Espresso Old School

I like strong beer, stronger women, my wine aged, and my shoes worn.
Being that I really enjoy a cup of dark, robust roast in the morning, about that let’s have a little talk.

I decided recently to forgo coffee. 2-3 cups had become a little much for my system. If 2-3 cups sounds redundant, or even unhealthy, I would agree with the former and qualify the second based on various anecdotal and scientific evidence. I like the taste of a strong brew and enjoy the way it initially makes me feel, especially before a work-out or work (such a sentiment is almost universal). However, that’s too much joe.

My morning diet has often included espresso. I might have had the occasional espresso run over a couple of days, but wasn’t always best for the budget. Two and half years ago, my in-laws bought us a Saeco Vienna Plus. This machine could pump espresso all day long. We loved it, abused it, sat there amazed at its durability and consistency, eye balls sticking-out like the caffeine addicts we were. For two years we had espresso at the push of a button. Coffee beans ground, pressed and brewed automatically. She was part of the family. When she finally gave-out, we inquired about a repair; unfortunately, her time had come. “I could practically buy a new machine for that, bud!” So long, Vienna Plus. Back to coffee.

For my birthday this year, I decided it was time for a new “machine.” The 2-3 cups of coffee program I’d been on for about six months was killing me. I needed help, a caffeine make-over, if you will. Be that as it may, this program change has come during tough economic times. Could I really justify the purchase of $500 espresso machine? Should I purchase a used one? Search high and low while jonesing for my fix? What was I going to do?

Introducing, the Bialetti Moka Express. This is an old-school “machine.” It brews a mean cup and a half of strong espresso from the stove top. After it’s 5 minute brew, the juice announces its arrival from this beautiful coffee-pot when I can smell the strong, deep aroma of freshly brewed, coarsely ground espresso. It’s pour is lovely. The hot vapors and rich bouquet will make any coffee drinker smile. This is an event. Espresso lover, start your engine. The Bialetti Moka Express delivers, for a whopping $35.00. Check the website to see their variety of handsome coffee makers.

This genius piece of Italian hardware cleans in two minutes, so it’s ready for the next day.
The next day. I can’t wait.

A New Blog for a New Direction

The great thing about social media is their ability to document character.  In a literary sense, the author’s characterization is on display.  I have another blog documenting my life as a runner, a trail runner to be more specific.

This WordPress blog, Copeland’s Blog, will have a much more central role in my life.  I have taught post-secondary English for over 12 years at various colleges and universities in California.  The recent economic crisis is destroying much of what “we” had built in California since 1960, when the state adopted the California Master Plan or Higher Education.  Unfortunately, I don’t think the current recession stemming from the demise of  the financial industry is solely responsible.  Slowly but surely, education has become less and less of a priority in our state’s budget; a more definitive and disastrous value system has come to shape the direction of California.

But this blog is not about all that.

Welcome to the world of copywriting!  I want to develop a presence using words to promote products and ideas.  This has been a goal of mine for a long time.  My English studies in college and MFA in Creative Writing speak to said goal.  After publishing a handful of poems, I found myself teaching English at a  little community college in Los Angeles.  The next twelve years are history.  And indeed, my teaching career is history.

It’s not like I am moving to a different planet.  My creative juices have been simmering all along.  In grad school a friend of mine and I started a literary magazine called Burning Car.  Our first and only issue was kickass!  The table of contents reads like a whos who in American verse.  The art work was nice.  We had matchbooks made, were ready for t-shirt production.  But Jerry Rummonds and I went our separate ways.  Gotta pay some bills.  So I started working for my uncle in N. Hollywood, for the television show Babylon 5.  Remember that?  Started part-time teaching, too.  You can see by now what direction I took shortly thereafter.

So, back to the world of creative development.  The blogging has been a great start to this (ad)venture.  I have been blogging for over a year now and have met some great people in the blogosphere.  The exchange of ideas that happens so brilliantly and seamlessly in this electronic world will be carried over to my “real” world, manifesting in my professional ambitions.  My hobby has become my life?  Not exactly.  I have long been a student of the word.  Same values, different venue.

Different direction.

I hope you can help me grow through discussion and feedback.  Be blunt.  Beyond just writing for a living, I also want to continue to help the world become a better place.  Again, same values (teaching), different venue (check my socialvibe!).

Thanks for reading and stay-tuned!

–mcshow

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