<*blech*> <*p-tooie*> Grrrr. Kroger didn’t have my regular coffee (French Roast), so my shopper picked a similar medium-dark roast (100% Colombian). He did ask before getting it and I approved because it is a medium-dark roast and I figured it would be similar. Nope. I’ll drink it because that’s what I have on hand now, but that “first cup of the morning” is a little jarring when it isn’t my regular brew. I try not to be a coffee snob — it’s just dark colored caffeine water, after all. 🙂

Yes, I know — First World Problem, right? My life could be a whole lot worse than it is, so I’ll keep my complaints to a minimum.

And it’s still better than Folger’s, which I find disgusting and rather offensive. Back when I was young and foolish and only married a few years, we lived a time with my in-laws, right after I left the Air Force. They had a large 12- or 14-cup electric percolator urn, the kind with a dispensing spigot at the bottom front edge. They’d fill the urn with water, and then put about 1/2 cup of coffee into the basket. A proper coffee scoop is 1/8 cup (or 2 TBsp), and it is recommended to use 1 scoop for a 6- or 8-oz cup. So they used enough grounds to make 4 cups of coffee but enough water for 12-14 cups. That was some seriously weak coffee. But that’s how they liked it.

I have come across some coffee scoops that do not measure up to a full 1/8 cup or 2 TBsp. I guess they expect the user to use a rounded scoops. I use a proper coffee scoop and level my measures. I also use exactly 8 ounces of water per scoop and make my coffee one cup at a time so it is always fresh. I put my grounds into the Pyrex measuring cup, boil the water in the whistling kettle, pour the water into the measuring cup with grounds, give it 3 or 4 good stirs, then pour out into a filter cone over my cup. It gets more flavor with darker color than if I put the grounds into the filter and pour that way.

I haven’t had an electric coffee maker for several years and don’t want one. No machine that needs descaling, no big carafe to mess with, no internal mechanism to clean.

And yes, I know — First World Problem, right? My life could be a whole lot worse than it is, so I’ll keep my complaints to a minimum. I am grateful to have my coffee

I woke just around 5:00 and it was already 80º outside with the a/c running. I keep the thermostat set to 78º to save energy. It will likely hit 100º by this afternoon, so I need to get my yarn-handling work done early. It will be just too hot-sweaty-sticky later on so it is hard to properly twist my skeins for presentation. Annoying as hell. But once that is done I’ll be able to pack the yarns for shipping tomorrow afternoon, get the unclaimed yarns photographed and posted for sale.

Lately I have been listening (on YouTube) to readings from Reddit — mostly stories of people’s lives in the categories of EntitledPeople and/or EntitledParents, as well as some from Malicious Compliance, Choosing Beggars, and ProRevenge. Many of the stories, especially those dealing with entitlement, involve family relationships and how relatives can be some of the most awful people. Most of these stories ask AmITheAsshole? And because Reddit is an online forum, other people are free to comment and indicate if the poster is the asshole or not. But even better, other commenters are free to give an outsider’s perspective, offering alternative suggestions or providing insights that might not be obvious to someone too close to the problems involved.

Now, that’s all well and good, and it’s interesting to see just how fucked up people can be and how awfully they treat others. I am also finding myself thinking, “Gosh, I went through something similar,” or “Wow, I wish I had learned this in my youth to prevent or minimize the abuse.” It’s sort of cathartic for me since I grew up with seriously fucked-up parents. If I had understood the signs of manipulation or entitlement long ago, I could have been spared a world of hurt along the way. Of course, I’m also recognizing things I had done that probably hurt others, too.

For me, hearing these stories is like sitting in a group therapy session, and having the benefit of outsiders talking through issues. I could have been a much better father, for example. That’s a big issue for me. I seriously fucked up in dealing with my ex in the years after my divorce. I was trying to cope with my own issues and wasn’t strong enough to fight for my kids as I should have. Of course, back then the laws and social standards were such that a gay father had virtually no rights, and even fewer rights against a fundamentalist angry rigid ex. She put the kids in the middle and I had to back off for my own sanity while trying to minimize the harm to them from their mother’s anger at me. I would do things a lot differently today. After all, hindsight is 20/20.

Anyway, time to start the day.