Life Update 3: My Addictions

A quick reply to Anonymous: When I said of the NYTimes class series, "you can't miss it," I meant that it was prominently featured on their website, not that it's a must-read. I guess I'll start providing Times links, I just hate links that get broken. As for whether I like my readers - that's like asking whether I like dairy products. Sure, I like some, not others.

Now, my addictions. I am battling a catastrophic caffeine addiction. A few weeks ago I had a small mocha, and I was buzzing for hours. Since then I've had coffee quite a bit, and I swear it's like a slightly milder form of cocaine. I'm cutting back significantly in an effort to curb the intense dependency that I feel developing.

How do I know coffee is like a mild form of cocaine? I did cocaine, in a dream, a few weeks ago. It was great, but it was marred to a great extent by my constant worries over getting addicted. Also, in the dream, cocaine came from peppers, not coca leaves. Hey, I don't choose the dreams.

Meanwhile, beer. Ahhhh. What can I say? Beer makes me happy and leaves me sleepy, which is pretty much the perfect combination for a chronically sad insomniac like myself. Luckily I'm perfectly content to drink beer once a week or so, which I think is acceptable (if not positive) for health purposes. Wine is also pleasant, but a bit more intense, so I'll leave it for special occasions. Wine, by the way, is to be enjoyed, not used as a cultural cudgel. It's great from a bottle with a screwtop, or from a can, or from a box. Do whatever makes you happy: it won't be too long before nothing will.