The Lemmings of Spring
OK, it's almost time to go home, and I have to admit, my mind has not been on work today. My mind has been everywhere else but. My mind has been soaring outside the window, entranced by the dark beauty of the sky against skyscrapers just after rain. My mind has been mulling over what promises to be a busy weekend, with my mother (FINALLY!) moving to her new place, and the Baltimore Science Fiction Society meeting this Saturday, one of the last remaining before our convention, Balticon. I'm thinking about the housewarming present we got my mother--i.e., the woman who has everything--highspeed internet access through Comcast. No more dialup (aka pony express). I'm even wondering what will be the outcome of the battle between the Maryland State Legislature, our really stupid governor, the Public Service Commission, and BGE--with the latter planning to raise Marylanders' energy bills by an average of 72% in June. For once I'm not thinking that much about our really stupid president and our even stupider Congress. That can wait until tomorrow.
Now it is 11:30 pm, and I have to get up early tomorrow, but my body clock has been on night owl time for the last 20 years. I considered leaving my current job when we moved to a new building, because due to the high cost of security (even though we've seen the security guard sleeping in her cubicle), our department's operating hours were truncated. Suddenly, I was reporting to work by 9 a.m., a real problem because it felt like I was getting up in the middle of the night. When I was a college student, I found out quickly that the 8 a.m. class I signed up for one time was a BIIIIG mistake. I have come to the conclusion, however, that most people must truly enjoy getting up early, enduring rush hour, and going to work, because SO MANY PEOPLE DO IT. However, after a month of getting up early and feeling like I was being punished if I went to bed by midnight, I have yet to see the fun in being a morning person. Perhaps someone could enlighten me. I'd rather just go stand in the corner.
OK, so there's sunrise. I tell myself when I get up early that, obviously I am SUPPOSED to be enjoying the experience and having the time of my life, because so many people wouldn't do it if they didn't enjoy it. My husband tells me there is a fallacy in this logic, that the world moves on morning time because of corporate monopolies and their desire for profit (gotta start making that money as early as possible and we peons are just a bunch of corporate whores er, slaves). As for me, I think the answer probably falls somewhere between the two extremes.
However, it also makes me think that, for a country (USA) that allegedly prides itself on individuality, we sure seem to have the monopoloy on conformity. Our Congress of spineless automatons is a case in point. Some days it's enough to make me want to turn in my card (as in card-carrying Democrat). What we need now is a REAL opposition party, a card-carrying, cojone-wearing, Progressive Liberal alternative. But that's a(n) harrumph for another day.