All I needed was a personal 'Thunder-bolt!'

Looking back, I do not remember who told me this but if you were the person let me know and I will give you full credit for inspiration, all I know is that it was recent... The Thunder-bolts, it was the title of some high school team's mascot, kinda like the Milford Redskins or the Hartland Eagles.  What strikes me about this team name is that there is no such thing as a thunder-bolt, and another striking thing about this is that an institution of knowledge could allow themselves to be called the thunder-bolts (or redskins for that matter).  I bring this all up as a sort of analogy for my ever changing and always chaotic situation.  An institution of knowledge, a place where you go to learn, reflect, critically think, behave, and ultimately try to define yourself as independent, humble, and willing to take on the world.  I always thought that I would ideally live a life that mimicked the hard fought battles found in learning and growth.  I guess even the most romantic, optimistic and prepared person can wear blinders in the worst possible times and situations. I was involved in a situation that was not right from the get go, something was always amiss.  It was not just the team name, the players were not right, and the goal was always wrong.  Free of 'the hazards of love,' I find myself looking forward solo, independent, and unique.  I am moving to Ypsilanti to work at the infamous Ugly Mug Cafe and Roastery.  I am anxious, focused, and itching to start this new leg of my journey. 

Extract Mojo-ing

This will be short to echo the time I have spent playing on the extract mojo.

What I realize is that most of the brewing methods I have learned, been taught or have read about are for the most part on the over-dosed under-extracted side of coffee brewing.  Having spent a few hours trying to dial in a coffee using extract mojo and comparing it against my pallet, I seem to be finding that what I am experiencing is mimicked in the program.  It is also helping me put a more precise idea of what is going on in the cup descriptively.

I gotta say that it is really freaking cool... expensive, but shifting my mind...
My new favorite borrowed toy... I may just have to buy a refractometer to do this all the time...

Meaning, Michigan, & My Home.

It has been an exhausting few weeks.  We arrived in Grand Rapids with the help of my parents and the hands of a few friends.  Courtney and I made the decision to move back to our home state of Michigan, settle down and start planning our futures in coffee and life.  We have set up our professional residence at Madcap Coffee, the place where a kid can be a kid.  Wait! No! That's another place.  Madcap, from my perspective, is a place where we can work with other coffee professionals in developing ourselves and help in shaping Michigan into a coffee hub of sorts.  I am not going to name drop, but many a coffee professional hail from Michigan. But, just as we once did, these coffee professionals tend to leave the state for more lucrative coffee opportunities seeing as there are not many in Michigan.  Madcap, with the aim of the good souls that started the place, have put their gun-sights on quality, and what can be done to improve quality in all aspects of the coffee expierence.  I remember leaving Madcap the first time I visited, peering into the windows of this newly opened cafe and wondering to myself if Michigan was ready for the experience I had just had.

I now find myself serving up single brewed by the cup coffees to the fine people of Grand Rapids.Their open ears hanging on my every word.  They are looking for every nuance in the coffee I am serving and describing to them.  I find myself elaborating in great detail the benefits of providing Grand Rapids with the best quality cup brewed to the best of its ability.  I find myself empathizing with the needs of an ill informed public and raising their standard of living by giving them something only found in some of the biggest and most advanced cities around the world.  I find myself fine tuning the details of my routine in order to better understand what and why I am doing what I am doing.  I tell people that the emphasis that has been for so long been put on quality espresso and espresso based drinks has consequently left brewed coffee devalued  and under-appreciated.  We are filling that void by putting a single cup of brewed coffee in its proper place.  A cup of coffee is a gesture of romance and class, culture and soul, it gives real emotional value.  I do not mean value in a sense of monetary means but value in that a single cup of coffee can be worth far more than any action during a day.  A cup of coffee creates meaning and tells a story, the story, your story.

NOW!!!

I have moved to Michigan.  I have just had the internets hooked up.  I am working at Madcap Coffee Company in Grand Rapids. I have not had time to stop and write.  My laptop died.  I have things to write soon. Sorry I have not called, I have been super busy.

Saying goodbye

I worked my last shift at Anodyne today.  It was sad, but I never tend to get sentimental.  I am sure I will return.  Not as a worker, but as a customer.  I am excited to see what will come of my new adventure.  I need to get packing.  

