No mo' joe.

I walked into the work break room this morning to come upon the fresh aroma of cheap coffee. Usually, I'm turned off by this unsightly smell because I'm enjoying my own gourmet java at my desk. But not today. Today, I'm cut off -- and it's not just my favorite dark-roasted, semi-toasted, freshly ground, full flavored brew. I'm taking a break from all caffeine.

It started my freshman year of college. I drank 2-4 cups of coffee a week -- more for all-nighters. When I started working at the campus newspaper, I had to drink more than one cup in a day. Then, with my induction to the full-time world I bought my first insulated mug, to keep my hot brew...hot, on the rides to work.

Thus it began. Not only did the artificial energy keep me drinking, the taste was (and still is) most appealing too. Now I grind whole gourmet and flavored beans for a fresher taste. My coffee pot works over-time on a daily basis.

This needs to stop.

I read an article from last week's New Yorker called "The Eureka Hunt."

Initially drawn by a favorite quip and my own nickname, I started reading to discover how humans form insights. The article itself discusses the importance of coming to an impasse, or roadblock, in an idea or problem you're working on. You then have to let your mind wander. Insights, or "Aha!" solutions, come about mostly through the right hemisphere making small, and seemingly disconnected, thoughts come together to create an answer.

What does this have to do with caffeine?

The doctor's interviewed explained that although caffeine, along with other focus-inducing stimulants, helps people concentrate on something in particular; it might hinder the brains ability to think creatively, and let the mind wander. When our minds wander, the brain can connect these unrelated thoughts and make us conscious of the answer we didn't know we were looking for.

So today I'll be sitting at my desk, either coming up with great ideas to reduce air pollution, cure cancer and create an efficient way to keep my desk organized; or drooling facedown in a coffee-deprived coma.