Do you find yourself planning your life around your work or your work around your life? Do you do things to spite the fact that you have to be at work, only to end up truly torturing yourself when you have to get up in the morning?

Do you know of something stronger than coffee with cocoa mix? Because, really, it's tasting like dirt.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

Answers

say, not to hijack the work/life thread here, but whatever happened to xeney and her garden, anyway? miss those henry mitchell snippets. thought maybe you'd know, pamie.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

I don't normally plan anything unless I have to. I find it's a waste of time if I even try as I never actually do it.

Just planning to go to bed early is a whole long process, involving me convincing myself that staying up for 15 more minutes won't hurt. I do that until it's almost time to get ready for work, and it always does hurt in the end when I'm fighting to stay awake at my desk! And yet I do it every single night.

Anyway, if you are looking for something stronger than coffee with cocoa mix, try anything with alcohol. It might not keep you awake, but if you drink enough of it - you will no longer care. Same difference to me. :-)

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

If you have the time, money, and inclination, here is something stronger than coffee and cocoa mix:

You need a cappucino machine, first of all. (My brother and sister gave me one for a Christmas gift so that I could "fit in with all those other weird espresso-drinking hippies in Austin.") You make espresso, very very strong, from very dark coffee grounds. You add in as much steamed milk as you like. (Or regular milk, it's just that the steamed milk is nicer.) You put this in an oversized mug or Thermos.

You add cocoa. Not hot chocolate mix, but cocoa, a nice heaping spoonful. You put in some sugar to taste, maybe even cinnamon if that's your style.

For an extra boost, you can drop in some of those chocolate-covered espresso or coffee beans.

When I worked as a secretary, I used to drink this every morning before going to the office, until people began to comment on my pinwheel eyes and shaking body. It WORKS... if you dare try it. It also tastes lovely.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

I work best on an open schedule. I spent two years in a cubicle kennel and hated every minute of it. Then when I got a job at a paper it kept me out of the office a whole lot chasing down news and such. It was a lot of fun.

I discovered if I could work when I wanted I got a lot more done --I'd be up in the middle of the night hacking away at the keyboard and e- mailing copy in to the office, taking notes in the middle of other functions, stopping for traffic accidents while my wife and I were going to something social, etc. It was great and I did a lot of fun, interesting things and produced some of my best writing.

Of course, the money wasn't there. I went back to working in the kennel and being edited by an idiot who loves to use the phrases "[whatever] celebrates the notion of..." and the phrase "it's like [whatever] on acid" to describe something (I guess I could launch into a tirade about that, but it really belongs in the "what irritates you" forum). You make choices and you deal with them. The checks keep clearing, so I keep showing up.

I have to go along with the espresso tip stated earlier, though I also have a french press coffee pot and makes some pretty potent stuff...if I have too much of it I feel like I'm not going to blink ever again. Another thing that works well for me is the spearmint Altoids. They have that ability to keep me on the edge of a sneeze for hours. If you can fall asleep with that feeling, my hat is off to you.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

Oh Girl, I feel your pain.. It's gotten to the point for me where I loke forward to going to the bathroom and drink tons of water to give me more trips. That might be too much information, but that's how I feel.

As far as stronger than coffee goes, might I suggest those chocolate covered coffee beans? Those are a kick in the arse, for real.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

I got an espresso machine a while back, and I have to say, that if you buy a good one you will use it all the time. I start every(work)day with a double cappucino, then hop on my bike and ride to work -this circulates the caffeince throughout my system -then when I get to work the regular drip coffee keeps me at a nice maintenance level.

Then there is the sugar to caffeine ratio, but that gets complicated!

RE: Xeney. Xeney bought a house, developed plumbing problems, took on too much at work, and then got a puppy just to keep her, three cats and a boyfriend in complete chaos -so the website had to come down for a little while so there was time for sleeping. I'm sure she'll be back someday....

-Eric, Sacramento.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

Eric, I live in Sacramento too! High five to a fellow River City Squishy fan! Where abouts do you live? You talk about biking to work, so you must be downtown. I live in Citrus Heights...woo-hoo, gotta love the ghetto, dawg.

Now I feel compelled to offer my own coffee advice. Being as it's summer and Pamie lives in Texas, I suggest a nice iced beverage. Go to Costco (do you have them there?) and get a bottle of "Cafe Frio". It's a pre-made mocha thingie that comes in a gallon jug, and all you do is add ice. Mmm.. It's a nice jolt, it's cool, and easy to make. If you want extra kick, add a shot of espresso or about 1 cup of strong drip coffee.

