Waking up in the AM...

Four hours' sleep and a half-hour long commute in the rain later, I'm holed up in my office with coffee and Rammstein piped into my head at high volume until the two braincells residing in this cranium wake up enough to talk to each other and turn the switch marked 'Human' to 'ON'.

So. How do you mooks wake up in the morning? Liberal applications of caffeine or favorite breakfast food? Melodious whingeing of your beloved offspring as they blame you for the sun coming up before noon? Pet jumping up and down and pulling at your jammies as they do the potty dance and point at the door?

Or -- do you wake up and bound out of bed while a musical crescendo swells, and Pose (tm), ready and willing to bring the joy and happiness of life to the masses (the jury remains out on whether these folks are willing or unwilling)?

Inquiring braincells want to know!

I am a morning person. I wake up with a smile and run out into the world and try to brighten everyones day. I let people in front of me on the highway, I smile at people at stop lights, and I actually say "good morning" to everyone I see. I know I'm weird, I've heard this most of my life. I can't help it, it's just who I am.

I sleep with a small travel alarm clock next to my bed. You know that little "tick" just before the alarm goes off ? That's what wakes me up. I can't remember the last time the alarm actually went off.

Mornings is when we all need to be in a good mood because so many aren't. If you can't bring yourself to SAY good morning, at least try smiling.

-TK

8:00am - bedside table alarm goes off. Fumble around for a while trying to find the rather large 'snooze' button conveniently located on top of the alarm clock. Lose conciousness.

8:15am - alarm goes off again. Finds snooze button, and sticks alarm clock under pillow so not to wake my housemate early. Lose conciousness.

8:35am - the fire-alarm that has been ringing for five minutes in my dream turns out to be the alarm clock under my pillow. Turn the damn thing off this time. Lose conciousness.

9:00am - one of the alarms on my wristwatch goes off. Manage to stay awake just long enough to turn it off. Lose conciousness.

10:00am - second wristwatch alarm goes off. Actually contemplate getting up, but unfortunately I lose conciousness before my willpower gets up to strength.

10:30am - hungry cat starts licking my eyelids. Wakes up kinda upset that the horny virgins in my dream turn out to be a cat's tongue. Lose conciousness.

11:00am - bounce out of bed, full of energy and vigor, get as far as brushing my teeth while humming a little ditty before I realise I'm still in bed dreaming. Already unconcious.

11:30am - definately awake this time, I notice the time and my heart sinks. Yet again I'm late for work and have no time for coffee or breakfast. Gets up.

11:45am - stop by the convenience store on my way to work to buy some cigs and breakfast, and let the girl on the checkout laugh at my inside-out T-shirt.

12:05pm - finally get to work, feel very smug that I've got to work before my collegues, then realise it's saturday.

When left to my own devices I prefer caffine and a liberal dose of time. I like to wake up slowly.

Most days I am not afforded this luxury. It's usually dogs crying or even more often a very chipper 3yo morning person telling me "the sun is up and it's a beautiful day!", and then coffee. I really can't complain though. Sure as heck beats an alarm.

5:40 am. I wake up bright and alert, and use the bathroom. I realize I still have another hour left, so I go back to sleep.

7:00 am. After hitting the snooze button 5 times I drag myself out of bed, groggy and grumpy.

4:45 pm. I come to realize that I have been at work for almost 8 hours, and I can't recall what I have been doing.

5:30 pm. I go home, and wake up by taking a walk.

5AM - Computer plays loud obnoxous rock music... wake up, stumble out of bed, turns volume lower. Falls Back asleep.

5:15 AM - Computer plays loud obnoxous rock music again, at louder volume. Sits up in bed, falls asleep sitting up.

5:20 - 5:40 AM - Groggily gets out of bed, dressed... etc..

5:54 AM - Arrives at train station. (I love having one like 4 blocks from my house )

6:00 AM - Buys doughnut and frappichino, promptly eat... caffene takes awhile to kick in.

6:04 AM - Train arrives. LOUD horn and BRIGHT headlights drives 3/4 of groggyness out of head.

6:04AM - 6:40 AM - On train... remaining 1/4 groggyness makes me nap, remaining 3/4 regenerates.

6:50 AM - 1 block walk out of train station onto city street. Am usually halfway sleepwalking during this


7 AM - finally woken up and downtown. Back and muscles already aching, head reeling... time for another starbucks! (Again luckily, there is one located .5 blocks away from where I get out of the train station)


And... thats how I start my weekdays.
Weekends on the other hand.....

6:45a - 7:00a: Snooze alarm dance, in five minute intervals.
7:00a - 7:08a: Email check, SL forurm scan.
7:08a - 7:22a: Shower
7:22a - 7:29a: Clothing and shoes donning.
7:29a - 7:30a: Walk across the street to work.
7:30a - 9'ish : Consume massive quantities of coffee while performing routine work tasks. Usually good and awake by time for first break

8am...tell my son to behave in school as my wife gets him ready...lay down on bed...fall asleep.

