the pod.

Our office bought a Keurig, which is one of those pod coffee makers. You know, you put in a little sealed cup, press go, and a minute later you have exactly one cup of coffee. They're supposed to be convenient for situations where cups should only be brewed one at a time, e.g., an office. We have a coffee machine that brews individual cups on demand, but the results are not tasty. I'm not sure if it's the coffee we are buying or maybe the machine hasn't been cleaned out in ten years, but it is not good coffee. So I just never drink it. I keep a variety of tea bags in my desk in case of caffeine emergencies.

Buying the coffee maker was an act of employee rebellion against the bad coffee. See, the company pays for the grounds that go into the company machine. But apparently my coworkers, the ones who drink the bad coffee, got fed up. So we all chipped in on the fancy pod machine, with the plan that we would each supply our own pods. It was truly an exciting day when the machine came in. We all stood around it, admiring its lovely red shade, waiting for our chance to try out one of the sample pods that was included. We don't get out much.

For the record, I am not really a fan of the pod coffee system. Yes, they are convenient and easy to use. But it's wasteful to throw away a little plastic cup every time you get coffee, not to mention that those stupid things are freaking expensive. My limited experience with a Keurig has been at Josh's dad's house, where they have a plethora of pods to choose from in every flavor except Just Regular Coffee, It's Too Early For Blueberry For Cyrin Out Loud. It's possible that my dislike of pod coffee has a little to do with my dislike of flavored coffee.

Now that I've registered my disapproval, I will admit that I bought get some pods to keep in my desk, for the occasions when I would want coffee. After all, I've been not drinking office coffee for 8 years now (the coffee at my old job was bad, too), so it shouldn't be a big deal to not drink it now. And bonus, the pods are on sale this week at Harris Teeter, so I can pay fifty cents apiece instead of seventy-five. Why yes, that is still pretty expensive, thank you for noticing.

However.

As it turns out, not drinking bad free coffee is really a lot easier on the will power than not drinking delicious and extravagantly-brewed coffee, particularly when there are pods right here in my desk. Because I've already spent the money on the pods, it's easy to forget how much each one cost me. I had a cup this morning...and I'm about ready for another one. So much for my moral stand on the environment and against an over-convenienced society.

There are possible solutions. I can buy a reusable pod, which you then have to fill with your own coffee. The reusable one costs approximately the same as a pack of twelve pods (when they are not on sale). And I'm thinking that I should make it a little harder on myself to give in. I should have to put fifty cents into a bank or something every time I partake of the pod.

I should just go back to tea.