I’m really freaking tired. The past two weeks have had me working my regular job, moving offices at said job, going through tech week of Guys & Dolls, playing six performances of Guys & Dolls, trying to figure out how I’ll approach my project for National Novel Writer’s Month, working on some behind-the-scenes magic for Write On Edge, running a half-marathon and a zombie 5k, and playing with my organ at church. Oh, and parenting my two little ruffians angels. Oh, yeah, and getting over pneumonia.
So, I’m not quite myself. Since I’ve moved offices, I work very close to the Harrisburg airport, which means that I work very close to a bunch of cheap hotels & motels (because, you see, Harrisburg isn’t exactly a thriving metropolis, though it is a very nice town, but you’d think, by the number of hotels available near the airport, that this is the place to be). Today, I was tempted to take a personal day, check myself in, and just nap away.
But, well, I’m someone who likes to be moving about. So, I’d get pretty pissed at myself if I actually did nap the day away.
Then, I think about all of the awesome comments I got when I came up with the idea of a day by myself (which wasn’t the point of the post, but it lead to some wonderful daydreams), and I got to thinking, if I did actually have a full day completely to myself – what would I do?
- Wake up when my body says it’s time to wake up. This is much earlier than most everyone else, because my internal clock hates me. And while I can try to say it would be firmly in the middle of the day in a fantasy, I need to be realistic . . . it would be closer to 5am than 10am.
- Get out of bed & get my cycling gear on. Because it stays dark later & later these days, I think I can get to the top of King’s Gap just in time for sunrise.
- Cycle back (the bike ride I have in mind, end-to-end, is about 50 miles) & go for a 13-15 mile run.
- Marvel at how clear my mind is after thoroughly exhausting myself.
- Nap (hey, I’d deserve it after doing 2/3 of a half-ironman)
- Wake & shower & prepare myself a very large helping of nachos. Drink coffee & eat coffee cake while the nachos are heating up (because breakfast is important, even if you’re just about to eat lunch).
- Put on a cheesy zombie movie and fire up the computer.
- Write for the duration of the movie while eating nachos and managing to not edit as I go
- Put on a cheesy monster movie with lots of nudity.
- Fire up a sequencer and get some composing done. Magically have the fun bits on the screen any time I get frustrated by the process.
- Order gratuitous quantities of Chinese food and open a bottle of wine.
- Edit my writing from earlier in the day while gorging on Chinese food and drinking wine.
- Make mental note to re-edit the next day, as the editing may be wine-influenced.
- Go to bed, tipsy, missing the family.
If every day were like this, I’d go crazy — I’d miss my wife. I’d miss the kids. I’d miss everyone in my life . . . but, just for a day? It’d be magical.
What would you do if you, somehow, had a day all to yourself?
Tomorrow’s post will be wordless, and cute, and child-centric . . . you may want to prepare your uterii
I would be a lot less productive than you. II’d sleep in, and then would probably run or ride since it would be a beautiful, cool fall day of course. Then I’d play lots of video games and drink a lot of beer.
I lost power while working at home (as usual) last Thursday. I did what I could w/o Internet, and then headed out to find wifi, only to find that a huge downed tree had knocked out power lines and blocked the only way off my dead-end street.
I managed to get a little more work done, but there wasn’t much I could do, plus the laptop battery was dying. I looked in the bedroom and the three cats were napping on the bed. “Hey guys, is this a cat-only event?” It was not, and I had an awesome 2-hour nap right while I was supposed to be working. I’m still paying for the lost day of work, but at the time it was amazing.
I really think cats were put on this earth to remind humans of the importance of regular sleep.
I’ve actually been thinking a lot about “unplugging,” if I had to spend a whole lot of time without access to the Internet . . . I really think I need to pack up the family & head out camping, without any cell phones, for a week. The boy would go crazy without being able to watch his daily Star Wars movie, and I’m pretty sure I’d break out in hives without regular access to twitter.
Mmmmm……gratuitous quantities of Chinese food.
I attempted to jog last night, thinking I was over the plague. I erupted into a coughing fit that was so horrible and so long that I almost hurled.
A day all to myself…art museums, rare books, much coffee and my camera.
Nothing is worse than trying to get back “in the swing” only to find out that residual sick is affecting you. Yuck. But feel better.
And, yes, art museums, books, and coffee would be on draft two of my list.
A day all to myself? In bed with bad television and bad for me food.
There is just something about eating something that you know is bad for you . . . it, simply relaxes me.
WTH? How do you have time for all that? Amazing.
As for the day to yourself, with that amount of exercise, no amount of Chinese food is gratuitous. But I agree…a day to myself would equal lots of exercise, a massage, a lunch out with friends, a book, and wine. Assuming that in my dream I’m not pregnant anymore.
Um, do you not know that I’m batshit insane?
Seriously, I am.
I didn’t know you were, currently, battling the 9-month-STD. Clearly, I need to take better notes on those I’m stalking…
That is truly magical. You know I’m stealing this idea, right? So I can’t give you a sneak peek other than to tell you the obvious: it would involved running, coffee, sleep.
You’re in a musical?!
I wasn’t in the musical – I played bass in the pit of the musical. I’ve been on stage a time or two, but I’m typically a “play the music” guy. First, it only requires a week’s commitment, and it doesn’t require me to prepare a try-out.
That said, they’re doing Annie next fall, and I’m actually tempted to “throw my hat” in for Daddy Warbucks.
Can’t wait to read your take!
Swwon- a day to myself would involve a run, fancy coffee (that my husband says isn’t really coffee), chocolate, naps (yes, plural), reading, writing, and Thai food. Or sushi.
(Apparently it’s a looong day to myself).
Love this, John!
What’s this word “or” between Thai food & sushi? Thai food and sushi sounds much better.
And, yeah – every time I think about a day to myself . . . if I want to get everything done in it that I want to get done, I’d need like 5 days.
Maybe, um, it would have been better to be “week to myself,” but I know I’d miss the kiddos too much to think about truly enjoying a week.
Our lives are parallel.
I’m juggling similar mental and physical projects. I know how tired you are feeling.
The funny thing is, those angels/ruffians plus the wife plus the peopel depending on you drive you.
That being said, if we lived closer, we’d be playing hooky from some this to grab a beer or 7.
7 or 70, most certainly.
I actually think the mental tired is worse than the physical tired — I mean, that just is soreness, and I’m used to soreness. I’m not used to being so tired that I’m stupid. And that’s been happening more than I like to admit.
I have girded my reproductive organs against the coming onslaught of cute.
Wait..
And your day?
Sounds excellent.
(sorry, thinking about Cam running around in iron underwear shouting “huzzah”)
Everything from the nap down sounds like a good day to me.
You said it sister.
The stuff prior to the nap is, mainly, so that I can actually enjoy the nap on down . . . I can’t write with my mind all aclutter, and, lately, the only way I can really clear it is to physically exhaust myself.
I’m pretty sure you stole this day from my brain. Sans the excercise. And the composing.
I’m going to be adding some of my original music up here pretty soon – I think you’ll dig the composing 🙂
I look forward to it, Ludwig.
Now I’m really tempted to have a self day. Though the only similarity between our two days would be zombies. Sadly, mine wouldn’t be nearly as healthy or productive!