Let's talk about my thermos

The issue of the day is whether or not carrying a thermos full of a hot drink makes the bearer nerdy. I bring it up because I've started doing it. Not all the time, mind you. I'm way too urbane and sophisticated, as I would have repeatedly told you if you spend much time with me. But twice a week, when I have afternoon tutorials, I take in a thermos of piping hot green tea to give me that extra vim and vigour that I need. Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious about it. I worry that my Esteemed Colleagues may be mistaking me for a nerd. I'm not! (Those people I sit next to in class though - whooh!)

Superficially, carrying around a thermos may appear nerdy. It makes my backpack significantly heavier, so I have to lean even further forward, potentiating my somewhat nerd-like appearance. It is probably not as cool as dashing to the kerb for a quick macchiato, giving instead the appearance that my lunch has been packed by my mother. And it seems to display an embarrassing investment of effort and expenditure on hardware in order to save $2 on coffee each day. Such tightwad behaviour is pretty nerdy.

Furthermore, noted cool people such as Snoop Dogg do not pour their bizzles some hot tea in the middle of the afternoon. Angelina Jolie does not carry a thermos tucked under her bizarre, otherworldly upper lip. Thakoon Panichgul, to pluck a name from the aether, does not (to the best of my knowledge) use any type of insulated drinks container.

However, I prefer to think of it this way. If I cared about your opinion of me so much, concerning such a trivial issue, that I changed my behaviour to conform, that would not be cool at all! That would show that I was weak-willed, desperate for approval, and lacking in any sense of my own individuality and worth! Instead, I note your disdain, and move on. I transcend fashion, take flight, and soar above the smog of judgement, to make my own way through this confusing world of beverages - beverages that are not only hot, but cold, and sometimes even carbonated.

How can I be trusted as a doctor if I can't even be true to myself? Carry your thermos, my friends. Let us sup the tea of the gods together! But be careful, it's hot.

That's cool!