so, my mom is coming for a month long visit, arriving on thursday. i am quite excited, but one of our headaches with parental visits (both sets) is coffee grounds. how is it that they seem to make a giant mess more often than not? is this a general coffee drinker problem, or just a parental problem? anyway, to get to the point, pat and i are contemplating getting a nespresso machine so we can hopefully bypass coffee grounds altogether. they have a few regular coffee flavors in addition to the espresso flavors. and as an added bonus we could theoretically invite people over for coffee and actually have coffee to serve. imagine that! as most of you are aware, neither of us knows the first thing about coffee. so are hoping we could get some nespresso opinions, input and advice. please feel free to comment (as you always should) even if you did not attend PLU or don’t have a spouse/partner that attended PLU.
Archive for September, 2008
Allow me to climb back on my hobby horse. Remember back when we were in college and I would never shut up about how great “My So-Called Life” was? Over the summer I got addicted to “Lost” b/c my dad loaned me the first three seasons. I had to watch the fourth right away so Jeremy figured out how to do it online. While we were at the ABC web site I discovered the full episode player which has three great episodes of MSCL available to view. People, its just as good as I remember. I promise. Anyway, treat yourself to an episode or just humor me and tell me you did. It really makes you wonder why there is so much crap.
Because I cannot seem to make any comments on my post to provide the link to the article (which appeared to be in the original post, but I would assume is not due to user error on my part), I’ll make yet another post – ! (And in a few hours my comments will probably appear and this will all seem very, very redundant…)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080923/ap_on_re_us/student_arsenal
Germany: Backtracking on Beer
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 17, 2008
The governor of Bavaria on Wednesday retracted an assertion he had made the previous day, when he said that some people could drive safely after drinking 2 liters of beer, or 4.2 pints. The remark, with Oktoberfest, Munich’s annual celebration, beginning on Saturday, drew much criticism and derision. The governor, Günther Beckstein, said that he had made a “rather unsuccessful contribution” to public debate. “Anyone who drives is better off drinking nothing at all,” he said in Nuremberg. Later in the day, when Mr. Beckstein appeared at a beer tent to open a beer festival in Berlin, he repeated the retraction. He wished the guests a good evening “with one liter of beer and perhaps a second, too, but — so that this is clear to everyone — the car stays at home.”
I sure need HC’s phone number. Now that she’s off the campaign trail, maybe she can loan me some of her pant suits. I look like I need them. I got my hair cut Monday night and what a disaster. Was cut by same person as last time. I thought she did a great job. I even went back 3 monts later so that she’d still have a clue as to what she did originally. She cut it much, much shorter than expected and didn’t really cut any layers into it. She styled it straight so I looked very mature afterward like 15 years older–which is the reason why I need HC’s pant suits. I’ve washed since then and now I have a round, furry, mushroom growing out of the top of my head. Remind me again that its just hair, that it will grow out, and that maybe by December I’ll be able to do something to correct this. Woe is me! I know there are certainly more important things to blog about these days. I’m hoping I can get this out of my system and release this curse I have on my hair. Plus, I don’t want you all to be in shock next time you see me. Even with this warning you guys will still need a DNA sample to prove that I’m me and not a moldy mushroom. boo-hoo!
Where oh where is the Dahlia J these days? Under a rock somewhere? NO! Have things to say! Even about politics! Have been busy! Ahem, back to the original intent of my post…
We here in Seattle had a visit from our very own mychellita and there’s even a rumor that she’s looking for jobs here! Which, I might add, is a hint that should be taken seriously by others who contribute to this blog and are living far away. Because living far away sucks. Even if it’s better away where politics don’t suck. Like they do here right now. Anyway. Picture! To distract you!
Coffee on a sunny afternoon! Isn’t it lovely? Now why wouldn’t anyone want to live here?
I know, I know, there isn’t much sport involved in poking fun at Sarah Palin. After all, she supplies a ridiculous amount of ammunition. However, this video is really quite funny. It’s just too bad the amount of people that won’t see how much of this video is based in truth. Unfortunately, you have to sit through a commercial before watching the video, but it is worth the wait.
Palin and Hillary speak against sexism in politics
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Why am I having such difficulty buying some simple train tickets?! My first train post is not as happy as it should be….white linens, tapas, flamenco dancers, and sangria are clearly only the stuff of dreams if you can’t even buy the tickets! Well, maybe that was too much to expect from the get go. So much for speeds upwards of 186 MPH (300 km/hr) though, if the website is uncooperative www.renfe.es. Here is the train I wish to ride, the AVE, (Alta Velocidad Española ) literally translated as “Spanish High Speed”. Sorry, no flamenco dancers…unless I actually make it on the train and start to dance myself….poorly. I’m now trying a different site (not recommended by the group I’m visiting but oh well). Must -ride-the-fast-train! 
So I know this blog often steers clear of the rough and tumble (and annoying) world of politics, but this just blows my mind. The whole Sarah Palin thing is nuts. See our friend Courtney’s sagacious post on the subject.
I’m previously respected John McCain. The maverick thing is overblown, but he has, in the past, certainly had some thoughtful perspectives on a whole range of issues. Perhaps we can lay the blame on the GOP operatives hypnotizing him, but this campaign has morphed him into the definition of a politician where truth has no meaning. To wit, here’s an actual quote by a person who would like to be the most powerful person on Earth. He’s referring to his new running mate, Sarah Palin:
“Energy. She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America.” (watch the video)
ARE YOUR KIDDING ME??? This was off the cuff, politicians are wont to exaggerate, but there’s no way on this green Earth that Sarah Palin occupies anything remotely close to this position. Any admiration I had for McCain was based, frankly, on his general willingness to see through the bullshit. But this campaign, particularly since the Palin addition, has moved into a world of fantasy. Did he seriously just say that about Sarah Palin? You could make an argument that she’s governed in the state where oil rules, thus is more attuned to the intricacies of the petro-debates, but did he just say that “she knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America”?????
Is any claim too ridiculous for McCain to make these days? Can being the closest state to Russia qualify as compelling foreign policy experience? How can he say these things with a straight face?
I don’t know who knows the most about energy in the USA, but I guarantee that that person is not running for elected office right now. The hubris of the McCain ticket is just astounding….