THINGS I ALWAYS DO, EVERYDAY.

1. Read. Lately, more fiction. My recent favorite is "Stranger in a Strange Land", by Robert Heinlein. If you like existentialism, or science fiction, or good writing, or you're a human, or martian, you might like it too.

2. Drink coffee. The headaches start at 4:00pm if I don’t consume at least 150mg of caffeine. Yes, I've done the math. No, I don't plan to wean myself off. Weaning is for weenies, and I'm not a weaner or a wiener.

3. Write. I always write with my stupid expensive fountain pen, if only to thwart buyers remorse. Sometimes it’s just a few notes, other times it's long form journal writing. Most recently, I've been writing in a "five minute journal". A sweet little morning exercise in being grateful and present.

4. Procrastinate. No matter what, I always find a way to avoid work. Even though I know the decision to not work, is still a decision... A friend of mine suggests putting off procrastination. A nice mental trick I should try more often.

5. Daydream. I perform, create and think up mental-mysteries for a living. Without a window to stare out of, I'd be hopeless.

THINGS I SHOULD DO, EVERYDAY.

1. Wind my watch. I often forget, so it ends up being a useless piece of man jewelry. But still better than a functional digital watch, if you ask me.

2. Wander. I walk everyday, but it’s predictable. I'd like to wander more often, like a french flaneur. Also, strolling is linked to mental health and happiness. But even if it wasn't, it's better than sitting around like a bump on a log.

3. Connect with people. Connection and conversation with people in the flesh, not social media. The best part of life is connecting with people, listening and being heard. The opposite, to be alone or invisible, would be a purgatory. Some days, I keep to myself with my head down. But lately, I'm finding a correlation between a good mood, and how connected I feel.

4. Doing something that scares me. Following up on yesterdays post, this is something I try to do most days, but find difficult. Once again, I always feel a correlation between mood and how much risk I've taken.

5. Practice/rehearse. My line of work requires a lot of rehearsal, and yet, I avoid it. What's interesting is, I know why I avoid it. It's related to the fear of what I'm working on may not be good enough... And if I do nothing, it won't exist. And if it doesn't exist, it can't be bad. It's crazy man logic. It's everyman logic.

THINGS I NEVER DO, EVERYDAY.

1. Go to church. I’m not religious. But if I were, I suppose a Black Church would be ideal. They seem to have the whole spirit of the thing down. There's such a strong sense of community and joy -- it's contagious!

2. Set an alarm clock. One of the perks of being a "Mentalist" is working at night. I refuse to read a mind before noon. But, I will wake early some days and spring out of bed. I like to keep it unpredictable. Also, I love getting to the coffee shop before the worker bees, so I can grab the window seat.

3. Water my plants. My land lady, Mrs. Jackson, tends to get there and save the day with her green thumb. Otherwise, they will die.

4. Clean the dishes.

5. Read a magazine. I subscribe to three: TIME, LIFE, and ENTREPRENEUR, but I've never read them.

* Well that’s it. No take away. No conclusions. Just a list of things that's all about me and somewhat annoying. Ooh, another one, I'm annoying everyday :)