Coffee Cups

Mankind has been drinking beverages from cups millenia. Centuries ago the problem of drinking on the go was solved by the creation of the canteen. So why is it that in the year 2005 coffee shops can only provide coffee cup covers that drip and leak all over the place? Anyone that has ever gotten a coffee from Starbucks knows what I'm talking about - after that first delicious sip there is a steady stream of coffee flowing down from under the cover and onto your hand.

I officially completed my first month of residency yesterday, and so far I have managed to avoid getting stained with blood, puke, feces, snot, and a variety of other disgusting body fluids. So why is it that I can't keep my coat clean? Well, these crappy cups and doctors' white coats just don't go together. I have splotches of light brown on both of my coats right around the sleeves, which is great when you reach over a patient to examine them. Apparently the hospital offers a complimentary dry cleaning service for white coats, but you have to turn them in by Thursday to get them the following thursday, and I keep forgetting.

I think I was spoiled over the last year with the Dunkin' donuts sippy cups, which re-cover and have never leaked on me (only my wife could get dunkin donuts coffee on herself, and those of you that know her know EXACTLY what I'm talking about), but they just don't fortify their coffee with enough caffeine, and they aren't around the hospital anyway.