Arrr...you still there?
So let's just dive right in, shall we? Just like nothing happened.
Something occurred to me the other day. You see, I drink a lot of coffee. Since becoming a mom, my drinking has dwindled and then flourished. I went from having certain standards for coffee prep that eventually went out the window when desperation and sleepless nights presented themselves (I mean...I still have standards...that would probably still be considered high strung, no pun intended, by some...but much less so than my original coffee prep demands)...to being pretty laxed about the whole thing. Two years ago, I would have never drunken coffee that had been sitting for longer than half an hour. But as established between myself and my husband, there is drinking coffee for pleasure and there is drinking coffee for the sole reason of having the much-needed caffeine.
What occurred to me was this: I go to Starbucks. Now...any coffee connoisseur after reading that would probably close my blog's window in disgust and storm off to their french press but hear me out. That right there is what has been troubling (okay...musing) me. I consider myself of decently high tastes in coffee, yet I go to Starbucks, a place most coffee snobs consider to be a lowly coffee gathering place. It's a chain. It's a big chain. Some have said they "burn" their coffee. Others just say it isn't that great. And it isn't when compared to some of the WONDERS of coffee preparers I've been to (to be posted about later). So why do I go? I honestly didn't really know the answer until this fateful evening. The reason I go...is it's something I know. Actually, there are two answers. But one is conditional. Wait...maybe both are.
A. The reason I go is it's something I know...in unfamiliar surroundings. If I'm in some place I've never been and that I have a feeling has no coffee knowledge, I'm not going to try to find a coffee shop. The reasons for this is you have NO idea the outcome. And in some situations that can be awesome. And in others, like when you just need a freaking good cup of coffee, please, it's not so much awesome when you don't get anything close to something you even recognize to be coffee. My favorite is when I say I want to get a cup of coffee and unknowing people try to find a gas station. CURSES.
B. The reason I go is...it's the best you'll find out here. That's right. There are these places. These places. That have nothing better. No. You can't find a place where the baristas pour your cappuccino into an actual cup and make designs in the foam. Where you can linger for hours and savor every morsel drop. No. None of that here. The closest thing is another chain...but a chain started down here. And if there's one thing I've learned about the south, it's that they love their sweets. So...we're talking toothache coffee. No judgement. It's just not my fav. At times, the Starbucks' here aren't much better because any chain is going to adjust to its surroundings to some extent. But at least you know what to ask for (or ask not for) to get it (at least close to) right.
So for now...Starbucks is as good as I can get. When I go somewhere where I know there is better, I hunt it DOWN like it's going out of style. We will plan an entire afternoon of vacation time around "Rachel getting coffee." No joke.
So there you have it. Just had to get that off my chest/head.
In other news...John is home and has been for over a month. It's still surreal but good. But hard. I think the whole "Yay! He's coming home!" aspect of the situation fooled everyone into thinking everything would be rosy and easy and peachy. Which it isn't. It's freaking hard taking care of a child AND an adult who can't carry anything. There's still the whole adjustment from flying solo to holy crap he's home. It hasn't been easy. However, it's getting better daily. Although he's still not bearing weight on his leg, John is completely off pain meds and is doing awesome and finding ways to be helpful despite being crippled. P started walking (heaven help us) but is still taking her time with it. She is also starting preschool (!!) tomorrow AND we're doing swim lessons which has been really fun.
Classes started. Last. Two. Classes. Of. My. Associates. Both are online. One is math. Big mistake but what are you gunna do now, right?
So there we have it. And now I'm off.
Photo: unknown found via Tinypic
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