Resolution - Week One

I'm happy to announce that I indeed managed to make it a whole week without Starbucks. A situation occurred early on when I woke up late and had to rush around to make it to work on time. I would have missed my train if I stopped to make coffee at home, meaning I would have to rely on the swill I can make for free at work.

In short, it was a vomitous occasion. I tried mixing it with milk that I'd brought to work earlier in the week, but it was so bitter! So I added sugar, which resulted in kind of a sweet and sour effect. So then I added one of the toxic vanilla-flavored creamers, (can you tell I was desperate?!) and was nearly moved to eject the contents of my poor stomach immediately. I solved the problem by drinking tea. The rest of the week progressed rather smoothly.

Today, when Dr. B and I went out for our monthly-ish pedicure, we went to Starbucks first, and did, alas, have a latte. But I made it a whole week as planned, and had ONE as a treat. Tomorrow's morning brew will be made at home.

It is funny that my original Starbucks blog generated so many comments! Obviously coffee is on the mind and in the hearts of at least six of you. Let me put your mind at rest on a few items:

1. I am not frothing the milk at home. As yummy as that is, I just don't have the time or coordination to do something like that at 6 in the morning. I also don't have a frothing device. For everyday consumption, coffee with plain old regular fat-free milk (organically puss-free) from the fridge is just fine.
2. I'm not really tied to the Starbucks brand - I do get lattes from other coffee shops. It is just that Starbucks is so damned convenient. I pass FOUR on the way to work. The independent coffee shop across from the El makes a decent latte, but it is only 10 cents cheaper and they take for EVER to make one. Also, a lot of the independent shops around here use Intellegencia coffee, and I just can't stand it.
   
3. My caffeine addiction doesn't bother me in the slightest, and I have no desire to give up coffee or other caffeinated beverages. The whole point of this exercise is not to spend unnecessarily because I am a lazy ass. After I've made it a whole month of making coffee in the morning, I'll have no problem grabbing a $3.58 latte on the occasional, messed up morning. "Why a month?" I hear you asking yourselves. Well. I chose this amount of time because I learned once that it takes 30 days to make a new habit.

In other news, I'm quite proud of an accomplishment of a different kind today. By 8 a.m. I was on my bike, and I not only made it all the way downtown, but according to the Official Chicago Bike Map, I managed an 18 mile ride today. My trip from home to my office took me 65 minutes. If I can shave off 5 to-7 off of that time, I can claim to be faster than the Brown Line.