Falling Down Sleepy

January 2, 2008

Early to Rise

Early to bed, early to rise.  Stumble into the bathroom. Stumble back into bed. Turn on the radio.  Listen and doze as Republicans revise strategies, he-men in West Virginia pull small airplanes strapped to their backs, women in Arlington (Virginia and Texas) rise early to cut coupons.

            “The news is next”: the markets are up, or down. In either case, the “news” is about “the markets” – all the news is all about money always.

But you:

            Increase your emotional intelligence. Start with a list of what to watch for in yourself and others: pride, anger, greed, gluttony, lust, envy, sloth and their minions; joy, hope, love, faith, and theirs. The vices and the virtues and their various hangers-on, all looking for a hand-out.

Suddenly, it’s too late. The sun bleats against the fake-bamboo blinds. A leaf-blower (in January?) chokes and whinnies into life. The clock radio (and CD-player) blinks 8:12. Too late: barely time to get up, shower, try to uproot some of the various relentlessly sticky hederae growing into your scalp, out of your crotch and down one leg, to find matching socks, to trundle off to work arriving remotely on time.
           “Good afternoon!”  Sarcasm.  Someone whose mother didn't love him enough so doted on him instead.

W