Giving thanks for... coffee!

I've actually been kind of 'blah' this week - not sure if it's the time change or the colder weather or what but trying to get work done has been a real slog. So in an effort to get my brain to focus, I've been drinking a little more coffee than usual, though that is still a lot less than a lot of people I know. I've had a pretty up-and-down relationship with coffee. I didn't start drinking coffee until sometime in graduate school and then it was mostly coffee drinks that were more milk and sugar than coffee (ah, those wonderful days when I could drink a regular mocha and not think twice about how many calories were in it!). At some point, I settled into a routine of drinking a cup of half-coffee/half-hot chocolate each morning. When I started working at my university, there was a Starbucks in the student union just downstairs from my office and each afternoon, one of my colleagues would stick their head in my office and ask if I wanted to go down for coffee. It was more of a social thing but I got used to having that big jolt of caffeine to help me get over the after-lunch energy dip.

A few years ago, I decided to switch to green tea in the mornings - still gives me a little bit of caffeine but there are also all kinds of health benefits. I was still drinking coffee after lunch but about a year ago, I decided to try reducing my caffeine intake to see if that might have any impact on my sleep (I often have problems sleeping). But I found that I still craved the taste of coffee so I started drinking decaf. For any coffee snobs out there, I'll note that I've never had a very discriminating palate so I can't really taste any difference - coffee is coffee. Now, on days when I feel like I still need some help focusing, I'll drink half-cafs. What's nice is that as my body has adjusted to lower levels of caffeine, I feel like it takes less to get the same energy. In fact, now, if I have an entire cup of regular Starbucks coffee, I really feel it.

By the way, if you're a fan of coffee art, you have to check out the amazing creations of the Japanese barista Kazuki Yamamoto:

Giving thanks for... Football

This is probably the weirdest follow-up to yesterday's post about feminism that I could possibly come up with but like most Sundays from September to December (hopefully January), I've spent a lot of the day watching football so it's on my mind. I grew up watching the San Francisco 49ers, in the heyday of Bill Walsh, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, but I don't remember really learning how the game actually works until I started dating a football player in high school. I still recall thinking that it was kind of sad that I was the only cheerleader on my squad who seemed to know what a first down actually was (yes, I was a cheerleader and I dated a football player - no one who meets me today can ever believe that...). I lost touch with football through college and graduate school but re-discovered it when I moved to San Diego in 2000 and now I'm a diehard Charger fan, which isn't always easy but I try to keep believing in them...

Over the years, being a football fan has been surprisingly handy. As a relatively introverted person, football gives me something to talk about with people (mostly men) that I otherwise have nothing in common with. Rooting for the local team makes me feel more tied to my community. Watching the Super Bowl is actually fun when the game is on, not just during the commercials. And instead of being a 'football widow', I can spend Sundays hanging out with J, who is an avid fantasy football player.

There are certainly a lot of things about the game that are not worthy of praise, and a lot of football players that I think are absolute idiots. I think it's obscene that football players (as well as other professional athletes) get paid so much money for something that doesn't really do much to improve society. But sometimes we all need mindless entertainment. And there is something awesome about being in a stadium with thousands of people all cheering for a common goal, even if that goal is really kind of silly. So today, I am thankful for Football and the many moments of excitement that it has brought into my life. What team do you root for?

Friday Fun

How is it possible that I haven't seen these magnets before? I think my favorite is "I had sex with my husband and all I got was this lousy kid" but they are all hysterical!

Anne Hathaway rocks

I've always been a big Anne Hathaway fan but I'm an even bigger fan after seeing her interview with Barbara Walters after the Oscars (relevant bit starts at 5:30 in):



What is so awesome is that she clearly makes a distinction between being in love and being married. Love her!