  At least it's Friday,  I'll give it that much. nbsp;  I get two days off after today,  and sometime in the next two hours I'll be handed a paycheck. nbsp;  Oh,  and I have a peanut butter cookie in my desk drawer. nbsp;  Other than these things,
 today doesn't have much going for it so far.  There is an open can of Mountain Dew sitting just to my right.
nbsp;
 This is the third morning in a row that I've felt compelled to start the day with a caffeinated beverage.
nbsp;
 I don't know what my problem is.
nbsp;
 I've been getting more sleep than usual lately,  and for some reason it just makes it harder and harder for me to wake up in the mornings.
nbsp;
 I don't mean " wake up"  in the actual physical sense of " stop being asleep"  but in terms of feeling awake and alert and not in danger of falling back asleep at any given moment.
nbsp;
 I was in bed well before 1: 00 a. m.  last night,  and that's been the norm this week.
nbsp;
 Usually I don't get to bed until 2: 00 a. m.  or later,  and my morning issues aren't nearly as bad under those circumstances ( but they do still exist- I'm not a morning person by any means)
nbsp;
 Apparently my body doesn't like functioning with more than five hours of sleep.
nbsp;
 Through the week,  anyway- on a weekend,  I can sleep like a champion and feel glorious upon waking.
nbsp;
 If weekend sleeping were an Olympic event,  I feel confident that I could bring glory to my country.
 Oh,
 but that's not all.
nbsp;
 As I left for work this morning,  my car decided to resume its irritating habit of stalling each time I took my foot off the gas.
nbsp;
 This is really driving me crazy.
nbsp;
 I did manage to make it to work,  but it makes me nervous to drive it here.
nbsp;
 I have to drive on some pretty busy streets to get here,  and stalling in the wrong spot could prove to be a real headache.
nbsp;
 I managed to keep it running,  though- I'm getting to be really good at braking with my left foot.
nbsp;
 I've been talking over my problems this morning with some car- minded co- workers,
 and we're all pretty much stumped over what the problem could be.
nbsp;
 I'll continue to monitor it for a few more days,  but if it keeps doing it I'm going to have to put it back in the shop.
nbsp;
 There is significant driving right around the corner (
a.
k.
a.  "
football season"  and I'm going to need a car I can depend on.
