Coffee is Life

Everyone who knows me knows I love my coffee. Black and lightly sweetened (Stevia in the Raw). I like Lattes and the French Press. Every week, I purchase a pound of freshly roasted Ethiopian Harrar from a local retailer, Buy the Cup, in Rocky Hill, a borough in Montgomery Township. The owners, Dale and Roy Gwin are talkative locals who are also very knowledgeable about coffee.

Buy the Cup
130 Washington St
Rocky Hill, NJ 08553-1020
(609) 430-0576

Although I get my beans freshly ground each week, according to Nathan Smith, author of the CoffeeNate blog, ground coffee is only fresh for 18 minutes while roasted whole beans will last 10 days. That means I have not been getting the best out of cup-o-joe! Nate and I exchanged a few more tweets after I asked him which grinder he recommended. He pointed me to a video on his web site and his own favorite grinder, the Breville BCG450XL Conical Burr Grinder. According to Nate, a burr grinder will grind the coffee to exact specifications. I've added this to my Amazon Wish List and expect to have a new appreciation for my Harrar after my tax refund arrives.

Roaster: Rockaffe

Discovering Happiness

Bhavna and I took our toddlers, Shaan and Kiran, for a stroll along the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Trail.

Bhavna and I took a leisurely stroll along the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Trail with our young ones, Shaan and Kiran, in tow. Setting off from the Rocky Hill trailhead, we headed northward toward Griggstown.

Shaan was fully engrossed in his little adventure as we walked, darting around to collect leaves and charming pebbles that always capture children's attention. At that moment, my worries about my recent unemployment, which came shortly after we purchased our home in September, seemed to fade into the background.

That September is etched in memory, overshadowed by the tragic terrorist attacks that shook the entire nation. The ripple effects of those events reached Wall Street and the local job market, prompting many businesses to adopt a more cautious approach to hiring.

Financial anxiety weighed heavily on my mind. We had closed on our new home just a week after 911, and shortly after that, my contract with a client was terminated. With high closing costs and dwindling savings, the situation felt unsettling.

Bhavna and I strategised on how to navigate through this challenging period. We knew family vacations were out of the question until I could secure employment and rebuild our savings. Instead, we brainstormed inexpensive activities to entertain the kids and provide a temporary escape from the stress at home.

Our walk along the canal offered a brief reprieve from the daily anxiety of job hunting. It allowed me to momentarily set aside the responsibilities of adulthood and immerse myself in the carefree world of my young children.

D&R Canal State Park Trail
D&R Canal State Park Trail | Monday 22 October, 2001 | Sony CYBERSHOT | 13.9 mm | 170 sec at f/4.0 | ISO 100