One essential component to grad school success is having a local coffee shop with an extensive selection of tea, good food, and free & reliable wifi. Even though I have a designated room as an office at home complete with an ergonomic chair, scanner / printer combo, and lap cat, it’s really hard for me to do serious writing there. Reading is fine, and it’s good for busy work too. But there’s something about being in a coffee shop surrounded by other people on their laptops that begs you to be productive. I have a habit of falling in love with one coffee shop at a time — lately, it’s been Rebecca’s in South Park. I maintain a monogamous relationship with said coffee shop until the chairs get a bit stiff and the clientele too familiar, and then it’s off to another.