In case you didn’t know, JenEric Designs will be at Ottawa Comic Con!!! YAY.
We will be sharing booth 2700 with Renaissance Press and Gilove2Dance Designs.
We’ll have free coffee samples until we run out!
See you this weekend!
Hello,
Ottawa Comic Con is coming very soon. (Just typing those words sends a shiver of panic up my spine.)
This year JenEric Designs will be sharing a table with the awesome Renaissance Press, along with Gilove2dance.
One of my many new years resolutions was to bring our total amount of coffee flavours to 15. We’re a little closer to that goal now. Our two newest coffee flavours are:
They will be available at Comic Con along with our core flavours and a few other favourites:
And because decaf has proven to be popular we’ll also have three kinds of decaf:
As you can see we’ll have lots of coffee for you this year. Don’t forget that if you get to our table early enough we’ll have free samples.
I’m currently loving Minter’s Coming. What flavour is your favourite?
Éric
Good News! JenEric-Designs will be at this weekends Geek Market. It’s at the Sportsplex from Friday to Sunday.
We will be sharing booth 707 with the awesome Renaissance Press!
We went all out for this event and we have 6 flavours available! (Cinnamon, Coconut, Peanut Butter, Black Cherry, Chocolate, and Unflavoured.)
Due to popular demand we’ve also added 2 decaf flavours. (Peanut Butter, and Cinnamon.)
The Blush Kickstarter is soooo close to funded and we only have until Sunday at Midnight to make this thing a reality.
Come see us or Renaissance, this weekend, and pledge to the kickstarter! (We’ll make sure you can pledge.)
See you this weekend!
Éric
On Tuesday I talked about Conspiracy Theories. Today lets discuss real ones. The real conspiracies fuel our natural want to see patterns and be special.
Most of the real life conspiracies are based on not wanting to change the way we do things or products of advertising.
Take Multivitamins for example. They’re not bad for you but they’re not important. This is multivitamins and vitamin boosts. This doesn’t mean Folic Acid for pregnancy, vitamin D for SAD, or Iron for Anemia is bad. When recommended by a doctor they’re great.
Or take bottled water. Many people think it’s better than tap water and the companies selling them certainly want you to think that, but on average they’re not.
These are just a few examples of “real” conspiracies. They are not controlled by a giant body, but by people who want to be rich. There’s no giant Water Bottle Industry conspiracy to make our tap water less safe. That’s caused by human greed, poor management, poor regulation, and stupidity.
There are little conspiracies all over. From wanting the last cookie, to wanting you to BUY OUR COFFEE everyone has an angle or something they want from someone else.
If you want to test if a conspiracy is real or not remember to ask the most important question: Why?
Why would they perpetrate this hoax? Why would they control the world? Why would they try to control humanity with the contrails from planes?
From there, do your research and find out how it could be true. Apply the David Robert Grimes Method. It states that a conspiracy is less likely to succeed, the more people who are involved. Find credible sources and think critically.
Buzzwords are by far the most dangerous form of conspiracy. They sound good but are vague and never tell the whole truth. They are dangerous if you believe them unconditionally.
Some of the best examples of dangerous buzzwords are found in health. Superfoods, Toxins, Cleanse and Natural are some extremely common buzzwords that literally mean nothing.
A superfood isn’t from Krypton, but something that has higher than normal vitamin content. That’s it. It’s not a cure for cancer, not a cure for the common cold, not a cure for damage. Just a food that’s good for you.
A toxin is “a poisonous substance and especially one that is produced by a living thing” So unless you are eating jellyfish, the chances that your food is filled with toxins is highly unlikely. Everything that goes into your body might have poisons in it, probably in minute amounts. Nature has a way for you to detox that isn’t only free, but easy. It’s called your LIVER.
Cleanses are a way to detox your body. As slang for “Stop eating unhealthily” it makes sense. Of course fake doctors and idiots have commercialised it into something that is dangerous. Let’s make something clear: You can’t eat unhealthily and then “cleanse” to make yourself healthy again. That’s not how our bodies work. These detox cleanse diets aren’t healthy. They are fads that stress your body more than they help. They are the emotionally crippled children of the weight loss fad diets. You don’t need to know the garcinia side effects. Eat healthy regularly and you’ll feel better. Don’t pretend you’re Bacchus and think eating only soup for a month will repair damage.