Sitting and Reading

I had the opportunity to do something very valuable for myself today.  It was merely the chance to sit in  Anodyne and drink a cup of coffee while reading a book and doing some sample roasting. 

Why is this of value for me?  As my days usually go, I work eight hours, come home to settle in my nest of an apartment for dinner and  hopefully some reflective thinking before a good nights sleep.  I know it sounds boring and repetitive but this is how my days usually are.  Everyday I see people come into the cafe, and while drinking a coffee they are usually enjoying a good book, paper or casual conversation. One of the huge reasons why I fell in love with the 'coffee shop world' was the endless amount of time I would and could spend hanging out and drinking coffee.  As of the last half year though, this has not been so.  The reading of a book in a cafe has turned into sneaking a few minutes of book time in before bed.  The newspaper has turned into an I-phone application that I read while waiting for my vegan pork-slaw to come at Honeypie's.  Most importantly the casual conversations have turned into silence.  I do not mean to sound angry or bitter (if I do), after all these are the situations I have unconsciously constructed for myself.

Today though, I sat down with seven half pounds of El Salvador samples sent to us by Aida Battle from a bunch of farms in her local region, for us to cup and hopefully for Anodyne to get in the future.  I also sat there in the cafe with some head phones on listening to tunes, reading a book, enjoying some Burundi Kayanza Andaro made with the aeropress.  It felt good to sit and take in the environment not from a working perspective.  I do not consider sample roasting a particular kind of work seeing as I love coffee, and really love great coffee (which I hope this stuff turns out to be.)  I only have a week and a half left here in Milwaukee before Courtney and I pack it all up and move to Grand Rapids.  I am trying my hardest to soak it all up.  Maybe I am feeling prematurely nastalgic about moving after a year from a place I have enjoyed so much, but I know confidently that we are ready to move on and grow in other ways and other places.

I am really glad I got a chance to sit and read today, it helps to put things into perspective every once in a while...

We keep at it!

It has been about a year now since Courtney, Luke and I have moved from our home in the suburbs of the economically fragile metro-Detroit to the vibrant local communtiy active Bay View in Milwaukee WI. Its strange how fast everything changes and everything is re-perspective-ized yet again. 

Courtney and I have decided that we are moving to Grand Rapids MI, back to our home state, the place we endlessly tell all our WI friends about.  We have jobs lined up at Madcap Coffee Roasters in Grand Rapids where we will immerse ourselves in coffee both figuratively and literally with the super-dedicated and intensely passionate individuals there. 

There are things I look forward to in life.  The biggest thing I can foresee is that I want to settle down and raise some kids close to 'home' as well as getting married.  Home being where my family is and by default Michigan.  Courtney and I have not stopped talking about opportunity these past few days.  As much as my life is mine, it is inextricably intertwined with Courtney's' and I could not ever see being apart from the woman I love again after her stint in Chicago.  The hour and a half distance nearly killed us both.  I know that no matter were we go or where we end up, as long as we are together I know that I will be happy.  

It is strange having to leave a place that has given so much of itself to me as Anodyne has over the past year.  I really could not have ever been so fortunate as to get a job with them, when I did.  Steve Kessler is a straight-up gangster! What I mean is that I have never met a guy with so much will-power to grow a small business such as Anodyne and push the quality, local, and caring roaster into peoples coffee shops and restaurants.  Milwaukee is fortunate to have him, Anodyne is fortunate to have his dedication working for them and I know that ultimately he will be rewarded for all the endless hard work that he puts into it.  I will really miss working at Anodyne with Steve and crew.

I live by the idea that no matter where your physical form has been in the past, no matter what actions you have done in your life, no matter anything you have ever said, none of it defines what you will do or be in the future.  I am looking into my future right now happily and looking fondly at the past.  I put my heart into everything that I do without limitations and borders.  If you know me you know that it can drive you crazy when I am driven to do something.  We are moving to Grand Rapids the third weekend in May, rain or shine, hell or high-water.  I am ready to dedicate myself to the task at hand and drive home ready to accomplish the unimaginable.  I could not be more excited for my future adventures with Madcap!  I smell big things on the horizon.

So, here we are a year later in search of coffee, seasons come and go, we make friends and deepen our love of the world.  Things get challenging and almost impossible, but we will keep at it!