My caffeine intake isn’t insane like some people. I’ve read about people that drink like 5-10 diet cokes everyday and crazy stuff. I usually do a cup of coffee in the morning, and that’s usually it, unless we go out. At a restaurant I can easily have a cup or two of soda. Lately I’ve just felt really crummy, like I’m constantly tired, and the only way to perk back up is a coffee or soda.

I woke up on Saturday, and instead of my normal coffee or mountain dew from 7-Eleven, I decided to drop it cold turkey. I’ve read that it can take anywhere from a few days to two weeks to get over the headaches and other withdrawl symptoms, but I’ve also read it can take up to 6 months to get back to normal! Hopefully since I wasn’t a super caffeine addict (just a small one) I’ll bounce back much faster.

Today is day 3 without caffeine. Back in ’07 I got to at least five days, but I can’t remember what happened after that. Obviously I didn’t stay off of it. Hopefully this will be good for my overall health. I’ll promise to keep you posted (and I’ll start a counter in the top right to keep me going).

While writing my last story it seemed hard to concentrate, and I’m curious what effect my daily caffeine was having. Today is my second day in a row without caffeine. I don’t think it’s the devil like some people do, but I want to see how different I feel.

Yesterday I was tired, and had a headache. Could have been caffeine withdrawls, or could have been the staying up until midnight.

Today I’m running on a lot more sleep and feel better. A little headache still, and I’m a bit tired, but the heat isn’t helping.

It should be interesting to see if there are any other benefits to curbing my caffeine intake.

I think caffeine blocks the creative areas of my brain. It’s like when you’re trying to sleep, but there is a constant activity in your mind keeping you awake. It’s not that you’re thinking about anything in particular, but like you’ve got a light bulb on that you can’t turn off. It could be that I’m just not a very adept writer yet, but it sure seemed like the caffeine wasn’t aiding my writing.

Regardless of any excuses, here is the next chapter. You’ll be glad to know that the next chapter is also started, so it should follow quickly.

    After about an hour of staring at Monica’s phone number, Mike found the courage to pick up the phone and dial. The conversation was brief, and for this Mike was grateful. Monica said the plan was to meet at The Coffee Hut at around 7 pm tomorrow. The Coffee Hut was a local coffee shop in town that hosted different musicians on the weekend. Usually they were unsigned bands or solo acts that had yet to be discovered. It was popular to grab a cup of coffee and sit for a few hours and listen to music on a Friday or Saturday night. Monica said her friend Jen was coming, and Mike was welcome to bring some friends. He gave a cheery “Sounds great! See ya then,” and hung up before she changed her mind.

continue reading…

This is a battle that my taste buds have been waging for the last several years. In High School I would have been proud to pronounce Dr Pepper as my favorite soda, but now the decision is not so simple.

Starting in college my affection for Mountain Dew began to grow. Cal State Los Angeles was a Pepsi supplied school, so there was no Dr Pepper to be found. Contrary to popular belief, Dr Pepper is not owned by Coca-Cola, but instead by Cadbury Schweppes. It is sometimes bottled by Coca-Cola, but they do not own the trademark. Thus, Mr. Pibb. This left only Pepsi products for this sleepy college student to drink.

Classes at 8 am were the norm for my first two years of college. Staying up late also became the norm, so a caffeinated beverage became necessary to stay awake in those boring business classes. Mountain Dew and I became friends, and a 20 oz. bottle allowed me to stay attentive. This marked the beginning of my love for Mountain Dew.

Over the years my favorite soda has been in a state of flux. When Mountain Dew came out with Code Red and Livewire it gave my Mountain Dew love more variety. The Dr Pepper variations on the other hand have been ho hum. I did enjoy Dr Pepper Red Fusion and Sobe’s Mr. Green, but both only lasted a year or two.

What I drink now usually depends on what varieties a restaurant carries. Lately though, when given the choice, I almost always pick Mountain Dew over Dr Pepper.

Even though it’s Summer I’m feeling awfully busy! We leave bright and early in 5 hours for Boston, followed up by a little Cape Cod, and finally on to New York city. I am anxiously trying to organize songs onto the mp3 player and wasting what precious sleep time still remains. Luckily there will be a caffeinated beverage in the fridge downstairs waiting for me at 4:15 am when I wake up. We’ll be back in a week and a half or so, see ya then.