INDUSTRIAL YOGURT

While I dozed toward fuller alertness, my apartment mate was in the kitchen fixing herself breakfast. She's very much an early morning wide awake type of person, active and aware albeit it sometimes still sharp and grumpy, whereas I tend toward slow pensive arousal aided by caffeine, nicotine, and highly refined sugar. She eats healthier than I do. Meaning crap like oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast, occasionally brightened up by something fried or buttery.
I very rarely eat anything that early, preferring instead to let the hot strong coffee do it's tricks, while I contemplate my navel, my pipe, and man's inhumanity to man, all three of which more or less overlap in my mind while I stalk around a block or two with my pipe.
We wake up differently.

Today it was yogurt. With chunks of banana.

That seems much too carefully thought out and planned for me. Surely caffeine, nicotine, and refined sugar are enough? They're so easy too! Hot liquid, a sniff at an open tin then fill up a pipe, and head out to watch people pooing their dogs on Nob Hill for a bit. Indulge in a bit of grumpiness and existential despair on the public street, come back cheerful and ready to face the day. What is this banana crap?

Some people start the day with garbage duty three months of the year, then a busride, dark roast coffee, and a flaky pastry from Arsicault's while indulging in hipster angst. Before dealing with ancient tomes and crappy art books. That's fine too. All kinds.

It's not that I am devoid of the finer sensibilities, but those usually don't kick in till I've been up for an hour or two. Which is why on work days I head out early and get to the saltmine over an hour before anyone else. Turn on the lights, dust the furniture, put some things in their proper place, and absolutely no rushing about in a panic.
Peace, quiet, start another pipeful.

Punctuated by sporadic doomscrolling. Let's see what the orange baby is tearing down today. Apparently we're now sending untrained goons into the airports, destroying world trade, and going bankrupt. Yep, things are going great.


One interesting pattern which has become increasingly evident over the past few years is that alert educated liberals see the disasters unfolding in something fairly close to real time, whereas oblivious rightwingers don't notice the full horror, and only gradually become aware of some of the details and implications later, spaced out over a period of months or years. And then only filtered through the sunglasses of their favourite propaganda channels.


Did I ever mention guillotines?



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