let's ignore the fact that i'm writing this at 6 in the morning before the sun's even up, because it's been in my head since sunrise yesterday. almost 24 hours. hm. something about nighttime brings out the darkness in me. that's when my demons come out to play, when i'm left to myself. it's silly, i know, but as much as i love the night, i hate it for the things it does to me. still, no matter how bad my night may be, something about the break of day always manages to cheer me up. this morning, i went outside to enjoy the sunrise. it's so beautiful... i think that's my favorite time of day. the air is cool after a night without the frenetic rays of sunlight, and there's a certain promise of things to come hanging in the air. i went out, and i stood on the back deck, out by the pool, overlooking the little dry creekbed. dry in the summer, anyhow. i went, and i stood there in the chipper light of the budding day, and i had never seen anything more beautiful than my backyard. trees, trees everywhere, full of leaves singing the most vivid shades of green. i climbed down the slope of my backyard, by the fence for easier descent, and onto the service road, all grown over with grass and weeds, and then down to the little valley where the creek used to run. i stood at the base of the giant cottonwood whose leaves are always waving in some perpetual breeze. i looked around and was happy again. and i went back inside and had a plate of nachos, because although it may have been 8 in the morning, i had been up since 2, and i felt like nachos. the end.