I’m a confessed caffeine addict. (though it started out as more of a coffee shop addiction) In this I take a sort of perverse pride. It is part of my cultural make up, both as an American (Americans are the world’s top consumers of coffee), and as a programmer where caffeine abuse is touchstone of the identity of our little sub-culture.

Caffeine abuse is much like getting a tattoo or piercing, mild forms of self abuse identified with other sub-cultures. Because programmers aren’t as explicitly rebelling against something, and in fact large parts of our cultural make up fit hand-in-glove with the capitalist American fantasy life, our significiers are more subtle, allowing us to pass.

Which is really a tangent from what I started to write about. I’m sitting in 1369, and some woman just came in, clearly a regular. She didn’t even have to order, the counter person (the one with the tattooed arms. the name David sticks in my head?) confirmed she wanted the usual:

“7 shots – 4 shots, this much [about an inch and a half] steamed milk, and 3 more shots”.
She grinned, “Exactly right”.

That is just scary! But I’m kind of jealous because I think they gave it to her on the house.