Buzzzzzzzz. The doorbell rang loudly. "Is Suzanne here?" The words drifted back to my bedroom. I sprang from my bed, leaving unfinished homework and hurried to the front door. Standing at the door, with goofy smiles on their faces, were my neighbors, Bob Coulson and Matt McConnell.

"Are you ready?" they asked.

Earlier in the evening, the guys had promised to take me on a Slurpee run. Now, they ushered me to Matt's car and offered me shotgun. Bob took the driver's seat, and Matt sat in the back. As soon as we were in the car, Bob turned on the stereo. "Tunes are an essential part of a Slurpee run," he said.

As we drove out of the Multnomah parking lot, Bob and Matt began chatting in Scottish accents. "Do ya want the full deal then?" Bob asked in the phony accent. Matt encouraged me to choose the "full deal" Slurpee run as opposed to the "mini." "I'll take the deluxe," I said. "Alrighty," Bob said. "Vancouver or Hillsboro?" The question was directed more at Matt than at me. "Hillsboro," Matt said. "I call back roads."

We promptly exited the freeway and began our journey to Hillsboro on winding, country roads. During the lengthy road trip, Bob divulged to me the entire history of Five 'O Clock People and several other Northwest bands. Bob and Matt also explained the science of the Slurpee run. Thet rate each site according to three criteria: cleanliness, service and flavors. They told me about a map hanging on their bedroom wall that will soon chart every 7-Eleven in the Portland--Vancouver area. "One time we found a 7-Eleven that sold Surge Slurpees," Matt said. "That was cool!" Bob enthused.

After a 45-minute car trip, we arrived at our first potential 7-Eleven. "Flavor check. Watch out for Spanky," Bob warned, referring to a shady-looking character standing out front. Matt and I scrambled out of the car to investigate. We found the flavors at this site lacking: Black Pina Colada, Coca Cola, Orange Spice and Blue Raspberry. "Nope," Matt said. We gave Bob the thumbs-down signal and hopped back into the car.

Five minutes later, we arrived at our second potential 7-Eleven. Two men dressed in black leather stood outside. We agreed that Matt would go in alone this time. "This is a job for a professional," Bob whispered. Matt returned with a fair analysis. "Well, the flavors aren't too great, but this one scores high in cleanliness," he said. "The hotdogs weren't dried up, and I didn't see a single smudge on the pepperoni jar."

We drove on. Soon we arrived at a third 7-Eleven. This time Bob went in to test the water. "They have a great assortment of classic flavors and new, exciting ones," he reported. We had discovered the perfect Slurpee store. I selected a cherry Slurpee, and the guys both chose Coca Cola. Matt and Bob taught me how to achieve the "perfect pour." They explained that the "perfect pour" occurs when the Slurpee reaches the top of the cup in only one pour, without exploding over. Though we tried hard, none of us achieved the "perfect pour." However, mine came the closest. "Not bad for a beginner," Matt said.

We returned to the car with our hard-earned Slurpees and a bag of Doritos we had purchased with pocket change. During the 45-minute drive back to campus we talked and laughed as we crunched Doritos and drank our Slurpees.

We arrived back on campus 10 minutes before curfew, more than two hours after we had started out. The guys walked me to my house and wished me a good night. I entered my house smiling.

I realized that a "full deal" Slurpee run was just what I had needed that night. My tendency is to become caught up in my work, but these spontaneous times of fun and fellowship are the moments of college life I'll remember more vividly than the hours of study and stress. But perhaps the greatest benefit of my Slurpee run adventure was learning the science of "perfect pour."