Mornings are tough, no matter what.
I only work part-time, and I don’t have to be there until 10:00 AM. But I still have to get up at 7:15 so I have enough time to painfully peel my eyes open with coffee and scandalous news stories.
For almost seven years, I had a job that required me to get up at 4:15. AM. Oh my god, it was awful. I loved the job, but that morning alarm was a dreadful thing.
I had three alarms set: my cell phone, a regular old radio/alarm clock, and a travel alarm that ran on batteries, in case there was a blackout (which there was, in 2003).
Along with the coffee and the cold showers, music’s a big help for me in the early early mornings, no matter what time that turns out to be.
Fugazi: “Five Corporations”
I love Fugazi. They have stayed consistently interesting throughout so many albums. Listening to them is always time well spent.
Staple Singers: “We’ve Got to Get Ourselves Together”
This song is just so inspiring, whatever time of day it is. So is the Fugazi track. These are both pretty idealistic songs, and the idea that I’m doing this daily routine for a larger purpose can often motivate me to brush those teeth and get out the door.
And for those mornings when only the smell of napalm will do:
Richard Wagner: “Flight of the Valkyries”
EARNOIZE 