I awoke in good spirits this morning. The first thing I noticed was the coffee aroma that filled the house. It's hard not to be in good spirits when that's the first thing you smell. It was Friday. Outside was foggy. Those are two things I love. With a stretch and a yawn, I got out of bed and groggily went to the kitchen. As I poured myself some coffee, I noticed last night's project still on the dinner table.

This is the first year I'm attempting to make Christmas cards and, for a rookie effort, they're turning out okay. I bought a box of holiday cards, the type that allow a photo to be inserted, and chose a few seasonal pictures from my digital collection to develop at the local Walgreens. I'm trying to keep it simple.

"Just need to sign them, buy some stamps and mail them out tomorrow," I said to no one in particular. I left for work in a good mood, but before reaching the office, I could feel the Grump coming on.

The Grump is nasty and immature and looks just different enough from the Hulk as to avoid copyright infringement. He's inflexible, impatient and has a low tolerance level for stupidity. The peeves and annoyances that I usually ignore are the same ones the Grump hones in on.

I first noticed him on the freeway, when somebody changed lanes in front of me without signaling. Normally, I don't even think twice about it. This morning, I wanted to hold up a sign so the "offending" driver could read in his rearview mirror, "Signal much?"

• The crawling car in the parking lot.
• The people who didn't return my calls from yesterday or Wednesday.
• The neighboring coworker who kept banging her computer mouse on the desk, all morning long, as though that would help somehow.
• The coworker who left the restroom without washing his hands.
• The postage stamp machine that kept rejecting my crisp dollar bills.

At lunch, I thought I'd try to lose the Grump by going for a long walk. That helped a little, but he's still with me. I'm now sitting in The Museum Cafe, trying to type him away. I was hoping to write some joyful and clever messages in the Christmas cards. It's difficult being joyful and clever on a good day. Having the Grump around makes it ten times harder.

I only hope he disappears before the weekend begins. Better yet, I hope he's gone by the time I'm done with this double macchiato. Thank goodness it's Friday.