Snot in my Sinuses and Thoughts in my Head

Being Saturday, this day marks the looming end of my last Spring Break ever. I did not go someplace tropical, exotic, foreign or even crazy. Instead, I went skiing in Vermont. There will be more on that endeavor later, don't worry there'll be pictures to boot, but first, just a random thought that came into my head at 10:22 p.m. on a Saturday night alone in my apartment listening to Ida Maria's "Oh My God" and attempting to work on my economics thesis.



Why is it that people have strong opinions and conceptions about the way a person takes their coffee, but not about tea?


A well-known caffeine addict, I do not discriminate and tend to absorb large quantities of both tea and coffee. I drink green tea, black tea, chai teas, herbal mixes, you name it. With respect to the bean, I like darker roasts, particularly French roasts and the occasional americano. When I have tea, if it is a black tea, then I drink it "grandma style" which includes milk and a copious amount of sugar. Other teas, due to their flavors, I drink straight. The only exception to my black tea protocol is when I'm skiing. In such instances, I enjoy black tea with lemon and some honey. In both of those situations, everything is fine. Drinking socially with friends, no one seems to bat and eye at my choice. If anything, tea drinkers go out of their way to provide the desired additions, like my friend Nate did at our last tea party.


With coffee, I prefer a splash of either cream or whole milk. No sugar, no crazy extra sweeteners or added flavors, but a little bit of real dairy is ideal for me. Drinking coffee around friends for the first time, or discussing how one takes their coffee results in horrified stares at my declaration of dairy. How could I? The tiniest drop of milk is sacrilege!


Believe me, I am not uneducated in the knowledge of coffee. Through living in Portland, aka Stumptown and land of overly opinionated hipsters, my own research, and a good friend who works in the production of the plant, there is no doubting my ability to be informed. I know that coffee is one of those beverages that should be savored in its pure, true form. If it makes anyone feel better, I don't add anything to an americano.

For some reason, my inclusion of milk is this horrible abomination and, I can't quite figure out why. Yes I have been told time and time again that it's better black. I can, and have, drank coffee black with no milk or sugar, however, it is just my personal preference to drink it otherwise. Even as I compose this, I have been racking my brain for a logical explanation as to why the way someone takes their coffee seems to indicate some gargantuan statement about their character. Perhaps it is because I have been sick and congested for the better part of the past few weeks and the mucus is getting to my head, but I just can't think of any reason.

For some reason, the way you take your coffee says a statement about your moral fiber, but no one bats an eye at the way you take your tea.

Huh.

Bleh

It's just one of those days, and it's only Tuesday. One of those days where you get out of bed, and you're not necessarily having a bad day, but it's just that much harder to get out of bed, that much harder to get into the shower--one of those days. It's one of those days where you can't get your strapless bra to hook no matter how many positions you try, so you give up and wear a sleeved dress instead. Today is one of those days where you take extra long to walk to the office. When you inhale a chocolate muffin, because dear God you really want it even though you know you shouldn't eat it after having a bagel already, but eating that muffin is probably going to be the high point of your day.

I'm not having a bad day, but I'm definitely having a "bleh" day.

Having a bad day is easier, or almost preferable for me, since there is at least some climax in the day. A bad day is full of dips and momentary rises to make the dips seem so much worse, whereas a bleh day is just a long line of steady state that actually isn't helpful because you wanted a much more dynamic process to your life. A bad day can normally be justified why it is so bad; you did poorly on an exam, your boyfriend told you he hasn't loved you anymore for over a month, you slipped in the dirty snow and walked to class as an exhibit of a gross mess. The bleh days are more annoying because they have no justification. They simply appear and nestle upon your day like a mist settling in on a summer day to add uncomfortable mugginess.

You can or cannot be fully awake on a bad day, however, on a bleh day your eyes still feel a bit comatose even after two cups of tea and a large coffee. On a bleh day, it's only 10:40 am and you've consumed that much caffeine.

I'll take a bad day over a bleh day any day since I would rather have the pits because they are tied to a peak. Bleh days are an endless plateau of exasperated sighs.

Bleh days can suck it.