I could potentially have those three hours of which you speak if I actually woke up when my alarm went off. But I don't. I hit snooze and/or reset my alarm for at least two hours later. I am not a morning person but I am convinced that it's in my power to become one and maximize my potential as a human which in turn minimizes my likelihood for existential crisis #476. So goal #1: wake up at 6 am. I can do this!

Waking up at 6am guarantees me at least two more hours. Here is what I would do with them: Take a jog in the morning. Walter is not a good dog to run with because he wants to stop and sniff everything and tug me every which way. I've tried to run with him before and I just end up very very frustrated. So after my jog, I would go home, leash up Walt-burger and take him to the park. (I sometimes do this part anyway). We go to Dolores and run around and play fetch and tackle each other. It's a good time.

For the remaining .75 hours, I would make myself a delicious breakfast of champions like the one I made this morning. Fresh squeezed orange juice and asparagus eggs. What have I always said is the most important thing? Breakfast. Or was it family? Anyway.

After that it's off to work for the day. I can squeeze a half hour out of that timeframe for a reading break. I feel comfortable spending 30 extra minutes devouring a book. Fine by me. And if I use my commuting hours effectively, which I only sometimes do, I can spend at least an hour and a half per day listening to my teach-yourself-Portuguese CDs. And then I fallo muito mais bom, sim? Sim, obrigado.

Finally, and this is a tough one, I could maybe get an extra half hour out of the day by not watching Jeopardy. I'm not sure if that would be a winning choice though, because I gain trivial knowledge through Jeopardy. Who am I to predict when, if ever, I'll need to know the three longest rivers of the world (Nile, Amazon, Yangtze)? I'm not ready to make that kind of assessment. But, hypothetically, I would spend the extra time practicing piano so my spastic left hand can improve its technique.

And there it is. I don't need a geenie to grant me my extra three hours. I found a way to squeeze them out of my 24-hour day.