Save Money, Save the Environment, Pour Your Own Coffee

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I was at Sur La Table Fashion Valley the other day, taking advantage of the free knife sharpening, when I got the chance to speak to a very awesome sales lady. The biggest hype are not only the amazing Jura and De'Longhi espresso makers but the Nespresso Machines. "They are all the rage!" I have friends that swear by their K-Cup machines and pods proclaiming the value of "only $0.61" a cup and the necessity for speed. But we have to come and realize the bigger picture. There's not that much coffee in them!

When it comes down to it, I thoroughly enjoy sampling freshly roasted beans from places like Bird Rock Coffee, Intelligentsia, Dark Horse, Philz, Tonx, grinding them fresh using my Baratza Virtuoso and executing a fine Hario v60 pour over which yes does require a goose neck kettle (Hario Buono).  It's calming and an art I strive to perfect every morning I'm home. I also only end up producing one paper filter of waste compared to the non-bidegrable k-cups / pods that have been filling up our landfills at an estimated one billion per year. 

Whether it's delicious or not, single-cup coffee is expensive. In fact, pound-for-pound, it costs consumers far more than the finest artisanal coffee available in the Bay Area. A 24-pack of Folgers Gourmet Selections K-Cup, for example, typically retails for $16.49. The capsules each hold roughly 8 grams of coffee, which means that the 24-pack works out to about $39 a pound. A 24-pack of Starbucks House Blend typically costs $22.49, or about $53 a pound. By contrast, the same Starbucks roast costs just $12 a pound when sold in a single bag. An artisanal bean, like Four Barrel Coffee's Kenya Gatomboya, a shade-grown coffee from a 700-member cooperative, costs $18 for a 12-ounce bag, or about $24 a pound.

But as expensive as single-cup coffee is for consumers, the costs to the environment are even higher.

via Vanessa Rancaño for Eastbay Express

San Diego and Attractive People

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San Diego in another top ten. This time its for "Most Attractive" and I'll take the number two ranking. Miami is number one but I won't start an argument here. If you know me, you already know how I feel about the city. Of course, there's always the beach which just adds to the awesomeness!

http://instagram.com/p/cphVGeu4bg/

Tastemade-ing on Anniversary at Underbelly

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Adelle and I decided to keep it fancy but simple. She knew that I loved ramen so we headed down to Little Italy to enjoy Underbelly. While there, I decided that we could make a quick Tastemade video. It's the first of many and we're just learning the trade. Check it out!

Underbelly Tastemade

21 8.2013

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 adellelijah_3yranni

I know that the title and post are redundant but it marks the day that I said the special two words, "I do" to my lovely wife.  We've actually been dating for over ten years (wow time flies) but only married for three of those.  Things have only gotten better and it couldn't be more perfect especially with the added bunting.  Happy anniversary sweetie!

 

Looking Back at Norah Renée

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Exactly one year ago to the date and time, we welcomed my daughter into this world.  Everyday since then, my wife and I have been living a truly blessed life with such a vibrant, loving, huggable, and curious little munchkin.  As cliché as it sounds,  I really can't believe how fast time has gone by.  Happy Birthday to you Ms. Norah Renée.  Momma and I can't wait to celebrate and share more life experiences with you! Here's a photo of Norah at six months pushing herself up and staring back at me.  Not staged, not planned, my wife captured this wonderful moment.  The photo below is also unedited.

NorahandPapa

I've also just entered the photo into the I Shot It Child Competition 2013 No 3 for kicks and giggles. So far, with my entry, I'm at number 470. Ends in five days and there are so many great photos!!!  Wish us luck.

If you really want to know more about the composition and the photo, check out Jeffrey's Exif Viewer.  Here are the basic details: Olympus OM-D E-M5 ISO 800 1/40 f1.4 25mm

What's in Your Pockets?

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Now this is an amazing jacket. I've been seriously considering a Scottevest for quite sometime and this might be the winner. Watch the video below. http://youtu.be/oY7elyTHWMk

You can hide both an iPad and a MacBook Air 13" and not have to bring cases makes this the ultimate coffee shop tech vest. Co-designed with #1 New York Times Best Selling author Brad Thor, it's set to debut next month in September. I was on a Mitch Rapp kick for a while but I'll have to start-up his series too when I'm finally done with Game of Thrones!

Coffee in San Diego

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It's exciting when San Diego makes it into the top ten of anything and this time my beautiful home town squeaked into the top ten best coffee cities in America.  This of course comes without surprise that the Travel and Leisure article mentions Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. darkhorsecoffee

While you're here, I also wanted to add Dark Horse Coffee Roasters to the mix.  Just a few days ago, I was able to take a trip down to Daniel's lovely shop where he was roasting on site.  Let me tell you, the smell was intoxicating!  I ordered a satisfying cold brew which was steeped 24 hours in a Toddy.  If I didn't come off a mile walk, I would have easily gone for a hot cup where they use a Bee House Coffee Drip for their pour overs.  Come check it out and grab a cup!

via Travel And Leisure

Cheap Tickets, Airline Tickets

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Yes you read the title right. airline tickets are cheaper than ever before.  We might feel like we are paying more these days and complain about the cheap, no-frills experience but what do you want and how much are you willing to pay for it?  Bottom line is this: tickets are on the rise, pilot pay is at an all time low with some companies asking for more concessions and the airplanes have never been this full.  Can the ticket prices get any higher?

LAX to JFK

Unfortunately, maybe.  Even my buddy passes have either disappeared or are impossible to use because of the high load factors.

In 1974, it was illegal for an airline to charge less than $1,442 in inflation-adjusted dollars for a flight between New York City and Los Angeles. On Kayak, just now, I found one for $278.

via The Atlantic: How Airline Ticket Prices Fell 50% in 30 Years (and Why Nobody Noticed)

Hours without a Socket

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2013macbookair

13 hours and 29 minutes. That’s all you really need to know 

If you are looking for a back-to-school laptop, there's a clear winner throughout the ENTIRE industry.  From The Wirecutter and other reviews, particularly Nilay Patel's on The Verge, it's a no brainer unless you're naturally stubborn. For all the Wintel lovers out there, this might not be easy to swallow, but we all know which laptop runs Windows better.  If you still can't tell which laptop it is, it's the Apple's new Macbook Air.