Schedules

August 28, 2008

From the moment I began hanging around with smart people – the social media crowd, the techies, the scooterists – I’ve become painfully aware that many of them follow schedules that are far more ambitious than the one I’m used to keeping.

There’s a pair of guys who podcast at 5AM each Wednesday morning. Or is it Tuesday? I’ve tried repeatedly to get up and be their in-studio audience, but I can’t do it.

Then there’s the librarian from Canada who spends days helping the forlorn and wayward library visitors, then she restarts her day by participating in lectures, meetups, intellectual and social gatherings, and by writing her insightful and fun blog.

Don’t even talk to me about people like Laura who are parents and still find the energy to entertain and inform thousands of followers on Twitter while seemingly being everywhere at once.

Lest you think I’m an artisan who listens with one ear to his muse while carefully ensconcing himself in his delightfully soft Bob-o-Pedic, settle down.

I am active. I attend functions where smart people abound. And I’m regularly informing and pleasing tens of people with my candor and opinion. But this little ditty isn’t about being active and energetic. No. It’s about the consequences of keeping alternate schedules in a society that is pretty staid in its patterns and norms.

Take for instance the caramel custard I ordered for breakfast the other day while undergoing my Remicade infusion. The little snack was tasty, but its appearance left a lot to be desired.

Then I realized that if I was getting infused at 7AM and ordering a dessert from the kitchen at the same time, when was that item created? Yes. Sometime the previous day.

So I shouldn’t have been surprised to view the stale edges of the custard or the slimy substance that had coagulated under the dessert. And I definitely shouldn’t have been shocked at the consistency of the ‘whipped cream’ on top of the snack.

Oh, I ate it because I was brought up to finish the food I asked for (another time I’ll tell you about having to finish about 12oz of Ketchup with a spoon because I had been haphazard in my pouring technique).

But I wonder if the custard should have remained on the shelf and a safer choice would have been creme brulee French Toast or something more time-appropriate.

Have any stories to share about how your schedule is at odds with your environment? Leave your tales in the comments here. Thanks.

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