What’s my morning routine? That’s a good question, as I usually never know where I’m going to wake up on any given day. People look at me as a “man out of time,” but as a soldier, I’m also a “man out of place.” I could be stationed anywhere in the world depending on where I’m needed.
But much of the time I’m at home in New York. Sure, Tony Stark [ed. note: Iron Man's alter ego] has all these fancy buildings and apartments he’s offered me, but I like to hang my hat and rest my head where I grew up in Brooklyn. It may sound cliché or dated—I’m known for this—but home is where the heart is. Stark can keep his cold metallic penthouses in the sky.
I’m up at 0500 every morning. Every day. No questions asked. A holdover from my days in the service.
I start every day with a run. No treadmills or tracks, I prefer running on the streets. You can’t beat the sights and sounds of an early New York morning. The shop owners opening their doors. The trucks delivering the morning papers. The smell of bagels and bialys coming out of the ovens. And for the record: bialys. I grew up loving a well-toasted and crispy bagel, but now I love bialys. Lighter than a bagel and really just a blank canvas for a wide variety of toppings. More so than what I have seen with bagels.
Speaking of newspapers, that’s how I like to get my news, the old-fashioned way. As I get to the end of my run, I’ll stop and pick up a few of the local papers depending on what headlines grab me. I’m mostly drawn to the Daily News and the Times. They're also a good way for me to catch up on current trends and culture, things I’m constantly reminded I need to learn more about as so much of this modern world is still a mystery to me.
Then it’s back home where I hit the gym for an hour or so. Again, I stick to the basics… free weights, barbells, and punching bag. Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. both have these high-tech training facilities, but I still prefer to powder my palms and lift like I did back in the barracks. Then maybe some quick calisthenics to wind down.
After I hit the showers, it’s time for breakfast. A simple breakfast is what I find works best for me. Protein heavy. I’ll either cook up something myself—three eggs, some oatmeal with strawberries, blueberries, and honey, and if I want to treat myself, some maple smoked bacon. Or, if I feel like company, head over to the mess hall at the Triskelion to eat with some of the boys there. But wherever I get my grub, it’s usually the same thing most mornings… eggs over easy, bacon, sausage, toast, milk, and O.J.
I still love taking the time to go grocery shopping locally. Walking from stand to stand and shop to shop, I am introduced to so many new avenues of food that I haven’t seen in all these years. It’s also a chance to interact and talk with everyone from my neighborhood. I can appreciate and understand these new ways for food to be delivered to your home—what is it, FreshDirect? I can see that being great if you are excessively busy, but I like to talk with people and learn about new culinary adventures that I might have missed out on. You could call me old-fashioned, I guess. But if it isn’t broken, why fix it?
