Roasting Coffee

Have you ever wanted to roast your own coffee? If you've ever tried the fresh-roasted kind, you know that it tastes and smells so good. My husband grew intrigued with the idea after learning that two of our friends have the same obscure hobby. So, to learn more about the process, we hosted a coffee roasting brunch on our balcony. It turns out there are several ways to do it.

First, you need to purchase your own raw beans. You can order them online from Sweet Maria's, for example. My husband tried roasting his own in a wok on our stovetop, which worked pretty well (instructions here).

One of our friends roasts his own using a heat gun (pictures 2 and 3).

Our other friend uses an old-school popcorn popper (fourth picture), which can be purchased on e-bay for about $20 (instructions here).

What do you think? Would you try it?

Everything Remotely Possible

Everything Remotely Possible. That is the name of the spreadsheet we made this weekend as a way of organizing our bid list--i.e., the list of 250 possible positions all over the world where we might be sent for my job. My husband named it before we started narrowing it down more precisely to positions that fit our timing and training limitations, but the name stuck and I like it. Now we are starting to research the countries themselves and imagining ourselves living at each one. The funny thing is, we don't have very much control over it. We list our preferences and that's it, it's out of our hands. For less than a month, the world is our oyster. And then we will be assigned one position off the list and it will start to sink in that this is really happening.

I'm embarrassed to admit that some of the cities I had to look up to find out which country they were in. I would have failed Carmen Sandiego (oh to be awesome like this kid). Where would you go if you could live anywhere for two years?

Eating with friends

I wanted to share with you an online magazine that I am very excited about. It is called Kinfolk Magazine: A Guide for Small Gatherings. The creative minds behind Hearblack--a blog I have been following for some time--are on the editorial staff.

Here is an excerpt from their manifesto:

We recognize that there is something about a table shared by friends, not just a wedding or once-a-year holiday extravaganza, that anchors our relationships and energizes us. We have come together to create Kinfolk as our collaborative way of advocating the natural approach to entertaining that we love.

Although their print magazine is already sold out, the beautiful electronic version is free for browsing on a computer or iPad. I am already impressed by the content, which includes stunning photography, insightful essays on entertaining, and ideas for parties both small and large at various times of the day. Some chapters include links to videos. The entire endeavor is extremely well-executed. My husband and I love cooking and spending time with friends, so we will be turning to this great resource for inspiration. Take a moment to check it out yourself!

www.kinfolkmag.com

Goals Realized

Here is the final project from my watercolor class. As you may recall, taking a watercolor class was one of my resolutions for 2011.

This project was literally inspired by the work of This Paper Ship.

Goat cheese, I would celebrate you any day

This week we celebrated a local holiday called Shavout. The holiday is all about the harvest, the ten commandments, and the consumption of copious amounts of cheese. To celebrate, we drove to a famous cave where a family makes fresh goat cheese. Below you will see the cheese we sampled and the goats themselves. Yummy!

Unrelated, but I also got a really short haircut!

The Foreign Service Oral Assessment

From time to time I get questions from friends or followers of my blog about the third stage of the Foreign Service Exam: The Oral Assessment.

My best advice for the Orals is to make sure that you don't over-think it. Have you read much about how it is organized? On the State Department Careers website, you can read about the 13 dimensions that the testers look for.

There are three major parts to the Oral Assessment: a group exercise, individual interviews, and a timed writing test. The group exercise is the one that probably needs the most explanation.

The group exercise is a simulation of what it is like to work in a group in an Embassy. The group has to decide which projects get funded (or some similar scenario) while the testers sit in the corners of the room taking notes. Before I took the test, I had heard that it was a good idea to volunteer to be timekeeper, notekeeper, moderator, etc. But I actually didn't volunteer for any of those roles, and my project did not get "selected," so don't believe everything you read on the internet. It's how you act and articulate that really matters. Think about the pros and cons of your project and explain them clearly and carefully. I noticed that many people during the group exercise had a lot of trouble expressing themselves. One thing I did was ask other people for clarification. I took notes while other people were speaking. And I made sure that my body language was open (you know, facing the people talking, nodding, etc.). The group exercise is not just about making a speech and then "phew its over." You need to be engaged the whole time, but not in a bossy and aggressive way.

I imagined, if I were posted to some small African country, who would I want to be stuck with? This is probably going through the testers minds. I've sat in on some real-life grants meetings where people are arguing which projects should get funded--so the skills you demonstrate in this test will be applicable in the job. You want to show that you are not only articulate and smart, but also a good listener and a well-balanced person. I know it sounds goofy, but it helped me to think about it that way.

For the day of the test, I packed my own lunch, and I was glad that I had brought something healthy to eat. Some people bring snacks for their fellow testers. Don't do anything that is severely out of character, but do what will make you the most comfortable. A lot of people chatted with each other in between tests (the tests are short and intense and there is a lot of down time), but I sat and read a magazine to decompress.

I hope this helps and good luck to you, dear friends!! If you have any more questions please let me know.

Top Image "Atlas Paper Pinwheels" by Betsy Ryan Hany on Etsy

Dry Shampoo

I have a confession: I'm not a morning person. And anything that lets me sleep in a little longer is my new best friend. Lately (as in, for almost a year) I have been reducing the frequency of washing my hair. It may sound gross, but it's not! And my hair has never been healthier (my hairstylist said this also).

I've been hearing a lot about dry shampoo on the blogosphere, so I decided to purchase some by Oscar Blandi. I love it!!!! It smells great, gets rid of grease, shine, and bed head (key for someone with short hair like me).

I highly recommend it. Oscar Blandi is a good brand, but I'm sure there are others. Have you tried it? Any thoughts? How often do you wash your hair?