Science fiction, fantasy, mystery and what-not
His mother was doing great with her walker. That was good. The motorcycle noises she made — pretending that she was shifting, tires squealing, engine revving — were a little unnerving. But if it helped, he accepted it.
It just seemed a little strange. Then again, that was Mom.
“Foul,” the brain cried. “What are we doing up so early?”
His coffee-depleted mouth struggled to respond. “It’s the muses.”
“Them.” The brain scowled. “I can do without… What now?”
“They cracked the whip. Said he had to get up early and make time to write.”
“Write.” The brain snorted. “What a waste. Go back to bed.”
“Too late,” the heart said. “We’ve already had coffee. We’re up now.”
The brain sighed. “Well, I guess it’s time to write like crazy, again, innit?”
Years have passed since he’s spent much time at a place with cable television. Flipping through the channels, he’s astounded how many of the stations offer hours of the same thing, such as sitcoms like “Everybody Loves Raymond”, “Friends”, “Seinfeld”, and “The Office”, along with movies shown again and again. The Shawshank Redemption and Top Gun have been the offerings he’d seen time and again. “Mannix” is there, and Perry Mason. There are live game shows and the news and weather. But it’s mostly a wasteland lively with the reruns of yesteryear.
It has expanded. There are many more shows offering more specialized insights. None of them on retirement, cross-dressing, or cooking, seized his attention.
It reminds him exactly why he cut the cable over a decade ago.
In this day of people using their phones to do everything, he remains old-fashioned. He uses his computer.
He took his breakfast out onto the porch to enjoy the rain as he ate. Two deer were feeding in the grass a dozen feet away. The three considered one another for about ten seconds. Then all continued breakfast.
He learned something about himself. Half an apple fritter is not enough when the other half is available. Nobody else was there to eat it. It would just get old. Stale.
It was really about not being wasteful. And it went well with coffee.
Preparing to go out, he said aloud, “I need my sunglasses,” and picked up his hat, “and my hat,” picking up his sunglasses.
A weird system, but it worked.
Michael Seidel, writer 