pop a pill

when i was in africa, i developed a wee bit of an addiction.

yes, it's true... the good little homeschooler can still succumb to the vices of this world.

i know, i know... it's disappointing to me, too.

sigh... anyways...

daniel (another homeschooler who succumbed) would make coffee every morning, and i'd relish Cup # 1 of the kenyan caffeine feeding my brain the needed jolt of energy to wake up and face the world each day... i don't know how anyone would've survived my stay there if i didn't have it.

after nights of tossing and turning, trying to sleep with the mosquitos buzzing around my head, it was the only thing preventing me from giving in to my "i hate everyone" attitude every morning.

shoving obnoxious kenyan men in front of the nearest moving vehicles would've been a daily event, let me tell ya.

did i mention i'm not a morning person?

okay... just thought i'd reiterate that fact.

Cup # 2 would come in the afternoon when we'd returned from whatever we were doing that day, and daniel would make another pot of french press and present me with my second dose... enough to survive the first half of the night with the previously mentioned mosquitos.

i only turned down his coffee once during the whole month we were there, and i regretted that... so it's pretty much a "duh!" statement to say i would need to either go cold turkey off that caffeine, or keep truckin with the addiction when i got back to the states.

well, i decided to wean myself off of the caffeine. for my whole first week back, i didn't drink coffee. nope... none. i was so proud of myself.

then i realized something... i was doing fine... just fine.

that's not normal. i should've had splitting withdrawal headaches by now, with the amount of caffeine i was consuming everyday in kenya.

why wasn't i irrated at life and supporting a new over the counter tylenol addiction from the nonexistent headaches by now?



that's right, folks... one a day women's vitamins.

started 'em when i got back from kenya, trying to be all healthy. the warning on the back of the bottle says the following:

"This product contains about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee."

best way to get your morning caffeine in a rush?

pop a pill.

blasting me with your horn? really?!?

who would've thought you could have adventures in america, too.

yesterday i ran some errands in town, and then i wanted to go to the buck of the star (i.e. starbucks) to write for awhile and relax for the afternoon.

i'd felt pretty lazy the last few days since i'd been too busy to get out in the fresh air and get some exercise. it'd been a few days of coffee dates, family time, and errands around town whenever i had a couple free hours in the evening. i'd caught up on life finally, but had no time to work out.

i decided that if i wanted to spend the afternoon at starbucks sitting on my butt, that i'd make myself earn it... so i walked to starbucks.

that's right... i have a vehicle, i live in america, and i walked somewhere.

try it... you'll feel so accomplished. and yes... our legs will support us for longer than five minutes at a time.

i parked my car up at the office max/home depot area at north mccarran, and i put on my hat, coat and scarf. i slung my laptop bag over my shoulder and put my ipod in my ears, and i was off.

it was a mile and a half to the pyramid starbucks, and it was frigid outside... but it felt so good to be walking that i didn't even mind.

this brings me to the subject of my blog...

as i was walking along the road... on the made-for-walking sidewalk... the sidewalk where i should be safe and secure because i was using it for it's intended purpose... i nearly jumped out of my skin as a utility truck passed me and the driver SLAMMED on his horn.

GOOD LORD!

i gasped and jumped to the far side of the sidewalk as the two men in the cab stared back at me as they drove past. my wide-eyed shock turned into a disturbed glare at those men as i turned up my ipod and kept walking.

i get that the latino culture believes it is flattering for a man to look a woman up and down like she's a piece of meat... but could ya just not scare me half to death by blaring on your horn and making me think i'm going to be run over at any moment?

after a few more times of the horns blaring on my walk, i was thankful for the warmth and quiet jazz music in the buck of the star.

it was another three hours of hot tea, writing, and relaxation, before i braved the horns again on my walk back to my car.