The alarm clock makes a small noise before it starts beeping, like an electronic inhale to prepare its circuits. I am already awake and hit the off button in the middle of the second beep.
In the shower, the water drums my face, slicks my shoulders and gurgles down the drain. I smile into the stream and hear a rhythm played against my teeth.
The coffee maker hisses and purrs. Hangers scrape against the bar. For five minutes my world becomes the scream of the hairdryer.
Whirr of tires on the highway, endless chatter of the radio, something is rolling around on the floorboard and clanking under the passenger seat.
In the office, the fluorescent bulbs buzz above me and my computer plays a few notes to let me know it’s awake. There is a screw loose on my chair making it squeak.
A co-worker passes and tells me, ”good morning.” I answer and am surprised by the sound of my own voice.
“Got outta bed, dragged a comb across my head…. dadoda dadda…..ran down stairs, drank a cup….” Your work here perfect set to music this Beatles song! Same theme. In addition to humor you obviously have talent this genre. Would make great Simon and Garfunkel song too. You have given sounds color, taste, flavor, creating harmonic cacophony of morning in urban milieu. “I want to wake up in Florida where the mocking birds sing and the songbirds say’ Hello’ ” or something like that. Second grade we had to sing that , then 23rd Psalm , then Pledge Allegiance then God Bless America. I think they were making us better little communists or culture robots than the kids in the then Soviet Union!
Now that you mention it, it does! “Found my coat, grabbed my hat. Made the bus in seconds flat . . ”
This was just a stream of consciousness type thing that came to me after flipping through one of my notebooks.
Yeah, I always thought there was something kinda creepy about a whole room full of children robotically saying The Pledge. They don’t even know what it means, they just do it.
Ditto. Only when people I say good morning, I just wave. I need coffee first.
I wave quite often, too. Actually, the way my cube is set up, no one really sees me unless I venture out into the hall. I kinda like that.
sounds like the first paragraph of a book. must. read. more.
in college (in dear sweet athens) i had a cheap wal-mart- clear- wall phone that used to make a noise before it would ring. it was awesome. and creepy.
Oh, I have TONS of first paragraphs. It’s all the ones in the middle and the end that I can’t quite get right.
I used to have a clear phone! You could turn the ringer off, but little lights would blink when it rang. It was great for getting late-night phone calls without my mom knowing.
Ha! Suspicions confirmed.
Busted!
The trick was turning off the ringer on your bedroom phone as well. See, I wasn’t the angel you thought I was.
A whine and bark, six-oh-five;
Dogs out the door, I think I’m alive.
Change Sassy’s diaper, she’s not gone;
God is the coffee done?
Special K for mom, pour milk, lay out her cup;
let in the dogs before they wake the neighbors up.
Get my grog, check Amy’s blog;
fetch kibble for annoying dog.
Shower, makeup, what to wear;
Grab keys, lunch bag and out the door.
Late again.
More country western than Beatles I think.
You can almost sing this to the tune of 9 to 5!
digging the new header and gravatar!
Thank you! I’ve been toying with this design for a while and finally came up with something I’m happy with. It’s cheerful, that’s for sure.
Love this post. Loved the way it ended. You had me hooked. Dig the new look too!
Thank you! Just inspired by a random entry in one of my notebooks.
I’ve been working on that header for a little while now. Think I’m finally happy with it.
Wow, I really loved this post Amy!
You are a talented writer because I was ‘with you’ the whole way. Very cool technique using nothing but sounds.
Thank you! I’ve been trying to get back to doing some of these writing exercises. I forget how fun they are.
Great sensory detail. Tuck that away for when you want to write a fictional story and establish mood.
BTW, I remember that you’re a Stephen King fan. If you haven’t read Under the Dome yet, do it. It’s nearly 1100 pages long, but I tore through it in less than a week. It’s addictive.
Thanks! I’ve heard good things about the Dome. I hadn’t read any new King in a while, but will probably pick that one up.
Carl D’Agostino suggested I check out your site;now I see why. You use sensory details beautifully and project the tone of an alienated,unappreciated employee. The fact that most of us have been crammed into “cubes” is dehumanizing in and of itself. As for cheap grocery store reds Augey Bordeaux is a simple French table wine that I used to only use in cooking. But it can stand alone. A little heavy for the summer though. A summer Pinot Noire I recently discovered is Bloc 43 (or some other such number – been bad with numbers since junior high) It’s lighter in color and ends smoothly.
I enjoyed your blog;perhaps post only once a week. You sound like you’re somewhat overwhelmed. It would be a shame if this writing became more of a task and less of the
joy it should be.
Deborah, thank you so much for reading and your very thoughful comments. I do not want my writing to lose the joy, that is for sure. A little R&R in FL will do me a world of good.
Carl’s a good egg and I’m so happy that he has started up his blog for me to read.
Thanks again!
Amy