Summer Grocery List

You know your life has hit a peculiar low when your grocery list starts looking like a cry for help.

• instant ramen (lots of it)
• granola bars
• frozen pizza
• ...

This isn't the kind of list my mom would approve of, but then again, this isn't the kind of summer I thought I'd be having.

Who takes five summer courses? Apparently, this overambitious version of me did. While the people virtually around me are posting vacation stories, I'm drowning in deadlines, and a schedule that makes sleep feel like a luxury. The last time I had a proper meal that didn't come from a microwave, fridge, or a wrapper was... actually, I can't remember.

My grocery list has evolved... or rather, devolved... into what I can only describe as a survival kit for the academically overwhelmed. Gone are the fresh vegetables and ingredients for actual cooking that used to fill my cart. Now, my shopping strategy can be summed up in three words: fast, easy, portable. Everything needs to be consumable between study sessions, during quick breaks, or worse, while hunched over my laptop at 3 AM trying to finish yet another assignment.

There's the "meals" if you can even call them that. Everything I buy requires minimal involvement: tear open package, add hot water, or microwave for 2 minutes. I've mastered the art of eating while doing other things, which means everything needs to be consumable with one hand.