I’m at home sick today, so I figured that I’d document how my brain works when I’m not feeling well. I still have a headache as I’m writing this (and at time also have The Toddler on my lap) so it may be a bit incoherent. Please accept my apologies in advance.
The Awakening
I have toddler duties in the morning, and The Toddler awoke at 6:30, so I did too. I instantly realize that I have a horrible headache.
Toddler Duties
Keeping up with The Toddler means making oatmeal and trying to get her to eat it, changing her diaper and getting her into some clothes, and reading / singing The Wheels on the Bus at least 20 times. I’m also trying to get some Tylenol in me to deal with the headache. I get the Tylenol, but the headache doesn’t go away.
Let’s Try a Nap
Jo gets up at around 8:30 and I decide to take a nap before heading into work in the hope that my headache will go away. I’m not sure how a nap is supposed help, but I can’t really think straight at this point.
The Awakening, Part II
The nap ends around 9:30, but the headache does not. I send an email to work and try and continue napping. At some point, Jo brings me Excedrin and a glass of water. The headache does not go away.
Folk Remedy
I can’t sleep, and I can barely think straight, so I decide to try a neti pot. This has worked for me in the past, but it’s not exactly pleasant. This helps a bit, but not much.
Facing the Beast
Here’s where it starts to get interesting. At this point, it’s been at least 20 hours since my last cup of coffee. While I don’t think this is the cause (entirely, at any rate) of my headache, I know if I don’t get some caffeine soon, it’s only going to get worse.
I keep a jar of Nescafé around for caffeine emergencies just like this. However, in part because I am a moron and in part because the headache is still preventing me from thinking straight, I decide to make some fresh coffee using the french press. I have to say that this decision, while not wise, is not entirely indefensible. One of my Christmas gifts from Jo was the Lighthouse Coffee of the Month Club and the latest Roaster’s Choice had just arrived. I really, really, really wanted my Lighthouse coffee.
You know how sometimes you make a really bad decision and then follow it up with a series of even worse decisions? This is one of those times for me.
Because I was making Lighthouse for the first time, I decided that I needed to clean my french press and coffee grinder so as to not contaminate the superior roast with inferior coffee leavings. To do this, I had to clean out the sink, and to do this, I had to empty the dishwasher. So I empty the dishwasher, but can’t really manage cleaning out the sink because of the headache and the fact that the sink is full of gross, dirty dishes. Jo, taking pity on me (and probably trying to get me to shut up about my headache) cleans out the sink for me.
After a bit of a rest, I get back to cleaning the press and the grinder. At this point, I figure that I’ve put this much work into this, I should adjust the grinder to allow for a coarser grind, which I’ve been meaning to do for a while. The grinder has a convenient dial for adjusting the grind, but I wanted to get it up to 11, so to speak. (Although in this case, it’s really more like getting it down to -1 because the lower the number, the coarser the grind.) This is a six step process that involves tools. (Well, it involves an allen wrench at any rate. When you factor in the fact that they guy running the show here is also behaving like a tool, you get two tools.)
Finally, something like an hour after I could have had a cup of Nescafé, I’m finally making my coffee.
The Conclusion
In the end, was it worth it? I’d have to say no, for two reasons. First, my head hurt too much to appreciate the coffee, and second, in the end it didn’t help me feel any better anyway. In fact, the caffeine from the Excedrin combined with the caffeine in the coffee made me feel jittery and nauseous.
Post a Comment