Prolonged viewing of prerecorded, favorite TV shows and YouTube videos zips me straight into deep sleep, easily skipping the gradual stages leading to REM.

With the TV set still on, I often have dreams supplemented by what’s happening on the screen, ending up with a fantasy which, if Mister Sandman should have it, is many a time nightmarishly horrific, is seldom titillating, or is not the least amusing. I sometimes wake up being in a conversation or in a debate with the talking head(s) or some crazy character(s) in a movie.

More often than not, the TV set is still on when sleep time is over. The screen scene may have progressed to some ingenious way of cooking dog or cat meat (if stuck on YouTube), may have switched to Netflix Are-You-Still-Watching? prompts, or may have turned black with the Samsung TV screensaver darting every which way but loose like a Roomba, the robot vacuum cleaner.

Getting out of bed with my body perpindicularly curled up inside the bend of my Posturepedic bed is a struggle. Luckily, I still have the strength to hurl my upper body up and then twiddling it to allow my feet to dangle freely on the edge of the bed. Heaving a sigh of relief that I make it without twisting a muscle, it is then time to get out of bed to brew my early a.m. coffee.

My peripheral vision, still being up to snuff, makes my early morning view of my surroundings quite panoramic. Even with the unwiped sleep and without my trifocal progressive glasses, I can clearly see the door to my left, the tip of my nose in front of me, and the window to my right. So a comprehensive view to start my day is as easy as pie. Being effortless, I rarely loose an emotional calorie or two, unless I see something on my nighstand that flips me into a WTF mode.

Sight of my dentures, a half-finished glass of water, my blue weekly pill organizer, empty chocolate wrappers, TV remote control, or used disposable sword floss on my night stand is meh. They’re nothing to freak about. But seeing on it AN UNFINISHED GLASS OF WINE is a different animal altogether.

That upsets me to no end!

Growing up poor in the Philippines, I have let the mantra of avoiding waste dictate my utilization of consumables and expendables.

I always try to polish off my food, to only take enough from the buffet line, to claim doggie bags, to save leftover morsels in the fridge, to stow recyclable boxes/containers, to store used twist ties on loaves of bread, to stack on door knobs rubber bands originally holding together asparagus spears, to tear in 4ths paper with a good side to be used as a scratch pad, to save pins used in newly-bought, folded shirts, and the like. To some, my obsession borders on hoarding. So be it!

But what am I going to do with AN UNFINISHED GLASS OF WINE?

Throwing it away is not only dumping money down the drain, but will be antithetical to my waste-not motto.

Therefore, should I or shouldn’t I finish it?

I tried finishing it once – a white wine.  It was Sam’s Club Member’s Mark Riesling which has gotten a rating of 89 points from wine enthusiasts.

Drinking that leftover Riesling on an empty stomach was fine, I thought.  I didn’t feel anything that was physically untoward.  Oh, I was a little woozy, but I really felt good that I didn’t waste it being true to my motto. Additionally, smacking my lips after guzzling it confirmed that the wine enthusiasts were right on the money with their high rating. My cheap wine palate proved them correct!

But this morning, it is red wine – Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot from Sam’s Club which a wine enthusiast rated with 70 points.

Hmmm…should I also drink that on an empty stomach? 

I know that studies have shown that red wines help ward off cancers.  But drinking a heavy wine on an empty stomach in early morning?

I know that drinking wine on an empty stomach improves appetite, but I usually have breakfast at around noon.

I also know that red wine should be allowed to “breathe”, but over 30 minutes?

Well, I will find out eventually since noon is about 4 hours from now.

What do you think?