I totally agree with you about the ritualistic aspects of manual brewing. Just making coffee is a surefire way to calm down. I'm also in Texas, so I'll definitely give this one a try!
If you're ever in Austin or Dallas, you should go to Houndstooth Coffee. They make the best Japanese Iced Coffee I've had so far.
And if you ever find yourself near Chicago, make a trip down to Julius Meinl. It's some of my favorite coffee.
Yeah! I have a friend who goes to UTD! And another friend going to UTA (Arlington). I live in Houston (actually just north of it in a suburb), but I'm heading up to Ohio in a month for college.
I don't know if they're in NSM, but that'd be ridiculous if they were! And I'm studying physics. You?
Hahaha! Don't worry, dude, that's exactly how I feel about bio! I feel like there are so many cool concepts in bio, but I can't grasp the basic stuff enough to fully enjoy them.