Rose's Cantina

I just got up from my regular afternoon nap, about ten minutes ago. It was a long nap -- more than two hours -- and I feel better, which is not always the case when I wake up from nap time. If I nap too long, I usually feel really, really crappy and just say to hell with it and go right back to bed. These naps are taken in bed surrounded by the puppy pile: Sophie crooked into my shoulder, Gordie with his chin on my ankle and Finnigan at the end of the bed. There is often drool that accompanies the long nap -- I'm talking about my drool, not theirs -- and my chest hurts from all the deep breaths I take. Also, my eyes are crossed. The most efficient naps are taken on my big leather couch. Couch naps are best accentuated by premium cable. I take couch naps when I don't have a lot of time. I use gunshots or blood curdling screams instead of the alarm clock. The nap is the friend of the writer -- and Mexicans. It recharges the battery. Allows for some pre...

An important mandatory requirement of being a freelancer is the ability to drop everything, put on some kind of daytime talk show and have snorefest with the dogs for an hour, maybe two. This, my dears, is essential to the creative process. It is important to get as much work done as possible between the hours of 9 a.m. and noon, then scarf down a breakfast burrito or a bowl of soup, then invest in a siesta. That is because it is a well known fact that a person only has four quality hours of productivity every day. Look it up. Don't spend one minute more than four hours. You'll produce nothing, but nothing first rate. I am not kidding about this. Besides, the dogs need their nap and they have expectations. I have had a nap nearly every day of my life, including during the teenage years. It has helped me keep my girlish looks. And it has helped me keep my sanity between paycheques. So if you are quitting your job, or getting...