Apparently, there's at least one good thing about getting a nasty Abu Dhabi stomach virus: it enabled me to wean myself off of caffeine for the first time in 3+ years. My love affair with coffee began late in life (I was 26). Somehow I managed to get through countless college all nighters with zero help from the caffeine goddesses. I even spent the first 2+ years of my life in San Francisco, home to some of the tastiest, non-chain coffee shops around (Philz lovers unite!), without being the least bit tempted. And then Watershed happened, and I was hooked on the oh-so-bonding AM coffee run (miss you guys).
Anyway, coffee was the last thing I wanted hanging out in my stomach with that flu bug, so it just happened: I stopped drinking coffee, and have only had one cup in the past 2 1/2 weeks (which had me wide awake from 1:30am through the next evening). Can't say whether it's a momentary cleanse or a longer term change, but it's a notable difference being free of the wonderfully aromatic and tasty drug.
Along with quitting coffee, I'm making a much more concerted effort to quit whining about life here in Abu Dhabi. Not because I suddenly love it here (I don't), but because here is where I am right now. And it's pretty damn good on many, many fronts. I have totally flexible work hours. I do yoga whenever I want. Adam and I have made some rad friends, and when I need a fix, I Skype with my lovely, wonderful, dearly missed sisters and friends and family back home.
Oh, and I bake A LOT. With the help of my bad-ass birthday silpat, my ratio of successful-to-burnt baked goods has improved immensely. I've probably gone through a few pounds of butter on cinnamon rolls and cupcakes alone. I've tried my hand at homemade nutella and perfected my peanut butter cups. I can spend an hour looking for the best burger bun recipe, four hours carefully making it, and then another hour eating every last crumb of it from my plate (with a giant Australian beef burger patty in the middle) while Adam and I enjoy one of many home-cooked weeknight dinners. You get the point.
Yes, I'd like to get on my bicycle and head down Valencia to meet up with my sisters for Wednesday night sister night. I'd love to ride BART with no pants--or put some sexy pants
on for a night out with my ladies. And though Adam makes a mean bloody mary, I long for a lazy afternoon sitting across from Chad and Gina at Zeitgeist. But that's all there, and I'm here. And here's got its perks and its great folks and yummy food as well (cheap-ass shawarma, I heart you). So this is kinda my March resolution--hoping it sticks more than I think the coffee one will.
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| adam's bloody mary concoction (peanut butter not included) |
