Stimulation

After hogging the blog last week, I'll leave the real Vegas posting to Big Thunder. In the meantime, I will say that after a particularly enjoyable Vegas holiday (damage to my checking account notwithstanding), I have been predictably slow at work this week. Strangely, my energy is always lowest on the second day back after a trip like this. I've only barely survived today with the aid of powerful shots of espresso administered at regular intervals. Accordingly, I would like to sing the praises of the new espresso machine in my office.

Ordinarily, I loathe "pod" or "packet" based coffee machines. I'm not a complete coffee snob. I do, however, require a decent cup of coffee in the morning and prefer to grind my own beans at home. I also know how to make espresso and cappuccino using a traditional pump espresso machine and I know what a French press is. OK, maybe I'm a bit of a snob. I suppose if you're going to spend 3 hours every day sipping on 1 beverage, it should be made well.

Pod or packet machines always brew watered down, stale tasting liquid crap that I wouldn't feed my dog (if I had one). I love the little baby pictured above, though. It brews a GREAT shot of espresso that rivals the coffees I've had in European cafes.