Night and Day

My Lego stand-in
Who Am I?
And what did they do with the real Alison Bruce?


I Am Not A Morning Person! Yet, here I am, waking up at 6:45 and writing my blog. The REAL me would have done it last night when this ersatz me was falling asleep at her laptop.

If it was just the last couple of days, I'd blame Word on the Street. All that sunshine and bonhomie takes it out of a person. If I had been in Vancouver instead of Toronto, I would have got wet instead of sun burnt and the bonhomie and a cup of coffee would be keeping me warm.

No, this started at least a week ago. One day I just woke up and thought - maybe I can get a few things done before I go to my corner. (No, I'm not a hooker. I work as a crossing guard outside my son's school.) I looked at my cell phone/watch/alarm clock and was shocked to find out I could work for more than an hour before I had to don clothes, sensible shoes, orange vest and stop paddle.

The real me - the me I've know since I was a child - gets up at the last moment possible to get ready for school/work/whatever. She is the master of the two-minute shower and the zero to sixty start when her alarm doesn't go off.

The real me doesn't fall asleep before eleven. Last night I made it to midnight, but that's because I had a deadline to meet. I used old coffee and willpower to stay awake that long. Usually I don't have to resort to such tactics until 2 am at least.

Maybe it's Marly Lander's fault. My heroine of Under A Texas Star would, like most people in the old west, rise with the sun - not that I can see much sign of sun out my window. She's resetting my circadian rhythm in preparation for completing the sequel to her book. If so, I'd like to remind her that I wrote most of her story in the wee hours of the night.

Oops - time for the two minute shower.

PS: For more on the Real Alison Bruce and Under A Texas Star, check out Morgen Bailey's interview which I mentally subtitle "I can't believe I answered the whole thing."