Stupid Messed-up Internal Clock

To my sleep deprived brain, the clock read 6:30. That would have made me late. I hate to be rushed in the morning but I jumped out of bed and hopped in the shower. It was only after I'd rushed through my entire morning routine that I realized that the clock had actually been reading 5:30. So I'm up. Early.

I have veggies to cut for a cookout we're going to tonight. I have lunch to pack to get me through the work day. I should be playing with the cat (she's been starved for attention). So the extra hour is actually a good thing. But there was a moment this morning when I realized my mistake that I just stood and said Damn. That sleep would have been nice.

But I'll have time. I have two days of work until one of the longest vacations I've ever taken. Eleven blissful days of vacation, seven of which will take place in Indianapolis for "the best four days in gaming". I'm so freaking excited that it's been hard to focus on anything else. Of course once Gen Con comes I won't get any sleep. I know me. I have a family who are early rises. A friend who's going with us is a night owl. I know I'll burn the candle at both ends. And for once, I'm cool with that. I'll sleep sometime. It clearly wasn't today.

Plunderers

I woke at 4 am this morning. With the windows open any outdoor noise wakes me up, although I don't think that's what got me. I woke from a horrible nightmare with a start and then, only then, did I notice the odd thunking sound. It sounded like someone pounding on my fence. I stood up and glanced out the window to see plunderers attacking my bird feeder. Two raccoons decided to make a feast of my seed and were practically pulling the feeder off the shepard's hook. I hissed at them from the upstairs window but they didn't even bother to look up. I woke Jeff up who had the idea of going downstairs and trying to scare them away from there. He flipped the light on and off, opened and slammed the door and the bigger one didn't even bother to jump off the fence. It was only when he went outside (not ten feet from them) that they scurried away. But they were back within seconds. He finally went out and collected the feeder before they went away.

It was eerie, standing there watching them. They don't seem mammalian. Or at least not the type that I'm used to. And they were big. Bigger than I expected. I've only had one other run in with a raccoon before and that was way too close for comfort. I didn't get a good look at its body as I backed away hurriedly from the bushes it had been hiding in. I just remember screaming. Raccoons will not hesitate to go for the eyes if they feel threatened. So I had forbidden Jeff to go outside last night. He didn't listen and I'm very thankful. They would have easily ripped the hook down (it was loose this morning) and destroyed my feeder. The cat, wisely perhaps, chose to watch from the safety of the upstairs window. They easily had a good 20 pounds on her.

I tried to get pictures but none turned out. If I had been thinking (it was 4 after all) I would have just turned on the light and clicked away. Instead I tried to get shots with and without the flash, none of which turned out. After the feeder was in we went back to bed, only to be woken twenty minutes later by a woodpecker who was trying to break through my neighbor's metal gutters. It's become a daily habit with the stupid bird. I hiss at him and he goes away but is normally back within half an hour to try again. I'm not sure how well his tiny little brain is working. Or mine. I'm beginning to think that the feeder might not be such a good idea.

Have Thermos, Will Travel

In an effort to save money (and the environment) I've stopped picking up coffee each morning. For the last three years I have been a dedicated Caribou girl. Each morning I would stop and pick up a large dark roast to take to work. On Fridays it would be accompanied by a piece of Cinnamon Coffee Cake or a French Toast Muffin. My treat for making it through the week.

But you don't have to be a math major to figure out how fast that adds up. A large coffee with tax is $2.11. A large coffee with pastry is $4 something. Over the course of a week that works out to $13, and that's only if I don't tip. So this week I stopped going. I drove past Caribou and went straight to work. But don't even get the idea that I've stopped drinking coffee. In fact, I'm drinking far more than ever.

A couple years ago I bought a Thermos brand thermos, which came in incredibly handy when I broke my ankle. And while I would make coffee at home occasionally, I never really used the thermos. Now I keep wondering why. My thermos can hold most of a pot of coffee and the amount left over is perfect for a travel mug (it's like they planned it that way :-) ). The thermos can keep the coffee hot for at least eight hours which means that I can have wonderfully hot coffee in the afternoon, if it lasts that long. So I've started making coffee at home and taking it to work.

Now instead of a 20 oz coffee to start my day, I drink an entire pot...of decaf. I know that I shouldn't drink an entire pot of regular every morning (not that I can't) so I brew decaf. I've set up my coffee pot to delay brew and have fresh piping hot decaf ready for me each morning. So far I haven't noticed the lack of caffeine. The only thing I worried is that I would miss the coffee lid. I used to hate drinking coffee through those tiny slit lid. Now I find that I'm addicted. I love how slow it allows me to drink, savoring my coffee for hours while still keeping it hot. Luckily the folks at DC Craft have my back. This is the "I Am Not a Paper Cup" cup. Refillable, washable, it comes with a silicone lid and silicone wrap for my hand. It holds almost 20 ounces and makes me incredibly happy. So in one week I've gone from Caribou addict to happily self-sufficient. If only my meals were that easy.

Morning Rituals

Here I am at work just starting my day and I realized how slowly I actually start. When I first arrive at work I need to make coffee and grab water. Can't function without the coffee, even though it's decaf. Next I sit down to read the news. Jeff taught me to always read the news first. That way I get the depressing stuff out of the way and can focus on the fun stuff. I read Google News, CNN, BBC, The Des Moines Register, and KCCI. By that time I'm sufficiently depressed. But part of the job so I get it out of the way early.

Now the fun stuff. Over the last couple years I have found about 30 or so blogs that I follow. And all of those get read every morning. Some post everyday, some don't. I have art blogs, writer blogs, WOW blogs, animal blogs, and some that are just strange stuff. But they put me in the right mood for the day. It's all about learning and fun. So every morning I go through them at work, feeling slightly guilty for wasting time, but not enough to actually stop. And truth be told I normaly only waste about an hour that way. I know I'm lucky that my job allows me that flexibility. If I had a different job I wouldn't be able to start my day this way.

But I just have to point out some of the most recent editions, just in case anyone is looking for a fun new blog.

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. (a blog about books) http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/

Curious Expeditions http://curiousexpeditions.org/ (interesting history that makes you go hmmm)

Cabinet of Wonders http://cabinet-of-wonders.blogspot.com/ (mechanical history told through pictures. Plenty of learning and great photography here)

And Roadside Scholar. http://www.roadsidescholar.com/ (because I love fun art)

Just some new ones that haven't made it onto my profile yet. But all of these make my morning just a little more interesting.