GR translation: coffee mess

[Mark Kohut]

	* Sea Stories: Reminiscences of a Navy Radioman 1952-1977
 Larry Bucher- 2007 - 436 pagesDuring that time I was assigned to take care of an office coffee mess: making 
coffee as needed and keeping it cleaned up, ... I was excused from all but the 
truly essential ones in order to continue my stewardship of the coffee mess. 
books.google.com 
	* Aboard the Farragut class destroyers in World War II: a history ...
 Leo Block- 2009 - 230 pages... Machine (and electrical) shop Internal communication room Torpedo shop (
shack) Radio shack Bridge Boatswain's locker The coffeepot (a percolator) was 
purchased ashore with contributions from the men assigned to the coffee mess 
area. 


----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
To: Pynchon Mailing List <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Cc: 
Sent: Monday, May 7, 2012 12:46 AM
Subject: GR translation: coffee mess

P127.2-10  . . . oh yes a most superb possibility has found seedbed
in his brain, and here it is. What if they are all, all these Psi
Section freaks here, ganged up on him in secret? O.K.? Yes: suppose
they can see into your mind! a-and how about—what if it’s hypnotism?
Eh? Jesus: then a whole number of other occult things such as: astral
projection, brain control (nothing occult about that), secret curses
for impotence, boils, madness, yaaahhh—potions! (as he straightens at
last and back in his mind’s eyes to his office now glances, very
gingerly, at the coffee mess, oh God . . . ), ...

What is "the coffee mess"?  Specifically, what is the meaning of
"mess" here?  Does he make coffee in his office using the water boiled
in the Erlenmeyer flask mentioned earlier?  Does he make a mess of it?
Or is it something else?