slap shot and coffee

This weekend has been both sedate and rewarding. I'm the kind of person who doesn't clean unless company is coming. I mean, I keep the tumbleweeds from taking up residence, but it gets a little nesty in my family room from time to time. I like to walk in from work, kick off my shoes wherever I happen to be when I don't want to wear them further, plop down in the recliner, and eventually articles of clothing get removed and exchanged for pajamas. The result turns my small condo into an enormous dressing room. So when I had surprise company Friday I found myself motivated to get my clean on.

Humorously, I decided to invite more people over on Saturday when I knew I wouldn't have time to clean up. It was all a little awkward. I invited Reichy (formerly DeeDee) and a friend and her brother over to watch that classic 70s sports flick, Slap Shot starring Paul Newman and introducing the Hanson Brothers. Reichy asked me during our last practice how it is one actually commits a foul in hockey, and I could think of no better way to explain it other than Slap Shot. The -eh- film has a fairly high incidence of gay bashing, although I contend its overall attitude towards homosexuality is open and tolerant. In a way it boldly highlights certain homosexual issues, Lesbians After Marriage for instance. But it's crowded by a frenetic plot. No scene off the ice is longer than thirty seconds and there are plenty in short succession. According to wikipedia Gene Siskel says that it was his greatest regret as a critic to have given Slap Shot mediocre reviews. Apparently he enjoyed it much more after multiple viewings. I believe that has to do with how fast the movie moves. It's hard to follow. I wonder if the director was trying to mimic the pace of a hockey game.

So here I was with a filthy home inviting people over some of whom had never seen the place before to watch a movie that by most accounts isn't great on the first viewing. I felt slightly awkward, but really I could have spared myself. My guests were gracious, and took it all with good nature.

Today, I woke up with the cleaning bug. Sometimes I pop out of bed with a burning desire to jog, or go to the mall, or grab some brunch, but today it was all about cleaning. I like how the place feels now. It's incredible how much dust and cat hair can collect in certain nooks and crannies. Now I'm breathing a little easier in my super comfy home.

I went shopping for a list of household items at Bed Bath and Beyond: a coffee maker, sheets, light bulbs of various sizes and nothing met my specifications. B,B &B is leaving much to be desired these days. I did come home with a Mukka express cappuccino maker though for much less than what I'm seeing them on the web. It's a stove top espresso maker on steroids. It's larger than the average espresso maker. At the top of the "percolator" in the coffee carafe section there's an extra valve that is used to froth milk that you've added into the carafe section. It's actually rather clever. All you have to do is put water in the reservoir, coffee in the filter, milk in the carafe, set the valve, and put the whole assembly on the stove top et voila! Cappuccino. I've decided to try it out as my replacement for my daily coffee ritual. My trips to Starbucks have become more frequent, and I'm sick of spending time and money on a product that - while oh so tasty - gets to be an expensive drag in the morning. I've gone through and created cappuccino, latte and espresso as part of the initial throw away runs of the product. So far so good. I need to get real espresso roasted coffee beans though. Regular beans work, but the method begs for a bean with a bolder flavor. The only problem is going to be the additional maintenance required. I actually have to clean that valve out and rinse the pot rather than just let it stand in all its milky glory while I'm away at work.