A Day in the Life

While not the most creative of posts, this may be the most informative yet, to those interested in my doings.

Times are estimates, and my work schedule changes regularly.  This is, generally, what happens on a Tuesday/Thursday.

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8-9.  Wake up.  Sit on my bed and try to wake up/pray/figure out if there are any 'ox in the ditch' scenarios this morning.  Confirm, no, not unless I make something into one.

9-9:45, sometimes til 10:30, depending.  Read the Bible.  2-3 chapters of the old testament, 1-2 of the new.  Underline things that jump out.  Star things that really jump out.  If I have time, I might read back over the passages that seem to drift a bit longer before they settle in the past tense of my morning.  If I really have time, I might get out a calligraphy pen and write a section out.  Then, like this morning, if I want to meditate on it further, I'll sing the verse over some basic chords.  Today was Matthew 11:27-30.  All things are handed over to me.  No one know us, unless I let them.  Take my yoke.

Somewhere in the middle of that I probably wander downstairs to eat something for breakfast.  Today, breakfast casserole donated to the cause by my parents.  Delicious.

10:30 or so-11:30.  If I'm just making it down to breakfast now, I'll piddle around with some house maintenance stuff.  Take hooks off of an old board to be used to build a bike basket.  Strip an old pallet to use later for a compost bin.  Pull nails out of the wall.  Hang a picture.  Do laundry/empty the dishwasher.  Glue the legs back on a chair.  If I'm lucky another roommate will be eating breakfast, and we chat about job hunting or dating or the balance of work and rest.  Sometimes, like yesterday, I have to seek out someone from the night before to whom I need to apologize.  Those kinds of things weigh heavy on me.

If breakfast came earlier in the routine, I may have wandered back upstairs and found myself playing guitar, or checking my email, Facebook, blog.  One of my brilliant friends may have posted something great*, which often engages me for up to an hour.  Seldom would I spend that long on email or Facebook.  I get anxious.  Too much to keep up with.

11:30-12.  Snack, maybe piece of fruit or cupcake donated to the cause.  Check my work schedule.

12:15-2 or so.  Read a book**.  Or, like today, take a walk.  Watch for people who might be encouraged by prayer, or who look like they need help.  If I'm lucky, maybe find one.  A guy shielding his eyes, just out of MUSC, needs to borrow a cell phone.  Give him my sunglasses because he needs them, offer to pray, he accepts, and then he tells me to save his number in my phone and give him mine.  He an 'upcoming rap artist' in town, and his list of hit singles sound awful.  I say, great, yeah man.  Give me a call if you want.

On a good day, walk turns to worship, sit on a bench at colonial lake and pray, writing it out to help me stay focused.  Drink some water.  If I'm feeling good, maybe stop in at Black Tap and get some iced coffee and cucumber water.  It's delicious, and free.  For the cause, you might say.

Short walk today, because I have work at three.  Get back, slice up a tomato and a bell pepper, carrot, celery.  Toss them in a tupperware, re-purposed from a ham package.  The veggies are to go on top of the mixed greens (organic) and ham (thin sliced, honey baked) that I have waiting at work, in the kegerator, on top of the Green Flash IPA.

Grab a headlamp, tail light, helmet.  Dodge conversation, because I'm a little behind.  I bike to work, down Spring, across President, up Canon, down St. Phillips, left on Vanderhorst.  Pull in. Take off my, helmet, ruffle my hair.  Take off my Chacos, put on my closed-toe shoes (NB101, worn into the ground).  Say hello to the regulars.  Ask the professor what she's working on today.  Check on so-and-so's back.  Tom.  Fancy seeing you here.  How's the second office?

Chuch bell rings, three strokes.  The time clock is a little behind, but I'll start anyway.  Keep the bosses happy, or just serve them well, or better, bless them.  The motivation depends on the day.

3-6. Make a TON of lattes.  Pour some beers (lots of Allagash, currently, but soon to be dominated by Westbrook and Bells.  That brewer's night is going to be fantastic).

6-6:15.  Sit down to eat a little dinner.  Salad with ham and chopped vegetables from earlier.

6:15-10.  Run register, wash dishes, make more lattes.  A little anger surfaces towards Starbucks for blended drinks.  Snag some chocolate chunks that fell out of the pastries.  If I'm really hungry, split a cookie, or put my salad on a croissant and panini press that sucker.  Delicious.

10-11,11:30.  Close. Turn music volume way down.  Play something more relaxed, like Balmorhea or 'The Melody of Rhythm' with Bela Fleck.  Clean.  Wipe down tables, flip chairs, sweep, mop.  Restock.  Count the register.  Fill out paperwork.   Lock up.  Turn off the fountain. Turn on lights. Bike Home.

11:45-12,12:30.  Chat with roomates, snack, brush my teeth.  Put in bite guard, so I don't grind my teeth.

12-12:30.  Bed.  Read if I'm not that tired.  Check my alarm to make sure it's set if I have to work early tomorrow.  Drift to sleep.  Roll over to recheck my alarm.  Sleep.

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*The link near breakfast is to a friend's photo blog who documented a day in my life for a school project, the inspiration for this post.  She also caught an afternoon sailing, which makes me seem much cooler than I usually am.  Check it out.

**Books currently reading/recently read: 'The Two Towers', Tolkien.  'A Long Obedience in the Same Direction', Peterson. 'Red Moon Rising', Grieg and Roberts.