Caffeine hangovers and edible sushi

I've learned some valuable lessons over the last few days. First, there is such a thing as a Coca-Cola hangover. Second, I have found a kind of sushi that I enjoy. And finally, it is never too early to start planning a vacation that you might never take.

Starting off with the first item on the agenda--caffeine hangovers. For a brief but memorable period in my life that transpired soon after college, inspired by long work hours and the appeal of an unlimited soda fridge, I consumed large quantities of caffeinated soda at work. Upwards of 5 or 6 Coke cans accumulated on my desk each day, and I lived a sugared, caffeinated existence in which I never felt well but didn't suffer too badly, either.

As it turned out, consuming that much caffeine can cause cysts to grow, in me anyway, so one surgery later, I learned my lesson and cut caffeine almost entirely from my life--except in rare circumstances when exhaustion creeps in but I have to stay up.

Last Friday night, I felt the sleepies creeping up on me but had only just arrived at dinner, so I ordered a Coke, and a 20-ounce bottle arrived--much more than I usually drink. But I was thirsty and guzzled it down in its entirety over the course of the meal. I was wired for a couple hours but was able to fall asleep afterwards.

Until 4 AM in the morning, that is, when I awoke, wide awake and unable to fall back to sleep. I drank the Coke 9 hours ago but was still feeling its effects. Lesson learned--I shouldn't mess with caffeine, especially when I drink it so rarely--unless I want it to mess with me.

And on to the second lesson--I can eat sushi! A couple years ago, I took B to the smallest restaurant I have ever been to for his birthday. The restaurant was Japanese and served only sushi. B had been confident that I would like sushi, despite my protests that I have never met any seafood that I can eat without gagging, so I figured it was a golden opportunity to try something new. Bad idea. I could barely swallow the single piece of sushi that I ate because the seaweed flavor and texture was inedible (for me). And then I sat not eating at the table for the rest of the meal as B ate both his and my sushi and as the chef, who was 6 feet away, stood and glared at me. It was an uncomfortable meal.

Finding a restaurant that served sushi without fish or seaweed seemed unlikely, so I gave up on ever being able to eat it and moved on. But then Saturday night we went to a birthday dinner for my friend J at a Japanese restaurant and I asked--jokingly--if they served sushi without seaweed--and they do! They can wrap their sushi in either seaweed or a soy wrap. B ordered a roll of my choosing--sweet potato and pineapple--with the soy wrap, and it was amazing!

The wrap had a hint of sweetness and crunch that really worked with my roll. I loved it and ate almost all of it in addition to the noodles that I ordered. I'm so excited and am eager to return to the restaurant to try more options. Since B travels infrequently these days and therefore doesn't get his thrice-weekly sushi fix anymore, I suspect that he will be open to the occasional sushi dinner.

Finally, vacation planning--everyone's favorite activity--or mine, anyway. My latest scheme involves England--London, mostly--and possibly Dublin, or maybe Paris again, or maybe Brussels or Amsterdam or Copenhagen. Who knows--I can plan a trip involving all of them because we might never take it. But the fact of the matter is that the pound is currently worth about the same as the euro, so why not consider visiting the motherland again. Last night I picked up Rick Steves' Great Britain 2008 for the bargain price of $3.99 (because the 2009 version is now available)--let the planning begin!