Head Rattle

I.
I found an old book in a box in the basement. And when I say old, I mean ancient: it was published in 1871, and as far as I can tell, it's a first edition. It's also signed by the author, W. W. Hall, M.D. The title is Everybody's Life Preserver, which is really the best thing about this book. It's a 333-page collection of banal "maxims" like "A healthy fool is happier than a sick Solomon." True enough, I suppose, but... meh. I could make up better ones myself. ("It doesn't take a tidal wave to turn a waterwheel." --M.G.) The book is not in bad shape at all for being 141 years old, though. Maybe it's worth something. When is Antiques Road Show coming back to town?

II.
Somehow my alarm clock got reset from 6:30 AM to 6:40 AM. Those 10 minutes of extra sleep mean I've had to hustle more in the morning to leave on time, but they've also helped me to remember vivid dreams that I apparently have just before I wake up. Some of the characters in these dreams are people I know in real life, but some minor players are not people I recognize. It's as if I've hired a casting company to populate my head with extras.