The Physical Effect of Cherries

At 4pm yesterday, I hit a bit of a wall. I felt like someone from that awful awful 5 hour energy ad - "we all know what 2:30 feels like...". Oh how I loathe that ad. I'd post it here, but then I'd be furthering their cause.

The first thing I did was take off my shoes. This always provides some cooling relief by releasing all the pent-up heat energy in my feet. Then I got up and headed for the ki

tchen. My legs were sore from soccer - especially where the quads meet the hips. (How in the world does one stretch this region? You can yank your feet up behind you all day long, and you'll most likely end up with a hyper-extended knee, and sore quads the next day).

In any case, I decided to pull the bag of cherries from the fridge rather than the bag of oatmeal-raisin cookies from on top. I poured a goodly amount into a bowl, planning on sharing with vFlyer, and gave them all a nice cold rinse. I also grabbed a little tupperware for the pits. The first one was delicious, and I had two or three before I began to make the rounds of the office.

The devteam was deep in conversation - something about computers - so I started with Todd. He had two or three while I told him the story of the cherries' purchase - an extreme organic grocery store impulse buy (along with $23 of other assorted goods, all gathered in my arms in a matter of 3 minutes).

Sindy obviously likes cherries, and took 3. She smiled and actually said "I'll take three".

Sam doesn't like cherries. Nor fruit in general. "I like oranges", he said. "I eat alot of oranges".

I returned to my desk and my work, and as 5pm neared I noticed I only had 2 cherries left. I counted the pits in my tupperware: 25. Twenty-five cherries! This seemed like alot - too much, even, so I did some research.

I found some good news:

"Cherries are a potential treatment for diabetes that may lower blood sugar levels. They may help prevent colon cancer, significantly reduce pain due to muscle damage, provide relief from the pain of gout and arthritis and lower LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, a contributing factor in heart disease and strokes." -Life 123.com

I also found a troubling tale:

"Former President Zachary Taylor ate a substantial amount of cherries the day of his death. He i

s presumed to have died from a foodborne illness that lasted 5 days."

I suspect Taylor's death had more to do with what was on those particular cherries, and the gulps of warm milk he was simultaneously downing. And then the subsequent bleeding by his doctors.It turns out there's a conspiracy theory surrounding this cherry-lover's death, with enough momentum to warrant digging up the old bones in 1991 for a scientific examination (read: the exhumation of Taylor's remains): http://bit.ly/ctjKME

Me? I had two more cherries, bringing my grand total to 27. I made it home just fine, with no ill effects to report, and I'm happily back to the cherry-eating today.

Overall, I feel that cherries have a lot to offer those looking for an afternoon pick-me-up. They're sweet and juicy, and according to one loyal non-reader, eating a cherry is:

"Like playing a little game - you try to eat the cherry

without breaking your tooth on the pit"

And, best of all - the satisfaction of spitting the little wooden pit, especially hearing it plunk into the bottom of a plastic container.

The Emotional Effect of Coffee

I'm not a regular coffee drinker. I reserve it for special occasions, like weekend mornings. A while back I got in the habit of picking up a McCafe before going out, but that's about it. It makes me jittery, and strangely emotional.

Today I had my first cup of coffee at work. It was amazing. I hatched the plan on my way to work from Kezar Pub, where I'd had a couple of beers and a beer shower to celebrate Lando's Goal:



I knew that, while I felt great upon arriving at work, the afternoon would be a bit of a struggle, so I decided I'd have a cup of coffee after lunch. I took my break around 1:45, and after eating my leftover dinner for lunch, headed to Tully's. Tully's is on the ground floor of the building next door, and part of the strangely arranged courtyard space that I stroll through on lunch. A tall latte cost me $2.50. I decided to keep the .50 change, thinking about the $10 I'd spent earlier to get in to Kezar. If I hadn't spent that $10, I'd probably have tipped the barista. I don't remember his name, but I do remember his shirt was sort of grimy. If I ever ran a restaurant or cafe, I would make darn sure my employees always wore clean shirts. And clean caps. Although caps most likely wouldn't be allowed.

I put two sugars in - pouring them right on top of eachother and listening to their little clump of weightiness slowly tumble through the foam. I worked the foam around with the little wooden stick, gave it a cautious lick and then tossed it.

I headed back to work, gave a little finger wiggling wave to the "Hi" guy in the lobby, and then down the hall I went, balancing my coffee on top of my tupperware. I thought how terrible it would be if somebody popped out into the hallway and I spilled hot coffee all over them.

I got back to my brown-paper-shrouded desk feeling very excited about drinking my coffee and having a productive afternoon. Things went quickly. I felt sharp, and drank the whole cup in about 30 minutes. I'm not sure how this rates in terms of coffee-drinking pace, but I'd reckon it's on the fast side. After a while, I went to the kitchen for some water. That's when I got sort of emotional. I can't recall exactly what I was thinking about, but I definitely felt very emotionally involved. It moved up through me in a wave, and I could feel it in my chest. It felt good, really. Very real and all-encompassing. I looked down at my shoes and poured cold water from the dispenser, and smiled to myself as I went back to work.

I'm quite sure it was the coffee.