QUALITY TIMES

Even in the middle of summer, it is not yet light when I get up on workdays. My apartment mate in her room has the luxury of sleeping one or two hours longer -- the necessary "beauty sleep, which is why she looks decades younger than myself -- and wakes up quite refreshed, languorously stretching and yawning at a decent hour. When, at this time of the year, it is already daylight. Here in San Francisco that's foggy daylight.
The sun does not penetrate well.

For the first few hours of the day I look like an old grumpus. But by noon I am visibly in a much better state of mind, significantly more youthful of appearance, and less wrinkled and elderly fossil-like. Why, I look precisely like one of those dashing and polished, elegant middle-aged dudes from a timeless nineteen fifties television show! Remarkable!


Younger middle-aged.


See, that's the effect of caffeine. Human civilization would be quite unthinkable without caffeine. We'd all look super antiquated, wrinkled, like an aged gooey cheese slumped sideways on a chipped plate without the benefit of caffeine. It puts the pep in the spine.
And the rose in the tinted glasses.

Some of the dinosaurs in the backroom should try it. There is coffee, and we have teabags. They aren't doing anyone favours by looking like cream of mushroom soup gone stone cold, with that wrinkly skin on top. Pallid, grey, and both matte and slimey at the same time. Appropriate for their political leanings, yet quite, quite, quite repulsive.

Jeff in particular. Dude, cover up those calves, I'm blinded.
And there isn't a darn thing to watch on teevee.
Except 'Hello Kitty At The Ballpark'.


Just try it. It's perfect.
Learn to like it.

Don't sulk.



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