If you want to combine advice, add Kahlua and ice. "Mmm" and "Buzzed" at the same time! That'll make work worthwhile. Maybe I should try that...do you think they'd notice? God, that would make work soo worth it. I think working is for the birds. I wanna be Joan Collins's character on Dynasty. That bitch had EVERYTHING!

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

Hey there. Yup I live in Midtown (H & 27th) under the big tree canopy, which is my favorite thing about Sac. Work is about a mile away, so the bike ride is just a short jont. Gee that's three squishy fans that I know of in Sac so far! We Are Everywhere!

Three cheers for Iced Coffee Products -you are very right, there's nothing like a nice iced coffee on a hot day. My system is this: Make a VERY strong batch on coffee in a coffee press (aka French Press) Let it steep for 3 minutes and then pour into a cocktail shaker full of ice -shake and quickly pour into a glass with ice - add milk and sugar if you like, or my favorite is sweetened condensed milk, so that it's like Thai Iced Coffee. That'll pull you out of ANY work induced stupor (I think because you can drink it faster than hot coffee).

Yumm. The cocktail shaker system works well to avoid watering down of the good stuff by melting ice.

..I think I'll have one right now!

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

Eric lives by me, MellieBee! And he pretty much summed up where my garden and I are. We've both been taken over by puppies. (Out of all the puppies in all the world, I had to choose a compulsive digger. Alas.)

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

Xeny - I envy you and Eric.. I want to live downtown so bad. I think it's lovely and the tempo of "the city" is intoxicating. I hate where I live - by Sunrise Mall, right down the street from a firehouse, near a busy intersection. Yick. I'm always hearing sirens. Within the last two weeks, I've had in my neighborhood: Two car crashes, one helicopter chase that ended on a nearby lawn, 3 overhead helicopter cahses that ended who knows where, 1 stolen car recovered (and the dumbass had a 3ft pot plant in the back seat..dumb), 1 woman get taken to the hospital (we think she OD'd), and at least once a night I get to hear the fire trucks taking off for some calamity. I really need a raise so I can move.

I should contribute something to the coffee discussion here, now that I've taken up more valuable space... Eric had a good idea, Chai. Try an Iced Chai Tea of some sort Pamie. Or make some delicious suntea and drink it all day long to keep the caffine level even. Try "Benchly" apricot tea bags. They're made from orange pekoe and then flavored with apricot oil of some sort. About 9 in a gallon of water makes goood stuff. Fruity, fresh, cold, and caffinated.

God, I sound like an advertisment. MellieBee

PS - Xeney, I hear you on the puppy. I got a Miniature Pinscher about 2 months ago, and he's into everything. But I love my little pooch. He's adorable.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

1 coffee bean , two coffee bean , three coffee bean , more? Umm , yeah two things . Jolt Cola , i know all you coffee officianados (i do not do speeling bee's ok!!) will cringe at the sound of that (did he say C-O-L-A) but it is the goods to have. Secondly , never bet up big on a straight.

-trevor , not in sacremento , so no high fives for me!!!

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

Just had to set the record straight -it's THAI Iced Coffee, not Chai. Chai is not coffee, it's uhmmmm...well it's not coffee. I personally think Chai is kind of yucky, but I know a lot of people are into it as a coffee substitute.

Thai Iced Coffee is that stuff you get with the gizmo on top of your glass that drips very slowly into condesed milk in the bottom. Thai and Cambodian restaurants seem to always have it.

Sounds like the burbs are no fun, MelliBee, the Urbs are where it's at! I love the atmosphere of old neighborhoods that are still cared for.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

Pamie, I just hope you went to bed early tonight!

The only thing I ever found that was better than coffee (and legal, at least for now) was Ma Huang. It gives you a lovely "up" feeling without the jitters that that ugly illegal stuff (and even a double espresso) can give you. Unfortunately, it has the reputation for causing some rather nasty side effects (including death, although if it killed you you wouldn't have to go to work...), and I heard the FDA was considering banning it. (It's in a lot of those herbal diet pills, like Metabolife and BioLean; unfortunately a lot of them combine it with Guarana, which is "like caffeine on acid.") As for myself, although I loved the high it (Ma Huang) gave me, it also caused severe pain in my lower back, which I'm sure was my kidneys telling me to never do that shite again.

Just please, please, puh-lease, whatever you do, please don't buy your coffee from Satan (also known as Starbucks), 'k?

