January 12, 2026

Monday, According to Isabella

By Joe

I woke up this morning, opened one eye, and saw Isabella standing next to me, staring—clearly just about to wake me.

I closed my eye again, rolled over, and checked the time.

3:00 a.m.

Then it hit me.

Fuck. It’s Monday. I have to go to work today.

I went back to sleep, absolutely not ready to face the day.

Isabella tried again at 4:00 a.m. I ignored her. By 4:30, she was more persistent, so I constructed a pillow barrier between us and fell back asleep. That worked… briefly.

I woke again and noticed the living room light was on—a sure sign that it was after 5:00 a.m., which in Isabella’s mind means it’s time to escalate the campaign.

I checked the clock.

5:05 a.m.

Ugh.

At that point, I had no choice but to start my day.

About Joe

Unknown's avatar
I began my life in the South and for five years lived as a closeted teacher, but am now making a new life for myself as an oral historian in New England. I think my life will work out the way it was always meant to be. That doesn't mean there won't be ups and downs; that's all part of life. It means I just have to be patient. I feel like October 7, 2015 is my new birthday. It's a beginning filled with great hope. It's a second chance to live my life…not anyone else's. My profile picture is "David and Me," 2001 painting by artist Steve Walker. It happens to be one of my favorite modern gay art pieces. View all posts by Joe
This entry was posted on Monday, January 12th, 2026 at 6:00 am and posted in Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

2 responses to “Monday, According to Isabella”

  • vandycolt's avatar vandycolt
    January 12th, 2026 at 10:07 am

    Sounds like my night exactly. As if it were a full moon. Geez

    Reply
  • Anonymous's avatar Anonymous
    January 12th, 2026 at 10:23 am

    When I lived in New Hampshire there was a marsh on the back of the old farm house I rented. It really was only about fifteen feet from the house. In the wee morning hours, a beaver chewed down a tree which then knocked out the power line. I woke up at 1 a.m.and noticed that my lit alarm clock was not on and then I walked around the property, discovered the damage. The power company would not be in until the later the next day. I still needed to wake up at 6:00 for work. though so I left the bedroom door open. My cat usually scratched on the door around that time. Sure enough, my cat woke me up, putting a soft paw on my face. Looked at my watch. It was 6:03. Furry alarm clocks are the best!

    Reply

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