One of the joys of working from home is that my post-alarm clock commute time is about two and a half minutes.  About two minutes of that involves stopping in the kitchen to put the coffee on before stumbling down to my office.

Sitting bleary-eyed in my office this morning I had already managed to fat-finger in a couple of passwords and comb through the email that had accumulated since the end of the day yesterday.  It was a promising and not atypical start.

Sensing the coffee should be about done, I ambled back up the stairs to the kitchen only to discover to my horror that my mug was missing from its perpetual perch next to the coffee maker.  A quick check of the cupboard and the dishwasher to be sure I hadn’t accidentally washed it… but yup, it was gone.  My mind reeled.  I began entertaining the notion that someone broke into my house overnight, passed up all the computer equipment and the big flat screen TV, and made off with my vintage Digital Equipment Corporation coffee mug.  At the moment, it was my best working theory.

It did cross my mind that I could pour a cup into one of the other dozen mugs in the cupboard… but that was just crazy talk.  Shaken, I wandered back to the office… coffeeless.  Maybe I could Google police reports to see if there had been any other mug thefts reported in the area.

As I set there pondering my plight, the heady aroma of fresh coffee wafted by my nose.  It was then that I noticed a hot cup of Joe, in my precious DEC mug, resting on the corner of the desk.  I didn’t know who stole my mug last night, but I was grateful the pangs of guilt made them bring it back, and returning it full was a thoughtful touch.

It’s almost noon now, and having finished the pot, and possessing a lucidity that earlier evaded me, I’m loathe to admit my earlier analysis of the situation may have been flawed.  So now I’m wondering how to solve the coffee bootstrap problem.  Apparently, I need to work on a new caffeine delivery system that will allow me to be conscious enough prior to having my coffee that I might function adequately enough to actually get it.  I can’t risk another morning like this one.