I am disillusioned.
ETA: the $627 included sales tax, which is higher around here because each of us, even I who detests football, tax a tax hit so the colts have their area.
$6.27
$6.27
That was the total cost of a venti pumpkin spice latte. I blinked slightly when the smiling barista told me the total but the drinks at Starbucks have always been pricey and we are in the midst of runaway inflation so.... Meanwhile I have not minded the price because I was under the impression that my over-priced beverage was keeping my local. friendly baristas covered in decent health care, even if they only worked 15 hours or so a week. I swear I read that years ago, that the wonderful caring bosses at the Starbucks headquarters were not typical capitalists but instead were caring progressive liberals who gave a shit about what happened to their employees. It seems that is not, or possibly never was, the case. One must drudge through a full 40 hours to get those bennies, which today's barista described as "OK but not that great".
I am disillusioned.
ETA: the $627 included sales tax, which is higher around here because each of us, even I who detests football, tax a tax hit so the colts have their area.
I am disillusioned.
ETA: the $627 included sales tax, which is higher around here because each of us, even I who detests football, tax a tax hit so the colts have their area.
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Bicycle Bill
- Posts: 9820
- Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 1:10 pm
- Location: Living in a suburb of Berkeley on the Prairie along with my Yellow Rose of Texas
Re: $6.27
$6.27 ... for some sort of frou-frou coffee-based drink.
And if I may point out the fact, while I am sure that you derive a certain amount of pleasure from consuming this concoction it is not absolutely necessary to life, sustenance, or survival. It is merely the self-administration of a mood-altering chemical (caffeine) with additional enhancements to please one's palate.
First-world problem, in my opinion.
-"BB"-
And if I may point out the fact, while I am sure that you derive a certain amount of pleasure from consuming this concoction it is not absolutely necessary to life, sustenance, or survival. It is merely the self-administration of a mood-altering chemical (caffeine) with additional enhancements to please one's palate.
First-world problem, in my opinion.
-"BB"-
Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?
Re: $6.27
Does caffeine really alter moods? I enjoy coffee, but never noticed any mood altering effects; some do get a stimulant effect (I don't notice that either), but I enjoy the taste of good black coffee.
As for this not being "absolutely necessary", I do think some modicum of happiness and enjoyment is necessary for sustenance if not life; we all have our own way of achieving this.
As for this not being "absolutely necessary", I do think some modicum of happiness and enjoyment is necessary for sustenance if not life; we all have our own way of achieving this.
Re: $6.27
Caffeine is a substance I honestly wish I’d never been introduced to. I worked hard to break my moderate addiction and I now only drink it sporadically, in lower doses via green and black teas, and never after 2pm.
Caffeine is the most abused addictive substance on the planet and like any addictive substance, it is mood altering.
Caffeine is the most abused addictive substance on the planet and like any addictive substance, it is mood altering.
Caffeine: The Silent Killer of Success
Today’s tip for increasing your emotional intelligence is the most simple and straightforward you’re ever going to get. For many people, this tip has the potential to have a bigger impact upon their emotional intelligence (EQ) than any other.
The catch? You have to cut down on caffeine, and as any caffeine drinker can attest, this is easier said than done.
The Good: Isn’t Really Good
Most people start drinking caffeine because it makes them feel more alert and improves their mood. Many studies suggest that caffeine actually improves cognitive task performance (memory, attention span, etc.) in the short-term. Unfortunately, these studies fail to consider the participants’ caffeine habits. New research from Johns Hopkins Medical School shows that performance increases due to caffeine intake are the result of caffeine drinkers experiencing a short-term reversal of caffeine withdrawal. By controlling for caffeine use in study participants, John Hopkins researchers found that caffeine-related performance improvement is nonexistent without caffeine withdrawal. In essence, coming off caffeine reduces your cognitive performance and has a negative impact on your mood. The only way to get back to normal is to drink caffeine, and when you do drink it, you feel like it’s taking you to new heights. In reality, the caffeine is just taking your performance back to normal for a short period.
The Bad: Adrenaline
Drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the source of the “fight or flight” response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re responding to a curt email. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyper-aroused state, your emotions overrun your behavior.
Irritability and anxiety are the most commonly seen emotional effects of caffeine, but caffeine enables all of your emotions to take charge.
The negative effects of a caffeine-generated adrenaline surge are not just behavioral. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that large doses of caffeine raise blood pressure, stimulate the heart, and produce rapid shallow breathing, which readers of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 know deprives the brain of the oxygen needed to keep your thinking calm and rational.
The Ugly: Sleep
When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories and storing or discarding them (which causes dreams), so that you wake up alert and clear-headed. Your self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when you don’t get enough—or the right kind—of sleep. Your brain is very fickle when it comes to sleep. For you to wake up feeling rested, your brain needs to move through an elaborate series of cycles. You can help this process along and improve the quality of your sleep by reducing your caffeine intake.
