Note: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.
It was December 2005. I had spent the night – for the very first time, eek! – at my then-boyfriend’s place. In was an airy loft, with wall-to-wall windows and a homey setting that was unfamiliar and welcoming at the same time. In typical Lena fashion, I found myself wide awake at 6:00am. Next to me, my boyfriend slept soundly, no doubt enjoying a well-deserved Sunday morning sleep-in.
I tossed and turned. What time does he wake up? I wondered.
If it was say, 7:00am, I could deal. A quick bathroom break and a swish of mouthwash, and I could wait it out. But what if he was more like a 9:00am waker upper? Or – gasp – a nooner?
I mentally counted forward from our bedtime of 12:30am. 6 hours… 7 hours… surely I could bet he’d be awake in about an hour or two at the most…
8:15am. Still asleep.
8:56am. Oh! He scratched his cheek! And then turned over and resumed snoring.
9:32am. This. is. torture.
Inspiration struck. I could make coffee! I mean, who doesn’t wake up when the aroma of fresh coffee permeates the air, right? I tiptoed down the stairs (two-floor loft by the lake, ladies – yeah, there was a reason I reeled that fish in) and realized almost immediately that there was one flaw in my master plan: I had no idea how to make coffee.
So sue me! We had those K-Cup coffee things at the office, and my parents are tea drinkers, so I didn’t grow up with a coffee brewer. I considered the contraption on his countertop (which, looking back, was a very basic model compared to the rocket-science renderings today) and wondered if I could work it out based purely on a physical assessment.
1. Water reservoir: Easy enough. Just fill to the “fill line” indicator for 12 cups. Better safe than sorry!
2. Filter: Also, a piece of cake – except it took me 20 minutes to find them. WHO stores filters with their spices? Oh yeah, bachelor here.
3. Coffee grounds reservoir: Add 10 scoopfuls – that should be enough, right? Okay, add more. Going on the assumption that strong coffee is better than weak coffee. Press start. …