Less Caffeine, Day 2.5

Short update. I broke down and got coffee from the cafeteria. I had full intention of getting half-caf (I swear!) but I was thwarted because the decaf coffee was no where to be found. And, since they're closing up shop for the day I figured it wouldn't be making a reappearance. So I was forced - forced! - to get a cup of regular coffee. I used my reusable mug and I didn't fill it all the way.

Maybe it's a sign this is a silly goal?

Less Caffeine, Day 2

What I neglected to say in my post yesterday is that I will be limiting my caffeine intake over the next few weeks. It's something I've been thinking about recently since my life has been busy and I haven't been sleeping well. Well, I have NEVER been a good sleeper. Many of the stories from my childhood revolve around me not sleeping. I have never been an insane coffee drinker - my father drinks about 8 cups a day of STRONG coffee and I have never been that bad - but I always take a spill proof mug worth of coffee. I will sometimes get another small coffee or latte int he afternoon or even a diet coke. But they seem to not work at waking me up. Which defeats the purpose.

Plus, I've been reading that bad sleepers shouldn't drink too much caffeine.

Also, I think it's screwing up my body and making me more tired at night. And I've been eating way to much at night. Yes, I've been running a lot lately - but not on the weekdays - and I come home at 9:30 after a 13 hour day but I have been snacking a bit too much. Because I'm tired. Which isn't a reason to eat. So I'm hoping to limit my caffeine intake over the next few weeks. I'm not going to cut it out completely. I just don't want a crutch. Plus, I want a cup of coffee or a soda to actually effect me. Also, I like diet soda too much for it to be lost completely to me. And decaf coffee does have a lot of caffeine. And tea is boring.

The Plan:

Start with half-caf coffees for the time being. Why? Because stopping cold turkey at this point in the semester is scary AND I have a lot of coffee still. (Dad, you may be getting a donation of Costco coffee soon!)

The Goal:

By Julyish be on fully decaf coffee in the AMs. Try to get decaf coffees when I need a pick me up. Sleep through the night (something I don't think I ever do unless I take a Tylenol PM or Benadryl).

Yesterday was day 1. I could not realize why I was still REALLY tired at 10 AM. Then I remembered. By 3 PM I could barely stay awake. I was unhappy. THEN I woke up about 3AM and had a lot of trouble falling back asleep.

Today is day 2. I have already decided I will likely buy some coffee about 2pmish. Not sure if it'll be half-caf or not. It depends on how badly I want to tear my eyes out. It is also day 2 of no snacking after 9PM. (I think one of the reasons I woke up at 3 AM is I had a little too much to eat for dinner last night. The cheese from yesterday kept calling my name...) We'll see if it works. Day 1 was a bust.

More updates tomorrow.

RIP Coffee Mug

Yesterday, my beloved spill-proof coffee mug passed away. It was quite a tragedy. While walking to the metro, I felt something trickling down my leg - coffee spilling and leaking through my backpack. Sadly, I decided it was time to put it to rest. It will be missed. But this afternoon, a new friend will enter my midst. It can never replace the old friend (actually, it will) and I will save money on coffee in the morning. Yay!

Update

So if I don't blog tonight, The Pedant will be quite mad at me. So I will do this quickly as we had a busy day today and a busy one tomorrow. And I'm tired.

First and foremost, a hello to a fan we met today at BurgerRanch! YAY! :-)

Next, and importantly, the food. Here's a quick run-down:

Thursday/Friday: Plane food. Actually not bad. On the Iberia flight for the vegetarian meal I got a small bottle of lemon olive oil as a condiment. Quite delish.

Friday: Dinner at Aunt and Uncle's. Tasty. Plus an Aunt Belle's chocolate cake. Which is heaven in a cake. My mom makes it for special occasions and it's great, but my aunt (who is the great-niece of Belle) doubles the whipped cream and it's fantastic. Take a hint mom.