Here’s why you’ll want to: caffeine has a six-hour half-life, which means it takes a full twenty-four hours to work its way out of your system. Have a cup of joe at eight a.m., and you’ll still have 25% of the caffeine in your body at eight p.m. Anything you drink after noon will still be at 50% strength at bedtime. Any caffeine in your bloodstream—with the negative effects increasing with the dose—makes it harder to fall asleep.
When you do finally fall asleep, the worst is yet to come. Caffeine disrupts the quality of your sleep by reducing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the deep sleep when your body recuperates and processes emotions. When caffeine disrupts your sleep, you wake up the next day with an emotional handicap. You’re naturally going to be inclined to grab a cup of coffee or an energy drink to try to make yourself feel better. The caffeine produces surges of adrenaline, which further your emotional handicap. Caffeine and lack of sleep leave you feeling tired in the afternoon, so you drink more caffeine, which leaves even more of it in your bloodstream at bedtime. Caffeine very quickly creates a vicious cycle.
Withdrawal
Like any stimulant, caffeine is physiologically and psychologically addictive. If you do choose to lower your caffeine intake, you should do so slowly under the guidance of a qualified medical professional. The researchers at Johns Hopkins found that caffeine withdrawal causes headache, fatigue, sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people report feeling flu-like symptoms, depression, and anxiety after reducing intake by as little as one cup a day. Slowly tapering your caffeine dosage each day can greatly reduce these withdrawal symptoms.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan
Re: $6.27
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones; caffeine has little effect on me. I drink a good amount of coffee throughout the day, but can also stop for weeks at a time (I've tried it a few times to be sure, cutting out all caffeine) without any ill effect; I can also drink or two double espressos right before bed without any affect on my sleep. My blood pressure is fine, as is my general disposition. However, I realize this does not apply to everyone--my wife gave up coffee pretty much completely after she suffered some withdrawal symptoms when she stopped coffee in one of our experiments, and my older daughter cannot drink coffee in the evening or she will be awake for the entire not.
For me, it's just the taste of good coffee that keeps me coming back--black, no milk (I will have the occasional skim latte) or sugar or flavors.
I do enjoy tea sometimes in the evening, but usually prefer coffee.
For me, it's just the taste of good coffee that keeps me coming back--black, no milk (I will have the occasional skim latte) or sugar or flavors.
I do enjoy tea sometimes in the evening, but usually prefer coffee.
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datsunaholic
- Posts: 2700
- Joined: Sun Dec 13, 2015 12:53 am
- Location: The Wet Coast
Re: $6.27
Caffeine gives me a splitting headache. I overdosed on caffeine when I was 18, trying to stay awake during Nuclear field "A" school. I gave it up for good in 1999, when I realized the buzzing headaches I was getting corresponded with caffeinated beverages.
Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down.
Re: $6.27
I have about a cup and 1/2 of coffee every morning. It probably does affect me but I've been drinking it so long every morning that I don't notice any extra stimulation.
On the other hand, the other day I had a can of 8 oz sugarless Red Bull and about 10 minutes later I felt like preparing and painting the exterior of my house just to keep myself occupied. I'm glad I didn't start the job for two reasons: 1st the house doesn't need painting and 2nd I felt tired about an hour later.
On the other hand, the other day I had a can of 8 oz sugarless Red Bull and about 10 minutes later I felt like preparing and painting the exterior of my house just to keep myself occupied. I'm glad I didn't start the job for two reasons: 1st the house doesn't need painting and 2nd I felt tired about an hour later.
Re: $6.27
ACA coverage is also available to the unemployed, if they are for some reason ineligible for Medicaid (no Medicaid extension in their state, perhaps).
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan
Re: $6.27
"venti pumpkin spice latte"?!?!?
Have a cup of tea FFS!
Have a cup of tea FFS!
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: $6.27
This morning after my hour swim and 20 min sauna I treated myself to a tall decaf cappuccino breve (with half and half), and one pump of sugar free vanilla syrup, extra hot (for sitting in the fall sun in a wet bathing suit to drink it). I didn’t have to make it, they always get it right, and they smile when they hand it to me. Entirely worth the $5.68.
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg, paraphrasing Sarah Moore Grimké
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MajGenl.Meade
- Posts: 21497
- Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:51 am
- Location: Groot Brakrivier
- Contact:
Re: $6.27
One of Caesar's, no? "I came eventually my little pumpkin spice"?
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
Re: $6.27
"Chai tea latte" The horror, the horror....
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: $6.27
I'm not even going to bother asking.....
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: $6.27
No need. It makes me happy, that’s all that matters
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” ~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg, paraphrasing Sarah Moore Grimké
