Last Blog Entry!

Comments I have made on other blogs:


1.  On Breanna's Blog - the entry was called, "Ergonomics" and it was dated 1/10/11.  Link: http://breannaquinn.blogspot.com/2011/10/ergonomics.html?showComment=1318901037815#c6191131207278835739

2.  On Stu's Blog - the entry was called, "Why I need my chickens" and it was dated 10/10/2011. Link: http://stupearce.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-i-need-my-chickens.html?showComment=1318899404782#c5025526249881394431


3. On Kylie's Blog - the entry was called, "Labour" and it was dated 9/10/11. Link: http://kylie009.blogspot.com/2011/10/labour.html?showComment=1318899805640#c6771693333630513731


4.  On Jazmine's Blog - the entry was called, "Aesthetics" and it was dated 23/10/11.  Link: http://participationinoccupationbyjaz.blogspot.com/2011/09/aesthetics.html#comments


5. On Hannah's Blog - the entry was called, "Final Baking Blog..." and it was dated 18/10/11.  Link: http://doweneedforks.blogspot.com/2011/10/final-baking-blog-bit-delayed-because.html?showComment=1318900519175#c6675460530102667118




Overall Reference List:

Collins, S. Timothy. (2011). Barista coffee humour.  Article Source, retrieved from:  http:/EzineArticles.com/5718631

Creek,J., & Lawson-Porter, A. (Eds.). (2007). Contemporary issues in occupational therapy. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Department of Labour Website (2010).  A guide to the health and safety in employment act 1992.  Crown Copyright.  Retrieved from: http://www.osh.govt.nz/law/hse.shtml. 


Mahy, M. (1988). The door in the air and other stories. London: JM Dent & Sons Ltd.  


Visser, M. (1992). The rituals of dinner. London: Viking, The Penguin Group.

Blog Entry #6 17/10/11

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS - When choosing my activity, I wanted to choose something that I felt passionate about as I thought that it would be easier for me to break down an activity that I was interested in.  Not only was I correct, but I also found it a learning experience breaking down the art of making coffee! I found out a lot about myself in relation to the task, and also a lot of which is really incorporated in the task that I had never thought about before.  As I work around 25-35 hours per week, it was a very practical activity to choose as I had plenty of time to carry it out and really break down the activity.


INTERPRETATION OF THE ACTIVITY - I believe that a lot of people who have not worked in hospitality, or know much about what being a barista involves, thinks that it is not hard to make a cup of coffee!  I was interested to find out, so I asked a few of my friends who I thought may have this belief, and sure enough, they thought that it can't be that hard and that they would be able to learn in a day or two who to do this activity.  It is interesting to hear other people's interpretations, and when I asked about making the patterns on top, one friend stated that she had watched a barista make her a coffee before and she just, 'wiggled the milk in to the coffee and it made a pattern.  Looked easy enough.'  Yet, when I have helped teach new staff at work how to make a coffee, it always takes them a couple of months before they are able to start making patterns!
As I have talked about previously in my blog, some people view coffee making as a part of their job, some people view it as simply a drink to enjoy and some people view it as a work of art.  I read a short story by Margaret Mahy (1988) called, "A Work of Art" (p. 36-49).  This story is about a mother who bakes her son a cake for his birthday and does a wonderful job of icing it.  It then gets noticed and is taken to a gallery as an art piece as it is so wonderful.  But in the end, of course it is eaten by her son and family and friends as, even though how wonderfully beautiful it was, it was a birthday cake and was meant to be eaten.
This relates very nicely to my activity because even though the coffees can be very pretty, they are made to be drank.  This quote is from the story by Margaret Mahy (1988) (p.43), which is about the cake but explain what I am saying in relation to making coffee very nicely;
"It is functional art - this cake is meant to be used, and yet the artist shows instinctive awareness of texture and balance.  She interprets the quality of cakeness and test her creation against traditional concepts."


Reference List

Mahy, M. (1988). The door in the air and other stories. London: JM Dent & Sons Ltd.

Blog Entry #5 - 10/10/2011

This week in class we looked at three headings called Labour, Work, and Play.  To focus on the activity of making coffee, I am going to focus on 'Play'.  I have talked about the enjoyment that I get out of doing this activity and this topic is an opportunity for me to elaborate on this.


PLAY - Although I go to my job of making coffee to earn money (labour), and I work and create (work), I also go to play! This week was rather quieter than usual, so I only had a few coffee's at a time to make.  This meant that I was able to take more time on making them than I would during busy times when there is a line of coffees to make and we are busy.  Quieter time = a couple of coffees to make at a time = experiment and play!!!
Since I did not have to rush, I took my time making the coffee's which was a lot of fun for me as I could experiment making new and different patterns on top, and it was also fun for the customers to receive their coffee which had a new and interesting look!
As it is Rugby World Cup time, I noticed that an Australian supporter had come in and ordered a latte.  I decided to make a statement in his coffee and show my support for the NZ team! I poured the milk slowly and wriggled it through the coffee, starting slowly and then got faster, and finally pulling the milk stream down through the middle of the pattern to make a 'silver fern'! I watched as the coffee was taken to his table and he let out a big laugh and said, "Look at that!! A silver fern!!" He looked over at me and asked, "Can you make a kangaroo next time!!".  I laughed back.  This really shows a type of play and fun you can have in the activity of making coffee, and it also draws back from the topic around communication and connection, bringing people together through laughter and humour.

Blog Entry #4 - 06/10/2011

SPIRITUALITY - Making coffee can not only just be a very spiritual experience for the customer/drinker, but it is also a spiritual experience for myself.
I love to do this activity when I have had a rough/busy/hard day studying or doing tech work, as making coffee sends me in to a rhythm I am familiar with and puts me at peace.  Even when there are many orders for coffee's and it gets busy, I am still in my zone where I am familiar with and rather enjoy the busy times.
I like to have a steady list of coffee orders to make, as the process soon becomes a nice rhythmic flow.
As for the receivers of my coffee, they too experience a sense of their own spirituality.  Some people drink coffee to calm them selves during a stressful day, others drink it to stimulate themselves and get ready for a busy day, and some people drink it simply to enjoy it.  People have often said to me that they look forward to the first sip of their coffee each morning as it helps to waken them up and gets them started for the day, Other's say that it has a very peaceful effect on them and drinking their barista coffee each day is their treat and time to relax.
Either way, I believe that coffee has a sense of meaning to all coffee drinkers, each to their own and it is a very spiritual moment for all drinkers, whether they choose to look at it like that or not.