Portrait of a Coffee Drinker as a Young Woman

Since the 1980s, I have known there to be one certainty in the life of the working woman: coffee. Traipsing behind my mom at different companies, my young eyes saw coffee-makers of all types and sizes. As an adult, every job I had welcomed me with the percolating embrace of a coffee-maker.

Until I started working here, on March 31, 2003.

At first, I tried to hint that it would be appropriate to buy a coffee-maker. Alas, I was the only coffee-drinker in a sea of tea-guzzlers. My pleas went unheard.

I would go out for coffee, buying two or three cups each day. It began to eat into my budget. But I got a raise, and continued to spend it at the corner coffee & pastry guys. But then work got busy, and my coffee intake began to rise.

I grew desperate, and brought in a coffee-press my mom had sent me. It was too small. I bought a small coffee-maker. It was too small. On the eve of a big project, I finally purchased a large coffee-maker. Finally, I was able to drink the four to eight cups a day upon which I thrived.

Over time, we hired more coffee drinkers. It was never a question we asked during interviews, but somehow we got lucky.

On June 28, 2006, we were informed that victory was complete: the office had purchased a coffee-maker.


The only thing is... I quit coffee six months ago.