First I got too close to the Great Yowling. This is never a good way to start your day.

I can be such a gentle, newfound peaceful soul. No, really. It comes with practice, and I have the yowling to thank for motivation. Sometimes it expands suddenly from beyond the mountains like the flash of an unholy bomb, telling me I have some seconds yet to duck before the shock wave hits—at other times, it’s only barking in the night. The metaphors will have to do for now, but just you wait.

And while you do, how about some coffee??

This, the other bookend to my day, is keeping me awake with stark biological efficiency. What happened was, just for the fun of it, I fired up the new stovetop percolator I bought last week in Solano. (You should go to Solano and ponder the immense mystery of those words…) In so doing, I have rediscovered coffee.

I knew how to set up the device, but as soon as it started to perc, I realized I didn’t know how long to let it go. A quick Google detour gave me information that I read wrong and applied, but all worked out well in the end. Apparently I could have brewed it longer, but the main thing is, coffee brewed this old-fashioned way gets you HIGH! I can’t believe how zinged I am three hours later, and I swear it wasn’t strong or bitter.

A little research revealed that there are something like 250 identifiable compounds in roasted coffee beans, and that most of these require an extended period at high temperature—though not boiling— to be released. This is absolutely covered by the five to seven minutes recommended for a perc, but the quick wash-through of drip coffee reportedly releases only six of these same compounds! Good Lord, how much coffee have I been wasting? And look: no filters! (No “Dammit, no #6s again!”) No filter cone! Easier to pack!

Whether any of this is true or not, I’m not the one to say. But damn, chilluns, the brew is good. Not too strong or harsh at all, just bloody powerful, and it tastes fabulous. Maybe piss-ant drip coffee is all that’s wrong with the world. What I had tonight makes me want to go thrash some pistons and drive real fast. That would fix a few things, right?

I may never sleep again, but I think it’s worth it.

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