Spokane7
49°
February 15, 2010 in Features
The Slice: So much to consider just to get a little buzz
I’m thinking of making a drastic move.
I am considering becoming a coffee drinker.
You see, for a long time now I’ve liked to start work early. Ninety-nine out of 100 weekdays, I’m the first person in the newsroom.
Usually I experience a productive burst of energy right out of the starting gate and get a lot done. I revel in that time of day.
Lately though, I have been feeling a bit draggy early in the morning. The cause is no mystery. I have become less disciplined about getting to bed early enough at night.
I need to address that. No question.
In the meantime, I’m wondering if self-medicating with caffeine might be the way to go.
But here’s the thing. Even though I have lived in the Northwest longer than anywhere else, I’ve never been a coffee drinker. I don’t really know where to start.
So I have a few questions. And I invite coffee-sipping Slice readers to offer me the benefit of their experience.
1. Is there any way to narrow the taste-test options to a reasonable number?
2. Do you have to know a secret handshake?
3. How quickly do you feel a coffee buzz and how long does it last?
4. Why are the elaborate concoctions superior to a basic cup of black?
5. Over the course of a year, how much is this going to cost me?
6. Is it addicting? Will I find that I crave more than just that eye-opener first thing in the morning?
7. Will landing on Coffee World add unforeseen dimensions to my social life?
8. Are desktop tsunami-spills inevitable?
9. What are the implications for breath and teeth color?
10. How long before it becomes a simple-pleasure highlight of the day?
Today’s Slice question: Once, little boys knew the make, model and year of every car on their block. Is that ever the case today?
Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098; e-mail pault@spokesman.com. My parents had a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville and a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair.
The Slice: Salvage a thumbs-up, please 
TennesseeFred on February 18 at 11:40 p.m.
My pal back in Grade 7 offered me a cup of coffee from his thermos during a hockey game on the frozen Columbia River eddy. I said “I don’t drink cofee. it’s too bitter.” He replied “Not this stuff. it’s made really weak and loaded with milk and sugar.” Sure enough, It tasted nice and sweet. I’m presently at six cups per day, preferably Starbucks.