Espresso Fail

I made an attempt yesterday at using the espresso maker by myself...that was interesting. After mom gave me coffee for Christmas, Craig showed me how to use the thing, so I decided I was game for a solo effort. I put it all together very carefully and turned it on. It seemed to be functioning just fine, so I wandered away in search of the wall wart that belongs to the hand vac.

When I returned from the basement, the espresso maker was hissing angrily, and I stared at it for a few seconds, perplexed, before realizing the problem: my incorrect assumption that the steam valve had been closed when I removed it from the bag. It was enthusiastically steaming the counter and putting very little effort into making coffee.

This morning was another adventure in fail, as I forced my poor little car through the snow storm to school for my second day of classes. I made it to the parking garage and then slogged around the pond and up the hill to the science building...only to find it locked. The school was closed, but since I forgot my phone on the kitchen table when I left, I couldn't call the snow line to find out.

As I was walking back down the hill and around the pond, I had to stop and turn out of the wind to let my forehead thaw, and I found a little hidden patch of pond that hadn't iced over. There were a dozen or so Mallard ducks swimming around in circles. I know their feet are insulated and don't have much in the way of nerves, but I still had to wonder how they stay warm in that freezing water. I'd think they would want to migrate like Canada geese, but I guess they don't fly well enough. They were certainly a cheerful sight in the snow, either way.