7 In the Ocean Goes to Midway

May 3, 2012 - 2 Responses

Ready?

OK, now that we’ve all freaked out, let’s take a breath. *Exhale*

After about 2 weeks, it’s finally starting to sinking in and I can finally broadcast the news: I’m going to Midway. Not only am I going to Midway, I’m going there for 4 months. 4 whole months!!!

For those of you who are plastic-pollution aficionados or are really into albatross, you’ll understand my excitement about being able to go to this pristine, far-removed place, full of so much history and beauty. Due to its location, Midway has a huge plastic pollution problem, with all of the debris found on the beaches and reefs coming from elsewhere, off the island. Just seeing all that waste is going to be heart-wrenching, I know, but also totally humbling and inspiring. This is not the only reason I’m psyched to be going.

During my stay on Midway, I won’t just be a passerby. I’ll be a volunteer, working with Fish & Wildlife biologists on habitat restoration, seabird monitoring, marine debris removal and other miscellaneous projects as needed. This is when I get excited all over again. It’s going to be hard work, and grueling at times, but who cares? I’m going to learn so much. I can’t wait!

So please, if you’d like to stay updated on the goings-on, consider subscribing to my blog or at least bookmarking it and feel free to share the link with anyone else you think might be interested. I’ll do my best to keep you guys updated! :-)

Departure Date: May 30th, 2012

Return Date: September 27th, 2012

27 days and counting!

Midway Atoll

My Bodum Experience

April 23, 2012 - Leave a Response

While cleaning out the grounds from a recent French Press, I being my usual spastic self, somehow managed to chip and crack the glass beaker of the press. I was not happy. It wasn’t my French Press to break and now I had a fully functional lid and handle to go with a destroyed beaker. I pulled out my wallet and went to Bodum’s website, fully prepared to buy a whole new setup.

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The wonderful Shin Bistro French Press!

Then I got the best surprise ever. It turns out, Bodum has a whole section on their site devoted to replacement parts. Everything is on there, down to the last screw and mesh filter. After a quick search to find the right size, I was able to find a replacement glass beaker and purchased it on the spot. It arrived yesterday and I enjoyed a delicious French Press along with some homemade banana bread. In the future, I will be much more careful when composting those coffee grounds…

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Replacement Glass Beaker

So that’s the good news. The semi-frustrating bit is that Bodum is definitely making a killing on this replacement parts thing. The beaker we ordered was $20 with $7.95 for shipping and handling. A brand-new all-parts-included Shin Bistro Coffee Maker (pictured above) is only $30, which makes it tempting to buy a whole setup. Someday I’d love to see companies charge less for replacement options, but if spending that $27 means not wasting perfectly good pieces (i.e. the lid and handle of our existing press) and not buying new materials, then I’ll fork over the extra dough.

Side note: they also sell a plastic replacement beaker, for $22. Which is awesome for 2 reasons: a) it creates a small demand for glass and b) coffee would taste terrible and brew horribly in a plastic carafe. Glass carafes are a win:win for Bodum and make for very satisfied customers (read: a household who craves French Press on Sunday mornings).

To top it all off, their tagline is “Make Taste, Not Waste.”

I like that. :-)

*All Photos courtesy of the Bodum website!

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