Thursday, March 01, 2012

Real Creative Juices- Part Two of Four





First, let's get the disclaimers out of the way.  

The part where I say, "This is what I do and why, and here are my experiences with this approach."  I'm not a doctor, so I'm not giving any of you medical advice.  I'm not asking you to try these juices.  I'm not asking your relatives or your children to try them.

Is it safe to talk yet?

No?

Okay, then I'm saying it outright.  Don't any of you try this.  You might be allergic to what's in this drink.  So don't do it.  The earth might be allergic to you drinking this.  Ask your doctor for medical advice before doing this, call the EPA and OSHA if you have any concerns it might hurt the environment and you might alert Homeland Security if you think drinking what I'm about to tell you might cause a mass panic.

We're clear on this, right?  Don't do this.  I do it.  Don't you do it.  Any of you.

What I do is take 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and dissolve it in a cup of very warm water.  

One hour before I sit down to write, I stir it up again to make sure everything is dissolved.  Then I drink it pretty much straight down.  Sometimes it takes me two or three gulps, but I like to get it over with all at once.

Then I feel the heat.  My blood starts to flow.  My brain kicks in and asks what the hell I'm doing.

So what am I doing and why am I doing it?

There's a reason for it, see if you can guess what it is.

18 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Since I like really hot food I'm almost tempted to try it!

Rick said...

Keep a lot of milk around if you do, Alex.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the laugh! I prefer a shot of whisky myself.

Rick said...

Oh sure, Christine, if I recommended that, the Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco would be all over this blog!
:)

BernardL said...

"Then I fell the heat."

Better reduce the dosage to a half teaspoon, Rick, so you don't fall too far. :)

Rick said...

Bernard, you are now appointed my personal copy-editor, and are due a huge bonus. Thanks for the catch and I made the correction.

Problem is, I need to add your suggestion and Christine's together. Reduce the cayenne and up the whiskey. Wait, Christine, do I spy a missing "e" in your spelling of whiskey? We'll have to reduce your dosage, too!

Jai Joshi said...

What are you doing?...

Erm, starting a fire in your digestive track so that you keep hopping as you write? Dude, a whole teaspoon on cayenne? Holy crap!

I've no idea what your reason is but I'd love to know it.

I used to make a chocolate drink that I added a pinch of cayenne pepper too to give it a kick and warm the blood. It was delicious. But that was just a pinch. I've no idea what it would be like with a whole teaspoon. Yikes!

Jai

Rick said...

You're not going to believe this unless you try it, Jai, but my stomach ignored it. And I don't eat hot foods. My taste buds can't take it.

But you're right about the blood moving. I'd read about doing this to get a healthy cardiovascular years ago, and thought that I'd rather swallow a nuclear weapon instead.

Now I take it an hour before I write and... it's interesting how it's helped me focus.

Travis Cody said...

I didn't need the full disclaimer not to do that. All I needed to read was that it was something really spicy and I knew to avoid it.

Spicy and I do not get along.

I must find another way to stir up the creative juices.

Rick said...

Then wait til the next installment, Travis. By the way, spicy and I do not get along at all, either. I was shocked when I found that once I got it down my abdomen didn't burst into flames. Instead, I felt a mild, pervasive body heat and my brain seemed to light up.

Melissa Blue said...

Eh, it's not different than drinking a million cups of coffee in two hours. That stuff, if you drink it every day, can burn a hole in your gut.

Yet every morning when I sit down to write, there's my cup. I'm not saying for anyone to do this. lol

Rick said...

Hi Sofia and thanks for dropping by!

I have my chemists calculating this now- which is worse, a million cups of coffee or one cup of hot water with a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

So far it's looking about even :)

mafarivar said...

Maybe you ran out of sulphur... I prefer clarity, just stick your head under ice cold shower water after drinking that and report back...as a gicong man you will appreciate the hot body cold brain physio-dynamics...

for me creativity comes from a complex and inexplicable emotion for which you must find vocabulary and illustrate it through metaphor. What an awesome task...

mafarivar said...

BTW, I will be in Cleveland 3/20 to 3/22...

Old Kitty said...

Erm... why do you like to take such a concoction before you write? I have no idea - guess it fires up the brain and clears your sinuses!

I'd have this but will add a shot of vodka and tomato juice!

Take care
x

Rick said...

Hello, Dr. Farivar. You're so right. The hot/cold dynamic is qiqong appropriate- if the writer lives!

Rick said...

And I will be in Cleveland on that same day!

Rick said...

Hello, Old Kitty. But adding vodka and tomato juice might just set my brain on fire.