AMPM

There comes a time, several hours after dinner, if you're still awake, when you find yourself in need of another meal. This happens often in college. Nights are short. Most people survive on fewer than the recommended eight hours of sleep. So a fourth meal find its way into the routine. A midnight snack, to keep you going just a bit longer.

There comes a time, on some nights, when you find yourself craving an adventure. It doesn't have to be very exciting. Just an excuse to get out of your room and go for a walk. It's really more of a destination than an adventure when you come down to it. But when your head is cloudy with pot and a lack of sleep, the mundane can become epic.

These desires don't always converge. Sometimes all you want is food. The body high overpowers you, and it is all you can do to make some instant mac and cheese. Or call the Thai place that delivers until two the morning. Other times, the desire to wander overpowers the need for food. On these nights, it is time to go exploring. To find the secret gardens and hidden artwork that seem so much more magical after the sun has set.

But when you find yourself craving both a burrito and a ramble, there is only one place to go: ampm.

The gas station is a few blocks away from campus. It's far enough for a good walk and talk, but close enough that you won't forget your purpose or get lost. It has everything a stoned student could want: microwave burritos, hostess cupcakes, chips of every flavor. Buying food presents the challenge of pretending that you aren't stoned, even as you're secure in the knowledge that it won't rally matter.

There are tables outside if you need a break before the long walk back to the dorm. And there's a playground halfway back if you've still got some energy to burn off. All in all, the trip to ampm has everything a restless stoner could want. Which is why we seem to go there all the time. So long as nothing more exciting is going on, that is.