I Don’t Know Jack, but Joe’s Another Story

A local radio station recently reported that my little rural county ranks 4^th in the nation’s per capita coffee consumption. Apparently we’re just behind Seattle, San Francisco, and some place in Alaska where they probably use only drip…

an IV drip.

Trust me, those Alaskans will stop at nothing to get on the percolated podium.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure that our recent spike in coffee drinking was thanks to yours truly.

Staying up until 1:00 AM in order to make "lifelines" has made Joe my very best friend. When my current project is complete, I may have to write a song about that beautiful bean. Trust me, if you drink a lot of coffee, these things happen.

When J.S. Bach wasn't working on Fugues and Passions, he was suckin’ down the home brew. Next thing you know, he’s expressing his espresso devotion with a Coffee Cantata (seriously — look it up). Composer Verdi was next to chime in. “Coffee is balm to the heart and spirit,” he said (quite musically, I’m sure).

And Verdi could have added “the mind” as well. Java research has found that it can boost mental performance.

And while coffee’s effects on creativity specifically are mixed, the latest studies have found that combining a caffeine buzz with coffee shop background noise is great for the mind’s elbow.

And speaking of noise…

One group of researchers has suggested that drinking over 5 cups of coffee a day can increase your chances of auditory hallucinations…

Hmmm… Those voices you’re hearing may not be those of your book’s characters after all.

Anyway, so far my “ode to Joe” sounds a lot like the Lennon classic, Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.

Because in my book…

Whatever gets you through the day

is okay… okay.

PROMPT: Go ahead and slip yourself “a slug from the wonderful mug” by writing your own Java Jive today. But if you’re not feeling musical, no problem! Ponder your main character’s favorite coffee house order. Or go for a Best Beverage ABC featuring D for Double Shot and T for Tall No Foam No Fat Caramel Machiato.