Extra Resolute

A dear old friend of mine has challenged his nearest and dearest (one has to wonder, how near and dear am I given what he's asking me to do?) to the following Health & Culture Attempt. What you do: seven cultural events and seven pieces of exercise in the next fourteen days. Also, some form of sensory deprivation is called for, and therefore I shall not be eating cheese, or drinking spirits, "heavy" beer, coffee, coke, or dr. pepper in the upcoming fortnight.

Some of you may remember how utterly awful this blog got in my obsession with (lack of) caffeination for Lent last year. Therefore, I suppose we should all be grateful that this is a mere two weeks, and not the forty long, miserable days of last year's effort.

Question: Does attending legal celebrations count as "cultural"?

Holy Java, Batman!

Yesterday was of course Easter Sunday, and therefore my longed-for return to caffeine. As I've been supping the decaf, it wasn't the explosion of joy I'd been expecting, really, because it tasted like normal. I didn't really notice an effect yesterday, but I suspect that the kick of being unexposed to caffeine may come in handy in the forthcoming weeks, what with the frantic paper-writing I shall have to indulge in.

Despite the huge amounts of work this weekend, it was actually incredible enjoyable - particularly as I could watch the snow flutter around the courtyard (which seems to have an eddying effect, which is rather pretty). We went to our new cafe, which is utterly sweet and has absolutely outstanding croissants (WUB, that reminds me - whatever happened to the new bakery?) and serves nutella-equivalent on its tables. Now that's a neighbourhood place I can get behind.

You see, beforehand, it was a bar that was, frankly, quite scary. Not scary as in "I can't go in there, I'll get knifed," but more "The landlord's a bit of a nutter and I don't want to spend all night talking to him." Which seems harsh, as I think he fell quite ill. However, my real problem with it was the seeming lack of effort - the tables, chairs, all seemed as if they were an afterthought--and I got offended that this lack of effort was directed at what my neighbourhood deserves... whereas the new place is sweet, light, airy and, best of all has a big table where you can sit and just chat with others, as at another lovely restaurant near us (which is not only extremely nice but has also been frequented by rather famous politicians...). At the latter, we bumped into a very lovely German woman who lives in Zurich and is compiling a photo encyclopaedia of the street junctions of Manhattan. As you do. I wish I'd got her card, so we could see the results. She's been doing it for years, and is nearing the completion. I imagine that would leave a serious gap in your life, quite frankly.

The gentrification around us is really starting, I feel. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it's lovely to know that there is a sweet cafe near us, not just diners; it's good to be able to walk ten blocks and go to a genuinely nice wine bar, not just be grateful for somewhere vaguely ok to drink (and it is lovely, much nicer than most in Morningside Heights, for example). On the other hand, I find it worrying that families really are being displaced: Every removal van has taken away Dominican families, and their replacements have been young white students / professionals, often English. That is to say, people like us. Hmm.

Yet more decaffeinated fun

Here's a year 'round valentine for everyone who really loves lemon. With its delightfully refreshing lemon flavor, this tea-hot or iced-will add a little sunshine to your day.

Thanks again to David & Eunice for that one. I just can't handle that punctuation at all. So not very sunny here.

Life Without Coffee

I am reduced to drinking something described thus:

Just as a lovely waterfall brings a sense of refreshment to your eyes and ears, Mint Medley® will bring this same quality to your sense of taste. Enjoy Mint Medley® - its lively flavo[u]r refreshes any time of day.

That's according to David & Eunice Bigelow, anyway.

Pah.

Failure

I cracked this morning. Well, my stomach was rumbling and I needed something. So I had some decaf. I didn't even enjoy it that much. Still, no caffeine per se.

Anyway: Guilt? Check. Anger at oneself? Check. Searing tiredness? Check. General grumpiness due to too much work? Check. Therefore, give yourself a break and watch the baby orangutan and tiger cubs playing together. I nearly cried this morning, the cuteness HURT.

Regina

So Helen Mirren won, looked unbelievably great - no surprises there.

Marty, Marty, WHAT eyebrows you have. Truly spectacular.

Yes, Oscars came and went. We had a fair sprinkling snow last night, which has already almost entirely melted, which meant that all the taxis were gone at about 12.20 this morning, as everyone left Oscar parties and realised they really didn't want to walk anywhere. We settled for subway and ended up home just after one. True, this is probably not interesting to you, but is leading up to the confession that I nearly assaulted almost everyone coming out of Starbucks this morning, so good did their coffee smell. Instead, I am drinking "a flavorful [sic - in more ways than one] blend of orange and spice" and trying not to think about latte, espresso or good old cafe con leche.

It's hard.

Nonetheless, my spirit, if not the flesh, is revived by the thought of all the GoFug Joy to come after last night's awards - Gwyneth, if you are not pilloried by the girls, they are losing their grip on reality. Cannot wait.

Infierno

This year I again mean to start the ritual of giving something up for Lent. Not that I got ashes, or owt like that. However, I can't help thinking it's good to do without, for a while. Therefore, I am almost entirely going without caffeine for the next thirty nine days. I say almost because I don't want to give up my tea in the morning. And I refuse to do without chocolate, particularly as we have some scrummy Godiva chocolates in our fridge at the mo.

However, no coke/doctor pepper/coffee.

NONE.

It must be said, this is not entirely to test my resolve / willpower / feel the power of sacrifice. Factored in must be the SUFFERING at the hands of caffeine that I have experienced in the last few days.

And maybe I'll have a few extra bucks to give to charity at the end of the month.

I'm all heart, me.