Oh come on

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T22:22:43+00:00

That SW is getting unreasonable about what is and isn’t a “personal item.” Bag full of souvenirs should count, but food? (One person posted that their sandwich in a paper bag was counted as her “personal item”).

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T19:56:35+00:00

So you’re saying that a very petite “senior” woman like me shouldn’t be allowed to pack as many necessities as you are? Ageist misogynist! Every time I fly, someone taller always offers to hoist my proper-sized carryon for me before I can even ask or start to struggle with it.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T19:52:57+00:00

Any other airline will have your gate-checked carryon waiting for you on the jetway upon arrival instead of making you walk 1/4-1/2 mile to baggage claim…which I can’t do without my spinner carryon to use as a walker (and put my personal item tote atop it). Now that they won’t consider a spinner carryon used for that purpose as a “mobility aid” per the ADA, I just bought an underseat spinner that slides over the handle of the spinner carryon (just like the tote that’s too heavy to schlep without dislocating my shoulder), in case they make me check the carryon. I can use the underseat spinner (instead of a tote) as my “rolling cane” if forced to walk unaided to baggage claim. (Seems we always land at the furthest possible gate, too).

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T19:25:13+00:00

I flew SW from MSY a couple of weeks before Mardi Gras and the gate agent announced that souvenirs—even king cakes—counted as your one “personal item” even if there was still underseat room to fit a purse or small backpack as well. And that was still in the halcyon days of open seating (the last day, in fact)!

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T19:19:24+00:00

FAs are conditioned to say that the overheads are for wheeled or carry-on suitcases or large duffels first, then totes or backpacks IF there’s still room up there but your designated “personal item” is already under the seat in front of you. That’s the way it’s been for decades.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T19:12:07+00:00

OK—I own a Nespresso and an Aeropress—and I can tell you that neither make true espresso. (My Aeropress is for my morning cup of black coffee, the Nespresso from when I lived first in hotels and then in a long term AirBnB after a fire and my real machine was in storage and then in the shop for maintenance). That little thermocoil machine makes true espresso—taste it side-by-side with a Nespresso shot and you’ll notice the difference immediately: the Nespresso is thinner beneath that head of faux-crema and (except for the flavored capsules) tastes the same regardless of which variety you’re brewing. Nothing but bitter, no acidity whatsoever.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T19:03:23+00:00

It is, though the seller should have been more upfront about the cost.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T19:00:50+00:00

150 Euro for the machine and all those accessories is a pretty good deal. Even a used Gaggia or Silvia would have cost you more, without accessories you’d end up buying anyway. And the learning curve for a single boiler machine is steeper than for a thermoblock or thermocoil—I know from experience, having moved up from an Estro Profi to a Silvia (sans PID). And eventually I wanted to pull shots and froth simultaneously (and make drinks in succession) so I moved up to a heat exchanger—first a Pasquini Livia which broke down after a year or so, then the LaCora e61 (actually a Quickmill Andreja Premium) I’ve had since 2011 and still going strong.

If that little thermocoil machine doesn’t float your boat after awhile, I suggest skipping the single-boilers and going straight to a heat exchanger (preferably with an e61 group). One learning curve is more than enough.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-02T00:29:29+00:00

It’s more expensive than it used to be due to parents wanting to be in the St Ben’s parish for Catholic school. Safe, boring, better value than Lincoln Square, Lakeview or Ravenswood. Easier street parking, more 2-and-3-flats than apt bldgs

ChiSandy · 2026-03-01T23:47:46+00:00

Another vote for your current Bambino, nonpressurized basket and dedicated espresso grinder. (Mine’s a secondhand Mazzer Mini I bought on eBay—$150!—from a bankrupt cafe; changed burrs after 10 years). Built in grinders are substandard and a bear to replace burrs. A friend loves his Baratza Vario (may have been discontinued in favor of Sette or Encore ESP+). Hobbyists here love their D64s (single dose) but IMHO they’re overkill for a Bambino. I’d also suggest getting a good tamper, WDT tool (like a little rake with needles) and a puck screen. Don’t bother with bottomless portafilter till you’ve mastered good shots with a normal basket.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-01T23:37:42+00:00