Saturday: Samir's for the best hummus ever. Really. This is the way all meals should be eaten - with hummus and pita and salads. We are hopefully going back this week for more. YAY! Passover meal was incredible. Hard Matzah balls, rice during the meal (usually a no-no for us of Eastern European decent) and tasty tasty sides.

Sunday: Leftovers - amazing. Plus a "light" evening meal and a walk on the marina. Fun!

Monday: A meal with distant relatives of TP. I was forced to eat the shakshuka which was amazing. (By forced I mean I was looking forward to just a hearty soup but was quilted into a soup and a shakshouka by the elder relative. I was also forced into a delicious coffee afterwords.) A nice walking tour of Tel Aviv. An amazing dinner at a cousin's house.

Tuesday: The BurgerRanch excursion was fun. I ate the fries. Not bad. Then a real meal at home base - Matzah, hummus, quiche, salad, etc. Then off the the shuk for fun crafts and a walk, an afternoon "limonana" - lemonade with mint - and a fish dinner (salads and "chips" (fries) for me!) and dessert here. Ready to burst!!

Only problem we've noticed is the lack of iced coffee. "Iced coffee" here is a blended drink with condensed milk and water and sugar and Turkish coffee. Since the coffee is all fabulous and Turkish there are no Starbucks on every street corner serving crap. Only the best here. It drove my father crazy trying to get an "American" iced coffee.

End of an Era

So it's my last day in my current job. Although I will miss some of the people much more than others, I will miss some of the food options:

Cafeteria pizza (well, sometimes)
The Cookies....mmmmm....cookies...but my wallet and waistline will thank me
The little bodega's coffee, except they raised their prices which has deterred me from getting an afternoon cup the past few weeks.
The delicious veggie cheese burrito at the cafe next store. Yum!
Free candy at student life. I have totally gotten 5 1/2 years tuition's worth of little 3 musketeers.

Spring has Sprung!

This morning, like the mornings of the past few days, I have woken up with my nose itching and my mouth dry. Why? SPRING IS HERE!

As many of you know, I have horrendous allergies. In the past they have been taken care of with shots, nose sprays, eye drops, 2 meds daily, and benedryl for the really bad nights. I have stoped taking most meds because they a) got expensive and b) didn't really help. However, aside from a crippling runny and oft bloody nose, itchy eyes, and random hives on my body (if I ever sit down in a park), I love spring.

Three main reasons:

1. Sandals
2. Long Walks
3. Iced Coffee

Although I often do 2 and 3 together which can be problematic, I find nothing better than a long walk in Spring down Broadway with a friend and a nice iced coffee to cool me down. People watching and laughing at ill-dressed women is also fun. Haha. Mini skirts and ugg boots in 70 degrees. Loser.

So, to celebrate the change in clocks, warmer weather (although tomorrow will be chillier and rainy), I am wearing crocs, and am very happy. I am drinking warm coffee though, mostly because it is cheaper than buying iced coffee.

Bouncing off the WALLS!

I love caffeine. I in fact love it so much I find a need for it. All the time. Like, I get snippy in the mornings with my roommates if I haven't had any, I get sluggish around 4 and I generally enjoy the taste. (That being said I'm not a crazy person. My father can't make it past 10 AM on Yom Kippur, and after about 3, we stop talking to him. I'm not that bad.)

I also love the taste of strong coffee. (Attributed to my father who makes coffee strong enough to wake the living dead. Actually.) I am drinking a cup of strong bodega coffee right now! Yay!

This ties into the Dr. Pepper theme because I also love DP and caffeinated soda. I have heard rumors that DP and DDP have double the caffeine of most sodas, making it my soda of choice during finals time. According to this "reliable" source (thanks, Google!), it does not. Oh, how I've been fooled! Granted it's still 5 MG less than another favorite of mine, Diet Coke, it's still a sad day in Sherbs Land. I'll still drink my DDP, and think it has more caffeine.

In Mixed Drink news, this sounds GOOD, and appropriate to the blog.