to grind (and brew), or not to grind (and brew)

long ago, i got married.

well, it's not that long ago -- three years on tuesday, to be precise.

the best part about the marriage? being allowed to register for gifts.

:)

i mean, come on. where else but in marriage (or possibly in first-baby-hood) do you get to pick out expensive presents, and then people you invite to the wedding are obliged to buy it for you? i mean, come on! it's like the totally greatest scam ever.

and the crowning jewel from our registry -- the thing that set my heart aflutter -- was our kitchen aid mixer. it's been used and abused for three years, and it's still going strong. in fact, i'm going to use in here in a few minutes to make a peanut butter pie and maybe even some pudding.

the second greatest registry item, at least for me, was the cuisinart 10-cup grind and brew coffeemaker that my sister got me. all shiny and brushed metal-y, with the grinder that sounds like a jet engine, and the coffee that stays warm all damn day ... it was the first thing i tried, and i used it every morning.

i say "used" because about a year into its life, it decided that i only really needed three cups worth of water brewed, even though i had poured in far more water than that. so i'd turn it on again, and it'd do something like two more cups, and then decide that, really, all i needed was five cups worth ... rinse and repeat a few more times, and i'd have a full pot of coffee.

we took it back to the registry place and got a replacement -- which, about a year later, did the exact same thing.

had i done any research whatsoever, i'd have seen that the cuisinart grind and brew blows goats. looks like i'm not the only one who hates this piece of crap ...

I've had my brewer for less than a year, and it just completely quit working this morning. That's what prompted me to finally write a reveiw of this monster! That, and the fact that it performed oral sex on a goat that was wandering through my kitchen this morning.

note: I may have embellished this a bit

this time, though, i'd had it with the grind and brew, so we just got a store credit and went to costco to get this coffeemaker and this burr grinder. If eOpinions.com can be trusted, my new coffeemaker will kick total ass in the mornings, without any messy sexual relations with farm animals -- but the grinder, alas, will keep the sheep milling around outside my garage door.

as kent brockman would say, "only time ... will tell."