A few years ago, I had this ideal version of me in my mid-twenties. A happy, diligent person doing wonderful things. Most of all, I would be waking up early. A breakfast. Tea and crumpets with a morning newspaper folded on the table.

Fantasies only. I still have a bad habit of waking up late. I still have a bad habit of staying up late.

So this morning, Carol called me at 9:30 with a cheery voice asking me if I wanted to go to breakfast. I mumbled something incomprehensible. Then she asked me if I was sleeping. I said yes…and that I would want to go in one hour. She gave a disappointed ok. I felt slightly guilty as I shut my phone, but forgot it all as I slept, thinking that I would have to make breakfast for myself.

I dreamt of monsters and school nightmares for the next hour until suddenly my cellphone rang (with the 24 ringtone, of course). Carol! \”You said one hour!\” In happy anticipation, I rolled out of bed and attempted to find something to wear. I decided to wear my long skirt which had been sitting on pile of clothes at the foot of my bed. I rummaged through my drawer realizing that Ray still had yet to take his clothes out of the dryer and my wet clothes were still sitting in the washer. I made a mental note to myself to ask him about it later.

Suddenly, Carol called me again. Downstairs?! I ran downstairs still in my yellow large t-shirt and let her in. Finally in 10 minutes, I was ready to go despite having this horrible sleepy feeling in my eyes.

We went to the Bagel Factory on Murray. To my surprise, it was quite good. We ordered potato latkes and challah french toast. Somehow Carol knew exactly my taste. The potato latkes were a bit greasy. I prefer the potato pancakes at Eat \’N Park, lightly smothered with sour cream and applesauce. The challah french toast was moist, but well cooked. We stuffed ourselves, but unhappily the food ended too soon. Carol started playing with our condiments, spreading the sour cream and syrup all over the plate. I swallowed the last droplet of applesauce. Then she dropped me off at home where I rolled back to bed. Happy.