Vitamin C (a.k.a. caffeine)

In my ongoing quest to find something to keep me awake during my increasingly long days of repetitive tasks from both school and work I've rediscovered a love for caffeine. And now, as opposed to the days of yesteryear, there are so many more options available to the average caffeine junkie. Companies has asked themselves "what can we do to improve sales?". Their answer? Put caffeine in it and call it an energy enhancer. The most popular among these being the supposed "natural health drinks" such as red bull, red rain, sobe A-rush, Monster, etc... Most of these have a tiny, convenient 250ml can that delivers 60-80mg of caffeine pretty much right into your system where they "temporarily restore physical and mental alertness". What does this mean? It gets you wired long enough to finish the job before you come crashing down.

Another alternative for the compulsive chewer out there is caffeinated gum. Oh yes, it exists. This gives you a relatively slow release of caffeine and minty fresh breath. Well...For the first 15 minutes at least. After that it quickly loses ALL flavor and starts to transform into a gooey green paste that sticks everywhere inside your mouth. I was chewing this stuff during a quiz and by the end of it there was green paste in my mouth that made me feel like I'd just licked the bottom of a pig farmers shoe.

Of course there's always pills as well but personally I'll avoid these like the plague simply out of principle.

And then there's always the classic pop and coffee, clearly two staple parts of my diet due to the ease of acquisition, and the cheapness of the product.

-Matt (back to junky basics)