Caffeine highs, and a word about my project best-friend

Yesterday was a weird day.

It ended at 4:09am, half-way through an episode of Planet Earth, and having stalled on the only snack available to me–gluten free raisin bread (Which could not be salvaged through toasting, buttering and a more than healthy amount of jam).

I had a bad caffeine day.  You may have heard stories of me having drank a full-lead coffee in the morning, and being wide awake well past 2am.  Stories of being in Colorado and trying American Mountain Dew and being informed after that it has 4x the amount of caffeine they allow in Canada.  Stories of being WIDE AWAKE until past dawn, and only by the mercy of God, able to fall asleep then.

Yesterday was such a day.

Tara, my Calgary Project 2008 Best-friend, and I hit up coffee shops pretty regularly these days.  We tried a new one with a jittery and angsty looking barista.  I ordered a medium (which was a large in any other store) DECAF, I repeat, DECAF Americano.  I drank said ‘decaf’ Americano.  Almost as soon as I was done, I started to shake.  I was unable to string my thoughts together, remember appointments with students, or focus on fast moving objects.  I was beginning a 14 hour caffeine high.

I couldn’t explain what was happening to me because I was clinging to the hope that my drink was indeed decaf.  It wasn’t until 3am, when Tara, my night owl roommate came in and I said to her, in my fully awake voice (and not my sleep talking voice–which I also do), ‘Hey Tara.  I can’t sleep.  You know what I’ve been thinking about for the last 4 hours while I lay here?

1.  I want to go to the driving range more.  I like it.  Golfing is good and everyone in my family does it except me.  I should learn.

2.  I think making jam is sexy.  I see myself making jam this coming year.

3.  My sister, nephew and I should play ‘things in a box’ and ‘would you rather’ on our car trip out east this summer.

4.  I think my drink today wasn’t decaf.

5.  Do you want to watch some Planet Earth with me?

So, Tara–a tried and true project best-friend and I made ourselves some snacks and watched ‘Great Planes’ until her computer seized up.  Our favourite is still ‘Seasonal Forests’.

The irony of today, is that I may need a caffeinated beverage to just make it through awake.