I usually get up between 8:15am and 9am during the work week. I haven't been sleeping well for about 5 weeks now, so I tend toward 9am these days. The first thing I usually do is make a beeline for the coffee machine. I have become addicted to having coffee in the morning. I go back to my room and I turn on the news for a bout 2 minutes, get depressed, then switch to The Travel Channel. The "Travelers" is on at 9am, and they always go to the neatest places. In fact, I'm watching "Travelers" now...they're in Finland, during a solstice celebration. I wonder if they know how lucky they are.

From the "Travelers", I change over to Comedy Central to watch last night's "Daily Show." From there comes "Sports Night", "Who's Line is it Anyway", then "Win Ben Stein's Money," then over to TLC for "The Makeover Story" for an hour. After this, I turn off the TV for a while and listen to some music. I tend to listen to the same 70 songs over and over, so sometimes I skip the music listening and go for silence (or listening to the same 70+ songs Jenn listens to in her office next door). At some point in this routine, I've gotten up to shower or make the bed. I can't work in clutter! Then, at 4, I turn the TV back on to watch "Trading Spaces." Since the last channel I had on was TLC, I don't have to change the channel when I turn the TV back on. Clever, eh?

Oh, you're wondering about work? I'm usually working during this time. How? It's not so hard. I'm used to working with distractions.

I find my routines to be comforting, like an old blanket or a friendly voice when you're feeling lonely. Except...

...I ran out of coffee and didn't get to have any this morning! ::GASP:: What do I do?? I tried to improvise with a Frothe, but it is definitely sub-standard to MY perfect cup of coffee. I was going to make some decaf, so I would at least have some of the coffee taste to fool my brain, but the coffee pot is in the kitchen sink where it looks like something exploded (ravioli, I think). I'm just avoiding the sink out of fear, mostly.

So...why am I writing about something as mundane as my daily routine? I think that it's funny that something so small as a cup of coffee can get me off kilter. I always found myself to be pretty flexible, but maybe I'm more OC than I think. I think in life we all have "routines" that get broken, and how we deal with them is a measure of how successful we will be in the future. If "coffee" gets you bent, then what happens when you get a flat tire on the way to work, or when you make your favorite meal and you burn it, or when you run into a major crisis? I've had my share of major crises, and I've always handled them pretty well. I freak out later, but I always keep it together during the crisis. I'm not really bent about the coffee (or lack thereof). I find it amusing that I felt, even for a minute, sad about not being able to have any. I've turned off the TV for now, and, well...I'm off for another cup of Frothe...