March 1st, 2011
Yummmy.
Okay, this is more than one word. I like – ne- love a good cuppa joe. My current fav is an Woman Owned Ethiopian Coffee Ethiopia Amaro Gayo
This exceptional coffee is exported through Ethiopia’s only female
miller/exporter, an exceptional woman. Asnakech Thomas is one of the
most inspiring figures in Ethiopian coffee today. Native to the Amaro
region, Asnakech decided in 2005 to return to her homeland to improve
coffee quality at her mill and in local communities.She is one of the
few people to travel weekly between Addis and the coffee areas. The
Amaro Mountains are a small range separating the communities of Amaro
on the eastern slopes from Nechisar National Park and the lowland
tribal areas of Arba Minch in southwest Ethiopia, Sidama region. The
local coffee varieties, relatively light population, waterfalls and
highland bamboo forests are among the many unique features of the
area.
All Amaro Gayo coffee is certified organic. Prices paid for this
coffee are at the extreme high end of market, social programs are in
the works including possibilities for assistance with capacity
building and coffee job creation, schools, clean water and medical
care.
Altitude: 5200 feet
Processing Method: Natural
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Species: Arabica
Cup Characteristics: thick body, chocolatey, dried banana &
blackberry. sweet rich chocolate aftertaste, very clean and consistent
February 19th, 2011
Okay, so, I’m a lowly candidate for Ski Patrol. And, a National Ski Patrol at that – which means we are volunteers… Training is tough, in fact it is the most physically exhausting thing I have ever done. Our trainers say this candidate class isn’t very good, but it’s not for lack of trying. I’m on the hill by 7am, dressed in uniform and ready to go by 7:20, morning meeting, safety topic, hill status, work to be done, and at the top of the hill by 8:15am. Then it’s the grunt work also known as ‘zone work.’ We put out the slow signs, benches for the snow boarders, check every run, check every piece of bamboo on the hill, tighten or put up rope lines, check every sign and lift tower pad; check every sled pack and pull out all the sleds to be positioned at the top of every major run, working until 9 or 9:30, when we begin sled training for three or so hours, then if we are lucky we get 15 minutes for lunch, and then it’s an afternoon of medical scenarios, in the snow, until 3:30pm when we start closing the hill – starting with the backside, checking every run, taking down sinage, calling out for straggelers, etc. then the front side – this last until about 5pm when we head in change back in to civilian duds and head down the mountain – reaching the bottom of the hill about 5:30pm. Oh yeah, we do this in ski boots.
Bathroom breaks- if you are lucky, but be prepared to ‘drop trou,’ behind a tree, if you can steal the time. If something is wrong don’t even think about speaking up or complaining because you will be immediately shut-up, followed by some kind of hazing. And, don’t ask for help because you will be put down and put in your place, followed by some kind of hazing… Did I mention we are volunteers??
