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I promise a taste test in the coming season. For Science--AND Justice!
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Scientists Announce A Breakthrough In The Search For The Cause Of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder.

As somebody who was in this condition as a child, and is somewhat still afflicted now (as in, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to motivate myself) I find this development very interesting. Remember, my childhood predates Ritalin. For me, it was either coffee or amphetamines.

The only drawbacks I see are the same drawbacks I see with prescription drugs in general--the out-of-control marketing of drugs by the manufacturers (yes, those fine-print-laden and sappy TV ads on the network evening news and talk shows and soap operas) which then feeds a black market (q.v. e-mail spammers allegedly from Canada) which recreational drug users/abusers will exploit.

But a philosophy question: If a pill gives a kid a happy childhood, is it really a happy childhood?

FP
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What I usually end up having: Decaff Mocha.

What I would want: Not enough space here to adequately cover.
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At Least, It Ought To Be If It Isn't )

PS: In the interest of SCIENCE...if somebody came up with a comestible product/recipie called "Instant Tuesday", what would you expect the ingredients to be? The survival of human civilization may depend on your answers.
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Finally got to mix up and drink the packet my sister gave me for Christmas.

It's the Pan-Galactic Cocoa Blaster...like having your brains beaten out by a warm fudge brownie wrapped around a large gold brick.

Whoa.
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Okay...it was my absolute first time drinking an energy drink. My first experience with the guarana substance. And the following fact is what I'll take away from the exercize:

* Guarana uses PAIN to keep you awake.

About an hour after drinking my can of Ace I started getting a headache which stayed quite intense for about 12 hours. I was only able to bring it under control a little while ago by using an ice pack and a tablet of Ibuprofen. My body's plenty rested, but I couldn't sleep overnight.

Never thought I'd ever get such a bad trip from a can of "pop".

Yes, I'd still love to have the t-shirt, and the poster, and whatever advertising stuff Ace has, but if this is how guarana treats me, I'm not going to buy more cans of Ace itself soon.

FP
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My folks bought the household supply of Halloween candy overday. No matter that for the last couple years or so, nobody has shown up at our place for Trick-or-Treat.

Well, we also have the additional excuse of Mom's birthday on Sunday. So we have to have treats around.

Finding the willpower to avoid nomming on the profits is difficult. And I'm UNDERWEIGHT. I can't imagine how bad it must be for somebody with real nutritional issues.

FP

And no, I don't have a costume. Tho' I suppose I could fake it if I really had to.
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Contemplating what I want to do next.

I should create a sig graphic for the forums that I frequent.

I should scan something.

I should figure out the default pixel/inch figure for my graphics program.

I should decide which decals to put on my Mustang fighter plane model.

I should find something interesting to blog about.

Smells like the tea is ready to drink. I shall meditate a while.

FP
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Hey.

Just getting out a few issues.

1) I actually packed TOO MUCH stuff for my trip. For once, not only did I not forget to bring anything...I took stuff I wound up NOT needing. My music CD wallet remained closed the whole time. I took no shots whatsoever on my camera. I had an unused booklet of maps. I still had clean clothes in my bags when I returned. I still had snacks and cans of sodapop in my lunchpail. Of course, if I had a travel buddy with me, I assure you this wouldn't be the case, as we'd be goading each other into meals, hygiene, navigational checks, touristy stuff, and the like.

2) Indiana Jones was right: it's not the years you feel, it's the mileage. My back took a couple days to recover from the saddle soreness.

3) I didn't set out to do it as such, but I kept mostly off the caffeine. I don't know if that helped my sleeping, but I did become a little more sensitive to the stuff.

4) Another thing you learn from traveling through other localities--how badly the radio stations in your hometown SUCK. There is a killer oldies/classic rock station in Chattanooga, and another in Gainesville, both of which would blow the one in Knoxville out of the water. There is no excuse for substandard radio programming.

Merry Christmas to the Christians who read me, Happy Hanukkah to the Jews who read me, and Happy Holidays to everybody.

FP
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Hey.

I've been addicted to caffeine since I was prescribed coffee (along with Dexedrine) as a boy of seven years' age. I know there are worse substances to be hooked upon, and I'm thankful that I've been able to avoid such things so far. But just the same, I wish I could break my cycles, just to say that I could.

It used to be that in the summertime, I could leave the caffeinated beverages and the chocolate out of my diet for a couple weeks or so, gladly trading my tea habit for lemonade, orange punch, and the like. But since moving to Tennessee it's been harder to do that. Especially since my folks still seem to think that chocolate in any form is a treat for me any day of the year. Nothing wrong with chocolate, I guess...although around Christmas and birthdays and Valentine's and Easter we wind up practically overdosing on the stuff.

Working a night job had been no picnic. I had to rely on coffee and tea to keep me running. And then I'd have trouble sleeping overday and waking up in the late afternoon to start it all over again. I did two one-year "tours of duty" as a night man at hotels...and it's ultimately no surprise that my caffeine habits have been at least a contributing factor to both my burnouts. Wish I could blame my college freshman burnout on caffeine too--but I can only blame myself, I gave myself too much of a class workload that term.

I drink about a pitcher of tea a day and supplement that with one or two cups of coffee/mocha/hot cocoa and the odd snack. Dad's homemade chocolate chip cookies are a frequent delivery vehicle in this house. Or Dad will hand me a chocolate milkshake he made for me without me asking him. (Up here, I don't like drinking anything cold in a month whose name has an "R" in it.) Someday I'll crunch the numbers and see what it comes to in caffeine milligram terms. I'm afraid of the final figure.

As for carbonated beverages, I reserve those for eating out and often not even then. I like the places that have serve-yourself soda fountains...sometimes I'll mix a drink that's part orange and part Mountain Dew/MelloYello. I used to drink root beer more often but that specific taste has changed a little.

Ever think of what goes into your body in geopolitical terms? Of course, coffee comes from South America and places in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific. Cocoa comes from Africa, as does the kola root to flavor your Cokes and Pepsis. Tea comes from all over Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Sugar comes from the Caribbean and Polynesia...and even plantations in South Florida. What do you know about the planters of these crops? What do you know of the people who tend them and harvest them? What do you know about the people shipping them to our markets? Madison Avenue has co-opted all of their voices from us. Maybe as a culture we really are in grave danger if we can't see past the shelves of the supermarkets and discount stores.

I like coffee and I like tea. But I wish I could be sure that they are my servants and not my masters.

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Stephen R Bierce

March 2022

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