Do You Want Cream With That?

"OOOOOOOOOOOOooooood morning, Peaksville!It's five am.Time for your 'P-98; news...."

So begins Sam Everly's Tuesday morning.He pushes the 'off' button on his 'GE' dual alarm clock/cd player,and swings his feet out of bed.

So begins Sam Everly's every morning.Always waking to the 'P-98' news sign on-never the news.Always swinging his feet out of bed.Always raising zombie like to the bathroom and then downstairs to waste away the first half hour or so of his morning doodling on the computer.

Check his e-mails,read the funnies.He has to have his funnies.More than once does he sit in front of his E-Machine patiently waiting for it to reboot back to life so that he can get onto to his funnies:Comics.com,Go Comics,or his two secret weapons,SeattlePI.com and TheSeattleTimes.com.

Sam doesn't live in Seattle,nor Washington.Sam lives in Peaksville,Ohio.But The Times carries today's 'Crankshaft',and thePost-Intelligencer carries today's 'Funky Winkerbean'.

They are two of the many main strips Sam has to have.'Moderately Confused','Frog Applause','Retail','The Meaning Of Lila'.He has to have them all.

'ZZZZZZZZ'Snoring.Bridget must have slept the night on the couch.It's funny,he didn't notice that she wasn't in bed.She must have had another migraine-or worse-another cluster.These always make her sleep downstairs.Millie,the eight year old cocker spaniel is sleeping soundly beside Bridget,Sam supposes.

Thank God for 'Imitrex'.It is a wonder drug.

Back to typing,Sam finishes his funnies and starts reading the few blogs that he has become addicted to reading.These bloggers are close internet friends.He comments on their thoughts whether political,poetical,life expanding or life experiencing.Sam likes expanding on their ideas or complimenting them on their great knowledge or wisdom or passions or love.

This morning two are brand new:"Love your thoughts on the President.They are right on!"He writes on one,"Love Tattoos,"He begins on another,"The only reason I don't have any myself is because I can't think of anything that I would want permanently on my body."Satisfied with his wit,Sam looks at his Timex Expedition Indiglo watch.The turquoise brilliance splashes in his eyes:'Time to go.'

Sam is already in his t-shirt and underwear.He has set his pants and work shirt on the ottoman next to the dining room table-across the way from the computer.Why the ottoman is next to the only used for homework table and not next to the love seat in the living room,Sam will never know. He doesn't make these decisions,he just accepts them.

Refreshed by his internet,it is only now that he is away from it that Sam realizes he needs coffee.The coffee in the pot is old.The remains of last evening's Folger's French Roast.Sam doesn't mind.He pours it into his giant travel mug,and contemplates it a moment.Not enough.

Not enough caffeine.

Sam reaches past the toaster and grabs the three quarters full jar of 'Great Value' 100% Arabica Instant Coffee'.Grabbing a clean looking dirty spoon from the sink he heaps in two large teaspoons of the instant and mixes it up with the Folger's in his travel mug.

He nukes it in the Emerson microwave for two minutes while he puts on his shoes and socks and brushes his teeth.'Ding!Sam grabs the steaming cup and forgoing milk,pops closed the lid.

Quickly,Sam dons his fitted Cleveland Indians cap,grabs his work stuff,the Focus keys and with all that-plus his coffee mug-out the door he goes.