With the semester coming closer to an end, meal plan points seem to have suddenly disappeared, leaving many students missing the nostalgia of waiting half an hour at Liz’s place for one (1) small iced latte.

After ending Freshman year with many points to spare, spending points in a productive way was my sophomore-year dining plan resolution. Did I factor in that said meal plan would be a lot smaller this year? No. Did I factor in that Liz’s coffee spot is conveniently close to where I have all my morning classes? Also no. At a certain point, no amount of small vanilla oat milk iced lattes will save you. HOWEVER, it certainly feels that way. I was shocked to realize my point count had come to a dazzling 14 points a while before leaving for spring break, which is cruel and unusual punishment, by the way.

You may be asking yourself, why Liz’s? What could save you in ways other coffee cannot? The answer is in my coffee maker. You see, at home, what we have is a small personal serving baby-sized coffee pot. Said pot takes 15 minutes, yes, 15 whole minutes, to make 1/4 of a serving of coffee and just as much time to clean out if only because dismantling it to get rid of the coffee grounds and the coffee stains from leaving it in too long is a pain. However, this in itself is not a huge problem. The real problem lies in the lack of Trader Joe’s Brown Sugar Oat Milk Creamer in our fridge.

Pre-Liz’s, Whole milk in coffee was normal. I would still drink black coffee on occasion, but a little whole milk could do the trick. I have an ongoing conspiracy that the longer you spend waiting in line at Liz’s, the less you begin to tolerate lactose in your system. Maybe this is a part of getting older. Maybe we are unwilling participants in some sort of non-dairy Barnard curse. Either way, whole milk is no longer the answer. It is always oat milk creamer.

So, what is the next step? The next step is Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately, going to Trader Joe’s is an experience. A debacle, if you will. It involves going down to 72nd, buying one miniature creamer container knowing it will never be large enough to sustain your caffeine needs, standing in line for half an hour, paying, and going back. So, when there is always one more homework assignment, one more discussion post, and one more incoming quiz, you will never make it to Trader Joe’s.

This means coffee at home will have no milk. And no Liz’s means no budget-approved fun little drink adventures. Though I am a brainless zombie most mornings who needs caffeine to be able to form thoughts, and ideas, and be shaken to answer in more than three ominous preset responses like an eight-ball, I will survive. 15 minutes late to class, 1/4 serving of coffee, no creamer, and all. I suppose everyone fights their own silly battles. Liz’s, you will be missed. Not enough to settle for Liz’s drip coffee, but missed nonetheless.

Overwhelmed woman via Bwarchives