Confessions of a Caffeine Addict IV

  This has been a weird week for coffee. At least Mark and AJ, two of the other three members in our research group, drink coffee almost as heavily as I do. Corinne is a tea drinker. The cool thing about her particular habit is her chosen cup.

You can find these at creaturecups.com

  We do take turns making coffee for each other and there are three coffee pots to choose from in the galley of the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies. The kitchenette is really a galley kitchen so the naming is definitively appropriate. I am always afraid of bumping into people in there. Close quarters comes to mind. 

  But a very curious thing happened this past week. I have noticed that nobody touched anything in the fridge but their own food which is good because I have worked in places where kitchen gnomes and thieves were common. 

  Remember that review I posted on the Coffee-mate Thin Mints creamer? I left it in the fridge of the galley overnight. I have told Mark and AJ that they are more than welcome to it since I work with them. As a matter of fact, anyone outside the group is welcome to it as long as they ask first. Honestly, I just want to keep track of the usage so I can get more when necessary and not walk in one morning and be disappointed that it's all gone and should have picked more up on the way in. I do it for the Keurig in the Physics Student Lounge all the time. No biggie. 

  Well, I walked in the next morning and it was GONE. I was baffled, surprised, and shocked. I talked to the department secretary about it. By the way, always be polite and get to know department secretaries they are the key to the workings of every department I have ever worked with. They usually know a bunch of things you don't. Janitors too. Never forget that no matter how small you think someone's job is that they make things happen. 

  Happily, by lunchtime, the creamer was back in the fridge. By some oddball power of observation, I noticed a graduate student walking down the hallway with three plates and a circular shaped object between the two plates. I didn't want to embarrass the young man so I let it go. I figured he had made a mistake and I don't think he meant to do it maliciously. 

  There are some things that are worth letting go, such as anger and disappointment from misjudging people.

Review: Coffee-mate Thin Mint Creamer

  Do you like Girl Scout cookies? Yes, I know, what a silly question! Honestly, I thought this was going to be super sweet but a little bit goes a long way. So, don't overdo it! If you catch this on sale, like I did, don't think twice. Just get it!

Gevalia K Cups: Mocha Latte

  First of all, let me start by expressing my disappointment that this wasn't flavored coffee but a true specialty drink. While there are only 6 cups and flavor packets per pack, the actual cost per serving came out to be only $1.25. A far cry from the $3-$4 a mocha latte would cost at Starbucks or made by your favorite barista. I think I will take the $1.75 in savings and run with this for a bit. When you do the math, 6 * $3 = $18 versus the 6 * $1.25 = $7.50. 

  Yeah, I know... nothing beats the atmosphere of a good coffee shop. However, aside from Starbucks here in Myrtle Beach area, I would rather save my money over the summer and get work done by poolside instead. 

  Six sips into the drink and I am not tossing it out. It's not bad but it is not the best I have ever had. Will it suffice? Yes. I can live off it. Even my dog thinks it's ok (she just licked the side of the cup). Now, if I can get my hands on a can of whipped cream, I think that would add to the mocha latte experience that I am used to.