Coffee...The new alcohol

Starbucks, Kaldi's, Mudhouse, Caribou Coffee, the crap from the gas station dispensers, plain straight up coffee.  Yes, plain coffee is definitely at the very bottom of the coffee totem pole in my opinion (even below the 7-11 "mochas" out of the machine).  This is my new experience for the day...drinking plain, old-fashioned Folger's coffee brewed in the kitchen at my office.  Not the best new experience.  I would say there is one upside to drinking this sugarless, bitter tasting drink, other than the caffeine.  All the mocha-frappacino-macchiato-skinny-no-whip-grande-coffee drinks have 8 trillion other ingredients in them that no one is really sure of.  What is a macchiato?  How much sugar is in those extra large pumps of flavored syrup? Well, with a cup of straight Folgers, you know exactly what's in it...coffee.  Other than the confidence of knowing precisely what is in your cup, I don't see many upsides to plain coffee.  My advice on this topic is:  Stick with the flavorful mystery coffee drinks unless you are extremely talented and able to chug a large, steaming hot cup of bitter-tasting black liquid in one gulp.  If so, I envy you because you will save money, lose weight, and get your daily caffeine surge.

Jim Gaffigan...I am a fan

This may not technically count as trying something new.  But I'm qualifying it.  I don't usually like comedians and I like Jimbo, so I would consider this a new experience....I actually, embarrassingly, catch myself laughing out loud alone while watching him. Jim Gaffigan....hmmm....he is a difficult and very complex man to explain.  I think I'll do it through sharing some of my favorite JG (yes, he has been given a nickname) quotes.

Number 1: "I do feel guilty at checkout when they’re bagging all my groceries. Talk about feeling lazy. Hey, thanks for putting my groceries in my bag. Yeah I could help, but I’ll just watch. I’m exhausted from picking that crap out. You wanna come home and watch me eat ‘em? I’m lookin’ for a buddy." (It's true, BUT it's their job, so I personally don't feel bad, sorry)

Number 2: "But in Indiana it's not like New York where everyone's like, 'We're from New York and we're the best or 'We're from Texas and we like things big' it's more like 'We're from Indiana and we're gonna move." (I feel the same about Missouri)

The hot pockets segment is probably his most popular, but I actually didn't find a lot of it funny...mostly just disgusting.  But I did laugh at this line: 

Number 3: "I was looking at a box of hot pockets and they have a warning on the side. It's like 'Warning! You just bought Hot Pockets! Hope you're drunk or heading home to a trailer! You hillbilly enjoy the next NASCAR event!'" 

I would highly recommend that anyone who has not done so, check him out...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjJCIbC9sxA

You might be surprised, even if you aren't the TV-comedian type.

Flash FUN Warning

I know...too cheesy.  I just had to do it.  So last night during the downpour ofthe century (literally), my 15 year-old, rain-loving sister went running through the house in her swimsuit, yelling at me to go with her.  Obviously, in the spirit of trying new things, I accepted and left no time to change out of my all-cotton-very-absorbent outfit.  I hesitantly lingered on the porch for a couple minutes before running into the front yard, feeling like I was "constantly being splashed in the face", which I would typically find extremely annoying. BUT, I kept an open mind this time and realized how refreshing it can feel to be outside during a summer rain.  I almost forgot about how worried I was about getting dirty or breaking a bone or creating an indoor flood when I went back in the house, soaking wet.  Moral of the story:  If you ever find yourself frowning at the rain outside, I would highly recommend that you get over it and quickly find the nearest door.  It will be worth it, I promise.