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!