The Decaf Conspiracy

Last week, Mandi and I switched our morning coffee from the strongest possible Columbian blend to a 50/50 mix of decaf and regular. It was an attempt to minimize her caffeine intake, which of course I will suffer through with her. As the mix ran out, we switched again, this time to straight unleaded. In a lot of ways I've often thought of our morning coffee more as a routine than a dietetic need. I consider myself relatively energetic, so I mentally downplayed my dependence on caffeine. Well it's officially day 2 of straight decaf, and I'm calling foul. Yesterday, after 3 cups of the faux-java I arrived at the gym lethargic and uninspired. I worked out about as listlessly as I have ever exercised in my life, and realized after my shower that I was in serious need of caffeine. So before I picked up Lily from the childwatch, I stopped to get a cup of the YMCA's complimentary coffee. They offer 1 carafe of decaf and 2 of regular every day, so when I approached the service cart I could actually feel the lethargy begin to escape from my muscles. I pumped the first carafe of regular coffee and it spit hot air at me, but I was not dismayed. As I tried the second, my first pump produced marvelously steaming coffee, and I think the sun broke from behind the clouds at that exact moment. The second pump, however, came up empty. I would have to settle for half a cup of caffeinated joy, but it was better than nothing.

Today, after only 2 cups of the pointless home brew, my intention was to grab a complimentary cup before my workout. Friday, after all, is my last workout before taking the weekend off, so I generally go pretty hard. You can imagine my dismay when I discovered both of the regular carafes absent, with only the single orange-handled decaf one available. At that point I decided that it must be some wide-reaching decaf coffee conspiracy that I'd fallen prey to, and it was absolutely not funny. Had their not been two fresh pots ready for me at the end of my workout, there's a good possibility I would have knocked over a convenience store out of sheer desperation for some caffeine. But alas, all is right with the world. Now I will rely on a steady supply of iced tea over the weekend and get back to YMCA coffee on Monday.

Better Than NASCAR

Not at building racetracks, obviously, or even at turning left. But I've been watching NASCAR events as a casual fan for about 3 years now, and the one thing I have to say they're really awful about is cross-promotions. I think they know it, too, but it doesn't stop them from trying it over and over again. Every time they have a race of high importance that they expect will draw a large TV audience, they make it a point to team up with a bad movie to do a hokey cross-promotion during the pre-race coverage. Without exception, they are cheesy and forgettable, and you can actually see the broadcasters cringe when that part of the show is approaching. "Speaking of Jeff Gordon, make sure you go to the theater this weekend and see his ex-wife's new Movie "The Life of a Wealthy Divorcee"." I don't know if that's actually a real movie . . but it may as well be. I cringe when one of these meatball cross-pros is being set-up in their broadcasts, and I'd like to think that, in general, I can do a much better job of it than the NASCAR boys. So here goes . . let me know what you think.

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!


And while that isn't exactly a promotion so to speak, it's my attempt to cross-promote our latest online creation, Blogging For A Healthy & Happy 9 Months . It is Mandi's brainchild, even though so far I'm out-posting her at a 3:1 clip. She's determined (at least while she's still not showing) to do weekly belly pictures, which we'll display side-by-side with the previous week's, to show the week by week progression. There's a poll about when you think she'll start showing, and I'll be adding new elements as the urge hits her.

So I'll do my best to separate my posts between the two blogs, reserving this one for what it's been up until this point, namely funny stories about our current kids and my birding. I'll be walking a very thin line on the other blog, wanting to be candid and funny but without upsetting the prego. I'll let you know how that goes. I've added a link to the pregnancy blog on the left of the page, as well as a pregnancy ticker at the bottom of the new one. So check it out and let us know what you think.