Play Book Tag discussion

What time do you get up in the morning?

What time do you go to bed?

What time of day do you read the most?

Who are your Superbowl and NCAA Championship Game picks?

Hah! Very funny, Jason. I just started reading an article in The Atlantic about 'morning' people: productivity (alleged increased) vs. socialization (as in decreased).

I'm a night owl. I only see early mornings from staying up all night or because I have to catch a plane or appear at a court conference. I have never been a morning person - even as a child my mother had a hard time getting me up and moving in the morning to catch the school bus. My family always said at best I'm surly in the AM. I need to be up for a bit before the systems all kick in. My best productivity starts around mid-day and runs to about 9 PM or so. I also have a legal practice representing boards made up of volunteers who have day jobs. Meetings are evenings, and I have to be on my toes. Being a night owl is perfect.

Given the nature of my career, most of my reading is at night. I'm not someone who reads right after waking up either, even on a weekend. I do read for a couple hours after I go to bed but before going to sleep. Bedtime as in going to sleep is around 2 AM. I generally fumble my way awake around 10 AM.

Since I do not follow sports at all - except occasionally figure skating (and I'm not watching that this year - no time) - I have zero picks.

When I was working I was up anytime between 6:00 and 8:00 am depending on my schedule. My kids used to make fun of me because I would go to bed at 10pm and didn't like to stay up on New Years Eve. As I got older, I seem to need less sleep, and as a retiree I am often up till midnight and later, getting up at 8 or 9am.

I used to read on break and lunch at work and before going to bed, but now I read whenever I have the time. When I am doing housework and errands, I listen to audiobooks. First thing in the morning, I am usually reading news and emails online, though. And I often wonder how much more I could read if i didn't spend so much time on GR!

I watch very little TV compared to many people, not that I'm a snob about it. I have just lost track of what is even on.

Baseball is the only sport I really like. As a Wisconsite I am supposed to root for the Packers but they just got eliminated, so now I will root for the Bears since I have friends and family in Illinois. But I don't really understand football, I never know what's going on. And you can't see the players faces! Every year we go to a Super Bowl party and sometimes I read during the game and just pay attention to the commercials and halftime show.

I am not a morning person. At all. I get up but that doesn’t mean I’m either sociable or functional, at least until I am suitably caffeine-fuelled. I start work around 9 unless I have to turn up to an earlier meeting. I can do it, but I don’t have to like it!

I’ve always been a night owl, which is just as well because at this time of year, my online embroidery classes don’t finish until about 11.30pm and I then have to wind my brain down before I can go to bed.

But at the moment I’m finding I’m waking up around 5.30 which is early enough to put me in a really bad sleep cycle. It’s very annoying. Worse, if I go to bed early, I wake at 1.30 and that’s it for several hours. Grrrr.

About your sporting tips, if you asked me about cricket, I could probably tell you. No idea about any other sport, even rugby (which is our national religion, but I am a heretic)!!

I am an early bird. I get up around 6am every day including weekends. I go to bed whenever I'm tired, which is usually around 11pm or midnight.

I read as much as possible, any time I get an opportunity to focus, but mostly in the mornings and evenings (and of course during the middle of the night when I have insomnia, which is a normal part of my life now - I get very little sleep.)

Like Robin, I watch very little TV, mostly sports or documentaries. I've never cared much for TV, not sure exactly why, but I'd rather read.

My team is the SF 49ers. I don't know if they'll win but I'm rooting for them. I understand they are the underdog in today's playoff game against the Eagles. (I think the Rams are probably the best team, but let's not go there.) On the other side, I'm picking the Bills. So, 49ers and Bills is my best-case scenario, with Rams and Bills as my fallback.

I am not a morning person, but since I have to be up on time at least one day a week and do best with a regular sleep routine get to bed c. midnight most nights (It's supposed to be before 11:30.)

I generally read in the evenings after everything else is done.

