Temple Tweets

The first official day of autumn isn’t a day most people keep tabs on. One day it was 75 degrees, and now students can’t remove their scarves and jackets in class because of the cold. Is it that Temple doesn’t want to turn the heat on? Or are they confused about what season it is just like the rest of us?
While the weather and a silly number on a calendar give us no indication of seasons, someone does know when fall is here – the avid coffee drinker.

Take a look around; thermal mugs grace the desks at the TECH Center as the iced coffees of a summer past slip into hibernation. As much as some people would love to run out of Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks screaming “Pumpkin Lattes are here!” Twitter might be a better place to express that kind of love. Here is what a caffeinated Main Campus has to say about their coffee intake, or lack of.

@elisemarie1: Dear tech center Starbucks: THIS IS NOT A PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE!!
The grumpiness that sets in after a coffee-less morning is nothing to joke about. But I do not think Starbucks knew what they were getting themselves into with the creation of a latte that magically tastes like fall and happiness in one sip. However, I’m questioning @elisemarie1’s dedication to the pumpkin spice latte. With a limited treat, there is no time to waste tweeting about a serious mistake like this. Next time, talk to your barista first, and then consult Twitter.

@BECKYfesta: it is almost 1 a.m. and I’m at the tech center with Kelly drinking Starbucks =] gotta love it. This 9 a.m. class should be loads of fun =]
I am usually a champion of sarcasm, but this isn’t doing it for me. Let’s translate this tweet into college student terms. One in the morning is early, and there are eight hours until class. Eight can round to 10, which can be estimated to just about half of a day. Plus, all sympathy for early morning classes should be directed to the 8 o’clockers.

@meghanew: Stress, coffee, NSAIDs, and my type O blood make me a perfect candidate for getting an ulcer. I’m convinced.
You should be convinced because it’s true. NSAIDs, such as Motrin or Advil, can interfere with the stomach’s ability to produce the mucus needed to break down acids and also affects blood flow to the stomach, which can slow the repair of cells and hurt the stomach’s defense mechanisms. Caffeine and stress fuel the fire more, causing acid secretion in the stomach. It is shockingly easy to fall into a diet of coffee and keeping ibuprofen on hand from the caffeine and stress induced headaches, but please take it easy. One pumpkin latte a day will keep the doctor away – well, maybe if you make it non-fat.

@ilovefreefood: Coffee and Crying. 7:58!
Oh no, I’m sorry, @ilovefreefood. I didn’t mean to scare you with the facts about too much stress and coffee. There is no reason to cry; just practice moderation! Or are you crying because it is 7:58 and you have an 8 a.m. class? In that case maybe you should have just one more cup of coffee to make it all better.

Sometimes it is hard to decipher if it is the stress of school that makes us crazy or all the caffeine flowing through our bodies. Either way, as the semester throws a heavier workload at us, the tastier the coffee gets. Just as you remember the pumpkin latte over the start of fall I know you are all waiting for the peppermint mochas as a sign of the nearing winter break.

Samantha Krotzer can be reached at samantha.krotzer@temple.edu.