Affordances Continued

This week in class we continued to look at affordances in relation to our activities. In particular, we broke down our activities into three new and different headings, aesthetics, spirituality and health. These three aspects contribute to the meaning of and help to shape the way we view our activities.

Aesthetics is defined as “of or concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste” (The Free Dictionary, 2011). In regards to coffee, aesthetics can refer to the presentation, the way it smells, the texture, the taste and even the colour. All the things that make it appealing to you and the way that it meets (or doesn’t meet) your expectations. Not only this, but aesthetics can also include things like the way the environment/café looks, the way that it sounds (e.g. noisy or not, music playing) and the satisfaction that you can get from spending time communicating to whoever you share the coffee with.

When I think of spirituality, I think of religion. Spirituality in this sense, however, is much broader than just religion and it takes into account individuals thoughts and beliefs. It can be about how one feels they are connected to the world through the activity or the spiritual elements the activity may bring about. Examples of ways going out for coffee can be spiritual include things like having a celebratory coffee, when people go out for birthdays or to mark an occasion. Connection to history as going out for coffee may be a ritual. It can also make people feel accepted by being invited/included and knowing that they are part of a group. Coffee can be used as a way of caring for others, taking them out and shouting them. And lastly, going out for coffee can make people feel that they are connected in this world by sharing experiences with others.

Lastly, we need to consider the health aspects of drinking coffee. I’m sure that there is much debate over whether caffeine and drinking coffee is good for you or not and I’ll go into that a bit deeper later on, but one things for sure is that coffee definitely isn’t good for your teeth! If you want to keep them white that is! Its one thing that I know I always worry about and am conscious of. Other aspects include that going out for coffee can be therapeutic, it can help people to relax and it can trick your brain into staying awake! Coffee can also be altered to fit diet restrictions, for example those who can’t drink trim or full milk can have soymilk instead! Most cafes accommodate for this now, as it’s so common!

Alright, so back to the effects of coffee on health, Payne (2009) states that “regular coffee consumption may reduce the risk of health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and liver cancer and regular coffee drinkers might even live longer” (para. 1). It’s hard to know how much if this is actually true and I’m sure more research is needed in the future but current research and most health websites agree with the statement. Payne (2009) also states that its important to remember that coffee is not purely caffeine, it has a lot of other components (such as antioxidants and fiber) and it’s these components that are thought to account for some of coffee’s health benefits. On the other hand, the downsides of coffee include that the caffeine is used most widely as a mood-altering drug and that it can increase blood pressure (Payne, 2009). In saying this, however, the bottom line is that for most people there’s nothing bad about having a cup or two of coffee a day, we just have to make sure that its in moderation and we don’t go extremely overboard on the caffeine!

In conclusion this week I’d like to leave you with a poem I chose this certain poem as I think that Karie Lesley summed it up pretty well when she said that coffee is more than just a drink, that in fact drinking coffee IS a way of life. Her poem illustrates that coffee can be extremely meaningful and is often a big part of peoples lives. I know that going out for coffee is a big part of my life and always has been one of my all-time favorite activities!

Coffee, My Old Friend


An aroma that fills the room with warmth brewing gently, steady and calm.


Two friends together in stolen moments sharing soul, heart, life.


Weaving through the years
like a fine delicate lace.


The design unravels details,
simplicity, sometimes flaws.
And even still, meshing together
bonded by each cup.


The tenderness of solitude
occassionally with a good book.


As I take the first sip
of the first cup
I realize again that I am blessed.


To share this cup with such a friend,
sometimes it being only me.


So much more than flavor, roast or blend...
A way of life.

References:

The Free Dictionary. (2011). Aesthetic. Retrieved October 12^th 2011, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/aesthetic

Lesly, K. (n.d.). Coffee, my old friend. Retrieved 12^th October 2011, from http://cocoajava.com/java_poetry.html

Payne, J. W. (2009). Is coffee bad for you? Actually, drinking coffee may be good for you. Retrieved 14^th October 2011, from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/heart/articles/2009/06/25/is-coffee-bad-for-you-actually-drinking-coffee-may-be-good-for-you

Story #3

As I was walking into a café to meet a group of friends for an evening coffee date I suddenly realized that this would be my third coffee for the day…addicted much? Oh well, the only thing I was really worried about was the effect that the coffee might have on my teeth! Inside, I found the group of girls I was meeting and we ordered our drinks up at the counter. It was noted how cheap the coffee was here, $3.50 for a decent sized cappuccino was almost unheard of in this day and age. After briefly scanning the café we spotted an empty booth that we were to make ours for the next few hours!

The atmosphere inside the café was warm and busy and particularly noisy. I guess that it was just the after dinner rush. It was also extremely familiar as it was a place that I had been to many times over the past years two years I’d spent in Dunedin. It was the café that I went to on my very first day of study, as it was the only café close enough that my friend and I could find at the time! A lot had changed since then, but the purpose of coming to this place was still the same, to have a break and to get a good coffee!

