Monday, February 13, 2006

beep, beep, beep...beep, beep, beep. My eyelids slowly retract. I feel a wet spot at the area where my ajar mouth meets the pillow. Although my brain and body are moving at a pace similar to that of a freightened turtle slowly reamerging from its shell, I delay not when silencing the alarm clock. These necessary devices may be the most annoying things on Earth. It's a sad day when you hear the wakening wail of a slumber slayer more than the cherping of birds. It's a sure sign that your working too much. Upon rolling over I'm partially blinded by the hyperlucid sunlight piercing through my maroon blinds. It's time to get up. I glance up at the clock hanging above a photo of my family. My grandma is center, with me and my bro at each of her sides and my mom and dad on the edges. Co's in his graduation gown. Good times. The clock reads 9:15. Feeling a full bladder pressing the issue I get up and walk towards the bathroom. I open the door to my room and head into the bathroom. Now in between my room and the bathroom is the "shoe area." I'm sure there is some official name for it but basically its where you take off your shoes when you walk into a restaurant, place of residence or various businesses, including my work. At my apartment this area tends to take the brunt of a cold night. The chill is able to penetrate the front door of my aptartment. I believe it seeps through the crack under my door, or may pierce through the wooden molecules that comprise the door. At times, the cold feels like a dagger, that is so sharp it inserts itself into the keyhole and emanates it frosty figure upon the desolete void that is the "shoe room." Thankfully, my room door is the mote to winters onslaught. More thankfully the morning temperature on Monday was mild and bearable in just boxers. After losing 2 lbs. in liquid weight I hop in the shower. Well is it a shower? Theres no basin, just a hole in the ground. There's no barrier seperating the runoff of water from the toilet, trash, or sink. In fact I turn on the shower from the sink. I push up the handle and adjust it till the temperature is just right and then I turn a nob on the facet that directs the water through a hose which connects to a shower head. 2 seconds later the water flows from the shower touching my skin at a point approximately 6 inches below the top of my skull. I'm not sure if water pressure exists out here and pulling the thumb-over-the-water-source-trick like you watering the yard, doesn't work in a barrierless bathroom. Water sprays everywhere but your lathered armpit. So anyway, I'm taking this shower and everything is going well. I'm shampooing the scalp and waking up. Then just I as I go to rinse out the chemicals in my mop, the water temperature drops to luke warm. Shit! I bite the bullet, rinse, lather, rinse, rinse, scrub, rinse. Then the water gets cold, really cold! I get the last bubbles of me, turn off the water, at the sink of course, and grab my towel. I'm freezing. I'm not quite sure if I'm using the towel dry off or as a blanket to keep warm. I think it was the latter because walking back into my room I notice a trail of water I've left across my floor. Hansel and Gretelish, but this is not a tool to find my way back, its a warning to stay away from the sub-arctic chamber. I put on clothes and water on the stove(which is portable and takes canisters that I believe are propane. It's pretty cool if you wanna cook food down at the beach in the summer). I start to make my daily breakfast. Two pieces of really good wheat bread with chunks of walnut incased, layered with chunky peanut butter and topped with honey. The water's finished boiling and I add a tea bag of Earl Grey, milk and a sugar cube. I sit and start alternating between bites of toast and sips of tea. I'm forgetting something...uhhh....BBC News. I get up and turn on the tube(I think my remotes with Osama). I sit back down and start fixating my mind on the millions of colored pixels and sound waves radiating from the speakers. "The divide between the West and Islam is growing wider over cartoon row." News footage. Clinched fists, burning flags, chanting, airborn rocks raining down on Embassy's... Over drawings??? I think when did things get this way? I mean everything. Priests molesting, little girls abucted, fury over drawings, lies about wars. When did lying about a blow job become a greater sin than using lies to persuade a nation to go to war? Where do we go from here? Can I, do I want to, should I, will I, raise kids in a world like this. Will things get better? After having these thoughts and watching a few Brits tell me of genocide, hunting accidents and Michelle Kwan pulling out of the Olympics I decide to turn of "the box", pick up my book and read a few pages. I'm reading "a Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. It's the book Oprah is shitting pink twinkies over. Bull shit or not I find it to be a most impressive book and I would recommend it to anyone over the age of 13 and not my grandmother. Pick it up if you have a chance. After reading for about a half hour it's time to get ready for work. Deodorant, vitamin, feed my hamster, fish and water my plant, clean my clothes off the floor, wash a few dishes, brush my teeth and shave. It's go time. 10:40am. As I walk out the front door and I am expecting a slight chill. I expected the worse, and I was quite surprised. It was warm. It may not be official yet but I think today was the start of Spring. I could care less if that rodent saw his shadow...out here there ain't any groundhogs.