It Is Just Too Early in the Morning for This

This day really hasn’t been going so well. After several insomnia-free weeks, it's back with a vengeance. After a less than optimal night of sleep, I dragged myself out to the kitchen to make my breakfast. Lord Kissington had thoughtfully boiled the water for my tea. I love tea, I drink it every morning, and even though I gave up caffeine a couple of years ago*, it’s part of my morning ritual. As I poured the water into the mug, I noticed something floating in it. It appeared to be two tiny roaches, presumably dead. Yes, we have roaches. It’s basically the price you pay for living in a city apartment. You can exterminate and put down Combat traps, but they will always come back. Usually, it’s not too bad and I can live with the occasional roach, as long as they keep their distance. But this morning, they crossed the line. The mug was empty when I started to pour, so they must have invaded the sanctity of my tea kettle. This aggression will not stand. But I really wanted that cup of tea, so I gave myself a pep talk (“It’s just a cup of tea, princess. You can make yourself another one.”) and resolved to begin again. I dumped out the tea and the kettle. I scrubbed the kettle and rinsed it out thoroughly about 18 times. I boiled the water again. When it was ready, I poured it into a clean mug. And I looked down into the cup as I poured, and what did I see. Yes, two more tiny floating roaches. I really wanted to cry, but instead I just dumped out the second cup and resigned myself to a tea-less morning. Sigh.

*In an effort to combat my insomnia. I’ve always been really susceptible to the effects of caffeine, so I thought it might help. It worked for a short time, but didn’t really make a big difference in the end. Now on the rare occasions when I do consume caffeine, its effects are much more pronounced and it keeps me awake for hours.