A deeply heartfelt thank you...

Thank you to everyone who responded to my two posts about Chibi, and thank you to those who sent good thoughts/healing energy/prayers/etc., but couldn't think of anything to say.

I still miss him; I'm past the point where I'm about to call his name when announcing I'm home, and as much as I miss picking him up and letting him purr, I'm also remembering how clumsy and confused he'd gotten.

Skitty's become a bit more affectionate, and a bit more demanding of attention. I think she's wondering where Chibi went, expecting him to show up again any minute. Then again, I feel the same way, sometimes. Late at night, if wake up to use the bathroom, I expect any dark pool of shadow to start moving and following me to bed.

I'm torn between looking for another cat (I think most cats do well with another cat in the house) and just letting it be for a while. Maybe there's another cat waiting to come into my life the same sort of way Chibi did.

A deeply heartfelt thank you...

Thank you to everyone who responded to my two posts about Chibi, and thank you to those who sent good thoughts/healing energy/prayers/etc., but couldn't think of anything to say.

I still miss him; I'm past the point where I'm about to call his name when announcing I'm home, and as much as I miss picking him up and letting him purr, I'm also remembering how clumsy and confused he'd gotten.

Skitty's become a bit more affectionate, and a bit more demanding of attention. I think she's wondering where Chibi went, expecting him to show up again any minute. Then again, I feel the same way, sometimes. Late at night, if wake up to use the bathroom, I expect any dark pool of shadow to start moving and following me to bed.

I'm torn between looking for another cat (I think most cats do well with another cat in the house) and just letting it be for a while. Maybe there's another cat waiting to come into my life the same sort of way Chibi did.

Espresso geeks out there?

I've been considering upgrading my pretty-old espresso machine. I have a Gaggia Carezza, a model Gaggia put out to compete in the "just about $200" espresso machine business. It's pretty nice, for the price, but I've often thought of upgrading, and I'm thinking of doing it with my tax return. I've narrowed it down to two:

The Rancilio Silvia, or the Saeco Aroma

The difference? Well the Saeco uses a pressurized portafilter. It's a lot easier to use. Normally, you need to use a combination of grind and packing of coffee to push back against the hot water, to draw two shots of espresso in 20-25 seconds. (One shot is 1-1.25 ounces.) The Saeco is supposed to take care of that for you.

But, there's two questions in my mind. First, is it as good as the "old fashioned" method of using grind and tamping? Hey, maybe it is... technology marches on, and sometimes it ends up making things easier and better. But, maybe I want to think about grind and tamping. I've gotten better at drawing espresso as time goes on.

The other issue is, the Saeco has a steaming wand that's intended to help froth milk. The Rancilio doesn't. I could end up wasting a lot of milk learning to froth it the old fashioned way. But, again, maybe I want to waste a little milk, and learn to do it 'right', without mechanical assistance.

Hah. Does anyone else find it funny that I'm trying to decide if I want to spend twice as much money so I can face a bigger challenge and do more work getting my espresso just right?

Anyway, does anyone out there have any advice, ideas, encouragement?

Espresso geeks out there?

I've been considering upgrading my pretty-old espresso machine. I have a Gaggia Carezza, a model Gaggia put out to compete in the "just about $200" espresso machine business. It's pretty nice, for the price, but I've often thought of upgrading, and I'm thinking of doing it with my tax return. I've narrowed it down to two:

The Rancilio Silvia, or the Saeco Aroma

The difference? Well the Saeco uses a pressurized portafilter. It's a lot easier to use. Normally, you need to use a combination of grind and packing of coffee to push back against the hot water, to draw two shots of espresso in 20-25 seconds. (One shot is 1-1.25 ounces.) The Saeco is supposed to take care of that for you.

But, there's two questions in my mind. First, is it as good as the "old fashioned" method of using grind and tamping? Hey, maybe it is... technology marches on, and sometimes it ends up making things easier and better. But, maybe I want to think about grind and tamping. I've gotten better at drawing espresso as time goes on.

The other issue is, the Saeco has a steaming wand that's intended to help froth milk. The Rancilio doesn't. I could end up wasting a lot of milk learning to froth it the old fashioned way. But, again, maybe I want to waste a little milk, and learn to do it 'right', without mechanical assistance.

Hah. Does anyone else find it funny that I'm trying to decide if I want to spend twice as much money so I can face a bigger challenge and do more work getting my espresso just right?

Anyway, does anyone out there have any advice, ideas, encouragement?