I’ve got a lot of friends who are legitimately (versus college dormitories, ‘apartment over the garage,’ and ‘we need ten people living here to pay the rent’ roommates) moving into their own places now, and, naturally, that comes with the need for new stuff. Furniture, cookware, decorative nonsense, and dinnerware. Now, I’m a person who likes organization. I like things to match. Furniture should be in matching sets, obviously, and your dinnerware? Absolutely. Plates, bowls, glasses–gotta have everything looking tidy.
But not coffee mugs. I think people who match their coffee mugs with their plates and bowls and things have no personality. When I choose which mug I plan to drink my coffee out of for the night, it sets the mood for everything I do afterward. I have a mug that I tend to use when I’m catching up on TV shows I’ve missed. I’ve got a couple for writing. A couple for reading. One for crocheting and doodling. A few that serve multiple purposes.
I’m not a crazy person (that’s probably debatable. I have no concrete proof), I just think that a coffee mug can possess a lot of character. I’ve got one with my business card design on it. It’s pretty. I don’t use it much, since it doesn’t hold nearly the volume of coffee I’m used to consuming. (I have been cutting back. Don’t judge me.) A coffee mug should reflect the personality of the person drinking it.
Moral of the story? Don’t be boring.
Don’t believe none of my coffee mugs match? HERE, LET ME SHOW YOU. (One of them actually has coffee in it. =D)
What are your quirks that have nothing to do with writing? (Points if they are beverage-related. =P)
Goggles & Lace 
I’m not much of a coffee drinker, (I only really have it when I mix it with my hot cocoa,) but most of my mugs also don’t match. :-) That’s not to say that I don’t have my caffeine sources. I drink sweet tea like it’s my only lifeline….. (ok, maybe not, but I do drink an awful lot of it. And yes, I am southern. :-P ) I can’t function without lots of caffeine in my system. I have withdrawal something terrible if I have to go more than a half a day without caffeine. (Hm, does that count as a non-writing related quirk about beverages? LOL)
I have the same problem! I’ve been trying to cut back gradually just to lower the chance of crippling headaches, but it’s so hard. I’m down to one-two cups in the evening when I set myself to creativity, but I don’t think I could ever eliminate it completely.
So, I think, yes, that qualifies as a non-writing-related quirk about beverages. XD Brownie points for you!
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I have one monster mug that may have originally been intended as a beer stein which holds the entire contents of my tiny little coffee pot; by tiny I mean 4-5 “cups” but I think we can all agree that whoever decides how many cups a coffee maker makes must mean cups for ants. As a bonus, it seems to be borderline indestructible, which is important since I pack up everything I own and move every few months. I’ve had other mugs, but sooner or later they prove to be weak and unworthy. My only real regret is that I cannot breed a superior race of giant/invincible ubercups from my mug.
Coffee in a beer stein. That sounds overwhelming, even for me. I love it. I absolutely agree that “cups,” according to a coffee pot, is misguided at best. You know what hardcore coffee drinkers need? Enormous mugs made out of enamel wear. Old school, “sink in the garage” style enamel. My klutziness and your constant moves will never again be an issue.
I like that idea! Maybe it’s time for a kickstarter. . .
Maybe. It definitely has to be done. If not by one of us, then by someone!
I have never been a fan of coffee, but I love hot cocoa. For me, my mugs are memories — that little coffee shop on main street in the town I lived as a teen, or the mug I got in a science museum when I was in college, complete with the chemical structure for caffeine. I agree, coffee mugs show a lot about you. Thanks for the great story!
I was thinking about picking up a mug with the chemical structure for caffeine on it. They sell them on ThinkGeek. =] I miss you, wife!
I have the boring ‘match the dinner set plain’ mugs that I give to… how can I put this… the visitors you don’t necessarily want but can’t get rid of. But my fun mugs are all for me and the people I like. I’ve even bought mugs for regular visitors that are only ever used by them! My favourite mug is my big purple Piglet mug from Disney… it holds both plenty of fruit tea and fantastic memories from a trip to Orlando :)
I think you’ve discovered the best use for “matching mugs.” XD That’s fantastic.
I have a mug. I’m a bit OCD when it comes to dinnerware. It doesn’t have to be matching but I can’t use anything other than MY mug, MY fork, MY spoon. None of which match any other cutlery we have. My mug is a My Little Pony mug that my fiancé bought me.
I have one specific fork that I use, too. It doesn’t match any of the other silverware and if anyone else touches it, I’ll stab them with it. All of those mugs in that picture are mine. Exclusively. I’ll eat off of anything except like…. three specific plates/bowls. Yay for eating OCD!
Completely agree! I love choosing a coffee mug in the morning, and find that it often sets (or reflects) my tone for the day. Am I feeling optimistic? Then I reach for my Cafe du Monde mug and think dreamily of New Orleans until my toast pops. More often, I’m blindly grabbing for my favorite, The Crabby Crab (“Crabby till I get my coffee!”) He’s stuck by me through my overwhelming weeks.
Sometimes, on what I like to call “Code Red days,” I skip the cups altogether and grab my soup mug. Plain white, but textured with a pattern of solid edges, perfect for even the most anxious grip.
Great post!
“Code Red days” sound terrifying, but I approve of the soup mug. =P I think my “Code Red” mugs are the two in the top right. They’re just round enough to fit well in both hands, in that “clutch the mug for dear life and take a few deep, cleansing breaths” pose.
Hmm. Well, as to beverages (and coffee mugs), for the rest of my life I will probably be like Steve Jobs with his hundred black turtlenecks. I have one glass that I have been using since the age of about 13 to drink my orange juice in the morning (actually the one currently being used is a duplicate of the one I’ve been using since 13, since that one broke). I have one water bottle, and I have a mug that holds about 250ml of liquid which I use for everything else. It’s white, because white is simple and clean, and I like both.
I can’t imagine having five different coffee mugs. To me it’s non-minimalistic.
I’m so not a minimalist. XD I have a specific dinnerware and flatware I use all the time, but my mugs are an extension of me. I’m an odd duck.
The more I look around me the more I realize how minimalistic I am.
the only thing it probably doesn’t apply to are emails, (though I try, for goodness’ sake!), safari bookmarks, and books.