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1999

I'm constantly doing things to keep me up late, knowing full well that I have to be at work in *glance at watch* 6 hours......*glance again* oh, 5 hours now....stillllllllllllll out. *sigh* Torturing myself by waking up has become a ritual for me. I drag myself around the office all day, every day, so I can very much empathize with ya Pamie! Only thing that sucks bad is that I can't leave my desk whenever I want. I get a cuppa joe before I open up in the a.m. and then I'm stuck until my break. By that time I'm too sluggish to even pick up the coffee pot.

But, yeah, Yummmmmmmmm that Eastern Chai tea is simply yummmmy! We just got a machine at work. It has a blend of honey and cinnamon, nutmeg and other yummy spices and stuff. I don't know about the caffeine content but I'm sure if you just tap a line into your veins it'll do the trick. *kidding*

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

I am very jealous of all your caffeine imbibing. My husband is completely off the stuff and is a *bit* holier than thou about it. So, I get up in the morning, stumbling around waiting for the damn pot to brew, and he's already chipper and explaining how once you're off of it, you don't miss it. Great, guilt while waiting for my fix. I've taking to not making coffee at home and sneaking it at the office. Pamie, I find that getting an espresso in the morning, then constant sipping iced or regular coffee the rest of the day does the trick. You can slip in a coke at lunch too.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

Chipper without caffeine?

I refuse to believe a good, loving God would allow such a travesty to be possible.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

Eric, isn't that Vietnamese iced coffee? I think Thai iced coffee is the reddish colored stuff with the cardamom in it. (No, I don't know how to spell or pronounce cardamom, and I've just discovered that my Southeast Asian cookbook is covered in dog drool ... ick.) Vietnamese coffee is the strong French roast you brew in the cup. Both are really good.

MellieBee -- I used to take piano lessons over there! Your neighborhood is a place of horror for me, because I hated piano lessons. For thirteen years I went there every Thursday afternoon and had a lousy time. We get lots of sirens and the occasional OD downtown, but nothing like that.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

Andy, I'm completely with you, but it's TRUE (and scary). I always thought it would be nice to go with my sweetie to coffee shops on the weekends and hang out, but I never get to.

Not caffeine related but.. Xeney, I sympathize with the puppy slobber; I have a Newf puppy, and there is *nothing* in my house not covered in dog spit.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

Hey, I actually know a little about this topic! I work the graveyard shift, so I've had a little experience in dealing with various methods of staying awake. Of course, everybody is going to have a different reaction to different types of stimulants, so ya'll may not agree with this at all. Caffeine: My faves are chocolate covered espresso beans and diet coke. Since no caffeinated beverage is really good for you, just pick the one that you like best; but everyone is right on with the choco beans. What's great is that you can really regulate how much of a jolt you want and keep your buzz from getting into the jittery stage. Herbal: I've found a really good herbal tea that has ginseng, ginger and a few other feel-good ingredients- it tastes good, feels healthy and doesn't make you quite as nervous or jittery as caffeine. I tend to shy away from Ma Huang, as it's basically effedrine. While it will open up your breathing passages, what it can do to your heart is pretty scary. Plus, if you take too much you can feel your hair grow, I swear. Basically, check all of the packaging for warnings. I found one that said not to use it if you have melanoma(?). So evidently it wakes up cancer, too. Food: Try not to eat just one big meal. After your blood sugar level spikes you end up feeling sluggish. If you snack constantly and eat small meals, you keep it more level and won't fall into a food coma. Avoid really sugary snacks for the same reason. Internal: Keep your mind awake. I read Squishy and surf the net to keep from getting bored. A really cheesey adventure/thriller novel is also a good way to keep awake and it isn't as straining on the eyes as a monitor. Speaking of which, this entry is much too long.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 1999

If you can find it (an stomach it, I like it, but it seems to be an acquired taste) josta soda is wonderful. It contains guarna a natural stimulant.

Then of course if you must be awake NOW there is always the old standby the ECA stack. This is incidentally Ephidrine, caffine and asprin. Not for the weak of heart (literally).

I always make hot chocolate with a shot of aftershock in a fairly large pot, then cook it for a bit so there is no alcohol left. It tastes absolutly yummy

-- Anonymous, June 21, 1999

In Thai restaurants, they call it Thai Iced Coffee. In Vietnamese Restaurants, they call it Vietnamese Iced Coffee. In either case, it's extremely strong coffee with condensed milk. I think it's partly a wartime/hot weather dealie, seeing as condensed milk doesn't go bad in a tropical clime. the red stuff with cardamom mentioned earlier i've seen in thai restaurants as Thai Iced Tea.

the Viet/Thai iced coffee is the bizzomb, though, for a jolt awake. it's the only caffeinated beverage that has actually given me a panic attack (drank on an empty stomach at 10:30 p.m.)

-- Anonymous, June 21, 1999