Creating Monsters

Xperinece 81

I have a slight obsession with Giovanni’s and their espressos. Most of my friends and I suppose anyone reading this blog knows it (if you didn’t, now you know something new). The girls in the office are convinced I have a problem and made me a bit self-conscious of my apparent problem. So I have abstained for a while (the longest 40 days ever!).

Ronel then asked me to join her for a coffee at Giovanni’s, I rushed as quick as I could to my favourite deli. Like a true junkie, I had a quick one before Ronel arrived for her new xperience and Pandora’s Box is now wide open again.

I ordered for us, mostly by catching the barista’s eye and holding 2 fingers up in the air. In this bar, they know my poison. With a flourish I presented Cape Town’s best espresso to Ronel and was rewarded with a worthy reaction. Like a connoisseur she commented on the smell, colour amount of foam and lastly the taste, by this time I was zoned out and enjoying all this in my own little private coffee paradise (jeez, maybe I do have a problem?). As espressos go, they don’t last long. After the last sip Ronel gravely announced that Jason’s coffee just won’t do anymore and her eyes wandered again to the counter. At that moment I it came to me, I might have created a monster.

Her newly created monster status was confirmed when she ordered a cappuccino and I went for my 3rd (40 days people, 40 days), I decided to poke the monster and suggest we take a walk inside the deli when done with our coffees… I succeeded right there in making Ronel Main Monster (insert wicked laugh here).

The next day while I was enjoying my new book and espresso in the corner of Giovanni’s, I wondered if I should phone Ronel, to join me. I didn’t, thinking maybe I need to give her some time, for the poison to do its work. It turns out I didn’t have to worry, she was sitting in her apartment trying very hard to ignore the call of the perfect espresso.

My work is done here, let one of them point a finger again at my little habit…

 

Not even the kitchen sink would help…

Xperience 49 & 50

I’m sure I will be forgiven for sleeping the whole of Sunday, after partying like a Football Star on Saturday. Although this way of doing things doesn’t bode well for my challenge.

Monday I was invited for lunch at Yourstruly, a very nice little place on Long Street selling very good sandwiches. Unfortunately Yourstruly itself isn’t a new experience, but I haven’t tried their espresso yet. So sitting next to their counter on the sidewalk we were looking at the rain when I had the worst espresso (no 49). Please take note, an espresso should never be luke warm and watch the beans while you’re roasting them!

Mondays, in their essence are horrible days. Now please keep this in mind for the following. After working a bit later, I timed the intervals between the rain perfectly (bonus points for me), got to my car, pressed the alarm button and… Nothing. Perfect I thought. Blonds prevail, I’ve left my lights on again, but I didn’t. For once carrying everything but the kitchen sink in my bag paid off, I had the spare remote in my bag too.

So down the road I ran, back to the office to figure out what is wrong with this damn remote. What I didn’t have in my bag though was a screw driver and to be more precise, a phillips screw driver. After begging the security guards, they came up with a tweezers to help me. I know, major FAIL. I’m a chick with a bag and no tweezers… I’ll just return my status as a woman now.

My dad is an electrical engineer, so watching him play around the insides of a few radios and-what-not my sister and I broke over the years, I’ve learnt a few thing. But alas none of it would work, the remote…it is dead.

So what does a girl in distress do? Wait for a knight on a white horse? No sir. She phones her friend in a silver polo! Who needs men? Thanks Janine for rescuing me and then feeding me as well!

What’s the xperience? Jeez, do I have to point them out to you with a laser? How many time do I get to try to fix a remote with a pair of tweezers? So far only once.

 

Does a friend’s new experience count?

According to the rules, as set by me, NO!

But xperiencing a friend’s new xperience feels just as good. Giovanni’s is one of my favourite obsessions and one I indulge in when I’m in close range (about 15km radius). The office are tired of hearing me gush about their espressos, bread, food and actually just everything.

Today I dragged a friend with, her first Giovanni’s espresso and a quick walk through the deli later and Kim was converted. Needless to say the barista was really happy about a new pretty face around the counter.

Giovanni’s is by far not a new xperience, but I’m sure somewhere in their huge inventory I will find a list of new smells and tastes to add to my daily new xperience. Until the 10th I’ll just take as many friends with me to xperience Giovanni’s.