Working With My Body

Recently a friend posted the following as his facebook status message; ——-is sick of people telling him that “anybody can be a morning person.” After 39 years of solid daily data analysis My research says that’s Bull$%^.

To which I replied: Agreed. I’m not a morning person or a night owl. I am at my best between 1pm and 5pm, and then again between 8pm and 11pm. Before and after I’m just not feeling it. And I’m so serious right now, I have learned in order to be productive you must be in touch with yourbiology.

But what if you’re trying to get in touch with someone else’s biology?

I’ve often wondered why people think you can only have fun at night. A couple weeks ago, I went down to Charlotte, NC to take part in the f*ckery that passes off as a basketball tournament–CIAA. Before going down, I checked the long lit of parties and as soon as I saw the word “Day Party” I was happy! The first day at CIAA we went to the bar “The Whiskey River” and about 1 or 2pm. I had a GREAT time…no, the crowd wasn’t “all that” but it was during my ‘feel-good’ hours of 1 and 5.

Between 1 and 5 I am liable to do anything. My attitude is the most positive and it’s when I feel my most centered and adventurous. Between the hours of 1 and 5 I might drink a whole bottle of champagne and do the stanky leg, or I might go to Rock Creek Park and rollerblade with my dog until my skates hurt my feet, or I might do 4 media interviews, respond to 35 emails, while checking my facebook and texting some friends. I’m so on point…But once 5pm hits there is a lull in my thinking and activity. I really just want to sleep.

Around 7:30 my energy picks up again. During the week this is after happy hour ends so I usually miss that boat. It’s also after a full day where most of my energy has been spent at my full-time job where nothing is ever truly accomplished.  I’d rather be doing things that matter, like working on my own business ventures or being up in some handsome man’s face, activities that could actually get me somewhere in life. 

Not being able to work with your body’s biology is a hindrance. People often ask me why I take work from my full-time job home with me. Well, in part it’s because I have such a heavy workload and with phones ringing and people talking and stopping by, a full-time work day yields more new assignments than completed ones.

But also, I do work at home because my biology lends itself to creativity and focus again from 8pm-11pm. On this past Friday night, I developed 3 logo design options for the client I support at my full-time job, updated the social network I created for them on Ning, and then played with the design of my own Web site, and adjusted the logo for this blog, and updated the information for the facebook group. PRODUCTIVE INDEED!

I have no regrets about giving my time to the Federal government. Working at home and actually being productive for once, increases the chances that I can walk into the office on Monday and not feel like I am experiencing another groundhog day. I hate that society forces us not only to work against our biology and thereby the very nature of ourselves.

Why is that people who are night owls have to go into an office at 7 or 8 am only to spend time getting coffee to wake up and then be incoherent until the afternoon? Why is that people who work best in quiet environments work in Cubicle City where the walls are thin (if there are walls at all) and you can hear every conversation and phone ringing. One of my colleagues has a cell phone that rings like this ‘doinky doink doinky doink’ drives me nuts. One time, I gave an interview to the NY Times while the girl across the ‘wall’ from me listened to the Steve Harvey morning show. It’s a wonder I didn’t give out some classified government information.

But who cares about work. This forced assimilation regarding time and activity has infiltrated my personal life.

And every time a dude calls me at 7pm and asked me “What you doing today,” I am speechless as I try to figure out how to explain that my day is over and no I do not care that it’s Saturday.

I’ve had my fun.

On Saturdays and Sundays, during the day, I may do anything from take a dance or rock climbing class to go to a few different beauty shops to try on wigs, to simply getting dressed and walking around the city. I may ride around to somewhere I’ve never been outside the city in my Land Rover pumping T.I. and Gucci Mane with the windows down. I may go to Ross and try on dresses, or take my dog to 3 different pet smarts so he can walk around after running with him up on “The Hill.” I may stop in a bar  and watch a game and grab some calamari, or I may walk around the newseum, or stop by Sephora and try a new eye-shadow color. Or, I might stop in a tattoo shop and peruse designs, or go to a sports shop and look at MMA gear and golf clubs. And yes, I consider ALL OF THIS to be fun.

