Dearest Rachel –
I don’t know if it’s more funny or annoying (I suppose it all depends on how groggy I am at the moment); I can be falling asleep trying to watch a YouTube video of an early evening, but as soon as I decide to make it official, and set the channel to one of those black screen ‘music to fall asleep to’ programs, I can barely get it to work as intended. I won’t go so far as to say that I’m conscious of the musical undertone (pun absolutely intended), but I’m definitely aware of its presence, and I can’t seem to stay asleep because of it. It literally defeats its own purpose.
Granted, this means that I attain (very reluctant) consciousness early enough that I can send my usual word of greeting and encouragement to “Lee” before she has to head off to work as early as she has to in the morning. On the other hand, I wonder if she really wants to be seeing such things – even if they include a reminder that it’s Friday already – at a quarter to five in the morning; that’s just too early for such thoughts, however pleasant.
If you loudly ·greet [bless] your neighbor early in the morning,
Proverbs 27:14, Expanded Bible
he will think of it as a curse.
When I read this verse on the 27th day of each month, I can’t help but think of Ned Flanders and his cheery “High-da-lee-ho, neighborino!” and how poorly it tends to be received by his actual neighbors. The guy may mean well – after all, he’s supposedly the embodiment of the mindlessly Pollyanna-ish Christian, which the creators of The Simpsons clearly despise – but he’s no good at reading the room. Which is weird, given this verse from what one assumes to be his life’s instruction manual.
Still, for all that their derision of him and his faith that they hold, the creators can’t seem to do anything to poor Ned to truly break him. While I never watch the show anymore, like we used to do when Daniel was young, he and I have something in common in that he’s lost his wife Maude (in a freak accident, no less). Of course, the show depicted her as a stuck-up, self-righteous prig, so don’t think I’m comparing you to her by any means. But from what I understand, they can’t seem to keep him from being a truly nice, kind fellow, even despite the struggles they’ve put him through. It would be weird if they inspired viewers to be more like Ned, despite their contempt for his beliefs (and the people, like Reverend Lovejoy, that promulgate them). Still, he really needs to know better than to violate this particular verse. Even morning people like myself are in no mood for conversation at the crack of dawn.
At least at this time of year, the trudge to the gym is less of a chore than it used to be. With barely a cloud in the sky or a puff of wind, even the fifties are pleasant enough to walk through; I’ve certainly dealt with worse, and not that long ago. What’s weird, however, is that when my black screen music finally wrapped up, and I got a good look at my computer, the one widget in the lower left-hand corner that showed the current temperatures (or rather, claimed to) indicated that temperatures were about to drop precipitously, which seemed an odd thing to read first thing in the morning. I was so suspicious of it that I went to one of my tabs that showed the hour-by-hour forecast for the local area, and sure enough, between now and noon, the temperatures are expected to increase by some twenty degrees. When I looked back at the forecast in the corner, it had changed its tune considerably, to reflect the information that I’d just looked up. It would seem that even a computer isn’t at its best first thing in the morning.
Meanwhile, after hurrying on to my ‘office’ without even bothering with breakfast (after washing up and rewiring the basement – long story, which isn’t finished, that I should have more details on in a day or two – I was running just as late as if I’d bothered to eat, and I’d have to be back home before three, so I figured I’d best just head there now and eat when I got home), I’ve discovered that, for once in a blue moon, the folks’ internet connection doesn’t seem to be working. I mean, my phone hooks up, but my computer rig can’t seem to find it. I’m not sure what’s going on, but…
Oh, wait; after three or four unsuccessful attempts at connecting, I just rebooted the computer, et voilà! It connects like there was never a problem in the first place. Guess my machine at home isn’t the only one that’s not ready to start the morning first thing, eh?
Anyway, I’d best get on with my day, and see what there is that I have to deal with here. Hopefully the fog has lifted from my brain (and equally hopefully, that it’s been cleared from my computers), so I can function to the point where I can at least pass for being normal. In any case, keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me luck; I’m probably going to need it, regardless.
Letters to Rachel 