Top 10 reasons why I'm in a bad mood today

in order of appearance.

1. Car CD player repeatedly rejects my Brad Mehldau CD. I am forced to listen to the perky but inane morning duo instead.

2. Jewelry disappears (for the second time in 2 weeks) from a certain pierced girl part, causing either agonizing moments of futzing (please do not visualize as I don't come off well) or professional reinsertion.

3. I discover exactly how prominently my computer (which I have recently given to my daughter for her birthday) figures in my morning routine.

4. Beagles which have lately fallen out of favor: Baxter barks for an hour at what I can only conclude is a threatening air molecule. While I am trying to take a nap.

5. Deliciously anticipated Nigerian red kidney bean stew (with peanut butter!!) turns out to be bland and boring and thinnish.

6. This will be dinner for _two_ nights.

7. I discover, too late to do anything about it, that I am wearing some of it on my newly washed blue shirt.

8. Car CD player repeatedly rejects my Radiohead CD. I am forced to listen to the Flashback Lunch instead.

9. Indecisive driver is in front of me for roughly 1/3 of my commute. You, more than anyone else, should be in a position to know where it is that you are going. As a favor to everyone else, please just go there.

10. Badge reader requires four passes before lifting the gate to let me through.

11. Okay so I lied. Eleven reasons. Out of six calls this first half hour exactly zero have been requests for something I can actually do.