I couldn't care two hoots about either of those sporting events. If it's Canada vs another country, I root for Canada, but they're not in the NHL. I care even less for university/college sports so only found out just now with a quick search that there are Canadian universities in the NCAA, but I wonder how many of those players come up from the States and how many are Canadian.

I have fluctuated through the years with my sleep hours.

I have had a terrible case of insomnia for the last few weeks, which has seen me sleeping as late as 9:00 am. Very unusual for me. I am usually an early riser, 6:30-7:00 am.

Bedtime depends on what I choose for the final book of the night. If I find myself at "can't put it down". moment I can stay up past 1:00 am.

I am mostly a nighttime reader. Snuggle up with my book around 7:00 pm and read the night away. Since, like Robin, I do not watch much TV anymore, I treat the stack of books on my nightstand like TV shows. I can read one book all night, or I can switch books periodically; it all depends on my mood.

I do not follow anything except baseball, so I have nothing to offer to that question. But who are yours, Jason? I would be happy to
root for them.

I'm not a morning person, but on days I work, I'm up by 5:30. It's a long commute to work when I go in person, and I like to be home by 5:00 pm, so I start at 7;30 and work until 3;30.

But on weekends, if I don't set my alarm, I usually wake up somewhere between 9:00 and 10:00. I do volunteer Saturday mornings, though, so usually have my alarm set for 8:00ish that day,

Weekdays, i am in bed by 10:30 (or I try to be). Weekends, I used to stay up to anywhere between midnight and 1:00 am, but in the past year or so, I seem to be more tired, so usually head to bed around midnight.

I read in transit to/from work. If it's a weekend or a day off, I usually read for a couple of hours in the mid- to late-afternoons. Pretty much every day, I read for at least an hour before bed.

I rarely watch any sports, anymore, but when I used to, the little bit of football I watched was (no surprise, I'm sure), CFL (Canadian Football League).

Definitely NOT a morning person here. My favorite part of being retired is being able to keep my own sleep schedule and not set my alarm. I have retired friends that talk about setting their alarms everyday, I always ask them why would you do that?

My favorite time to read is in the evening after my husband has gone to bed and the house is quiet.

My pick to win the superbowl is Denver, gotta go with Bo Nix now that Justin Herbert is out.
And for the CFP--now that my beloved Ducks are out, I have to go with the only team to beat them this year--Indiana.

Indiana is a powerhouse!

Hubby is a morning person and usually gets up around 6:00. I on the other hand get up from 6:30 to 8:30 depending on insomnia. Our cat Rosie is always the last one to wake up. She has always loved her sleep.

I read at various points of the day, evening and occasionally in the middle of the night.

The 49ers are my team, but they have a hard road ahead. They have faced many injuries from key players this year and suffered yet another yesterday.

Booknblues wrote: "Hubby is a morning person and usually gets up around 6:00. I on the other hand get up from 6:30 to 8:30 depending on insomnia. Our cat Rosie is always the last one to wake up. She has always loved ..."

You are lucky, our cats were always early (and noisy) risers!

Robin P wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Hubby is a morning person and usually gets up around 6:00. I on the other hand get up from 6:30 to 8:30 depending on insomnia. Our cat Rosie is always the last one to wake up. Sh..."
Our previous cats always woke us up, but Rosie loves to sleep and has even as a kitten.

While Roxie doesn't sleep that long, she doesn't really bug us. She sometimes comes and sleeps on top of me.

Theresa wrote: "Hah! Very funny, Jason. I just started reading an article in The Atlantic about 'morning' people: productivity (alleged increased) vs. socialization (as in decreased)."

I am normally up between 6;00-7:00 during the week. On the weekend, I am up between 8:00-9:00. If able, I will sleep til 10:00.

I stay up late. I like to be in bed by 12:00 but I've been known to post on PBT at 1:00-2:00 am.

