What's That Mechanical Whirring Sound I Hear?

My mornings are tight. The alarm goes off an hour and a half before I have to be at work. Get up, head out to the kitchen, grab my breakfast--a Naked Fruit Juice Pure Protein--and chug-a-lug it. Give Faithful Companion a drink of water and take him for a walk. Hit the shower. Get dressed. Hit the road.

My workday is segmented. Work two hours, fifteen minute break. Work two more hours, take lunch. Work two more hours, the second fifteen minute break. Work two more hours, punch out.

At lunch, I drive over to the local Wendy's ("Single with no cheese" "Do you want the combo?" "Just the sandwich" "Anything else with that?" "White milk, please." "$3.54. Please pull around.") then I head to Starbuck's. I eat my hamburger sitting in my Jeep in the parking lot of Starbucks, then run inside ("Hi Drew! What can I get you?" "Triple venti latté please!" "$4.45.") And a great thing is happening at Starbuck's: they're returning to the old, calibrated machines, so they make shots of espresso two at a time always. With three shots in my espresso, they are now asking me, "Do you want the extra shot?" I always say yes.

I usually linger to read the headlines of the Times. I leave Starbucks twenty minutes before I have to clock back in.

After work, I head to the hospital. Find a parking space, in through the lobby, up the elevator to the Fourth Floor. Turn right, turn right, swing around the nurses station. I generally spend between a half hour and an hour visiting with my dad. We watch television together and discuss his parade of roommates. His roommates are usually in and out of the hospital in a day or two, but my father just goes on and on, outlasting them all. Three or four roommates ago, he stopped learning their names.

After I leave, I generally call my brother in Florida to offer the report.

Then I hit the SuperFresh Stoopid Fresh. With my groceries, I head home, make dinner, watch a little television, head to bed.

I could totally be replaced by a machine.

Information has totally come that far. My day is but an algorithm.

But wait! Relief!

I finally managed to track down The Reformation by Diarmaid McCullough published by Penguin!

And it's perfect.

His writing is conversational and lucid, and it's loaded with so many of those fun facts I love love love.

Did you know that the Church stopped giving the Eucharist under both forms--the bread and the wine--and just gave out the bread to communicants because of concern that the Blood of Christ would be trapped in the beards and mustaches of the faithful. (I always give a post-Communion clearing of the mustache!)

Today, I spent three whole blissful hours at Starbuck's reading The Reformation by Diarmaid McCullough published by Penguin. Per. Fect.

The Reformation by Diarmaid McCullough published by Penguin has brought a sudden peace and clarity to this whole experience. For example, I've thought when all this is over, I'd treat myself to a nice vacation. I thought about Europe or driving West, but today hit upon just where I'd like to go: Iceland.

Check out these sweet pics.

Now don't you all be like "Iceland! Of course! Let's head their now!" Give me a chance to get there before Iceland becomes the place to go and by the time I get around to going there i won't be able to get a room or rent a snowmobile to get out to see some fjord or glacier or something I want to see.

Anyway. time for bed.

Tomorrow the cycle begins again.