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Yep, here it is, a Saturday morning, and I'm wide-eyed and bushy tailed. I'm not sure whether to be proud of myself or if I should feel like an old man.

All the same, none of it would be possible without coffee.

My ventures into the dark brew started three years ago with the birth of my first kid. I'm at the hospital with my wife. We'd just endured a marathon 24 hours of no-sleep, high-stress where the kid just would not come out. Little did we know, the fun was just beginning. The baby came out hungry (which is unusual) and really wasn't happy with the formula options the hospital gave us. She would not sleep. She screamed non-stop. For another 24 hours, the wife and I did our best trying to get her to eat and sleep. Finally, we gave up. The nursery nurses came in and asked if they could take the baby and let us sleep. We said "Please God, yes."

Over that 48 hours, I consumed lots of coffee. I had a few cups over  the first 30 years of my life, but just random encounters at coffee shops or at the urging of friends (because peer pressure works, damn it!). In college, I never drank a cup, despite the numerous all-nighters pulled.

Now, I go to bed at 11 p.m., wake up at 7:30 a.m., and need coffee immediately.

And I'm gradually turning into a coffee-snob.

If you see me at a convention smiling with a set of muddy brown stained teeth, you now know why. I blame it on my family! :)