Sleepiness

It is a truth universally acknowledged that afternoon classes engender sleepiness. Whether the somnolence is actually caused by the gentle tones of afternoon lecturers, or just by some food-related coma is beside the point. The basic scientific law that [Course between lunch and dinner] = [slumbertude] is undeniable.

The outcroppings of this law are numerous and hazardous. If you are a collegiate teacher during the afternoon (as I have been for going on 3 semesters now) you must think hard to find a way of conveying information that doesn't result in 20 collective snores. And if you are a student (as I have been for much more than 3!) you are faced with the challenge of not going fully cross-eyed and drooling during one or more afternoon classes. And alas, even classes that one enjoys and learns from are prey to such a demise.

This very afternoon I was faced with two foreboding tasks. One was a soporifically huge reading of Walt Whitman, who although interesting was also, um, wordy. The next is a lecture at 4:30 by a professor who although amiable and witty is the most horrible rambler I've ever met. What's a concerned student to do? Well the next best thing I could think of after a massive[ly unhealthy] cup of coffee was blogging, but that's only lasted me 20 minutes, and now I must return to Walt.

Suggestions?