An Ode to...

Lucille Krunklehorn: I haven't slept in eight days!
Mr. Willerstein: Uh, well then, can I get you a cot or something?
Lucille Krunklehorn: Nope, I have the caffeine patch. It's my invention. Each patch is the equivalent of 12 cups of coffee. You can stay up for days with no side effects. Ahhh! Sorry.

First of all I love this movie. Second of all this particular movie quote came to mind because I was reading an article online the other day about "6 Things that are Secretly turning you into a Bad Person" - I can't remember what the other five things were but one of them was caffeine.

The article was interesting. Most of which I already knew or had figured out, but it made a couple of interesting points. It said that "caffeine addiction can be like a tightrope walk for your sanity", that "increasing numbers of elementary school children are consuming caffeine each year" and that "one espresso shot too many on your coffee break, and you risk flying off the handle into a barely controlled rage."

It may be a slight exaggeration but not much of one. And I say that for the following reason - a couple of years ago I was working on a news package for class and I was interviewing a doctor about caffeine. He said caffeine addiction was the first step on the road to using heroin or other drugs. Not that you'd go straight from one to the other but it can lead to other things and so on and so forth.

The article also said:

The same properties that make you feel five different shades of alright in normal quantities can easily push you right past that jittery feeling until you're having a nervous breakdown for no reason... Everyone from teenagers to prisoners are quicker to express anger after consuming caffeine.

Like I said, interesting. And not that it has anything to do with anything but another quote from "Meet the Robinsons" came to mind - I highly recommend the movie if you haven't seen it before.

Bowler Hat Guy: Now, to lure him out of the house... I know! I'll blow it up! Yes! Yes, and... uh... no... no. That won't work. Then he'll be dead. Oh, I know! I'll turn him into a duck! Yes, it's so evil! Oh... I don't know how to do that... and I don't really need a duck... this may be harder than I thought.