Amped

I will never forget my first energy drink.

It was last summer, actually; a girl I worked with invited me and another girl from work over to her house to watch Gone With The Wind. For three walking tour guides what could be more fun than spending the evening watching an old movie replete with plantations and hoop skirts? Before watching the movie we had some energy drinks. Then we had supper, made some cookies, played a game and talked…and talked and talked. By the time we actually put on the movie, it was 3:00 AM.

The movie wasn’t over until 6:00 AM.

I had to be at work at 10:00 that morning. By the time I actually made it work, adrenaline kicked in: I proceeded to give one of the best tours I have ever given and be generally happy and perky until I got off work.

When I got home, it finally hit me that I had had no sleep the night before. Ashley was in our room drawing and had her art supplies all over the bed, so I attempted to take a nap on the couch in the living room. That didn’t go so well.

A family living room. A girl is draped across the couch, as if dead.

RANDOM SIBLING: Hey! Did you have a good day at work? Guess what! Guess what! Guess what! I saw a squirrel today! Did *you* see a squirrel?

ME: I’m tired!!! I need to sleep!!! Ahh!!!!

This proceeded until my mom insisted that I go lay down in her room.

At the end of the fall semester this past year, I had my second energy drink. As part of Phase One of an Evil Plan to Destroy Campus and Thereby Take Over the World, I was given an energy drink, a box of Starbucks espresso truffles and silly string as an Artist Series gift. I had the energy drink for breakfast on the last day of exams. I did not silly string my English professor in the face, but I don’t think I’ve every been so excited about a 7:40 exam before. I made the mistake of telling my mom who told my cousin Tara who then proceeded to drink two energy drinks in a row in order to be more hyper than me on our ride back home. Perhaps hobbits never learn.