I arrive at work this morning under-caffeinated and realize that I’ve forgot to bring my recently imported tea to work again. No matter, I will settle for the stock Lipton in the office. As I walk towards the kitchen, my grip on the Cafe Du Monde mug (a memento from New Orleans) loosens and it falls a seeming short distance to the carpeted floor.

The distance, however, was not short enough to prevent the handle from breaking off. My first instinct is to throw it in the trash, but I quickly recover it: who needs the handle anyway?

I brew the tea and return to my desk, satisfied that I have triumphed over a minor inconvenience when I notice a red spot on my keyboard. Apparently the fractured ends of the handle that remain are a little sharper than I had anticipated…