Arianna

Noticed around 11:45 am

Finally, a successful pot of coffee after using my new coffee grinder. The smell is the best; I've loved the smell for years, and have only in the past year been able to train my palette to enjoy the taste. I still need to combine the taste with the smell, though. In my experience, they're usually nothing alike, which is curious.

Tasting the sweetly acidic jolt of caffeine that I desperately need. Another night of fairly fitful sleep, but this will help. Talking to my roommate, we mostly make faces and throw jokes around until suddenly, I sip at the mug, and the first gulp goes directly into my lungs. I cough, frantically spitting coffee to the carpet next to me, continuing to laugh, while the acid bites at places in my neck where it shouldn't be. I inhale sharply, gasping for some, any air at all, but down again goes the remnants of coffee in my throat and I cough again to expel them. I try to talk, but my voice sounds weak, pathetic, even. The sound is not at all representative of how I feel though - my brain is on high alert to make sure that the oxygen keeps coming in and the coffee keeps going out.

Feeling the paper towel (that my wonderful roommate delivered to me), the fakey-quilt pattern that's actually just a variant of paper. I mop up myself first and take a glance at the carpet, not wanting to think how I'll clean it up. I decide to drop the paper towel and step on it, making a foot-shaped wet spot, toe prints intact. A shower moves to the top of my to-do list.