coffee + snow + clean spaces = happy people

I just got through cleaning my sewing room and assembling an organizing cube, or whatever you call it, so I can keep my desk tidy. The room could use a little more organization, especially where fabric is concerned, but it's the best I can do for today. At least I don't feel smothered in piles of fabric and tissue paper all around me. It was pretty bad, seeing as the last time I cleaned my room was back before several pretty large projects. And after each project I basically just threw the fabric scraps under the table and tried to ignore the thread and dust bunnies under my sewing machine. There gets to be a point where I go a little crazy and I about had it. SO, that said, I won't bore you with anymore cleaning details. It's just that now I'm in a fantastic mood. Clean = Happy. :)

Saturday morning I got up right in time to go to the "cupping" at Brewed Awakenings downtown. I bumped into Josh and Meg from the coffee shop Friday night at the bar and they told me about it, so I thought it might be fun to try something new. From what Josh says, it sounds like cupping is pretty rare around these parts. These are exactly the things I like to be apart of! And coffee is starting to become a very slight obsession. I never used to drink it, but somehow got addicted a year or so ago. Every day I get up and make myself a cup of French pressed coffee and it helps pick me up even on the worst of mornings. Just the smell of a fresh brew makes me glow. It's amazing what little things like coffee will do to my mood.

At the cupping we learned how to sniff the coffee and how to slurp it. Okay, well maybe those aren't the right words to use, but that's basically what we did! I was amused at all the slurping that went on during our "taste test." We each had a spoon and would take a small amount of coffee and slurp it. Imagine half a dozen people or so slurping coffee at once. I was a little hesitant to slurp, but everyone else did it so I suppose it didn't matter if I looked and sounded ridiculous. After each taste we'd take our spoon and dip it in a glass of water to clear off any excess coffee. Then at the end of the line we would go around once more and they encouraged us to go around even a third time to taste once they had cooled. A good coffee is supposed to taste better as it cools, which does makes sense. The guy who was leading the cupping seemed to know quite a great deal about this intricate process. I found myself getting lost at certain places (because I have very little knowledge to begin with), but it was pretty cool to know that someone is so passionate about coffee. I like to compare other people's passions with my passion for history and art. I have always felt that if you're going to do something, do it right. There's so much that goes into making the perfect cup of coffee, I'm sure I don't even know half of what goes on in that process.

After we completed the cupping, we got to choose which type of coffee we would like to try and they made each of us a cup in a French press. They also gave us a small bag of coffee to take home. I really enjoyed myself! They said they're planning to do it once a month. I think it would be fun to go back. I doubt I'll ever become a coffee snob, but I've always felt that it would be cool to learn more about this drink which I find impossible to do without even for one day. Josh took pictures and said they would go on the Brewed Awakenings' blog, so you might check it out. I don't think he put them up yet, though.



After the cupping we all headed over to Xavier's down the street for their cheeseburger basket special. It was pretty good for only $3.00. I also met a guy who painted the cool large Indian painting on the wall at the coffee shop. It was funny because he had seen my article in the paper and we both put two-and-two together when we exchanged cards. These are the times I enjoy living in a smaller city.

This Christmas I am trying something a little different. Most of the gifts I'm giving are hand-made by me. Now I can't do this for everyone. I started late so I don't have a lot of time and it's also hard to make hand-made presents for a few people I know... So I'm doing the best I can. Maybe next year I'll try harder to do this for everyone. But I have to admit, it's a lot more fun to make someone a present than to just run out to a store and buy it for them. I put a lot more time in something I make and it means more than something made in a factory. Plus this gives me a chance to give something unique. Hopefully everyone will be happy with their gifts this year. Christmas tends to be a time of year I'm either depressed or really indifferent towards. I don't know if it's just that I'm older now and Christmas is more for kids or why I feel this way. But this year seems different and I am feeling a little more excited than past years. The best part of Christmas to me is making someone happy with the gifts I give. I don't much care about receiving gifts for myself. In fact I'd be happy to do without getting anything. It's hard enough making a Christmas list! Believe it or not, it really is.

Well I hope everyone is staying warm. I'm keeping warm with my knitting, White Christmas soundtrack and Sufjan Stevens Christmas albums. It's about enough to keep me warm all winter long me thinks. :)