Good Day, Sunshine...

I've spent the past few months waking up fairly early. It started as kind of a bummer, but the longer I'm at it, the more convinced I am that waking up early is the way to go. Here's why:

1. If you're my age (21) and a productive person, it's highly probable that you will get more done before 10am then the rest of your friends will in their entire day. That just feels good.

2. Seeing a sunrise when you wake up feels like opening a present. You never know exactly what it's going to be, it's always exciting, and it's fun for free. AND, when you see the sunset later in the day, it's like you've been given TWO gifts!

3. The goods at bakeries and coffee shops (the good kind, that is) will be fresh and often times still warm when you go to get them. Plus, the lines are always shorter if you get there early.

4. You can save energy by managing your day such that the majority of your waking hours are spent when the sun's out. If the sun's up until 8:30pm like it is right now in the summer, you only have to have your lights on for like two hours!

5. The times when you really need to wake up earlier than normal are SO much easier if you're used to waking up early. For example: While at CPYB I had to wake up every day at 7am as opposed to waking up at 10am like a normal 21 year old male would do. Thus, when I had to wake up at 5am to drive back to Missouri, I only had to wake up two hours earlier than normal instead of FIVE hours earlier. An extra cup of coffee was all I needed, and I felt great all day.

6. From experience, the early morning crowd that you'll bump into while running errands is much friendlier than the late night crowd.

That's all I can really think of right now.

Also, I thought I'd post a poem my best friend Keith wrote for me a while back. Keith, who's an accomplished writer, shares a deep disgust for the poet Gertrude Stein with me. He wrote this poem to commemorate his dislike of Ms. Stein and sent it to me, and now I'm sharing it with you. Enjoy!

"Gertrude Stein"
By: Keith Stegall

There are few poets I hate more than Gertrude Stein. There there here there are far star are there here there. Poets I hate formica to slate harmonica stains the brains light on window panes of poets I hate. Despise the rise of reichs hikes up the hilltops the traintracks sudden drops out of starbursts poets I hate hate formica to slate are far star are are are.
The way she repeats gives me a headache. The the way the way way wei shu tao te ching shingles on a flight of stairs of pigeons alas glass on ice break the steak on wooden dice way the way way. Repeats repeats repeats tomorrow me borrow seed sorrow hold a headache on your shoulder. Shoulder holder molder shoulder are far should star starbursts fold down up up down down down up down.
And they never make sense. Refrigerator.