The dark roast is labeled drip coffee on the menu.

It’s the company of the coffee that was served in the dining halls when I had first arrived at Penn. In that sense, the coffee is reminiscent of late nights studying in Craig Library, back during a time when two cups of coffee per day had been considered more than I could handle. A difficult time, for sure; I still consider MATH 114 to be one of the hardest classes I have ever taken, but it was also a time when I considered my academic and social lives to be the biggest sources of stress in my life.

Sugar on the Pill by Slowdive played on the speaker. My mind instantly drifted towards spring of this past year, when I had discovered dream pop as a genre. I wonder if my interest in going into the music industry incepted around this time as well. I wonder whether I had passed through the most formative parts of my life without quite taking in the unembellished delights of sipping on coffee with friends. I wonder if my life had passed the point where I could still appreciate the taste of coffee.

It’s funny how things change. But, here I am, still sipping the same dark roast.