Coffee freshness changes the moment the roasting process has completed. Buy coffee from a cafe that brews whole bean coffee, which retains more flavor when grinded. Local coffee shops are more likely to use whole beans than franchises, so frequent smaller, privately owned cafes. Black coffee has a bitter taste that can be unpleasant for new coffee connoisseurs. Add in a sweetener to your coffee if straight brews disgust you. Experiment with different sweeteners when ordering until you find the perfect balance. If you want to branch out, try gourmet sweeteners like vanilla sugar, muscovado, raw sugar, or chocolate powder. Acidic, light roasts taste best with milk or cream, which dulls its bite while letting its delicate flavor come through. The degree to which a coffee is roasted changes its flavor. Dark roasts (when the coffee beans are roasted until blackened) is generally more unpalatable for new coffee lovers. Start with the sweetest drinks (like mochas, cappuccinos, and frappuccinos) and move onto darker roasts as your palate changes. Light roasts retain the most caffeine, whereas darker roasts retain the least. If you're sensitive to caffeine, order a smaller cup. Making a morning ritual out of coffee drinking can accustom your tastebuds to the flavor. You'll also feel energized and ready to start your day. Try drinking coffee in the morning for a few weeks and see if you begin to enjoy it as a breakfast beverage. Like many acquired tastes, sometimes coffee takes time to warm up to. If you don't like your first drink, don't give up. All coffee blends taste differently: you may not have found the brew for you. If you've tried many different blends and still don't like coffee, you may just not have a taste for it. This is okay! Other beverages like tea, kombucha, and green smoothies can have similar benefits.

Summary: Taste fresh coffee. Add milk, cream, and/or sugar. Try lighter roasts. Add coffee to your regular morning routine. Give yourself time.

Break down the total duration of the class into the key topics to be covered, or units. Each one of these sections should account for a fundamental lesson to be learned at a specific interval of the term in order to fulfill the curriculum requirements. These unit plans should cover either a week or a month of study and together, form an organized sequence of learning for students. For instance, in an introductory Anthropology course, you might plan a week-long unit entitled "The Agricultural Revolution" during which you will teach students about the origins and rise of farming. When planning the schedule, make a point of noting all upcoming events and conflicts that will interrupt a straight-forward, linear scheme of work. Look through a calendar to mark down statutory holidays, and through a school calendar to take note of any school breaks, examinations, or assemblies that will interrupt normal class time. Allow time for review and practice in the event that students have trouble grasping course material and need more time to absorb it. For example, a unit like WWII in a 20th century history course might be stretched over two weeks instead of one week to accommodate a statutory holiday, and allow for review to ensure that all students are well-versed in this important component of the class. Consult with colleagues to ensure that there are no major conflicts with your schedules. For example, avoid scheduling a major assignment on a day that your students will have a midterm exam in another class. Advise teachers of your prospective dates for exams and major projects.

Summary: Break down the duration of the course. Factor in scheduling interruptions. Work around other teachers' schedules.

Spray paint is dangerous to inhale, and the overspray and dust can easily land on nearby surfaces. Take the item you want to spray paint outside when possible, such as when the temperature is mild, when there's no precipitation, and when it's a calm day. The ideal temperature range for spray painting is between 64 and 77 F (18 and 25 C). The ideal humidity for spray painting is between 40 and 50 percent. When you can't spray paint outside, take the project to a shed or garage if possible. Inhaling spray paint is bad for your health. To protect yourself, open windows, doors, and turn on exhaust vents when you must work inside. Don't turn on any fans, as these will just blow the paint around. Invest in an activated carbon mask if you work with spray paint often. This will protect your lungs and keep you safe from the health problems associated with spray paint exposure. A spray paint booth protects surrounding areas from overspray, and protects the painted item from dust and dirt when it's still wet. For smaller projects, you can make your own simple spray paint booth with a box and a pair of scissors: Find a box that's larger than the items you're spray painting Cut off the flaps that form the lid Lay the box on its side with the opening facing you Cut off the top panel Leave the bottom, side, and back panels of the box in place Place the item in the center of the bottom panel For larger projects, you may not be able to make your own spray paint booth. To protect the floor and surrounding areas from overspray, lay out a large drop cloth or piece of cardboard. Place the item in the center of the cloth or cardboard. If you also want to protect the drop cloth from excess paint, lay down some newspaper over the cloth and place the item on the newspaper.

Summary: Take the project outside if possible. Ventilate indoor areas. Make a DIY spray paint booth. Cover surrounding areas.

Steroids are injected straight into the scar tissue to help decrease itching, redness, and general discomfort. Some doctors note that the treatment of these symptoms with steroidal injections can also reduce the appearance of scars. Steroid injections (triamcinolone) are given every two to six weeks until improvement is seen. Occasionally, injections can cause a network of surface veins to develop (telangiectasias), or lightening or thinning of the surrounding skin. Research has shown that cryotherapy can decrease the thickness of the scar tissue by up to 58%. The earlier the treatment and thinner the keloid scar, the better the results. Cryotherapy is performed in the physician office using medical instruments that instantly freeze the tissue and kill it on contact. Cryotherapy can cause burns, more scar formation and damage to nearby healthy tissue if done improperly. When cryotherapy is used to treat keloid tissue, further preventative methods must be used as the area heals, such as silicone dioxide, silicone gel sheets and steroid injections. Another option for reducing the appearance of keloid scars is radiation therapy. Some plastic surgeons avoid this method of scar removal due to concerns about causing tumors, but studies have shown that this is a safe method as long as surrounding tissues are protected. By itself, surgery can often cause further aggravation and create more scars, but if performed in combination with a number of other treatments (e.g. silicone sheeting and silicone dioxide), surgery can reduce the visibility of such scarring. Once the surgical excision has healed, discuss the use of silicone gel sheets to reduce the recurrence of the scar formation. If you decide to go the surgical route, ask your doctor about Imiquimod. It is a cream that enhances healing and is often used after surgery to prevent scarring. The cream is applied on alternate nights for eight weeks after surgery. Although the trials have been small, the post-surgical recurrence rate averaged only 28 percent over a six- to nine-month follow-up period, with best results (2.9 percent recurrence) in low skin tension areas such as earlobes.
Summary: Ask your doctor about steroid injections. Try cryotherapy. Ask about radiation therapy. Discuss surgical excision with your doctor.