Starbucks. The addiction.

Let me first begin with a little story.

This story is set back in Boston.  Some friends of mine and I headed to see Sex and the City opening weekend.  Orrrrr actually it was the Hangover?  That doesn’t seem right either.  This is pointless for you to be reading.  We’ll go with it was a really popular movie that you had to buy tickets for ahead of time. 

I was put in charge of buying the tickets in advance for us.  Easy peasy.  We showed up .  The guy scanned our tickets and said these were for yesterday.

Damn.

My friends Kristine and Polly were not impressed.

I promised to fix it.

While I’m standing in line prepping my plea for the box office attendant the guy in front of me looks familiar.  This is awkward.  It’s my Starbucks barista.  He clearly is on a date.  Because I only make situations worse not better I of course say hi and start to ramble about how I had bought these tickets at work, I forgot to switch the dates, blah blah blah.   It was extremely awkward, did I mention that?  They just kind of looked at me and laughed/smiled probably willing the line to move faster.

Luckily it wasn’t a long line.  I got to the front, plead my case and got us new tickets.

Me: I got us new tickets!
Kristine: Who were you talking to?
Me: Um, that’s my Starbucks barista. 
Kristine: Oh…we were expecting you to come back with no tickets but having gotten us invited to a party!
Me: Ooooh nope.  Just my barista.
Kristine:  You really go to Starbucks too much…

And here ends the story.  Kristine is right.  (And is every other person that’s ever told me that; not that there has been a lot.)  I go to Starbucks every day.  I get a quad-iced espresso (4 shots) with sugar free vanilla and a splash of soy milk.  (In case you were wondering.)  I just love it.  I love coffee.   I’ve talked (or joked) about not drinking so much of it but really that is just to appease others.  I never really meant it. 

Part of this vegan challenge is to give up caffeine.  My original thought?

Shit. 

I  mean this is my desk most days.  I'm a walking Starbucks ad.

I can give up meat, booze, processed sugar…but caffeine?  Heck no!   However I decided to try it.   I did this for new things so let’s give it a go.  People say that you have more energy if you give it up…and you know what…they’re right!

I have gradually cut it down.  Quad-iced  down to a medium iced coffee down to caffeinated herbal tea down to today’s decaf iced americano and I feel gggggggggggggreat!!!!!!!!!!!!    I’m going to stop you for one second because I know what you’re thinking.  Decaf still has caffeiene in it.  It does.  But compared to what I was drinking this is leaps and bounds so lets move past that.

I am going to go the next 25 days without caffeine.   What happens after the 25 days?  Only time will tell.  I will probably go back to Starbucks but hopefully not as much!  1)  I love coffee and the way it tastes.  2)  My baristas miss me.  

Today they were very perplexed.  It was the domino effect.

Cashier (confused): Decaf?
(Yep)
Barista making the decaf (confused):  You want decaf?
(Yep)

They just don’t understand.   However part of that probably comes with the job...

I’m actually kind of digging this no gluten, no meat, no caffeine thing…I do however miss my wine.  I’m totally pumped for St. Patricks Day tomorrow!  I will not be alcohol free.  Hey…it’s a holiday!  It is totally acceptable.  It would be wrong not to support my Irish friends.

Until next time.  Have a good weekend and be safe!

Veganism Ruins My Social Life

Well.  I’m one day in.  27 more to go.  Not that I’m counting or anything…

Yesterday was kind of a debacle.  Originally I had plans to go to this really delicious chicken wing place called D-Spot, 60+ different wings!!!!!!!!!!  My friends and I have been making these plans for months but considering I don’t think these wings are vegan we had to change our plans.

Luckily they were nice enough to say that they would wait for me.  My friend Stef recommended we go to the Bullfrog in Uptown for a live band.   Our group of 4 turned into a fun little Wednesday with lots of Gustie friends.   Due to my new found life choice, I decide to go home to make my dinner before heading out. 

Last night’s dinner was a Black Bean Wrap:

¼ cup black beans (rinsed)
¼ cup corn (rinsed)
¼ cup brown rice
1 medium tomato
2 tablespoons cilantro
¼ avocado
2 tablespoons hummus
1 gluten free tortilla

How easy does that sound, right?  I can easily bop home.  Make my wrap and be in Uptown by 6:30…7 at the latest.

WRONG-O!

It no joke took me an HOUR to make this wrap.  Someone decided they wanted to make their own hummus with roasted garlic.  While my garlic was roasting in the oven I popped the brown rice in a pan.  While these things were cooking/roasting I rinsed the black beans and corn.  Cut the tomato.  Cut the avocado.  And added the cilantro.

Now that I’m looking at this list, why did it take me an hour?  Clearly I need to work on my culinary skills.

During the making of my culinary masterpiece (or a black bean wrap) I got the following text messages:

Stef:  Mandi says she’s leaving 3 seconds before you get here.  No slutty high fives.

Stef:  Daria says we’re not waiting until Christmas!

Stef:  Skuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! 

(And about a dozen more variations of encouragement.)  :)

By the time I ate, cleaned the kitchen, etc it was 7:30-8.  That seemed a little aggressive to be going out that late on a Wednesday when I would just be drinking soda water with a lime anyways.

I sent out a text to my friends as an apology for my absence.  Daria has requested that the next time we’re going to meet I start making my dinner at noon so I will be done and ready to go in time to party.

Point taken.

I love caffeine. I love meat. I love wine. Vegan with a splash of detox? I’m in!

I have not updated this blog since July!!!  I’m still in need of an assistant.  Inquire within.  I pay nothing BUT you get to spend tons of time with me.  Payment enough if you ask me. 

Anywho, I’m hoping to be better at least over the next 28-days.  Why?   Because TODAY I start my Vegan challenge.  Veeeegan!  Whoop, whoop!  

Slash I blame Groupon.  Damn them and their daily emails containing items you wouldn’t normally buy with signs like 80% off which makes you think you’re getting a steal but really you’re not because you would have never bought it to begin with…

I'm moving on because I bought and I'm here.

So to catch you up, over the last week I’ve cut out alcohol (good-bye wine) , started cutting back caffeine (good-bye quad-iced espressos) and cut back on processed sugar…except for that stop to Coldstone on Sunday.  Yum.

I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought a bunch of veggies, a few things of tofu, soy yogurt, fruit, Quinoa, etc.  I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do with all of this stuff but I have it.   To say I’m not prepared to start is an understatement.  My personal trainer asked what was on the plan and I kind of gave him a deer in head lights look.

I will do better.  I promise. 

So far so good.  This could be a loooooooooooooooooooong 28 days though.   I forgot to mention I roped my friend Lee into doing it who has roped her husband John into doing it. 

We all thank Groupon…we think.

If you're asking yourself why I'm doing this, I'll get to that by day 28.  I'm sure of it.

Until my next blog post, I’ll leave you with this:

And by you I mean me, Lee and John.  Tootles for now.