The Daily Grind

Dear Reader,

Time to rebrand. Why? Reflections was too serious a title and really said nothing about what you might find on this site. Reflections on what? Exactly. The Daily Grind is more apt, although, I concede, not terribly original. Perhaps slightly better than Central Perk. Let me know if you agree. That said, I do like the double entendre. I enjoy coffee, sometimes immensely. Pictured above are my latest beans, from a roastery in Truckee, California. Peru might be exotic enough; I’ve never been (but hope to visit sometime, post-pandemic). But, add Truckee, 6000+ feet above sea level (High Altitude Roasted), and you have a truly exotic blend. My coffee making machine of choice is the Jura A1. Pour the beans, add the water, press a button, and voila, perfection in a 10-ounce cup. Espressos and ristrettos are the other options. Roast my own beans I do not. I am not nearly as patient and doubt that I could do any better a job than the pros (although that might not be the point of roasting your own beans). Besides the home brew, from time to time I indulge in cappuccinos, not from Starbucks mind you (no, I’m not a coffee snob), but from local coffee shops, like the legendary Fiero Caffe, probably my favorite, Caffe Centrale ( close second and occasional first), Blue Bottle (complex, tasty, but perhaps a tad corporate now), and Liminal, a fabulous small-batch coffee stand at the College of San Mateo Farmers’ Market. To be fair, Fiero and Centrale most closely approximate a cappuccino that I might (and did) enjoy in Trastevere, Roma or Lucca. Straightforward, clean, a hint of complexity, transcendent (sometimes). On balance, Fiero wins the prize, due to a spacious and usually relatively empty outdoor patio, and, to be sure, it does not hurt that the cappuccino maker is named Tony.

At a recent post-soccer burrito dinner, at my favorite local taqueria (La Cumbre), a good friend casually remarked about the Silicon Valley grind, seemingly bottomless work, usually at a frenetic pace. I could not disagree. The pandemic has exacerbated this. While I do not miss my commute, I do miss the daily change in scenery (if not just from my house to the office), the banter, the camaraderie, the occasional business trip, usually to a non-destination with practical accommodations. To counterbalance this, I, like many, I think, have taken a more active role in planning my activities; hence, the founding of a local hiking club last summer, soccer, and other outdoor group activities. These are an escape from the quotidian and the basis for my recent posts and the ones that will follow. In the same vein, writing is a much-welcomed diversion, and once in a while I get to explore important topics.

As always, comments welcomed.