Once we were all settled in our wee booth the conversations flowed. The group dynamics were a little odd, as some of us knew everyone there and others only knew a select few. This didn’t seem to matter though and we all had managed to find connections to each other in one way or another. I guess that’s one of the great things about having coffee in a bigger group of people, no matter how well you know everyone, you all at least have coffee as a common interest!

As our drinks arrived, presented beautifully I might add, we all quieted down to take our first sips and scoop the foam off the top with our spoons. Whilst messing up the swirling chocolate design on the top of my coffee it made me think about how coffee making really is a bit of an art. Some cafes just sprinkle a little chocolate on top of their cappuccinos, whereas other cafes, like this one, create a nice-looking design on top. This definitely makes the drink more appealing!  

As we all sat there content with our coffees the conversations continued. The noise level had risen considerably, however, as a large group had come in and sat down at the long table next to us. Consequently, we all had to lean in to the middle of the table, forming a small circle of heads above our coffee cups, in order for us to actually be heard above the chatter. From then on the time flew by and before I knew it, it had been an hour since our drinks had been drained and it was time to head home. Other groups of people had come and gone and we all had work/study eagerly waiting for us. We made vague plans to meet again sometime soon before saying our goodbyes and “thankyous” to staff as we ventured out.

Walking to my car and on the way home I couldn’t help but replay the evening and acknowledge how sometimes it was outings like these that kept me sane. It was over coffee that the best conversations are had, best advice is given and new memories are made. Our coffee date tonight brought us all together and for a short few hours gave us all a break away from the stressors study and just life in general. It gave us a chance to relax, have a few laughs together and wind down from the day that had passed. And of course we all had a wee caffeine boost that would surely help us stay up longer and do more work! This was always a good thing in my books and I looked forward to our next date already.

Affordances

An affordance can be defined as the “quality of an object, or an environment, which allows an individual to perform an action” ("Affordance", 2011) It can also be defined as “a visual clue to the function of an object” ("Affordance Definition", 2011). Many definitions for the word ‘affordance’ have developed over the years and these are just two examples that I have chosen that fit to the discussions we have had around affordances this semester. When you break it down and get to the heart of it, affordances are really just what the activity brings about. In class, we broke down affordances into three sections and used these to analyse our activities. These were: communication, connections and the good and bad aspects.

Going out for coffee provides the perfect occasion for communication. This week, as detailed in the story below, my activity gave me the opportunity to catch up with friends by sharing and talking about what we had all been up to. We also laughed and joked together, advised each other on things we were struggling with and made plans for the summer holidays. Through our conversations the caring nature we had towards each other was displayed and it made us all realize how grateful we were to have the time to catch up together. In my opinion, some of the best and most meaningful conversations take place over cups of coffee.

This weeks outing also gave us the chance to connect and continue to bond as friends. It also provided the opportunity to create new memories together and grow in our relationships with each other. This in turn gave us all a sense of belonging, knowing that we were a part of a good group of friends. When we’re talking about connections, we’re also talking about how one activity leads to the next. This date (as well as a lot of coffee dates), lead to making future plans to meet together for another date next time we were all home at the same time.

The good and bad aspects of this activity could work out to be a lengthy list, so I have just pulled out a few keys aspects to keep it short and sweet. Some of the good aspects of this activity include that it gives people time out, it can be relaxing, coffee tastes nice and is satisfying and that it can happen almost anytime at any place (restaurant or café that is). Some of the bad aspects of this activity include that coffee can be addicting and unhealthy if you have too much. Also, most of the people I go out with are students with little money so we all have to be careful about what we spend and a few coffees a week add up pretty quickly.

When looking at affordances and after having coffee with close friends this week it reminded me of a certain TV show where a group of friends meet together to have coffee on a regular basis. ‘Friends’ is a TV show that I’m sure many of us all know and love. At some point throughout nearly every episode of this TV series the core members of the cast are shown in their local coffee house ‘Central Perk’ as it is one of the main settings in the show. Here, they drink coffee, chat, argue, work, meet others, and make plans as well as other activities. Ultimately, however, they just spend time together drinking coffee.

“Phoebe: I'm going to get a coffee. Anybody want anything? 


Monica: I'll have a latte. 


Ross: I'll have a blueberry muffin, with a decaf. 


Chandler: I'll have a bagel with a little- 


Phoebe: You know I was just being polite!” (“Friends Quotes”, 2004).

