The Wire.

Alright, so here's the thing. I haven't had the time/money/people to go get coffee this week. However..I did hit Sonic's happy hour and tried something new. Sometimes coffee just isn't the thing. So this week, it's just a drink for cheap [cheap issue, anyone?] anyway, today I got a large peach tea, and it's fabulous. I'm not much of a peach person, but I'm lovin' it. [yes...I'm still drinking it.] And since it was happy hour, it cost me abour 75 cents. Fantastic? Yes. I've also been one to get diet cherry limeaides. also great, along with cherry Dr. Pepper's. The point it, if you aren't feeling the price/caffeine of coffee, you have some other options besides a smoothie [which Sonic also has.] Rainn Wilson also has a nice Twitter update stating his opinion on the word "smoothie" and how he appreciates it. Random, but true.

Into the Wild...

This week: Wild Tribe Mocha from the MudHouse. I can't exactly remember what was in it, just bananas, but I do know this: it was tasty. It has a nice, cold, fruity taste, without having to give up the caffeine and just get a fruit smoothie. That's not to say a nice fruit smoothie isn't also a fantastic idea....but that's for another time.

The Wild Tribe Mocha is a good way to get yourself through the "it's 10:00 and I'm still doing homework" blues......gets stuff done, but still lovin' the wild side.

They Will See Us Waving From Such Great Heights...

Okay, so it was kind of a rough week including an exam that I almost peed my pants trying to study for, forgetting my words during a performance, my advisor accidently setting up my schedule for a 24 hour semester, and capping it off with my four week old puppy dying, so there were a grand total of three comfort trips to Barnes & Noble. Therefore, lots of Starbucks. Small variations of the caramel frapp. However, I did variant a little.

I tried the caramel frapp with a shot of espresso. While it tastes alright, not quite as caramel as I needed, though. Nice shot of caffeine, though. It tasted almost buttery, which was nice.

I also tried the caramel frapp light...which doesn't have whipped cream on it! Not a fan. I'll make the sacrifice of calories.

In the end, I decided on a regular caramel frapp. If you're going for warm, go for the macchiato. It's nuttier, but gets the caramel effect across.

I also had to use self control at Barnes & Noble, as a found close to a million books I wanted to read.

There are 12 Starbucks locations in Springfield. The caramel frapp is approximately $3.50, not including tax.

Someone to watch over me...

I decided this week to get my coffee from Sinatra's, since I hadn't ever been there before [and it was where my friends were going....] Let's just say, that decision was up there with the decision to go see Jason Mraz in concert. Fan-freakin-tastic.

First: The atmosphere. Besides the obvious giant picture of Franky on the main wall, you walk toward the bathroom, and there's a picture of Jimmy Stewart in Harvey. Then you go into the bathroom and there's pictures of Cary Grant and Clark Gable.. Seriously? This is my favorite place in the whole world at this point.

The menu is pretty expansive, even though at first I didn't think so, since there weren't a billion versions of flavored coffee up there. I later figured out the reason for this: because the coffee they DO have is freakin great. I myself ordered a Latte Macchiato, being a fan of the caramel macchiato at Starbucks. It DID have caramel in it. However, you couldn't really taste it, therefor I don't count it as breaking my own rule. I'm not entirely clear on the exact content of the macchiato, but I know it consisted of milk poured through espresso steam with flavors of vanilla and caramel. It was amazing. My friends both got the mocha drink. Also fantastic.

I've heard from many good sources that the food here is also really good. Any place that serves broccoli cheddar soup is good in my book!

Sinatras is located on Chestnut Expressway across from Ozarks Technical Community College.

Little who you know add on: My friend's grandmother was the housekeeper for Frank Sinatra. Other random tidbit: I have another friend who's uncle is the sports guy on Anchorman, and Todd Packer on The Office. Boom. Roasted.

Skipping....though the mud. Ouch.

Tonight: the MudSkipper. A warm espresso drink, the MudSkipper is a mocha drink with hazelnut and whipped cream [always, always, always fantastic. at least for me. love it.] Tastes great. However....I may or may not be up the entire night. My mistake.

The MudSkipper is great if you're looking for a simple coffee, nothing terribly sugary [my caffeine addicted friend chastises me for putting creamer in my coffee or ordering the tasty drinks at Starbucks. If I'm paying that much for coffee, it's gonna be something I couldn't have made at home. She also drinks close to 20 cups of coffee a day.]

I'm sitting at the MudHouse at the moment, incredibly happy that every other song is Ingrid Michealson. Still a fantastic atmosphere, which is made even better by this AWESOME lamp next to me. I love lamp.

Closer to home....

I wasn't able to get to any coffee houses this week, so I decided to make some suggestions for your morning coffee at home :)

My current favorite is Starbuck's Ground Espresso Blend coffee, sold at grocery stores for between $7 and $9, depending on the store. I add in just a little bit of CoffeeMate Hazelnut creamer, sold for around $4, also depending on store, and it's a tasty start to the day.

I've also become addicted to Starbuck's Italian Roast Ground coffee, sold for the same price as the Espresso Blend. Add some CoffeeMate caramel creamer and pair it up with a blueberry bagel, and it's perfection.

Both of these are bold blend, so they aren't for the faint of heart coffee drinkers. Definately something to build up to, especially if you drink coffee only for the caffeine while hating the taste. Pick out your favorite creamer, CoffeeMate's International blends are also amazing, and start out your day!!

Who is this....Picasso? He'll never make it anywhere with those...finger paintings.

Another Rendezvous week for me. This week I tried the Picasso, which is a coffee made with almond and honey. It was pretty good...nothing memorable, but it tasted nice :) I had it warm, with tons of whipped cream [is it really okay to turn down whipped cream? I'm pretty sure it is NOT.] It's not terribly sweet, which is nice, and it's a great way to warm up in this crazy warm/cold March Missouri weather.

On another note...I just finished the book "The Road to Eden's Ridge." If you're looking for a good book to sit down, drink some artsy coffee, and read, this is a good option. And it had a great review from Willie Nelson [alot of the reason I bought the book.......]

So pick up a nice coffee of the arts, grab your favorite book [or tv show.....] and have a great week!!