My picks for NFL:
49ers are always a great team, but I don't think I've seen a team who has the amount of superstar injuries that the 49ers have had over the last handful of years, and now it's happened again with Kittle. I'm happy for the Bears but Stafford is a Georgia Bulldog, so rooting for the Rams. On the other side, I thought Jags had a real chance and was surprised they lost. The Patriots defense looks amazing, but I am going with the Broncos.
TL:DR Rams over Broncos Super Bowl.

For NCAA Championship. Indiana is a powerhouse. I think they are going to win but I'm rooting for Miami, mainly because I have a workmate that is a huge Miami fan and Beck was a Georgia Bulldog.

Karin wrote: "I am not a morning person, but since I have to be up on time at least one day a week and do best with a regular sleep routine get to bed c. midnight most nights (It's supposed to be before 11:30.)
..."

Did you enjoy the World Series this year? Dodgers vs Toronto Blue Jays? Then Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers 1B is a Canadian.

KateNZ wrote: "I am not a morning person. At all. I get up but that doesn’t mean I’m either sociable or functional, at least until I am suitably caffeine-fuelled. I start work around 9 unless I have to turn up to..."

Any book you recommend reading for cricket. I have looked into the sport and think I would like it. I rarely get to watch due to time differences and availability.

Theresa wrote: "Hah! Very funny, Jason. I just started reading an article in The Atlantic about 'morning' people: productivity (alleged increased) vs. socialization (as in decreased).

I'm a night owl. I only see..."

That is interesting. Never thought about the socialization of bedtime.

I’ve been known as a night person
But many years my work finished very late - and the adrenaline after kept me up - so I don’t know what came first
Before kids/responsibilities - whenever I didn’t have work I’d start being awake all nights and sleep a lot of the day. I think I just crave times that the house is quiet and only mine :)

Now with kids and work and dog etc - I tend to wake up at 7am - still need my 2 coffees to be able to talk coherently

If I need to wake up before 7am I start feeing sorry for myself. (That happens about once a week during school time - but now it’s blessed summer holidays and life is slow)

Night - I crash anytime between 11pm-2am - depending on company, books and other procrastinations

I don’t care much about team sport. I go for Vikings - since I lived in Minnesota for a year - but don’t check often what’s happening in that world

My local teams - rugby league - South Sydney’s Rabbitohs and AFL Sydney Swans. Don’t really follow either - it’s more declarative - but we do see Swans live some times and that’s fun
Cricket - I still don’t understand - after 25 years here

LibraryCin wrote: " rarely watch any sports, anymore, but when I used to, the little bit of football I watched was (no surprise, I'm sure), CFL (Canadian Football League)"

The only live football I've seen is Canadian, and the only pro game an exhibition game with the BC Lions. When I got married I tried to take an interest in my husband's interests, but after a few football games where I asked him if American football had three downs or four (any others who see this, the CFL has slightly different rules) and thinking it was fun to root for whichever team he didn't (as you can see, I have little understanding of sports!) he gently said I didn't have to watch with him, which was fine with me :)

Booknblues wrote: "Our cat Rosie is always the last one to wake up. She has always loved ..."

Having a cat who sleeps in is a blessing!

My parents always locked the dogs and cat in a large mudroom for the night with water, etc, so they wouldn't wake them up. I didn't realize not everyone did that until I was an adult, because it was fairly common where I grew up.

I see several mentions of insomnia - I too deal with that as sometimes nothing shuts the mind off. I also am not someone who falls readily and easily asleep, never have. I also tend not to need a lot of sleep - last night for example I stayed up reading until about 4 AM, and woke up without an alarm just before 10 AM. That's not atypical.

And yes, sometimes with insomnia, I just give up and start reading again. Or do crossword puzzles which have been known to help my mind empty. I also use music to calm my mind.

Jason wrote: "That is interesting. Never thought about the socialization of bedtime...."

Most socializing is in the evening, and those who are up early go to bed early thus missing critical social time.

