my morning so far

3:20 am

i wake up and look at the phone next to the bed. there are no clocks in our bedroom, and usually no phones either, but i had to set a 'just in case' alarm because i'm presenting a paper at a conference in Orlando later today. perhaps this anticipation is the reason i'm awake, or maybe it's because i'm subconsciously syncing up with my my yin's time zone in New Delhi. it makes no difference either way and i try to go back to sleep.

3:31 am

it occurs to me that maybe i only dreamed about looking at the clock, and i'm taken by an urge to look at the phone again. sadly, the memory of the clock was accurate, rather than the dream of the memory.

4:01 am

get sick of laying in bed and let go of the following story: "if i get up now, i'll be sleepy and tired later in the day."

4:06 am

meditate. i have a vision of an old-time crystal doorknob like this one:

except the one in my vision is refracting the entire spectrum of light. it materializes out of nowhere and then an invisible door grows around it. i reach out to touch it, and as i turn the knob it looks like a rainbow spinning in my hand. i step inside a quiet place. forty-five minutes later i open my eyes.

5:02 am

learn that my paper has been accepted at the University of Florida's upcoming "Film and Philosophy" conference.

5:05 am

practice hatha for forty minutes, including several rounds of sun salutation. the sun does indeed rise a couple of hours later, which may or may not be coincidental. i listen to Wah! while i practice, and remember how a friend once told me that the singer had an unhealthily large ego. this, in turn, reminds me of a drummer friend in North Carolina, whose ego is not unhealthily large:

author with drummer of Raleigh's I Was Totally Destroying It

5:52 am

coffee!

6:00 am

start typing up notes that will become this blog, journal, and listen to Pandora's "Beach House" station – not as sunny as the title would lead one to believe.

6:39 am

eat delicious homemade banana bread muffins that my yin made before leaving. the house is impressively overstocked at present, especially considering the fact that i'll be gone for a couple of days. luckily the box from the farm was anemic, typical for the first delivery of the season. the contents included (with my reaction):

1 butternut squash (i think 'penis squash' would be more descriptive)
1 small bunch of basil (gotta find my yin's pesto recipe)
1 star fruit (even after four years, these things still freak me out)
6 cucumbers (really? six?)

6:54 am

call my mom and wish her a happy birthday, who oddly enough shares the day with fore mentioned drummer. her company has sent her to train in Clearwater for two weeks, so i'm taking her out for dinner tomorrow night after my conference hubbub dissipates. i don't remember the last time i saw her on (or near) her birthday, and it's well worth the extra driving to deliver her card in person.

7:13 am

post blog, finish coffee, and take a shower. shave with medium success and finish packing my things.

7:46 am

listen to Waylon Jenning's "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?"
just for good measure.

8:00 am

depart for Orlando.