Friday, May 19, 2006

In the Doldrums...

From The Phantom Tollbooth, a book that many people both adore and despise in the same lifetime (something to do with age), but which is just irresistable when read aloud to someone who hasn't heard it before.

Milo has encountered the Lethargarians in the Doldrums...
"Well, if you can't laugh or think, what can you do?" asked Milo.

"Anything as long as it's nothing, and everything as long as it isn't anything," explained another. "There's lots to do; we have a very busy schedule--

"At 8 o'clock we get up, and then we spend:

"From 8 to 9 daydreaming.

"From 9 to 9:30 we take our early midmorning nap.

"From 9:30 to 10:30 we dawdle and delay.

"From 10:30 to 11:30 we take our late early morning nap.

"From 11:30 to 12:00 we bide our time and then eat lunch.

"From 1:00 to 2:00 we linger and loiter.

"From 2:00 to 2:30 we take our early afternoon nap.

"From 2:30 to 3:30 we put off for tomorrow what we could have done today.

"From 3:30 to 4:00 we take our early late afternoon nap.

"From 4:00 to 5:00 we loaf and lounge until dinner.

"From 6:00 to 7:00 we dillydally.

"From 7:00 to 8:00 we take our early evening nap, and then for an hour before we go to bed at 9:00 we waste time.
Sounds like writer's block... or a summer vacation from bygone days.

1 comment:

EHT said...

At this point in time it sounds like heaven to me....for about one week and then it would very booooorrrrrinnnnnnggggggggg. I read the Phantom Tollbooth to my kids this year in language arts. They loved most it though some of it seemed a little over their heads. Thanks for reminding me about the Doldrums.