A lot more fun than standing outside the doors of a club hoping to get in with your feet already hurting (as someone who wears 4 inch stilettos everyday, it’s easier to walk and dance in them than it is to stand). It’s also a lot more fun than getting charged for one beer what you’d pay for 12 at Tick-tock Liquors in Langley Park. It’s also not fun to see a guy you are attracted to in the club only to have one of his friends try to talk to you instead. And it’s a whole lot more fun than paying to get into a club and the DJ is terrible and cuts off Say Yi Yi Yi before it gets to the part where the Club Owners start hating and ban the Ying Yang twins from coming back  to the strip club (the best dance-part of the song!)…that is IF they play any southern music at all!

A perfect Saturday for me??

Wake up at 10:30, take a quick wash-up, brush my teeth, grab some water, put on a tennis skirt and an off shoulder long steeve top, a cute short wig, and sneakers, take Kai (my 5 year old German Shepherd) running for an hour, come back to the house, brush him with a shedding blade, give him a treat with his breakfast, vacuum all the rooms in my house, get my laundry together to drop off to be washed and folded, take a full shower, put on 8 pounds of makeup, drink a protein shake, drop my laundry off, head to the thrift store to do some book shopping, walk around U Street, Friendship Heights, or Chinatown, grab lunch with a friend, take some sort of class, head to the grocery store to pick up something to cook for dinner, go home and let the dog out, fix both our dinners, turn on some music, read a magazine, while drinking a glass of wine pausing occasionally to pet my dog who is sleeping sweetly beside me.

But back to the after 7pm conversation between me and ________(insert any dude’s name here, seriously, any dude)…

Him: Yeah, so what you doing today?
Me: (SingledoutJDan): Well actually, I been out all day so I’m done for the night.
Him: DONE FOR THE NIGHT???? Yooo that’s wack! It’s 7:45! On a Saturday! Night is just getting started.
Me: Not for me, I’ve had my fun.
Him: What you do?
Me: *recounts list above^^^*
Him: Woooow. None of that sounded like fun. . Come on now, you ain’t tryna get any drinks or nothin’?? Get ya dance on?
Me: Well, actually, I’m sipping on some Ecco Damani Pinot Grigio right now. And I danced to Souljah Boy while I was cooking dinner.
Him: Ugh! Damn, I was tryna chill with you.
Me: Why didn’t you call me earlier?
Him: Yeah, true. But really, I ain’t wakeup until like 1. I stayed out until like 4 in the morning with my homeboys…we had hit up Ibiza and sh*t. So…I was kinda done. So then I had to get my car cleaned up, and run over to my sister’s house. I just got back.
Me: Oh, I see.
Him: Yeah
Me: That’s cool.
Him: Sooo
Me: Mmmhmm what’s up?
Him: I mean can I come over or…
Me: Hmmm I kind of already got comfortable. Maybe tomorrow afternoon you could come over.
Him: Oh see you bullsh*tting now You ain’t tryna hang with a n*gga.
Me; What? Who said that?
Him: Who said what?
Me; Who said I ain’t wanna kick it wit’you?
Him: YOU DID! Come on now.
Me: I’ll be honest, I like to do stuff during the day. That’s all. And I don’t really like to encourage dudes to chill over my house. Plus, once I’m comfortable, I’m in a different zone, and I don’t really know you like that. I’m really not the type to be in the club like that, I’m sorry.
Him: Yeah all girls say that in the beginning. Then as soon as they be your girl they in the club every night.
Me: Hmm…If you say so.
Him: Pssh
Me: Okay so…
***Silence***
Him: *sigh* I’ll hit you up tomorrow.

I always say ok, knowing they won’t call me the next day…in fact, this type of dude will typically text me on Monday or Tuesday talking about “what’s up.”

Once again, I don’t know how to answer. Because honestly-

I don’t really know what’s up.

Advertisement