Natural is a word that has such a vague meaning that it could mean anything. Nightshade is completely natural, as is the box jellyfish, but eating them can hurt you. Using Natural as a word to mean safe is ignorant of how we live our lives and of science. I’ve seen Natural on everything from bacon to tomatoes. It literally means whatever the advertiser wants it to mean.
When you’re trying to figure out what’s real:
For me I like to follow a few general rules:
And of course
What are your least favourite Real Conspiracies?
Later Days,
Éric
Hello Coffee People,
I’m still swamped by deadlines but I have a few coffee things that must be said…
Our newest flavour is Black Cherry and is one of my favourites.
You may be scoffing at the moment, but I’m completely serious. Unless you’re looking at making an espresso, cappuccino, or other slightly fancier drinks that the little coffee place down the street makes, there are only 5 steps to coffee.
If you have a drip coffee machine, it’ll do 1, 3, 4, and 5 for you. You can buy pre-ground coffee everywhere. (Full beans stay fresh longer though.)
I’m not talking about pod people…
Coffee pods are one of the most ridiculous creations of the 21st century. We took one the most simple processes in the world (See Above), made it needlessly complex and ridiculously wasteful.
They are so bad that even the creator regrets them. They have been called, melodramatically, the New Eco Villain.
You get the idea. The pods aren’t environmentally friendly. They can’t be recycled easily and even the alternatives aren’t great yet.
This applies to all pods by the way, not just Keurig.
For you to be able to pop a pod into a machine and press go, there needs to be a bunch of tech behind it. Add on anti-competition bar codes, wi-fi, blue-tooth, etc., and you now have a machine that dedicates most of its power to electronics, NOT COFFEE.
The more complex a machine, the harder it is to repair and the more likely it is to die. Pod machines are nearly impossible to fix.
Not only that, the average shelf life of a pod machine is significantly shorter than that of a regular coffee machine.
Pods are slightly cheaper than buying coffee at a coffee shop each day, but they are much more expensive than buying the beans. Per 8 ounce cup of coffee you’re paying around $1 for a pod, $1.25 for a coffee shop, 80 Cents for high end coffee beans, or 0.03 cents for standard coffee grinds. (Pre ground McDonalds, Tim Hortons, President’s Choice, etc.)
Even the standard coffee grinds make better coffee than the pods.
You’ll pay anywhere from 40+ for a pod machine and a regular brand name coffee maker will cost you about the same.
Let me tell you a secret. The best coffee makers are those with as little bells and whistles as possible. Heating water through a pump is the most power intensive part of a machine and the least draining is the heat plate under the pot.
You need to heat water to high temperature to release all the oils for flavour, but the more gizmos (Clocks, Alarms, Grinders, Wifi, etc) the less power the machine can use to heat the water, and a lot of companies will cheat and only heat the water a little and let the hot plate keep it warm.
That’s why the best coffee comes from cheap machines that have no bells and whistles or something like a French Press.
I personally love the President’s Choice brands of coffee maker from Loblaw’s. Mine is going on 8 years now and still making great coffee.
Feel free to disregard my opinion since I roast and sell coffee and will NEVER sell pods.
I’ve been drinking coffee for nearly 2 decades. I’ve almost tried everything but Kopi Luwak. I could be seen as a coffee snob.
I’ve tasted all the major pod machines. They’ve ranged from $40 to $600 and they’ve all been worse than regular coffee. (Granted the $600 one wasn’t terrible.)
None of them can compete with a French Press or a cheap drip coffee maker.
The answer is two-fold:
If you think I’m being mean to your pod machine and completely disagree with me that it makes sub-par coffee for way too much money, feel free to challenge me to a coffee duel.
I’ll put my $15 Loblaw’s’ machine with JenEric Gourmet Muggle Coffee against any pod machine and pod coffee you want. (We’ll of course film it, because that kind of drama is AWESOME!)
When I win you’ll buy at least 1 bag of coffee.
In the unlikely chance that you win, I’ll publicly admit I was wrong about which tastes better and buy you a box of your favourite pod coffee. (I will not admit I was wrong about the environmental impact, that’s fact.)
Are you willing to challenge me?
Éric?
Heading to South Korea? After seeing all these awesome little cafes, I just might go soon! Here are a few that I found that looked interesting to me!
