I would rank last night's sleep session as a bottom-feeder on a 1-10 scale. I literally could not breathe. This morning I was Niagara Falls, and now I'm plugged again. Pneumonia, I'm over you. The only thing that has thus far sounded palatable, in addition to a lovely latte made by my sweet T, was another smoothie. Because I need some excitement in my sick-life, I added coconut. I know, I'm going wild. But about coconut....it is one of those flavors that when I like, I love but when I dislike, I do so pretty seriously. Its applications are very specific.

Let's take granola. In my opinion, granola is ruined, positively devastated, by the addition of coconut, chips or shreds. On a related note, trail mix should never include coconut. And, the mere thought of a piña colada makes me feel like I just scratched my fingers on a chalkboard.

On the flip side, coconut cream pie? Perfection! Well-made macaroons? Sublime! And in a smoothie (or fresh-pressed juice if you so fancy), coconut adds a wonderful depth of flavor and a gentle (read: not metamucil or the like) heft that you just don't get if using berries on their own.

Coconuts are a real b*&ch to peel and break, especially if you want to not have the precious liquid inside spread all over your floor. So, when I buy a coconut (because peeling one yourself ALWAYS results in better- and fresher-tasting fruit than those pre-husked ones which are expensive, dry and gross), I carefully puncture holes in the bowling ball hole-like indentations on top, pour all the coconut water out, then place the coconut into a ziploc bag, seal that and go to town (carefully) with a hammer, meat tenderizer or rolling pin. This part is very therapeutic; completely de-husking the tender white meat is not so don't get too excited. Anyway, once this ridiculous process is finally complete, I freeze all the bits and pieces of coconut that I've earned and save them for smoothies later. Awesome, huh?!

I've just realized it's 1:00p and I'm hungry. I admit to having made fresh granola earlier because 1) it's easy and requires little effort, and 2) I'm bored out of my mind and tired of the couch.

UPDATE: new puzzle delivery has just occurred. This is excellent news. Off to eat something, probably granola because it's just sitting there, all fragrant and cooled and looking at me. What's a girl to do?!