times a day. 

Our usual afternoon naps were cancelled but I'll cope.  When choosing my afternoon coffee k-cup, I took somewhat of a chance. This one arrived in our last variety pack.

 

I think it was supposed to be blueberry.

Happy Wet Canada Day!

The COVID-19 situation made for a Canada Day without the visible celebration. Adding to that fact, the weather today has been rainy since well before we got up. The overcast sky is keeping things dark and the temperature to just 13C (about 55F).   The logs in the gas fireplace are glowing red.

We nearly always take the SkyTrain to its terminus at the Waterfront in Vancouver.  Usually, we're in big crowds who've come for the celebration of our nation's birthday.  It seems odd not to do the simple tradition we've done for more than twenty years. We stayed in New Westminster and settled for a short drive uptown.

   

We just got up from a 45-minute afternoon nap, and I thoroughly enjoyed my cup of hazelnut-cream coffee. In fact, it made me so happy that I just ordered a variety pack with 40 different K-cup flavours from Amazon.  I'll have more than enough flavoured coffee for future rainy days.  Shopping is so friction-free nowaday.

My New Caffine Delivery System

I might be a half decade late to this party, but haven't let that deter my enthusiam.

One can never know when a new interest may develop, or what it might be.

My relationship with coffee goes way back; this is just a new fascination with brewing in a home Keurig machine. Just as with any new 'hobby' there are additional toys that go along with the activity.

Today, this 35-slot K-cup holder arrived. I think I'll like easier access to the pods. Spinning the rack is better than rummaging through a box for my choice. I look forward to expanding my coffee palate in the comfort of home.

Keurig has promised that all their pods will be recyclable by 2020. However, I also ordered a pack of six universal, refillable pods. I'll probably end up scooping my usual brand into them. The cup I tried this afternoon was 'orders of magnitude' better than when brewed in my old drip coffee maker. These are locked and loaded for quick use.

Don't Do As I Say, I Don't!

Apparently, I have the moral conviction of a politician. I can proceed with a strongly ingrained view and then, seemingly, change on a dime. I can preach one thing for years and suddenly do the exact opposite.

Since I first learned of them, I've dismissed Keurig coffee makers as pricey and completely unnecessary. I've derided those who use them for the deleterious environmental impact of billions of those unrecyclable K-Cup pods. In addition, I considered their owners as simpletons who couldn't figure how to take the minimal effort necessary to brew a traditional pot of coffee. Lastly, I saw the copious, over-selection of pod-based brews in the supermarket as proof these devices were being marketed to bored millennials.

Today, I ordered my own Keurig coffee maker from Amazon Canada.



We have limited counter space, so I expect my K35 will be delivered to my apartment door tomorrow along with a variety 30-pack of K-Cups. For safe measure, I picked up a box of some Tim Hortons this afternoon too.

Coffee Not Ingested

It's fun to look back. Yet, it's more amazing to be able to look back.

I've been trying to take, at minimum, one photo every day of my life. I've been fairly good at keeping the project going since July 2005. In fact, the eight pictures you see right above these entries are randomly chosen samples. Even on the days which seem to be missing from the album, I most often took the photo but neglected to name and include it correctly.

Today, I looked back exactly a decade. This is what I found.


January 17, 2007 - My handouts for class are meticulously organized. I'm quite addicted to coffee. The two don't mix well. Ugh!