My game of dodge ball with caffeine continues. Several weeks after the initial incident, I went back to Starbucks, still nervous even though I had had a couple cups of decaf there since the main incident. But when I took my first couple sips on the street outside, I tasted the drugs. Shocked that this had happened again, I walked back in and explained the situation. My favorite barista responded with an appropriate level of shock and horror and made me a fresh cup.
A couple of days ago, my friend at work made a run to Dunkin' Donuts and picked me up an iced decaf. I was impressed by the size, the reasonable price, and the overall quality. So the next morning, when I wanted to get a cup of hot coffee on my way into work, I decided to give D&D a try. Once again, I was impressed and felt pretty happy about my new discovery. But at about 12 noon I realized that I was incredibly perky given my overall lack of sleep in the previous days. And when I went out for lunch, I bounced along the street despite the extreme heat. I felt VERY excited about my errands to the bank, the photo shop, and the sausage joint where I was going to get lunch. In the corner of my mind I knew what was going on, but I didn't want to accept the truth.
And then, about 3:30pm, I started to come down. The way that I detox from an accidental caffeine high makes me think I would not make a very good heroin addict. The low comes hard and fast and is merciless in its treatment. The bank and the photo shop were a distant memory. A hole started to grow in my stomach (although D&D is milder than Starbucks, so it wasn't as dramatic). And then the paranoia started to set in: I can't trust ANYBODY to pour me a cup of coffee! I'm going to have to start growing the beans myself!
My thoughts then turned back to an article my sister had sent me after incident #1 about the scientists at Washington University in St. Louis who are developing a dip-stick that will test hot beverages for the presence of caffeine. Apparently, llamas have an antibody against caffeine that is at the heart of the dip-stick strategy. So, between the coffee bean garden I'm planning for my windowill and the llama dipstick, I have dreams of a day I can drink my favorite drink without fear.
Recent Comments