All these scenes in friends illustrate perfectly how going out for coffee can be a time for many different things. In particular, the characters show how coffee can be a time to just get together and have a laugh, a time to help solve each other’s problems, a time to reflect on the past and a time to make plans and look forward to the future. They are all such good friends at times they don’t even have to talk, they can just sit there and enjoy each others company whilst reading the paper or doing other things, they are still connecting, however, as they are spending time doing the activity together. Throughout all of the ‘Central Perk’ scenes one thing is evident, how going out for coffee is an expected and routine part of their friendship. Over the years, the group of six have spent so much time having coffee at this place that it goes without saying that this is where they plan to go in the very last scene of the final episode of the show.

 “Rachel: Do you guys have to go to the new house right away or do you have some time?

Monica: We've got some time.

Rachel: Ok, should we get some coffee?

Chandler: Sure. Where?” (“Memorable Quotes”, 2004).

So, as you can see, going out for coffee provides the opportunity for more than just drinking the coffee itself! Over the next few weeks I will continue to break this activity down and draw out more of what going out for coffee provides us with as well as more of what it means to me!

References:

Affordance. (2011). Retrieved October 12, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affordances

Affordance Definition. (2011) Retrieved October 12, 2011, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/affordance

Friends Quotes. (2004). Retrieved October 18^th 2011, from http://www.livesinabox.com/friends/quote.shtml

Memorable Quotes for Friends (2004). Retrieved October 17^th, 2011, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0583434/quotes

Story #2

I was at home in Christchurch for the weekend and had planned to meet two friends for coffee before I left to head back down to Dunedin. It was Sunday morning, father’s day actually, and my small hometown of Sumner was buzzing with people. Most of the local restaurants were full as a result, limiting our choice of venue!

This didn’t matter, however, because as I was walking through the village with one friend the other that we were meeting informed us via text that she had found us a table at one of the local cafes Dot Com. Sounded perfect to me, I knew it was nice and that they always made good coffee! As we arrived we found her sitting at a table outside in the sunshine, an obvious choice of seating on a beautiful day like today!

It was so nice to see the girls again; it had been awhile as we all lived in different cities for study. It was rare that we were all home at the same time as our holidays always fell on different weeks. Anyway, we saved the table by leaving some gear on it and headed inside to order. This didn’t take long as we had all pretty much decided what we wanted before we got there! We paid and headed back to our table in the sun where without delay the sunglasses came out and the chatter and catch-ups began!

The sun was so beautiful and it actually felt like summer for once. This of course as it always did lead to discussions about our summer holiday plans. I think it was safe to say we were all counting down the weeks until we could go. When our drinks were delivered, two coffees and a smoothie, the chatter died down as we sipped away. This didn’t last long, however, and we soon got back to reminiscing over last years holiday and making plans for this years one!

The coffee today was rich and creamy, just how I like it. There was something about café coffee, it always tasted so much better then the ones I tried to make with the coffee machine at home! This was always one of my justifications in telling my self that it was ok to go out and buy so many coffees each week!

As we continued to drink I found myself thinking how nice it was that this coffee date had bought us girls together again after what had felt like so long. I thought back to the last time we had all been together in Wellington, there too we went out for coffee and sat in the sun chatting for hours. This time, however, we didn’t have a whole afternoon to waste away as we all had things to do and places to go soon afterwards. We drank slowly as a result, prolonging the time we had to spend in the sun together.

Eventually though, our time had run out and we really did have to go. Full and satisfied we left the café and said our goodbyes, already looking forward to the next time we would see each other. Looking back it was clear that we did indeed make the most of the time we had together, made the most of the sunshine, and of course made the most of enjoying the coffee!

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is defined as “an applied science concerned with the characteristics of people that need to be considered in designing and arranging things that they use in order that people and things will interact most effectively and safely” (“Ergonomics”, 2011). Generally, however, when I think of ergonomics all I can think about is posture and sitting safely at a work desk, but really it’s much more than that! Caulton and Dickson, (2007) state that to understand ergonomics a person must have the ability to “constantly make slight invisible adjustments to an activity to adapt to the needs of those taking part and ensure that it continues to work for its intended purpose”.  In this sense, ergonomics is all about how the activity is shaped by the person carrying it out and the environment. It’s about how the activity can be made to fit the ability of the person and the resources available in the environment.

In relation to my activity, the best way to analyse ergonomics is under the headings of the person, the environment and the activity itself. In regards to the person, one of the main things that the individual needs to have to go out for coffee is money to actually buy the coffee. Other things that need to be taken into consideration are different preferences that people have (of venue, coffee type etc) and the time that people have available. Age is also another factor as the dynamics of a coffee outing can be very different when going out with groups of different ages.

When looking at ergonomics in regards to the environment, one of the main things to consider is what cafes are actually open to go to at the time. Also, the weather can determine where to go as well as whether to sit inside or outside. The social environment is also important as who you go out for coffee with can determine how ‘successful’ the outing is. The number of people you go with can also influence this.

