This Is The First Hard Thing My Brain's Had To Do All Day

I get up. Get on the phone and on the e-mail.

Like your job, probably, my job often involves getting asked a lot of questions.

The answers? The answers are usually the same as the last time somebody asked. Often they're the same answer as last time the exact person who is asking now asked.

So: easy.

And my computer asks questions too: "Abort scan?" Yes, abort the fucking scan, can't you see I'm in the middle of some shit here, Billion-Dollar-Development-Budget-Operating-System?

So: Not a hard question to answer.

Only new question today was from a director: Do I want to do a scene with _____?

Google her, look at her--Yes I sure do. That was easy.

Then I ask how much I get paid. Not hard to remember to do that.

Then, after working--excercise. This isn't so hard, because I get to listen to The Death of Bunny Munro unabridged on CD while I exercise. If it does get hard, I just think: all the fried chicken I am ever going to get to eat is on the other side of this push-up. Okay.

Go to the store...

(December in LA--reindeer and snowmen picked out in Christmas lights.)

"A banana?" asks the counter man--though I am grateful that he asks, because I like the way Mexicans say "banana", the answer to that one is easy--"Yes, a banana."

Then home.

I have my Cherry Dr. Pepper now and doom metal on the CD player and a feeling of total calm.

Now:

The girls arrive at 1 pm tomorrow. In fifteen hours.

They've just killed a wizard in a tower and are surrounded by jackalmen.

I have to give them something to do now--probably something that'll be done in one session since everything'll get all screwy as the holidays approach.

But still, something good. Some fun, the memory of which will keep them warm while they're eating chocolate by the tree and listening to in-laws or alcoholics or watching that godawful Tim Allen Christmas movie.

It should also seem to flow logically from what they were already doing. Wihout being repetitive or too obscure.

..and gotta have action for KK...

..and gotta make sure Frankie can sneak around, and...

And I think: This is the first time I've had to think hard all day.

This isn't an escape. This is exercise. It's good for you like playing soccer is good for you.

Humans haul around the animal kingdom's most highly-evolved brain all day and most of us in this country are in a position where the money we need to live off is withheld from us unless we use these brains to answer inane questions that no-one really wants to know the answers to or cares about or will remember the answers to--for a third of the goddamn day.

So fucking thank god you have something to do with that brain. One day you might actually need it.