Brace Yourselves
It's going to be very ugly, people.
I am seriously considering giving up my coffee addiction. Now, this wouldn't be the first time. I'm a coffee slut. But . . . I have decided to go see an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine guru around here . . . and will be going on a mostly vegetarian diet--lots of rice and veggies. And no coffee.
And there's a great deal of fear with that. One of the reasons I have put off going to see an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine doctor has been those addictions. COFFEE!!! How can I write without coffee? Or, as my oldest child and fellow Starbucks addict would say, "WHAT IS THE POINT?!" Yes, indeed, what is the point of LIVING without the smell of fresh-brewed in my house each morning? And this doctor, right there on his website, says the teas he concocts for you full of herbs "taste disgusting." Enticing? I think not. But . . . Crohn's disease is kicking my proverbial a** so I'm up for nearly anything, and my last doctor said he had some patients who responded to Eastern medicine. And given the alternatives are some heavy-duty meds . . . well, maybe it's time. And considering my spiritual beliefs, it's maybe right to give up meat and coffee.
Which got me thinking . . . what do we THINK we NEED to write? I don't know what I did before computers. The cut and paste function is my friend. BUT, I indeed DID write on an IBM Selectric at one point (my kids think that's the Stone Age--as my oldest says, "What did you DO before cellphones?!?!").
I know some people think they can't write without alcohol. Or pot. Or other addictions. I know some who have to follow a little routine. Or have to have silence. Or music. Or an iPod.
So what will I discover about myself if I give up the ONE thing I think partially fuels my output?
Will I become a hopeless bitch? Some might say I already am one! Will I come crawling back to coffee like a cast-off lover?
It will be an adventure, I'm sure.
What can't YOU live without? (Or so you think.)
I am seriously considering giving up my coffee addiction. Now, this wouldn't be the first time. I'm a coffee slut. But . . . I have decided to go see an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine guru around here . . . and will be going on a mostly vegetarian diet--lots of rice and veggies. And no coffee.
And there's a great deal of fear with that. One of the reasons I have put off going to see an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine doctor has been those addictions. COFFEE!!! How can I write without coffee? Or, as my oldest child and fellow Starbucks addict would say, "WHAT IS THE POINT?!" Yes, indeed, what is the point of LIVING without the smell of fresh-brewed in my house each morning? And this doctor, right there on his website, says the teas he concocts for you full of herbs "taste disgusting." Enticing? I think not. But . . . Crohn's disease is kicking my proverbial a** so I'm up for nearly anything, and my last doctor said he had some patients who responded to Eastern medicine. And given the alternatives are some heavy-duty meds . . . well, maybe it's time. And considering my spiritual beliefs, it's maybe right to give up meat and coffee.
Which got me thinking . . . what do we THINK we NEED to write? I don't know what I did before computers. The cut and paste function is my friend. BUT, I indeed DID write on an IBM Selectric at one point (my kids think that's the Stone Age--as my oldest says, "What did you DO before cellphones?!?!").
I know some people think they can't write without alcohol. Or pot. Or other addictions. I know some who have to follow a little routine. Or have to have silence. Or music. Or an iPod.
So what will I discover about myself if I give up the ONE thing I think partially fuels my output?
Will I become a hopeless bitch? Some might say I already am one! Will I come crawling back to coffee like a cast-off lover?
It will be an adventure, I'm sure.
What can't YOU live without? (Or so you think.)
posted by Erica Orloff at 7:10 AM
19 Comments:
My purple pen. I probably could, but if I don't have to, lets not.
My laptop. I still prefer to write on the laptop, so I use pen and paper mostly as a back-up, especially when I'm blocked.
I'm not caffeine addicted, for the simple reason that I'm still young enough that it doesn't work on me. I drink coffee, and then head straight to bed, no problem.
May:
I could hate you (the coffee thing!). :-)
I used to write on a laptop because I have a bad back--car wreck 12 years ago. But I found I was getting very lazy in my comfy chair and went back to writing at my desk.
E
The one thing I absolutely cannot live without are my contact lenses. I hate wearing glasses and I don't know that Lasik is worth it (I hear that the deterioration in my vision will still happen despite Lasik). This is why I haven't auditioned for Survivor yet.
Dude, that's freaky. I decided yesterday to give up Diet Pepsi. No more caffeine for me. *gulp*
It's a healthy choice, the right one I'm sure...but, like most addicts, I've been on the road to recovery before....
I'm a less-than-amiable chap without me 'baccy, but I know it needs to go.
Let me know your quit date a few days ahead, Erica, and we'll do it together. First one to lose his/her mind is a rotten egg.
Diet coke....... chips (fries)...... sweets (candy).
And if we're talking about anything other than food, then it's got to be music, I couldn't imagine my life without it.
Karm:
Don't they allow glasses on Survivor? I know you don't like glasses, but you would be an AWESOME contestant on there.
:-)
E
Heather:
You have my sympathy, pal. And I've been down this road before. But NOT with doing acupuncture at the same time. I am HOPING that's the difference. But I could be a crying, weeping, coffee-lusting mess soon.
E
Jude:
YES, please, please, please give up smoking. You have a date in Paris in like 20 years and won't make it with that habit of yours. I will tell you my quit date when I have my appointment. I think I might be the first one to go mad. I think I have a head start.
Sara:
es. Music helps me write a lot. I don't crave sweets or fries . . . but give me Jamie Cullum or Vivaldi or Beethoven any day.
E
Books!
Never mind WRITING without books. I couldn't LIVE without books!!!!!
Natalie:
Oddly enough, that's not one of mine. I read a lot--mostly (like 99% of the time) nonfiction though, so it doesn't trickle into my writing so much. Now, in terms of LIFE, yes, I couldn't live without books, I don't think. But it doesn't impact my writing habits as much.
E
Good luck. I've tried to quit smoking. It wasn't pretty.
La:
Thanks. Yeah, I think those vices that are easy to come by are especially ugly. Believe it or not, in all the research I did for DOUBLE DOWN, gambling is actually the toughest of ALL habits to break--including heroin (at least according to psychiatrists, and based on failure/relapse ratios).
E
I definitely need background noise to write, be it music, TV or just general hubbub. I also need the TV on at night, otherwise I can't fall asleep, which makes me wonder if the state my brains goes into for writing is the same as the state for sleeping...
naomi:
For years, I could only sleep with the TV on. Broke that habit when I took a biofeedback course and decided perhaps quiet might be better for me. Now I "think" I sleep more soundly. But who knows? With four kids, there's always SOME kind of chaos at night.
E
Good luck, Erica! Sorry, I can't help, though. I love my coffee. Other favs are sweets, BOOKS, and lovely solitude! Hey, last I heard one or two cups wasn't bad, but a good thing. What did I miss? LOL.
For my writing, I don't think there is anything I NEED... other than the belief that what I'm writing isn't utter crap... and that belief has been sorely missing for a while now.
I too would do better without the coffee... but the sleep apnea is a killer without some caffeine.
Jamie Cullum is a definite fave of mine. Have you heard Tony Hadley's (ex Spandau Ballet) latest jazz CD called Passing Strangers... it's awesome - he's my latest obsession!!
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