THE HABITS

The dangerous thing about life-saving medication is that one might forget to take it, but more likely one could just not remember that one took it. Which is where neurotic rituals come in. Because I take some of my medicines just after waking up, before I've had a chance to swill coffee, I put the bottles on the computer keyboard one by one after each pill, so that returning from the first smoke of the day I'll see them there as reminders that I'm good. The untaken pill bottles will be turned upside down in the rack to remind me that they still need to be done, in the evening, whereupon I will rightside them up again. And sometimes stack them.
Because, of course, a double dose would be not good.

The routine is get up, pop pills while the water is on the stove, swill coffee, pee, have a smoke, and return to dither on the internet a while.

In the evening it's fix some more coffee (or tea), snack a bit, pills, then out for a smoke.

I'll have to explain this to my doctor sometime.

To show that smoking is good.

The first pipe of the day, to what shall I liken it? There's nothing quite like it. It greets the sun and parrots overhead, the crows clustering near the dead street people, the pigeons fighting over a half-eaten slice of pizza, and meter maids ticketing the cars that didn't read about no parking because of street cleaning. It, too, is ritual.


The first pipe of the day has to be outside, because I always get up when my apartment mate is still in. That isn't ritual, just firm habit, made stronger by the need to always take one's pills at the same time more or less every day.

Habits and rituals are a sign of maturity, the rational person developes them over time.
They make life easier.


Next up: why you should sing a little song when putting on your boxer shorts.
And always eat pizza with only one hand.


Also, tie an onion to your belt!
It's the style.




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