Overheard in Butler:

Woman A, shaking an empty Red Bull can, to random stranger at our table: "Excuse me, how many of these can I drink before I die?"

Woman B: "I don't know, three or four?"

Woman A, still holding Red Bull can, to man next to woman B "Hey, how many of these can I drink?"

Man: "Umm, there's no limit, it's just like coffee...your hands may start shaking and your heart will beat a little faster..."

Woman A: "It's not working!"

Man: "So drink more."

Man, after Woman A's departure to buy another can, to Woman B: "Alternatively you could go home and sleep..."

You've probably had your library odysseys. Some last longer than others. In this second installment of a nine-night marathon, Butler Correspondent Maryam Parhizkar narrates what it's like to have stayed longer than almost anyone.

Night 5

By late evening the next night others have joined us in our little study spot. Someone brought pillows and blankets, and when I first came to the alcove in the morning I found Kate asleep on the floor, looking unwell. I kicked her awake, and as she woke up she gasped to see me there. The custodian can now recognize me by face. On the third floor across from the circulation desk, people were sound asleep on their couches, so comfortable you would think that this is normal for them. I wouldn't be surprised if it were.

The narcoleptic woman was in the lab again. I heard her snoring from the other room. My guess is that the Red Bull didn't work out so well. The lab printers have become completely worthless from ceaseless abuse — we'd get the lab consultant to fix them if there actually were lab consultants sitting in the appropriate place. Instead, various students had been using the consultant computers as a last resort, given that it's impossible to find a fully functional terminal at this point. The only time I've encountered an actual consultant is when one asked me to put my Fruit Loops and coffee cup in the trash can, but I hid the Fruit Loops in my trusty Labyrinth tote. Those bitches will never catch me alive.

At this point I find myself wondering what my friends back in the state schools are doing at this hour. Ugh. Bad idea.