I can't find the cable for my camera so no pics just yet, but as usual a most excellent time was had opening my santa gift from (I trust) one megan walker.

I knew it wouldn't be hard to guess given the origin and contents!

I wasn't sure whether it would be okay to send whole bean coffee, but Blue Bottle won't grind beans they sell (@@). So, sorry, if you don't have a grinder!

A few days left to 2009. I just took down the xmas tree. Which never got decorated. Which sort of illustrates this year.

I would call it rocky. Most things are ok to good. health, new used cat, money.

But DH's job situation is just not good. and over the last few years it has only been ok.

What I want for 201o is a decent job for Matt, which means a place where they appreciate him and he has a little room to breathe. Give us that and I can make things move forward

Nope, got it covered on the grinder so it's all good. Thank you!

Oh good, you should have seen the look I got when I asked if I could get it ground. That's what I get for going to an "artisan microroaster" I guess. If you want a laugh, go to their website and read the page of directions on how to brew coffee.

Hah, yeah, that's some high octane crazy right there. And I worked at Starbucks for five years.

Not that that's a bad thing though, since it results in good stuff in my cup (even if I don't take care that my coffee is ground to the texture of the beach at Santa Cruz, not (gasp) Carmel like some kind of heathen).

Those coffee brewing instructions read like badfic.

I am being an extaordinarily Bad secret Santa this year. For a number of reasons, my giftee will not be receiving giftage until January, I am afraid. But! The good news is that this means there is more time for the random accumulation of 'ooh I bet Giftee would like that I'll put it in' type oddments. So. Apologies, but it will be there soon!

The grind should be gritty, resembling beach sand: pleasant to walk on, but not too powdery. More Santa Cruz than Carmel.

brenda m, I thought you were kidding. Good lord. I mean, I like a well brewed cuppa, but that's pretty over the top.

Thanks Santa Polter-cow! Soon I will be listening to the tunes of Rah-Rah Riot while reading one of my favorite authors, Neil Stephenson, "Anthem."

Yay! I'm glad you didn't already have either one.

Good lord. I mean, I like a well brewed cuppa, but that's pretty over the top.

To be fair, they gave me a latte because I was buying a number of bags of beans. I didn't really want it because I had to catch a bus. I was ready to be unimpressed, but it was gone before I reached the stop a half a block away. As Agent Cooper would say, that was a "damn fine cup of coffee".