Oh, if only

Somewhere, in a parallel universe, where my life is closer to ideal, my day went something like this:

7:00 a.m. - I wake up to the sound of the birds and the gentle rustle of leaves in a spring breeze, as the sun pours its golden rays through the bedroom window, filtered by a lush canopy of green. Ever reluctant to leave the comfort of my bamboo sheets and cashmere coverlet, I stretch and push back the blankets, glad to find that the air temperature is steady at a perfect 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

7:20 a.m. - Downstairs in the kitchen, the scent of maple begins to fill the house when I throw the maple sausage links into a hot pan.

7:30 a.m. - After saying goodbye to Keith as he heads off to work, I sit down to breakfast. I start leafing through the current issue of Elle Decor and indulge in a bit of global design inspiration while I savor sausage links, locally grown strawberries (freshly picked!), a buttery, flaky croissant, and a cup of coffee with milk and sugar.

8:15 a.m. - I put the magazine down for now, clean up the breakfast dishes, and head upstairs for a quick -- but hot! -- shower.

9:00 a.m. - Showered, dressed and now fully awake, I'm ready to get to work in my studio. It's a sunny day, so I pull the curtains back wide and open up the window to let in the fresh air. I sit down at my iMac (Maxwell) and spend a few minutes checking and answering e-mail, and going over my to-do list.

9:20 a.m. - Today is a scheduled printing day, so I pull up Pandora Internet Radio -- it knows exactly what I like! -- and log into my station for some music to work by. With Jack Johnson grooving in the background, I set up my work table with inking plate, brayers, blocks, proofs, ink and paper, flip on my work light, and get a-printing.

12:00 p.m. - Having finished a very successful run of prints, it's time to break for lunch. I clean the ink off my hands, hang up my apron and head back downstairs to the kitchen. I think I'll have some of that leftover pasta dish from last night's dinner: Penne with zucchini, broccoli, red bell peppers and crumbled applewood-smoked bacon, tossed in a basil pesto. I scoop some into a bowl and grate some Parmigianno-Reggiano over it.

12:05 p.m. - Lunch in hand, I am now faced with a decision: Do I want to read some more, or do I want to check out what's on TV? I bring my book into the living room and set it next to me on the couch; if nothing's on, then I'll read. I turn on the television, flipping between HGTV, Food Network, PBS and the History Channel until I find an episode of A Cook's Tour exploring the Basque cuisine of Spain. It's mostly seafood, which I really don't like, but there are some interesting characters to watch, and I *never* mind learning about food.

1:32 p.m. - The doorbell rings -- a welcome distraction to finally pull me away from another episode of The States on History (even in Ideal Universe, I'm still a nerd). It's the handsome Scottish UPS man delivering a box chock-full of wedding invitation supplies from Paper Source. Mmmm, j'adore papier.

1:40 p.m. - A bowl of Ben & Jerry's "Sweet Cream and Cookies" is just the thing I need to get psyched up for another half-day of work.

2:00 p.m. - After unpacking my Paper Source delivery, sorting the items and checking them against the packing slip, checking the packing slip against my receipt, and updating my books, I call Jen to see if she wants to come over in a few hours for one of our fun, delicious and highly productive invitation assembly/dinner parties.

2:45 p.m. - Jen and I hang up. She'll be over around 5, once she finishes up a few things at the barn she manages and hands over the evening chores to her cowboy boyfriend -- a dead ringer for Clive Owen -- who's only too happy to take over so she can go off for an evening of repetitive, tedious fun with me. This means I'd better get busy printing out the pieces!

3:00 p.m. - My Xerox Phaser 8860 solid ink printer is humming merrily as it prints out the wedding invitations with no trouble at all. Meanwhile, I decide to sit down and write a blog post about what a lousy day my doppleganger in a parallel universe must be having because everything here is going just so darn good.

3:30 p.m. - I quickly get back on the phone to try and catch Keith at work and let him know Jen is coming over at 5. He suggests that he could make us homemade pizza for dinner (he's a pizza crust-making whiz!) -- great idea.

4:00 p.m. - The printer is still working happily, while I'm trimming the pieces that are done and starting to set up our assembly line.

4:15 p.m. - Keith arrives back home, loaded with mozzarella, mushrooms and some delicious-looking onions and bell peppers from the local farm stand. After a quick hug and kiss hello, I dash out back for some oregano, rosemary and basil. Keith comes out for a jalapeño or two and some tomatoes. I help him get everything washed up and start prepping vegetables while he gets started on the crust.

5:10 p.m. - There's a quick knock on the door, it squeaks open and a "Hellooooo!" announces that Jen's here! She walks into the kitchen and comments on the scent of bacon, Italian sausage, peppers and onions that's now wafting through the house.

5:30 p.m. - Dinner's at least an hour away, so Keith sends us giggling upstairs to get started on what we're here for in the first place. All the invitation pieces are printed by now; I finish some trimming while Jen cuts lengths of ribbon.

6:00 p.m. - Keith peeks in the studio to see what all the laughing is about, and to make sure we're really getting some work done. Despite the lively and imaginative conversation, the dynamic duo of Jen and Sarah has quickly settled into our typical, efficient work-rhythm and we've got at least a quarter of the invites fully assembled. (The bride will be so pleased.)

7:00 p.m. - All 75 invitations are assembled and ready to go, just waiting to be boxed up (in style, of course). Keith comes up to announce dinner, only to find us huddled around Maxwell fully involved in Garage Band. He smiles and shakes his head, because he knows that we are fully determined to write a hit Wizard Rock song.

7:15 p.m. - We all sit down around the table with fantastic homemade pizza a la Keith. *This* is how every day should end: delectable food shared with incredible people. A perfect life indeed.