October 10: Halloween Decorations, Christmas Carols, Desert Monk

I'm sitting at my computer, before all of the craziness of the day begins.  I'm the only person here right now.  In about fifteen minutes, people will start arriving.  I really enjoy these quiet moments before humanity invades.  I sit and, basically, meditate.  It's the only quiet time I have during the day.  I pray, read some devotions, prepare myself for the upcoming hours.  It's really the closest I get to doing anything sacred or holy during my work week.  If I'd been born a few hundred years ago, I think I could easily have been one of those desert monks who lived alone and prayed and meditated all day long.  My only problem would have been eating locusts with honey and wearing sackcloth.  Not a big fan of eating creatures with antenna; honey makes me sick; and I chafe very easily.  Other than that, I'd have made a great monk.

While I work at my desk during the morning, I listen to Christmas carols on my iPod, mainly to drown out or discourage any person who may want to communicate with me.  Christmas carols lift my spirits, no matter the time of year, and the iPod is a polite way of ignoring people.  For some reason, nobody gets offended if you have buds stuck in your ears and act as if you're oblivious to the world.  This may sound slightly misanthropic, but I just don't care.  I can be more productive by simply turning my back on the world.

Last night, my daughter and I decorated our front porch for Halloween.  I spent a good twenty minutes going through the light bulbs on a burned-out string, trying to find the defective culprit.  I was finally successful, but, by that time, my daughter had lost interest and gone back inside the house to watch Extreme Home Makeover.  However, the skulls and pumpkins are blazing, and our porch is suitably spookafied.  We'll see how long it takes my three-year-old son to tear down the jack-o-lanterns or rip the hat off the scarecrow.  I give him about ten minutes.

Well, the first of the human invaders just appeared.  My time of peace on earth is over.  It was great while it lasted.

Saint Marty has to start ignoring what's going on around him now.  Bring on Bing Crosby and Perry Como.

Desert monk home--Wonder if I could get cable?