water water everywhere, and not a drop to drink

[The beloved Water Cup--Christmas gift from my dear friend Kate]


I guess one way to describe my level of Gross-Tolerance would be multi-faceted. I never eat food dropped on the floor. I prefer to not share straws. I DESPISE going barefoot, even in my own home. (The thought of accidentally stepping in something wet, whether with bare or sock feet, is beyond unbearable.) However, I don’t mind bugs of any kind, but rodents completely give me the willies.

So the following may or may not be rather surprising.

I have had the same water bottle on my desk at work since November 26, 2007. See photo below. That is over a year and a half. That is exactly 20 months and 17 days.


Its use is simple: refill mechanism. Its only purpose has ever been to refill a water cup full of ice. Of course during this span of time, the water cups are changed out, thrown away, or run through the dishwasher.

But the water bottle has always remained the same. My reasoning that this was/is acceptable is that no human mouth has ever touched the spout of this bottle. It has only EVER been refilled with water and is regularly rinsed out with hot water.

Still, the time has probably come. I did not want to, heaven forbid, purchase another water bottle to replace this one. In general, I think the concept of water bottles is pretty stupid. Especially if you live in Memphis [artesian wells, holla]. And I needed a bottle which had never touched human lips. The Ole Dasani bottle holds 20 oz. Its replacement holds a mere 16 oz. I am going to try to make do. (See replacement below)


My morning work routine includes:

1. Acquiring coffee (2 cups maximum with hazelnut creamer)—we bring our own Dunkin’ Donuts and brew at Beth’s desk
2. Washing out my water cup (and coffee cup), filling the water cup to the brim with ice, then water
3. Refilling the water bottle
4. Sitting down and drinking the water cup until it needs to be refilled with water from the water bottle.
5. During bathroom breaks, refill the water bottle and/or the water cup with ice/water as needed.

My buddies at work are going to be SO proud...

***First ever giveaway on this blog (nestled at the bottom of an unsuspecting post)
I will randomly choose a comment that correctly identifies the source of the post title and visits my etsy shop...and that person will get a free set of 24 enclosure gift tags from my etsy shop!