Wednesday, April 12, 2006

GOTT it?


Due to a power failure at my place of work Friday 3/31, deskside appliances such as my little coffee maker were banned. After considering several options, I decided to simply make coffee at home in the morning and fill a Gott vacuum bottle which I had purchased back in oh, the mid 1980s. I hadn't used it in years, and had to retrieve it from the garage, clean it up, etc.

So Monday morning I make the coffee, fill the Gott, and put it near the front door by my briefcase. Naturally, I don't "see" it when I leave, lending yet more empirical evidence to the understanding that we see with our brains, not our eyes.

So Tuesday morning comes along, and I check the Gott to asses the temperature of the coffee. As I open the stopper, there is a "tshish" as a vacuum is broken, and steam (OK, water vapour) escapes. Hallelujah! I take a sip, and no, it's not truly that hot, but it would be drinkable by some people (such as my wife) who don't like their hot beverages actually hot. So I take it to work and simply nuke my coffee cup when I need to.

Now will someone please tell me why Rubbermaid, who purchased Gott many years ago, discontinued this vacuum bottle? There are still Gott-branded products such as water coolers, etc. But these excellent bottles seem to have been killed off by Rubbermaid. Last year I saw a smaller one at an estate sale and bought it for 50 cents. I haven't used it yet, but whenever I see a Gott I want to buy it. My recent re-introduction to the Gott's tremendous insulating properties "force" me to act on that desire.