Coffee:30 or Coffee 911?

COFFEE:30

It’s a term that is fairly common in the corporate business place; even recently being used in a national ad campaign for an energy drink.  And for those who have never heard of “Coffee:30”, it appropriately brings to mind, in a humorous way,  the image of the beleaguered worker who just needs a bit of caffeine to make it through the rest of the day. 

 “Coffee:30” typically takes place in the afternoon, between 2:30 and 3:30 (for a standard 1^st shift day), and is the time of day when people in the office start to lose their steam.  The day is almost over, and the train is almost to the station… just need that last little jolt to make it through ‘til quitting time.  You will see people stand up in their cubes, stretch, grunt, sometimes even give it the “dog shake”, and declare, “Man!  I think it’s Coffee:30.  Wanna go grab a cup?”  A couple of co-workers will, invariably, jump on this bandwagon, and off they go to caffeinate themselves; hoping for something to help them stay awake the rest of the afternoon.

There are times, however, when “Coffee:30” turns into “Coffee 911”. 

“Coffee 911” occurs when you move beyond the “Man, but I am tired today,” phase into the “I simply can’t stay awake” phase.  In some cases, Coffee 911 is viewed sympathetically, and with an edge of humor.  Take, for example, the new mother or father who has just returned from maternity or paternity leave.  When you look at the new parent (or new again- either way) with his/her glazed-over expression and exhaustion-riddled countenance, you can’t help but have a soft smile or a low chuckle at their expense when they doze off during a meeting that was boring to begin with.  I have been in meetings before where a new (again) dad actually decided to stand the entire meeting, just to keep from falling asleep.  In this instance, people are a bit more understanding & let it slide; maybe even offering, in good humor, to buy the person a cup of coffee on the way back to the office after the meeting. 

Yesterday became “Coffee 911” for me!

My family moved last weekend for the second time in 3 months into a fantastic 1950’s brick ranch on a full basement with a 2 car garage.  It is open, airy, with great light in every room, and wonderful architectural details (9 ft cove ceilings, arched doorways, and built-in cabinets).  We love it.  On Saturday (moving day), my daughter’s visit with my mom was cut short when she became ill.  Now, I have a house in complete disarray, a poor child with strep throat, and a little monster who has come down with something (thinking also strep).  Ugh!  Sleep has become little more than a fond wish! 

My work asked for volunteers to help clear out a storage room.  In exchange for your physical labor, you were allowed to wear jeans & t-shirt, and would be provided with a free lunch at a good restaurant.  Cool!  I signed up, and enjoyed the change of pace.  However (having gotten only 4 hrs of sleep a night for 3 days), by 2pm, the move was complete, lunch was over, and my physical energy was completely zapped!!  I returned to my desk, and found that I simply could not keep my eyes open!  Worse, I was working away, diligently typing on something profound, only to jump awake & realize that the letter “D” was displayed on my screen about a thousand times!  Worse yet, my division advisor was sitting in the cube behind me!  Criminey!  This was a Coffee 911 moment, to be sure!!!  

I sat up in my chair, took a deep breath,  and got out of my seat with my thoughts racing,  “Caffeine.  Must have caffeine.  And maybe sugar.  Surely sugar will help, right?”,  *Mental groan* “Ugh!  I am SO tired!!!”  I reached the breakroom by this point, and made myself a cup of coffee.  Before drinking it, I decided a short walk might help; get the blood flowing.  I left my coffee in the breakroom, took a walk around the office, made a stop at the receptionist desk to say hello, and came back to get my cuppa jo, feeling somewhat revived, if not yet amped. 

Whether it was the coffee, the stroll, or the handful of wintergreen lifesavers our receptionist dropped on my desk a few minutes later, I made it through the rest of the day without further embarrassing myself.   

So far today, I am on cup number three, and fully expect there to be at least one if not two more before I hit the 5 o’clock commute.  Here’s hoping you have a wonderful day, and may your Coffee:30 be enjoyable & your Coffee 911 non-existent!!! 

Meg