I know a lot of 'morning people' -- traveled with them, stayed at their houses, socialize with them. They always want dinner early when NYC tends to eat later --- I'm at work until 7 PM... and that's typical of lawyers in NYC. They fall asleep at the theater, opera, concerts because those go until well past their bedtimes. Even if you are hosting a dinner at say 6 PM, it often doesn't end until 3 hours later between leisurely courses, conversation and even some after dinner games or cards or movie. Social events start at 7 or 8 pm and run on for some time.

I have friends I routinely visit for holidays who are all heading to bed by 8 PM... right after supper ... leaving me on my own in the house - which is fine but amuses me no end - and more than once they are all sound asleep when I log into a client board meeting I need to attend via Zoom. They all get up at what I consider ridiculously early and even if I get up close to that same time I'm totally not ready to engage with anyone.

Traveling with a morning person can work out just fine, as long as I'm not expected to be the same, and I don't expect them to stay up later than they are comfortable doing. Those are good moments for each to have some alone time.

A lot of retirees are up at 6am or earlier (not me) and in bed before 9pm, plus many don't like to drive after dark, so many meetings and get-togethers get scheduled during the day.

Most of our working lives I was the morning person and my husband the night person. This was nice, giving us each our own time. For years he struggled to be awake at work at 8am, then he would get energized around 5pm when it was time to leave. After while, he could work flex hours so he did more like 10am-7pm

There is a big difference between East coast and Midwest. In the Midwest it is normal to start work at 7am and be off at 4pm, whereas East is more like 9-6. I worked 9:30-6:30 the summer I was there and got to be a bilingual secretary for the UN office of Mauritania (not located at the UN but in a building facing Bryant Park.) For much of my career after that, I worked either teaching, which started very early, or in call center environments where flex time wouldn't work.

Karin wrote: "and thinking it was fun to root for whichever team he didn't (as you can see, I have little understanding of sports!) he gently said I didn't have to watch with him, which was fine with me..."

LOL! You got out of that well!

I am up most nights until 12 mid to 1 or 2 am depending on what I'm reading. I get up roughly 7 hours later, just seems to be the way my body clock works.

My reading is usually at night, although I can't read in bed. I instantly go to sleep. Morning reading is the newspaper, email, GR updating.

Not much of a sports fan except for the Bills (Go Bills). I also watch the Olympics

What time do you get up in the morning? My first alarm is set for 6:45, but it's so that I can trick myself into getting up by 7:15. Most of the time, that ends up being more like 7:20-7:30 (if I'm really running late). On the weekends, my alarm is set for 10. I get out of bed anywhere between 10-11.

What time do you go to bed? Way too late. >.> (Around 1 AM lol, I'm very much a night owl).

What time of day do you read the most? I tend to read a lot when I'm on public transportation, especially if I'm going further than a couple stops on the subway. I also read more in the evenings after dinner.

Who are your Superbowl and NCAA Championship Game picks? I don't understand sportsball, I only support the Seahawks because I'm originally from Seattle!

Theresa wrote: "Traveling with a morning person can work out just fine, as long as I'm not expected to be the same, and I don't expect them to stay up later than they are comfortable doing. Those are good moments for each to have some alone time.."

And the reverse is true as well. As Theresa and I can attest to.

I CAN (and have) stay up quite late. Theresa and I ... the two old ladies in the crowd ... closed the bar on the top of the John Hancock Building when we visited Chicago. And yes, I was still up at 6 or 6:30a.m. Ditto when we were in Yellowstone and I noticed that Turner Classic Movies was showing Gone With the Wind. I think it was close to 1:00a.m. when that epic ended. I was still up at 6:00 a the next morning ... eating my breakfast and reading until Theresa was ready to emerge and face the day.

I'm definitely a morning person. The last 8 or 10 years I was working I didn't even bother setting the alarm (except for once a month when I had a meeting that began at 6:30a ... and I have a 40-min commute to work). Since I've retired, I still get up around 6 or 6:30 ... occasionally as early as 5:00a or as late at 7:00a.

