NP: Ingrid Jensen, "Litha" (MP3)

If I seem a little more alert these days, there's a reason. I've come across a couple of caffeinated products that I like a lot. Which can be problematic, because once I start drinking these sorts of things because they have a pleasing taste, my overall caffeine intake is going to shoot up, and it's already pretty high. Admittedly, that's sort of odd for someone who allegedly doesn't have much to do.

First up, I happened to run out of coffee right when I ran out of groceries, so making a special trip to Dunkin Donuts because too much of a hassle. Especially when you consider that I ran out of coffee before I had my morning cup(s). There was an imperative there that did not need an extra trip, to say the least. So I stumbled on a local coffeemaker called Stewarts, and a blend called "Red Eye," futher tagged as coffee "with an attitude." It's really good. It's got some bite to it, but none of that bitterness that you usually get with the likes of Starbucks or Seattle's Best. We had Starbucks ground coffee at my last job, and across something like three or four different varieties, it all sucked. This is much, much better. Plus, it's cheaper than the Dunkin Donuts ground, and it's local. Everybody wins, except Starbucks, so again, everybody wins.

Then, I've gotten to that age where I can't really deal with cola. I switched to Diet Coke a while ago, and now I'm not so fond of it, but having gotten used to the taste, I've found that I have a hard time switching back to the regular variety. And Pepsi just tastes terrible. I still mostly like RC, but it's not so easy to find. So, when I get one of those lunch specials that includes a can of soda, I tend toward orange soda. Well, now Mountain Dew has an orange flavor called "LiveWire," although it's apparently only available for this summer. Tastes good, and all the caffeine normally associated with Mountain Dew. So what if I'm getting twitchy!

On other fronts, lots and lots of things, um, percolating. I mentioned the state of the voiceover efforts last week. Toward the end of last week, the land of the day job looked attainable, and still does. Today, the real meat and potatoes of "Plan B," freelance market research, seems to have come into play. Meanwhile, I'm this close to starting a new musical project that I'm getting more and more excited about by the minute. Details as they become available, and/or as I become motivated. Also, six games of soccer played over the last nine days. I slept like a rock last night.