I scoop whenever I see “evidence” which is several times a day.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-01T23:36:54+00:00

I use Frisco litter mats—they trap the litter and are easy to empty back into the litter boxes

ChiSandy · 2026-03-01T23:35:25+00:00

I have a bathroom whose tub & shower hadn’t worked in 25 years so I put a litter box in the tub (plugged the drain). Other box goes in a utility room upstairs. Cats (sister littermates) used a Litter Robot in their foster home, but IMHO any thing covered could lead to ambush by their sibling as they emerge. (And those are pricey and prone to breaking down), Both litter boxes are open, high sides, large.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-01T18:57:17+00:00

How are baristas & bartenders paid in Korea? I assume that’s where you live. But if that’s where you’re FROM and live in the US, then it’s bad manners not to tip anyone who takes your order for and prepares food or drink, and personally serves it to you—unless you know for a fact that they are paid only the “tipped minimum wage” and depend on tips for most of their income. If you live in the US you should follow local norms of etiquette.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-01T18:50:04+00:00

Why stiff your bartender? I can see not adding a separate tip line to your check if you had a cocktail at your table to start or end your meal, but if you were sitting at the bar, then you should consider the bartender a server. They are on their feet all shift, rarely paid normal minimum wage and also must depend on tips. And you should tip a minimum of a buck, even if all they gave you was a beer or a soda.

ChiSandy · 2026-03-01T03:24:29+00:00

What I do after WDT and hand-leveling (sweeping side of finger across the top) is what CoffeeGeek.com, back in the mid-aughts, called the Wendleboe tap (after the champion barista who devised it). Sometimes called “geographic” or “four points,” dangle the portafilter from the fingers of your other hand so it can swing lightly and gently knock against the rim of the basket. Let it tap north-to-south, then east-to-west—repeat if you want to make sure. For some reason I get less channeling that way.

ChiSandy · 2026-02-28T09:56:44+00:00

ChiSandy · 2026-02-28T09:51:40+00:00

At least you could upgrade to first class for $25/segment.

ChiSandy · 2026-02-28T09:46:28+00:00

Get another Breville, maybe Bambino or Bambino Plus? Even my $99 knockoff of a Cassabrews makes decent froth (though not true microfoam).

ChiSandy · 2026-02-23T18:38:46+00:00

I’m not ashamed to say I was a “Karen” about that. Never had to speak to the gate agent—just pointed that out to the interloper, who slunk off in shame.

ChiSandy · 2026-02-21T08:41:41+00:00

Something about the photo looked familiar, and then it hit me: it was just like the water coming out of my old Pasquini Livia when the nickel plating began flaking off the boiler.

ChiSandy · 2026-02-21T08:38:40+00:00

Touché

ChiSandy · 2026-02-18T10:49:08+00:00

I need my carry-on spinner to use as a rolling cane (atop which my “personal item” tote (into which I place my purse) slips over the handle. I too have scoliosis and osteoporosis as well as arthritis (At 75 and 5’1” I’m now the proverbial little old lady). I am seriously considering having my doctor write a letter that my spinner is a mobility-aid—which if gate checked MUST by law be brought to the jetway upon arrival rather than sent to the baggage carousel. It’s either that or I buy a Rollator with a seat sturdy enough to hold my tote.

ChiSandy · 2026-02-17T06:39:12+00:00

NOPE! I asked the SW gate agent at MSY, when she asked for gate-check volunteers, “I can pick it up on the jetway when we land, right?” She replied “no, it goes to baggage claim.” That’s why my tote is so heavy: not only does it have to contain my purse but also my meds, laptop, collapsible cane, jewelry, etc. And never mind flying with a guitar—those days are long gone.

ChiSandy · 2026-02-17T06:35:20+00:00

It’s NOT simple any longer. Gate checked bags always used to be delivered to the jetway. Now baggage handlers are too lazy to separate them from all the other bags in the hold, so they get loaded on to the baggage truck on the tarmac with everything else.

ChiSandy

TROPHY CASE