Designing a Routine

I've carved out a nice little rut routine for myself in the past week or so. Staying up all night (meaning until dawn) is no longer an option for me on a daily basis due to my age desire for a somewhat healthier lifestyle, such as it is. Lately, I've been going to bed around 2:30 and getting up around 8:00. It's kind of like working a swing shift: I get both my days and my nights, and I'm not sleeping the morning away. Truth be told, I like mornings as much as I like nights, but for different reasons.

This new routine is good for me. I feel better and have more energy. Sure, there's still that little post-dinner siesta every evening, but that's usually less than 30 minutes long and it gives Nettl and me the opportunity to play "house cats" together during the week.

Part of my morning routine has always been to make my rounds through Blogsville while I watch HGTV from over the top of my glasses, drinking coffee and waking up gently. Well, as gently as I can now that all of my "calm" morning shows ("Designing For the Sexes", "Dream Drives", etc.) have been replaced by those "1, 2, 3, surprise!" shows with the under 25's mugging for the cameras like a bunch of rowdy 5th graders who think they're too cute... At least they left one show for us old farts, "Homes Across America".

Does anyone remember the "Designer Guys"? I think they were on a different channel. I liked their patter, and they had nice deign ideas as well. How about "The Christopher Lowell Show"? My god, he was a challenge to sit through, but I liked him all the same. Sometimes. It depended on my mood. He moved on to HBO and I never saw him again.

This reminds me of the early days of the Travel Channel. I'm talking late 80's, early 90's. Do you remember when they actually played travelogues, and a whole lot of that guy who talked about air fares? There was even a show that consisted of nothing more than the view from a camera that was attached to an anonymous bicycler's head as he or she peddled their ass through different scenic locations. The show was for people who used their exercise bikes in the morning. What's up with the poker tournaments that they show now? How is that related to travel?

My favorite Travel Channel show back then was "Hello Austria - Hello Vienna". In fact, I once wrote a letter to them (this was in the days before email), which they read on-air. A week or so later I received a colorplate coffee table book of Austria from them. Nice! That kind of thing doesn't happen anymore! I can still see the show online, though.

That's it, really. Time to get off my butt and finish yesterday's laundry.