I'm assuming that you didn't take the day off from work to run half-naked through the streets of your neighborhood in celebration of Mardi Gras, which probably means you didn't start your day with Hurricanes and Brandy Milk Punches at 7 AM.

Starting the day with cafe au lait -- French for "coffee with milk" -- is a better option. It's not a latte. Cafe au lait is drip coffee with hot milk. After years and years of drinking coffee black -- no sugar, no cream, no love, baby -- I conceded to trying coffee with milk because I "had to" when I was at Cafe du Monde last month. I have to say, I have been drinking it this way at home for the last month since I've been back.

Oh, okay, so I'm using soy instead of regular milk.

Now this is actually one of those food/drink holidays that could actually become a national holiday, considering how many people drink coffee and are pretty much obsessed by it and can't function without it..

National Coffee Day can be celebrated in many different ways. You could just go to Starbucks or Peets or Dunkin Donuts, but if you want to make your own coffee drinks, check out the Cookin With Coffee Directory. How about a Coffee Float or Mexican Coffee or this page that has recipes for Coffee Brownies, Coffee Smoothies, and coffee that's perfect for a crisp fall day, which has ingredients that include whole cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom.

You can also check out CoffeeUniverse.com for lots of info on that most sacred of beans.

To be successful like Starbucks you have to think like a Starbucks. They've created a revolution in the way coffee is perceived in the context of our culture, and in a world where "public space" is vanishing, they provide a nice hang out for everyone who can't get into bars. They're a part of modern life, along with laptops and cell phones. The way the get you to pay $6 for a cup of coffee, milk and cocoa powder is genius. I do it, you probably do it, and we secretly LOVE to pay that much. Let's face it, you could make this stuff yourself (if you don't mind doing without steamed milk) but you don't because damnit, you've earned an expensive hot frothy, sugary.... ahhhhh (in Homer Simpson voice).

I noticed whenever I ask my boss if he wants anything from the bagel shop he jumps up and excitedly asks for a latte; he asks in such a way that I wonder if he knows what a latte even is (he asks for it in an excited way as if he's asking for a hot fudge sundae with five scoops of ice cream). I needed to find out what a latte was so I could quietly judge him for his newfound passion. According to the Heine Brothers, the difference between a latte and a cappucino is purely in the "foam" of the milk and the amount thereof; i.e. where it is in relation to the espresso in question. A cappuccino is supposed to have foam at the top; a thick carpet of foam so that you can't see the espresso and steamed milk below. The foam blanket makes it very difficult to "sip" the underlying liquid and the result, invariably, is you keep tipping the cup up, thinking "where is it?" then, wham, the liquid bursts forth onto your sensitive upper lip. Luckily the foam is there to comfort and console the burn. So you have a burnt lip with milk foam on it. Whose idea of a good time is that? The Italians, of course!