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Aww, cute! Here are my kitties. They are about 6 months old - we got them in November. They are super loving.

my niche should be here within the week

this week i've made a few changes for my pour-over... the first change is a recipe adjustment to start using the '40-60 method' on my hario. the basic premise is to slow the brewing process a bit, segment out into smaller pours with more even extraction. it feels like i have more overall control. the end result so far is a more balanced coffee that isn't overwhelmed with acidic bitterness (which i'm finding hard to dial in on these light roast beans, specifically those from Africa). it also seems to be deeper underlying flavors like earthy and nutty. the second change is trying out third wave water packets. i really don't care enough about brewing with my own DIY water and this is already so pretentious to be mixing with distilled gallons, but i'll admit it does taste different. the coffee is softer and i think the acidity has more clarity. but it doesn't fundamentally change the taste compared to my own tap water. you get 12 gallons' worth for $15, not terrible, but i'll probably utilize it on occasion rather than all the time or perhaps with beans that are particularly expensive or good.

Picked up one of the newer MacBook Pro 16" (i7, 16GB Memory, 512GB SSD, in Space Gray) yesterday for my wife. Seems pretty nice. I haven't owned or played with a Mac in a long time. Still have to install MS Office. Thanks all for the inputs. Much appreciated.

The Niche Zero arrived last week and I've gotten to use it. So did the Chemex. I chose the 6 cup which worked out well for my situation. I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, but if I have a guest I can certainly brew them a cup as well. The Niche is gorgeous and very substantially built. Is it worth the money? That's a relative thing IMO. It is excessive so I think best for the hardcore coffee drinkers that would make good use of it and/or those that really get into the aesthetics and function of the machine. It is pretty damn fun to use and look at. It has a lot of settings and because you can go well beyond the dial, and arguably need to for the finer or coarser grinds, it requires a bit of practice / experiment but nothing too complicated. The Chemex I am still experimenting with. Drinking a Rwandan Ruli now and it is AMAZING. It was damn good in the French press as well so it's solid coffee. The thing is there is a substantial difference with the Chemex. First...I love the French press. It makes delicious coffee simply IMO. You get ALL the coffee flavor and what comes with it. The Chemex is a much more polite cup of coffee...cleaner. Probably easier to drink. I'd liken it to cigar smoking...those that have been in it a long time I have found lean towards the more robust profiles. HS

Heck Shelly, I'd be super-loving too if I got spare ribs 😄 Adorable, though!!

RIP Kirk. There was an interview on the radio this morning with someone who interviewed Kirk Douglas when he was 100. He said, to the effect "I don't know any actor now. All the greats - Laurence Olivier, Burt Lancaster - they are all of them dead. I'm pretty much the last one left". There is a sadness to that that quite chokes me up.

Goodbye to a great actor. Karen’s mother was an extra in this film so it holds an extra meaning for us.