12pm...toss alarm clock across room...hope to god it still works later

12:15pm...get up, pull on shorts and slippers...take care of business...get on SL

12:35pm...meet son's bus...race him to door...out of breath...need to get more exercise...where am I? Oh yeah...

1pm...put son down for nap...should take one too...screw it...get back on SL

3pm...son's up...wants to play on laptop next to me...sure...NO PEANUT BUTTER IN THE CD-ROM!!! Continue playing SL, answer son's questions about computers and how they work...remind him for thousandth time he has at least 12 years before he gets to play (if he can drive, he can play as far as I'm concerned) SL...

4pm...finally awake now...get some things done with son's help before wife comes home from work

10:30pm...go to work...ugh...at least there's the forums...

Of course, the routine varies a bit...sometimes I actually do take a nap... lol

*if i have to be at work by 6AM*
4:00 AM- awoken by loud talking on my radio. fumble to turn it off, accidently make it loader, finally turn it off, and set it for 4:30AM
4:30 AM- get up take a shower, then go to my computer and check email and read SL forums
5:30 AM- finish reading forums and realize my hair is still wet and my car is still cold with ice on the windows.
5:33 AM- after 3 more min of reading, scrmble to get on McD's uniform. and dry hair
5:45 AM- finally get out to my car, try to get ice and dew off best i can. Then drive to work almost blind.
6:05 AM- Arrive at work (i don't live too far luckly) Wait outside jumping up and down waving my arms till someone finally sees me and lets me in. Walk in, everyone says good morning, i grumble back.
6:07 AM- I clock in and get in present, fill a large coffee cup half way with coffee and the rest with vanilla shake.
6:30 AM- find time to actually take a sip of my coffee shake between orders.
10:30 AM- take 30 min break, switch to lunch
12:00 PM- Lunch rush, choas.........
1:00 PM- rush dies down, some people go home, but i stay and have to now work twice as hard.
3:00 PM- feet are blistered and bleeding, stock up before i go home.
3:10 PM- finally clock off and go home.
3:40 PM- arrive at my house, play SL till 10 or 11 PM and then go to bed. Yep, only time i ate was on my break.

This is such an appropriate question as I will be able to display passionately my hatred for mornings.


I HATE MORNINGS! I HATE THEM! AHHH!!!

I had Fall Break on MOonday and Tuesday and I stayed in the dorm and my two suitemates next door went home, aaand their bleeping motherbleeping alarm clock went off from 8am-3pm!!! And now, this Thursday, despite me not having any classes until 11am, their bleeping alarm clock again went off at 8am and I'm bleeping going to break something if they don't fix it! Just a moment ago one of them came back and said something like "sorry, haha!" and I'm like "NO BLEEPING HAHA I'M A LIGHT SLEEPER AND YOUR ALARM CLOCK MAKES ME WANT TO KILL!" and so here I am now, incapable of sleeping, awake an hour and a half earlier than I need to be, and you best believe I am not a morning person. *lurks with a knife*

Same here Mis. More like I wake up slowly whether I like it or not. Except I get cat paws poking me in the face at 4am to let me know the bowl is empty.

One night I was in dead sleep and I am awaked by a cat paw on each sleeping eye, as if saying, "why are these closed? you're no fun when these are closed..."

I also told Tracey we need about 10,000 of her kind here.


fen-

Here's a play by play until I'm really awake!!

1:00 AM to 5:00 AM – Wake up around 10 times during the night from Ama shifting in his sleep or performing the “alligator death roll,” stealing all the covers until he wakes up and throws them back onto me
5:15 AM – Alarm quietly plays rock music, turn it off and stay in bed
5:30 AM – Get up and stumble to the shower
6:20 AM – Stumble out of the house and drive to work
6:55 AM – Pull into downtown parking garage
7:00 AM – Get off elevator to my floor and weave my way to my cubicle
8:00 AM – Grab a chai tea and a pastry (has been coffee this past week because of the new 1 – 5 am routine)
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM – Get sleepy from not enough sleep and doze off at work
11:00 AM – Walk/Jog around the Capitol, looking at all the crazies, the protests going on, and tour groups gaping at Arnold’s new turf
12:00 PM – Eat Lunch
2:00 PM - Get sleepy from not enough sleep and doze off at work
5:45 PM – Get home from work, am finally awake and play on my computers



Ah, the life of a State employee...

2-4am: Pretend not to notice that Pooch Pooperstein, Girl Detective is licking my face and doing the poop dance. Continue to pretend this until Sig Other gets annoyed and takes her out. Go back to sleep.

5am: Pretend not to notice that Sig Other is licking my face and doing the "happy morning" dance. Continue to pretend this until Sig Other gets annoyed and goes back to sleep.

7am: Jump out of bed, complain loudly that I'm going to be late, berate both Sig Other and Pooch Pooperstein, Girl Detective for not getting me out of bed earlier.

Hmm... maybe I'm not a very good girlfriend...