The newest is Hogsmeade; a Harry Potter themed bar. It’s in North Gyeongsang Province, on the East coast of South Korea.
They have all sorts of Harry Potter-themed treats, including butterbeer and chocolate frogs, and if you haven’t gotten your house robes yet, you can buy them here, no matter which house you’re in. (As a Hufflepuff, I always find it difficult to get merch with my house, although stores are getting better!) The interior is stunningly decorated, and you might forget that you’re not actually in Hogsmeade!
221B is a very classy and elegant cafe in Seoul, with great attention to detail in the decor – check out the picture of the bathroom wallpaper! They have Sherlockian coffee and food items, including eggs Benedict. 😉 There’s a TV screen that shows the episodes on constant repeat. I wonder if they had a viewing party when the new episodes came out this year?
Monster Cupcakes in Seoul has sweet treats based on classic monsters. They haven’t posted any pictures on their Facebook page since 2012, but hopefully they’re still around!
Although not a cafe, the Doctor Who Pub & Grill in Anyang is a cute little place with subtle (and some not-so-subtle) nods to the British TV show, mostly through the decor. The food is not themed, or at least it wasn’t at the time of the article that I linked you to (April 2015). We can only hope they’ve added Whovian related foods to their menu now that it’s been around for a while.
There’s a cute little cafe called the Charlie Brown Cafe in Oebalsan-dong, Incheon Airport. The food, especially the pastries, is absolutely adorable, with images of the characters included in the edibles. You can also buy merchandise. The decor is mainly why I want to go here.
Of course there is a Hello Kitty Cafe. Actually, there are several throughout South Korea. The decor is adorable, the food is themed, and you can buy merchandise.
I hope you enjoyed this quick run-through of the themed cafes in South Korea! There are more that I didn’t talk about here.
If you’d like help booking a trip to South Korea.Jen has retired from working as a travel agent. Hope you’ve enjoyed Fandom Travel.
Hello my Imaginary Friends,
Today we have all kinds of news, exciting little news like tidbits. Yum, bitesize news!
After a tied vote and some soul searching, I have decided that this year’s serial story will be Wargrave Island. It’s a Murder Mystery Homage to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
Next week, if all goes well, I’ll have a list of characters on Tuesday and the second part on Thursday.
Speaking of stories… I have created a page with a listing of all the stories that have run on this blog. It’s an easy and convenient way to find new stuff to read. Each story or part of a story is between 500-1500 words, which is perfect for a washroom break or bus ride.
My publisher sent me edits to the first draft and now I get to work through them. I’m mildly intimidated by the 600 or so comments but I was expecting it. I should start today or tomorrow depending on work and other projects.
JenEric Designs will be participating in three to five events this year. The times and dates have been updated on our Events page.
If there’s an event you’d like to see us at feel free to contact us.
I’ve been working really hard on FADDS the past few weeks and I had a breakthrough. I’ve tweaked some rules and I think it’s finally close to ready, mechanically speaking. I’d say it’s at 80% done writing.
The next step after the rules are written and tested, is to go through the entire 60 page rulebook and standardize language, add explanation, rearrange rules into a more logical order, and finally submit it to a publisher.
It’s still a ways away but I’m hoping the rules will be finalized by end of summer and rewrites by Christmas.
Gah. This story is taking me forever. My issue is sitting down and writing it. I have the rest plotted out and I know how it ends. I just need to sit down and do it but I’m always distracted by something else…
Hoping to be done soon… Sigh.
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to develop 6 new flavours.
The first and an automatic addition to our Core Flavours is Muggle Coffee. It’s actually not a flavoured coffee. It’s the first, and probably only, unflavoured coffee that we’ll hold. It’s delicious.
Go check out our Coffees. They’re always available for commission.
As you can see I’ve been slacking off a little lately *sarcasm*. Between the stuff above, work, layout work, family, and friends ; I’ve been happily busy this year. Let’s hope I can keep up the pace.
Any questions about the stuff that JenEric Designs does? Anything we don’t do that you’d like to see?
Later Days,
Éric
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
This month I’ve received two publishing contracts for books I’ve submitted. They will be published by Renaissance Press!
Check out their website and like their Facebook page!
You’ll hear about any updates as I get them. I’m ridiculously excited!!!
