A Couple of Cuppa's

Friday’s Feature

I run and lift because I like the shot of endorphins that the actions give me. I’m also discovering that I’m something of an adrenaline junkie. There’s nothing like crushing a set of sumo deadlifts, my heart in my throat, feeling my pulse course through me. It’s addicting as all get out and generally calls to mind the same sort of feeling I get when I down my first cup of joe in the morning.

I know, this is a silly Friday Feature, but hear me out.

As a grad student, prepping for a show, and working full time, I rely on caffeine to get me going. I mean, I probably average five good hours of sleep a night, so I have to have something to get me going! And since I wake with the dawn, I can’t even rely on the outside light to trigger me awake. Enter in a good Italian Roast and my most treasured French Press. In the mornings, I stumble to my kitchen, typically half blind since I haven’t bothered to put on my glasses and see the exercise as one of training myself to be deft and graceful even when I can’t see. I slowly fill the super awesome electric kettle Efed gifted me, and count to ten. This way I don’t have to check the gauge to see if I have enough water. I set it to boil and pull out the coffee from the freezer. Because I have a serious dislike for all kinds of packaging, I store pretty much everything I buy in glass jars … and for whatever reason, I tend to store everything in my freezer or fridge. Not sure why, but hey … whatever. Anyway, the seal of the jar pops and I take a moment to inhale and savor the pure richness of the coffee. It is a decadent moment of my morning, and one in which I feel so thankful. I know there could be worse existences in this life than to wake at dawn, and I try to be aware of this fact. After the water has boiled and I’ve poured it into my press, I give it a quick stir and then leave it to set for five minutes or so. During that time, the grounds release their magic and when I return to the French press … voila! I have coffee. I tend to use the same rabbit mug every morning, and hearing the first drops of liquid echo inside the cup is like my “On” switch for the day.

Thank you, gods of caffeine!