  My preferable state of being is set to 'brood'. I get up in the morning, usually grumpy, propelled by my alarm clock and my over-active work ethic. I can't start the day without a shower. If I wake up super late, the one thing I will not sacrifice is my five-minute vertical sluice. Heading out, I try and match my music to the type of day I see forming around me: punk for the sharp heat, ambient for rain, trip hop for fog, classical for snowstorms, metal for bad traffic, industrial for bad hair days. The music must match the mood, or I get annoyed. Sometimes the tunage I start with in the morning doesn't match my mood in the afternoon, but because it's what I started with, I'll be listening to it, and wonder why I'm feeling so stuffy and irritable.
A shift in genre and AHhhhh.... much better. As long as the music works, I'm feeling good, even if it's a broody good. It probably started when I was a kid, as most personality-affecting disorders do. Having ample time to sit on the sidelines due to whatever propels kids to discriminate against each other left me with a lasting enjoyment of being there. I like being out of the way, having an objective vantage point to note the proceedings from. Even if it's just mental detachment; sometimes the best place to observe is when you're in the middle of the chaos. This constant state of ponder fits me like a well-broken-in shoe, a feeling I'm lacking at the moment with my new footwear.
I don't pull off the brood look very well though. Those Goth kids are enviable, with their dark, greasy hair, the fashionable trenchcoat, and the so-artful-its-trendy tattoos. I don't have the complexion to dye my hair black, and the long coat and chains just doesn't go with yuppee wear. I'm often mistaken for appearing smirkish or bemused. I'll just have to take whatever label I can get, I suppose.
Goth probably wouldn't go over well with my boss, who's a member of the British upper crust in decorum. Not to worry, Goth sticks out too much anyway. Can't observe when you're being watched. I need to invest in some shades. Song of the Day: Generation Trance 2000 by Kimball Collins 
