The Morning News
The morning routine at the Wark-Berez house is fairly regimented: Tom, Cats, Dog, Read.
My morning coffee is the first priority, for without it little else carries much import…or gets done. The cats then get their food. The dog is next as I need a little time to recover from the fog of sleep to deal with Louie, who is demanding, quick and unpredictable, while the Cats are merely predictably demanding. The caffeine helps. But then it's time to consume the morning media; to read
This time of year, with warmer mornings, I find myself outside with coffee, well-fed cats and an iPad. Today, as I perused the news, the sound and sight of hot air balloons cut right above my home. Hot air balloons make the identical sound as a Bic lighter that has been turn to full power and lit with brave thumb: Whooooooosh. The cats don't notice it because they are downing Seafood Medley like it's their last meal—or thinking the dog will be here any minute to take it from them. And she will be sooner or later. They are focused.
This mornng the news is varied:
–Activists opposing new vineyards for the loss of trees that is guaranteed...
-The FBI to become more aggressive in pushing bounds of privacy….
–Jewish Mens Clubs to Boycott Some Scotch Brand for Their Boycott of Israeli Products
–Constellation Brands CEO Pulls Down Over $8 Million in Compensation
Another two hot air balloons drift by, one blue and yellow, another orange and red. From my chair adjacent to the lawn I watch my finicky cat sampling a blend of dew and sprinkler water from the pedals of roses that ring the lawn.
Unable to pull himself away from the smoldering remains of that flashy car crash, the New York Times Ross Douthat informs me that the Anthony Weiner story is really about Narcissism. Upon finishing the the first couple paragraphs of that story I find I'm no more informed than I was before and that I just wasted a perfectly good 30 seconds of my life. Damn it.
I spend a good deal of time in the morning reading news because everyone else does, not because it feeds my soul. I find I'm better able serve my clients if I'm relatively immersed in my culture's daily Zeitgeist. But I'd rather be golfing or writing or watching waves.
–Pernod Ricard Attacks Discounting by Retailers in the UK…saying it leads to sales erosion.
–WSJ's Lettie Teague Says Chicago is Second Most Important Wine City (New York is #1, says Lettie)….this kind of declaration in a major media outlet, I assure myself, means I will be reading rebuttals here and there for a good week…excellent…that should be fun—but it won't push the Weiner stories out my line of sight
Sounds never carry more than in the still of the morning. That's why neighbors' hair dryers seem to be a little bit more annoying in the morning and the sound of South-of-the-Border disco coming from a window a block or so over seems even more inappropriate than it normally would. I don't quite have the means to create a life that includes a still morning very far away and sequestered from the sounds of vanity and bad music. Sipping my coffee, I promise to attain those means.
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