Don't worry. Lionel is right there with you. He understands.

I would have liked to liveblog this night just to prove that it happened.  Maybe it is proof enough that I am writing it at 5:09 a.m.  Many times last year, I believed I would need to pull an all-nighter for class.  Much like one of those dogs, however, I nodded off into oblivion only to wake up moments later and decide to go to my bed and ponder what excuse to use in the morning.

Tonight, I have accomplished what I once thought to be impossible for me.  I have pulled an all-nighter working.  I sit in the Collegian office poring over exit polls and Jewish literature (two papers, one night) and I think of all the things that I needed to get me where I am right now, quietly typing away listening to the soft sounds of rain outside and the low rumble of the radiator.  In no particular order, the five things that I needed to get through this night.

1. The buddy system — Having someone else to pull the all-nighter with was a huge plus.  You need to rely on the buddy system. You either stand together, or you fall together.  My Jewish guilt probably had something to do with it as well, considering I wasn’t going to leave Sandy in the Collegian office at 4:00 a.m.

2. Scintillating conversation — Topics discussed: Zombie attacks and how we would deal with said attacks. Whether or not we are dreaming. Concerts we would most want to see if we could leave right now. Politics. The saltiness of Fritos compared to Sun Chips. What we would do if there were a power outage. Literature.

3. Diet Coke and Peanut Butter M&Ms — I needed the extra boosts of energy to power me hour to hour.   None of this would have been possible without the Diet Coke at around 12:30 a.m.

4. Pandora — A great tool for staying awake. (Let it be known that using Smash Mouth to start a Pandora station is definitely advisable. It’s just one throwback after another, kind of like living in an aural time machine.)

5. A toothbrush and toothpaste — This one harkens back to number three. You seriously don’t want to show up at class smelling like all you consumed were Sunchips and M&Ms, not to mention that at this point you haven’t showered in what seems like eons.