When looking at the activity of going out for coffee itself, there are number of things that need to be considered to ensure that the outing meets its purpose. Firstly, the activity itself relies on other people. As I have defined, my activity as going out for social coffee (with other people!). Other factors that influence the activity are the price of the coffee itself, which coffee brand is nicest and that the activity itself has no time limit. It can take as long or as short as needed, as it is the persons involved who have the time limits they have to stick to, not the activity.

As you can see ergonomics is much more than just making sure someone sits safely at his or her work desk! It’s important to understand ergonomics to be able to make sure there is a good fit between the activity itself, the person and the environment.

References:

Caulton R., & Dickson R. (2007). Whats going on? Finding an explanation for what we do. In J. Creek & A. Lawson-Porter (Eds.), Contemporary Issues in Occupational Therapy (pp. 87-114). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ergonomics. (2011). Retrieved, 6^th October, 2011 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ergonomics?show=0&t=1318544896

Story #1

It was early Sunday morning when I received a sort but sweet text from an old friend, “coffee?” it read. “Perfect, now?” was my reply. She was down in Dunedin for the weekend and a much-needed catch up was in order! As I was driving to pick her up I was excited at the thought of sitting down over a cup of coffee and properly catching up on the events of the past few months, it had been quite a while since we’d last seen each other.

So, after picking her up and deciding on a café (not a hard decision today as was my choice!) and finding a park in the busy central city we ventured into ‘Everyday Gourmet’. I loved this café, I knew it well and knew that the coffee was especially tasty, after all what’s better than gourmet? We ordered our drinks, a trim mocha and soy latte, and picked a small table right by the window overlooking George Street. It was always interesting watching all the people walk by. We made ourselves comfortable and launched into full-blown conversation about what we had missed in each other’s lives in the recent months. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the lady who worked here parked in front of the coffee machines making our drinks, I knew it wouldn’t be long until they were sitting on the table in front of us. Yum, yum, yum. The chatter continued, about life, about study and of course about the developments in our hometown, Christchurch.

I found myself thinking how nice it was to have her down here in Dunedin. She was one of those friends who I didn’t get to see that often but it was always the same when we did eventually meet up. Whenever we were both in the same city, we always went out for coffee! It was our tradition. These coffee dates were not only catch-ups but they also fuelled our relationship. After all new memories need to be made in relationships every so often.

Anyway, our drinks arrived and we sipped away contently. All the while still chatting and laughing over the stories we each had to share. Conscious of the short amount of time that we had left, we made the most by simply enjoying each others company and not worrying/talking about the remainder of our weekends or our busy weeks ahead.

As we finished off our drinks scooping out the remainder of the foam with our teaspoons, it seemed it was time to leave. We got up and said our thankyous to the staff, common courtesy that I felt was always necessary, and left the café. Saying our goodbyes to each other we planned our next coffee date for two weeks time when I was home for holidays. I found myself counting down the days already.

Introduction to Social Coffee

Well, hello everyone! Yes, i'm back...with a brand new blog! As you can probably tell from the title of this post my chosen activity for this paper is ‘going out for social coffee’. So each week I will be posting about my experiences of going out for coffee and all that this activity brings about! I chose this activity because its something that I do often (even when my bank statement tells me I probably shouldn’t), it’s something that I love to do and it’s something that I will happily continue doing throughout the course of this paper! 

What does it mean to me?

To me, going out for coffee is a perfect way to have a good catch up or just spend quality time with someone. Coffee gives us the perfect excuse/reason to take time out of our day and simply sit, chat, relax and enjoy the goodness of a delicious drink with someone. For some coffee is a necessity and for others its just a treat, for me, I find that it’s a bit of both! There’s nothing better than going out for coffee with someone as a pick me up after a morning study session or after a long day out… or anytime at all infact! Coffee is amazing, which is why I have chosen social coffee as my activity and can’t wait to begin!

Practical considerations?

It won’t be too much of a challenge to do this activity for two hours a week! Infact, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if I end up going over the required amount of time. All I will need to do is make sure that I have organized coffee outings with friends in advance and just allow for any spontaneous outings that may also take place! Other considerations I will need to take into account are money and locations. Being on a limited budget may be a struggle… As it’s nearing towards the end of the year and lasts years savings have almost run out, I am becoming increasingly aware of what I am spending and have to make sure that I use my money wisely! So, I will need to make sure that I put aside money each week for my coffee outings. Lastly, because our city is full of coffee shops, I know I will never have to go far to find a café to carry out my activity…the hardest part will be choosing/agreeing on where to go!

Used in OT?

Therapists can use this activity as a way of engaging with clients in a community setting. It can even be used as an informal assessment or intervention (to see how the client orders coffee, interacts with staff etc). Going out for coffee can also be a reward or a group activity. From my experience, going out for coffee is used a lot in mental health settings, both as one on one outings with clients and in groups.

To finish off this week I’ll leave you with a quote that I find describes my activity perfectly:

“A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent”.