Nothing I love better than hitting the road at "o-dark-thirty" for a road trip!

Traveling with a morning person can be very difficult on holidays. I always wake up at around 6, 6:30 no matter how late I go to sleep, without the need for an alarm clock. So imagine I'm on top of a mountain in a tent and I have to go out in the pre-dawn cold and try to not make any noise until my girlfriend wakes up around 8 or 9 in the morning. I used to have books in my backpack especially for this interval.
Even in a big city like Rome, or Paris or London, I have little patience to wait and lose the best light for photography until my partner wakes up. I sometimes manage to slip out and come back three hours later with my shooting session done, but this is not always possible if your room is far from the best places.

Regarding the sports questions, I'm from Europe and I have little to none interest is hockey, baseball or American football. I do try to keep up with my team (plays horribly currently in the national league) and I watch international games if I happen to be in front of the TV. I'm talking soccer, of course.
I find it much more relaxing to watch snooker on Eurosport channel, because I can multitask and I really admire the skill of the top players

We are a snooker-loving household too, Algernon!

Flo wrote: "What time do you get up in the morning? My first alarm is set for 6:45, but it's so that I can trick myself into getting up by 7:15. Most of the time, that ends up being more like 7:20-7:30 (if I'm..."

I have never understood this - my husband (a night owl) used to do that and it would drive me crazy. I guess he thought he was getting away with something, with the extra few minutes of sleep. For me, I want to sleep undisturbed as long as possible. His alarm would wake me up and I couldn't easily go back to sleep.

When I was working, I would get up just 20 minutes before I had to leave. I would have my clothes set out, I have always preferred to shower at night, my hair takes 1 minute or less, and I am never hungry first thing in the morning. I would eat after I got to work or on morning break. Now that I am retired I love a leisurely morning.

Ah, the setting an early alarm and staying in bed trick! My husband would do that and it drove me crazy since I needed more sleep but couldn't fall back to sleep wondering if and when he'd get up. He started heading to the couch and doing his dozing there.

A friend of ours sets his cell phone on silent alarm and puts it in his pocket so he can do this without waking up his wife, but that wasn't an option in the 1990s when we got married.

Flash forward to now and my son does the same thing. He has to wake up earlier than he needs to get up in order to really wake up.

I’d murder my husband (or move to a different room) if he had more than one alarm. Even that one alarm I resent :)

My daughters do the famous staggered alarms.
I used to in my teens - till once or twice I mistook the later alarm for an earlier one. Taught me right

I assume they’ll get out of that annoying habit once they are late to something important - but since their alarms don’t wake me up - I don’t really mind

I hit the snooze alarm but at my age, the need to use the bathroom makes that even moot. But since I no longer am commuting farther than from the bedroom to the livingroom to get to the office, I rarely set the alarm except when I have anything I have to attend or arrive at before noon - like 6AM flights to Santa Fe, NM, or 9 AM zooms, especially.

On the other hand, I set alarms on my phone throughout the day to warn me of zooms and conference calls. I get caught up in reviewing or drafting or researching and oops, I was supposed to start a zoom meeting 10 minutes ago. Not professional to do that. But I'm single and live alone so it bothers no one but me.

I am a morning person, but with retirement, I like to linger in bed and possibly doze off a bit before getting up. No such luck. I have a dog who wakes at dawn.

Ah yes, the canine - or feline - alarm clock!

I can't remember if my first clock radio had a snooze button or not, but those were around on clock radios from when my mother was a teen so probably. I didn't use it--not my style, but I was just happy to wake up to music instead of a regular alarm.

Jgrace wrote: "I am a morning person, but with retirement, I like to linger in bed and possibly doze off a bit before getting up. No such luck. I have a dog who wakes at dawn."

I don't like going to bed or getting up in the morning; both take discipline for me :) However, once up for the day I loathe going back into it during the day.