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Why "An Eighth Shot of Espresso"?

People ask me, "Why is your poetry blog called "An Eighth Shot of Espresso?" The answer to that is, "It's a long running joke." Eight shots of espresso is a bit much, even for a coffee drinker like myself. According to the FDA, the maximum amount of caffeine a person can safely drink is about 400 milligrams. That's about 4 shots of espresso or 4 cups of coffee a day. So eight would definitely land you in trouble.

So...why eight?

I point out the byline is "Coffee and Creativity on Mom's Third Shift". When I was teaching middle school (7th grade), I drank a lot of coffee from the teacher's lounge. Not great quality, but it kept me going. That was my first shift. Motherhood became my second shift, and my writing became third shift, late at night, when everyone was asleep. Admittedly, my coffee habit was pretty bad during those days. It wasn't until much later that I cut back on it for health reason, but I haven't stopped. I usually limit myself to two or three cups a day. That might still seem like a lot, but it's a lot less that during the time when I would drive an hour to work each day, or take care of toddlers all the time.

My original blog lapsed during the COVID lockdown in 2020. When I decided to revive it, I needed a new title for my poetry and prose blogs. I contemplated my coffee cup, and knew it would probably be connected with my love for caffeine. 

Espresso started with 'e'. All right, that was a start. Then I started playing around with the rhythm and rhyme with words. A title that had a little more zing than just 'Sifa's Writing Blog' or 'My Thoughts on the World'. Then it came to me: An Eighth Shot of Espresso. It had a ring to it, was connected to coffee, and sounded unique. It also relayed the exhaustion I felt on a daily basis, being a mum and a writer, and the precarious balance in between.

So that's how the title of the blog came about. The poetry blog is called an Eighth Shot of Espresso Poetry and this prose/ramble blog is The Coffeehouse. Why two separate ones? The poetry blog came first, and while the early entries have some short snippets of prose, I wanted to separate the two. My writing style for prose is decidedly different than for poetry. The Coffeehouse is a place for discussion, storytelling and a reflection of life's adventures.

There you have it. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and relax at Sifa's Coffeehouse. Maybe we can trade a tale or two during your stay.

Cheers,
Sifa



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