They are a local Ottawa press that has existed for just under 3 years old and have roughly half a dozen authors in their catalogue and have also been publishing card games.
I’ve been constantly impressed by their professionalism and I look forward to working with them.
Release Date: 2016
This is the first book in the Elizabeth Investigates Series or Baker City Chronicles (Series title to be discussed with the publisher.) I’m hoping they’ll be interested in publishing the next ones in the series.
The Series will hopefully consist of:
This is all hopeful thinking. The publisher has only picked up the first one and I’ve only written the first three.
Release Date: Hopefully 2017
This is a stand-alone book and needs some serious re-writes which the publisher has gratefully offered to help with.
You have until 11:59 tomorrow night to cast your vote for this year’s Serial Story.
What story should move on to the last round?
Total Voters: 8
Loading ...The stories listed below with their first paragraphs.
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Scifi
Inspiration: Neverwhere
The café was full. Sandra had placed her backpack on the chair next to her pretending that she was saving it for someone. She had her headphones on, she had her phone on the arm of the plush chair and she had a paperback book in her hand. She wanted to be left alone to drink her overpriced and unpronounceable coffee. Her headphones were wireless and she wasn’t listening to music.
Genre: Murder Mystery
Inspiration: And Then There Were None
“Best Party Ever!” yelled Jonathan. His hair was thinning and starting to go grey, but he was unmistakable.
“Remind me why I came?” Riko asked her partner Ethan.
“Because this is your ten year high school reunion and you’re the youngest person to make Inspector in Ottawa police history.” Ethan smiled proudly, looking at the quickly approaching island.
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Inspiration: Firefly
It was the middle of the night and darker than Mac was used too. When the clouds covered the stars in the rural islands there were no magical or electric lamps. It wasn’t the first time he’d wished he could use a magical torch or those fancy darkvision glasses but magic didn’t work on or around him. He just kept following the speck of light ahead.
Thanks for reading!
Éric
Hello,
In the previous round The Cosmic Cuckoos was eliminated. This poll will last until Wednesday the 27th, at 11:59 pm. Vote quickly if you want your favorite story.
What story should move on to the last round?
Total Voters: 8
Loading ...The remaining competitors are listed below with their first paragraphs.
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Scifi
Inspiration: Neverwhere
The café was full. Sandra had placed her backpack on the chair next to her pretending that she was saving it for someone. She had her headphones on, she had her phone on the arm of the plush chair and she had a paperback book in her hand. She wanted to be left alone to drink her overpriced and unpronounceable coffee. Her headphones were wireless and she wasn’t listening to music.
Genre: Murder Mystery
Inspiration: And Then There Were None
“Best Party Ever!” yelled Jonathan. His hair was thinning and starting to go grey, but he was unmistakable.
“Remind me why I came?” Riko asked her partner Ethan.
“Because this is your ten year high school reunion and you’re the youngest person to make Inspector in Ottawa police history.” Ethan smiled proudly, looking at the quickly approaching island.
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Inspiration: Firefly
It was the middle of the night and darker than Mac was used too. When the clouds covered the stars in the rural islands there were no magical or electric lamps. It wasn’t the first time he’d wished he could use a magical torch or those fancy darkvision glasses but magic didn’t work on or around him. He just kept following the speck of light ahead.
Who will win? Murder Mystery, Urban Fantasy/Scifi, or Fantasy Adventure?
Éric
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
I have fantastic news…But First:
If you haven’t voted for this year’s serial story, Go Vote Now! There are currently only 3 votes and I know for a fact at least 5 people read the story…
I got word Friday that a publisher is interested in A Study in Aether. In fact I signed and returned the contract minutes ago. AHHHHHHHHHHHH! (I’m a little excited.) I can’t disclose too much information yet but once I can, I will let you all know.
For those who don’t remember or know; A Study in Aether was my second completed novel and one I’m very proud of. It’s the first in a, hopefully, nine book series. I’ve written the next two and I guess need to start cleaning them up.
I had so much help with this book and I appreciate everyone who’s followed it and me all the way along. Particularly I’d like to thank my wife, my father in law, Rob D., PY L., and Caroline F.
Ok. Now I have to get back to writing Everdome.
I’m so proud, nervous, and excited about this… eek!
Éric
