Merry Christine

After a couple of weeks of strange depression, I am finally coming out of my hole. I had to categorize everything in order to figure out why I could not function in my normal standard. One of the subjects that was making me crazy was my lack of desire to drink coffee, and MOST of us know that is an important part of a morning.

Months ago I got rid of my countertop espresso maker. After around 12 years of making espresso in a Starbucks machine, it was going nowhere with me. Instead I started using my stovetop European Espresso maker. I only use light roast, for it has the most caffeine. Still, it was bothering me. I have tried every coffee locally you can buy, and even the light roast has a bitter taste somewhere as it passes your tongue. As far as dark roast, besides the fact it has less caffeine, to me, it is like eating a charred steak, YUK!!! HATE IT!!

When in New York, the first place we hit was the grocery store to put food in the apartment. I forgot that every grocery store has a European section. When I glanced up at the cofffee’s, a stong surge of nostalgia hit me when I saw the Dallmayr coffee. Of course I immediately grabbed it. Sure enough, the next morning I made that coffee and it was like a wisp of clouds flowing past my tongue…..Oh what a wonder! At last! Heavenly coffee. Needless to say I looked forward to every morning.

After coming home I was back in my droll state every morning. Going for days without a cup of coffee, for I don’t believe one should suffer to get a morning kick, I started searching for the lightest roasts I could find of ANY brand. FINALLY a light bulb went off in my head and I went online and found a site that is nothing but European coffees. I not only bought the ones I know and like, but purchased any of the lightest roasts they had. Mostly from Austria and Germany.

When that package hit my doorstep the first thing I did was rip it open and make a spot of coffee. ALAS!!! smooth, light, no bitterness, and no lingering aftertaste! Seriously, there are no coffee’s like this here in the great Northwest. Amazing, considering it is a self proclamed coffee capital of the ………..U.S., I guess.

It made ponder, I must be out of my mind not to enjoy the way we roast our beans here. The NW takes such amazing pride in thier incredible coffee, and just about everyone that lives here is completely addicted to coffee. You walk into a Starbucks and they go out of thier way to make you feel inferior if you cannot request your coffee with the proper descriptions.

I have never understood what the deal is with the super dark, over roasted beans. All I can say is, as American as I am, I wish someone here knew how to make the coffee as well as the good old Europeans. Until then, I will be ordering all of my coffee online.

As I sit here with a wonderful breeze passing though my shop, with the blazing sun shinning outside, I no longer question anything, especially the word fate.  From the hysteria of my work, to people who actually mean something to me, it has all been in my space in a cluster for the past 5 or 6 weeks. 

I first get a visit from my darling close friend, Dina, whom is one person I can totally trust my life with, and in fact has saved my ass a number of time, and really does take care of me.

Dina

This is one of my favorite pictures of Dina. She came up for the weekend to work on a special project with me.  When figure first started she was one of the top 5 Pro figure competitors in the industry.  Alas, she had a lot on her plate and business was more important.  She never looses her amazing physique and is constantly hounded for photo sessions.  Photographers that would not even touch a figure competitor.Then a friend, Sheila Bleck came for a whole week.  I have been making her suits for bodybuilding since she won her first suit at the Emerald Cup back in 2000.  She finally deservedly got her pro card at Nationals in 2008, took 2009 off, comes into the NY Pro, takes second, missing the win by ONE point, but got into the Olympia.  So I just figured she could chill while I worked.  NOT!  She was too much fun.  We got along great, like the same stuff so we did everything from TRYING to rollerskate, taught her to shoot weapons, and put her on my horse.The night I dropped her off at the airport, I went to Auburn, a town right by Seatac, and hand delivered a suit to a client of mine named Colleen Kulp.  Her husband is from here so they were here on family business so I got to put her suit on, and set the hooks myself.  I love it when I can be in charge of putting the hooks on and doing hands on explaining of how to wear the suits.  Along with her very kind husband Jeff, she had a TOY Australian Sheppard named Jessse.  I think I found a little dog I would consider owning.  What a funny, crazy DAWG!. As I was leaving Colleen gave me a beautiful statue of a Stallion from Herself, Kate, and Amanda.  I was extremely humbled by the gesture.

Shiela and I THOUGHT we could skate!!

Now it is time for cramwork  I had one week to get 7 suits ready for the NY Pro/Team Universe this coming weekend.  That also included 4th of July.  Took the 4th off for great fireworks, thanks to my buddy Jeff Harrison.  Back to work the next day (my 50th birthday), where my dear Shannon sat here with me and finished the suits. THAT is what I have been up to……next blawg I promise I will get more entertaining.