How do I live without caffeine? Seriously. How.

Hey everyone.

Today feels like just one of those days. One of those days when I seriously just need caffeine to get through. It's been pretty cold and miserable out lately. Seriously where is this "spring weather" they speak of? Spring break is actually in less than a week and it's snowing! Unbelievable. I was hoping to bring home all my heavy sweaters over the break, but it kind of looks like I might be needing them, which is a bummer. I just want a chance to wear my skirts and flats and not boots all the time. I have so many cute shoes that haven't seen the light of day since summer! But anyway, I have been suffering from caffeine-less headaches and sleep deprivation lately. I've actually been trying hard not to fall asleep in class, which is new for me since I really love my schedule this semester. It's just so difficult to stay awake when you've gotten less than 5 hours of sleep under your belt. And when you're not supposed to be having too much caffeine. I recently gave up drinking soda, and I don't drink coffee, so I've been relying on tea to give me my caffeine. But today I forgot my tea. It was awful. I was half asleep all day and just wanted to cry. I broke my rule and bought soda and it got me through the day, but I hated myself a little bit afterwards. As a college student, I don't think it's possible to live without caffeine.

Hopefully I can rejuvenate over the break and come back ready to kick some butt and finish the other half of the semester with a bang. I think it's just that midterms are weighing me down, multiplied by the fact that teachers want to get as much as possible in before the break. I have two midterms on the same day this week, one class after the other. I'm gonna collapse into a ball of stress, but all I can do is study and push through it on some type caffeine-induced work ethic/motivation. I just wanna watch Avatar and eat chocolate in bed. Is that too much for a girl to ask? Warm weather and some sleep will definitely make me feel better, but for now I'll just drink my fourth cup of tea and bang out this paper on The Odyssey. It's just one more week, anyway (3 days for me).

Last, but not least, I have something quite funny to share. I can never have a post without a food recommendation. I'm Jewish; though I'm not very observant, I'll still be going home this break for Passover seder at my house. I've made a lot of Jewish friends here in the city, but one or two of my friends aren't. One of my friends just recently discovered the joy that is hamantaschen. If you don't know what these are, you're depriving yourself of a fabulous joy in life. Hamantaschen (hamantash in the singular) are jelly-filled, triangle-shaped cookies.

They're meant to represent the hat of Haman, the villain in the Purim story that they tell children at Purim carnival. As a kid, I went to Hebrew school and made a noisemaker (groggers) and we would all shake ours during the story when they said his name. That sound actually haunted my nightmares for months after Purim every year. But I loved the cookies. And she has just recently discovered them. I hadn't had one in awhile either. Eating one just made me flash back to that time of my life. It was quite weird, actually. If you have never had one, just go. Go buy them. They're at pretty much any store that has a bakery section. They come in a variety of delicious flavors, from peach to raspberry. They're a personal favorite of mine and they kind of remind me of my childhood. And I kind of need that right now in the midst of all this college stuff and work. I feel too adult all of a sudden.

Erica