Urban camping: 5 steps to make french press coffee

I'm living in an interesting situation this summer... staying in downtown Madison in a graduate-level studio.  It's cool because I can walk to the capitol and discover some really awesome things.  At the same time, I'm re-living those college years I never really wanted.

At times, I also feel like I'm camping.  

I have a french press maker, which makes a heck-of-a good cup of coffee.  However, I am used to my electric coffee maker, which currently resides in North Carolina.  I didn't want to pack our 4-cup spare because it's too small.  

I also don't have a pot to boil water in, since the girl before me only had two skillets.  So, here's my morning ritual:

1.  I make fire!  Not really.  But there is fire involved.

2.  I place my carafe in a pan of water.  If you don't use a water bath, then stuff is likely going to get weird.  I tried a few other bad ideas first, like putting the carafe directly on the stove and placing it in the pan without the water.  No bueno.

3. I put the coffee in the french press and put on the lid.  If I do 8 cups, I use 8 spoonfuls.  It's not rocket science.  I just add coffee until it looks okay.

4.  And press down.

5.  Wait a few minutes so that it can steep... then voila!  My french press is getting a workout everyday and I love it.  I only had one batch of bad coffee when I made it too light.