A Much-used Alternative?

I’m sitting here drinking coffee thanks to a friend’s advice on fb.  

The chaos of getting ready to head out of town tomorrow, combined with my normal chaos (and forgetfulness) made me forget day after day this week to stock up on my coffee supplies. 

**Might I share with you that I have obviously not yet polished off my first cup of liquid energy because I just wasted five minutes of my life that I will never get back staring at the word “unforgetfulness” and trying to figure out how on earth I had it spelled incorrectly.  “Is my spell check an idiot? What the?” until finally I blinked hard enough to realize that “unforgetfulness” is not, nor has it ever been a word - not to mention it would have had to switch meanings to “forgetting” - which obviously unforgetfulness would mean NOT ever forgetting - and I was supposed to be typing “forgetfulness”.** 

(Okay back to me sitting here drinking coffee.  But the title does say “My Thoughts Exactly”, right? You have been warned!)

The chaos of getting ready to head out of town (it’s our annual trip - me + one of my bff’s + my kids + her kids = chaotic annual vacation of two friends for over 2 decades attempting to hang out for a few days while dealing with their own children - vacation my arse! - and wondering why they never just go alone each summer to hang out as adults. What? Oh. I guess I’m the only one who thinks that.) along with my normal FORGETFULNESS made me not get coffee filters at the store, even though I’ve been there like three times in the past few days.

So lucky for me, a friend volunteered that I use paper towels.  And I actually was able to do it.  Yes.  I’m shocked, myself.  It was a really big step, let me tell you.

To get you into my odd brain a little bit, I will take you through my coffee brewing set-up.

“Dangit. I forgot to get filters again.”

I look around kitchen, hoping a pack of filters is just going to pop out of a cabinet and fly into my hand or something.

“Um..uh...need...coffee...” 

Blink-blink.

My head turns a little bit further to the right and I see the roll of paper towels.

“Paper towels!  Does it really work?  Am I really that desperate?”

I look at the clock. It’s still early. I shouldn’t even be up yet.  (Well during the summertime, at least.)

“Okay, paper towels. I can DO this.”

My paper towels have the smaller perforations, so after laying a single and then double piece on top of the filter, I figure I can get away with the smaller piece (and therefore not have tons of paper towel hanging out of the coffee maker. All this for a little 4 cup coffee pot. Because I shattered my normal sized one that another bff got for me for my birthday a couple of years ago when I left it plugged in to the wall but decided to move what it had been set on away from the wall. But I digress...)

The whole thing is ready - distilled water in my pot, paper towel full of coffee grinds, and pot is plugged in.  I turn it on, and as it begins to brew (verryyy slowly...) the weird panicky part of me kicks in.

“Wait. I just put a paper towel in there. What if there’s chemicals...that I’m brewing into my COFFEE...because the filters might be bleached or something - or whatever the case - the filters are MADE for your water ***that you are about to drink*** and brew through - and no one expects you to EAT or DRINK your PAPER TOWELS - oh my GOSH I could be drinking PAPER TOWEL CHEMICALS!!!!!”

After a few minutes of calming myself down and deciding that I was being completely irrational (not really - I am still freaked out) and heck, I needed the coffee anyway so what was I supposed to do? - I poured my cup of coffee and made my way of course, to my office.

What was the point of this blog, you ask?  Well to be honest I am still not awake and I can’t remember.  I think it was because I just wanted to say -

 1. )  *thank you* to the friend who offered the idea of the paper towels, but I don’t think I can do it EVER again.  (It did get me by this morning though, so that’s a plus. Even though I have a weird taste in my mouth and my right eye is twitching. Must be the chemicals.)

2.)    Maybe if all of you read this I can be reminded to get coffee filters by the time I get back into       town on Thursday.

 

3.)  I remember now - I was going to tie this to a whole other issue I have with “expiration dates” on food and how I didn’t realize my “issues” were all that extreme until my 9 year old pointed out that my 8 year old checks dates all the time everywhere she goes now - but I’m out of time and need to clean out the car before it is hot as molasses outside. So that will be another day, another weird trip into my rationality.

4.)  I’m just curious now - are there any other odd alternatives like paper towels in coffee makers that I have yet to learn about? Please share! (Not promising I’ll try them, but it might make for some very interesting travel talk.  “Did you know that you can use disposable diapers to toss a salad?  Yes!  And the diaper absorbs all of the moisture until you have a perfect, water drop-less salad to serve!”)