Which is the best (and the worst) day of the week?

Supposedly, early "Garfield" cartoons like this one from the mid-1970s were not copyright protected, meaning I can post it here without threat of punishment. Or maybe that's made up. We'll see.

Every once in a while, my son Jared will text our family group chat with a set of "power rankings" in which he rates a group of items from his favorite to his least favorite.

Like, for example, he has previously sent (always randomly, always out of the blue) power rankings of the cats in our family and various breakfast cereals.

These lists are always cause for much discussion and debate within the group chat.

Recently, Jared sent his rankings of the days of the week, from the best (in his opinion Saturday) to the worst (in his mind Tuesday).

It immediately reminded me of a similar list I posted here on the blog way back on July 5, 2013. I figured I would revisit that list and make changes based on 12 additional years of life experience. Surely I don't look at the days of the week the same now as I did when I was 43, do I?

It turns out I do. Following are my days of the week power rankings, which ring as true for me now as they did back in 2013. (Oh, and for comparison's sake, Jared's list from best to worst went Saturday, Friday, Thursday, Wednesday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.)

#7 - Tuesday

Tuesday is the worst day, hands down. Maybe because it lacks an identity. It's not only the middle of the work week, it's early in the middle of the work week. Few good things happen on Tuesdays, as far as I'm concerned.

#6 - Thursday

"I could never get the hang of Thursdays," says Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And I agree. Some people choose to go out and party on Thursday nights. I don't even go out and party on Saturday nights, so that's definitely not for me. Thursday lures you in with, "Hey, the weekend is right around the corner!" But it's not, because Thursday ends and you still haven't arrived at the weekend. You can't fool me, Thursday, you temptress.

#5 - Monday

This is higher than most people would slot Monday on any day-of-the-week ranking list. But Mondays do have some redeeming value. They always hold out the promise of a solid, enjoyable week ahead, and I always start them well. Sometimes they really are the vanguard of a happy five days. But sometimes they aren't. So you never know what you're going to get with Monday, which is why I can't trust it with a ranking any higher than #5.

#4 - Sunday

It is with a guilty conscience that I rank Sunday in the middle, because Sunday is when we go to church and that's supposed to be the highlight of my week. Sunday morning definitely ranks right up there for me, but Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening? All I do is think about my responsibilities and appointments for the week to come, which really defeats the purpose of a weekend. Sunday is lucky I put it as high as #4 on this list.

#3 - Wednesday

That Geico commercial about a camel on Hump Day makes me laugh. And that's all I really need to say about Wednesdays.

#2 - Saturday

I realize Saturday is the calendar equivalent of Nirvana for most people, and I like it, too. But you know what happens to me around 6 p.m. every Saturday? I start thinking, "Oh man, the weekend is already mostly over and I haven't accomplished anything. And tomorrow is Sunday, which means I have to spend it getting ready for Monday." *SIGH*." It's a sad, lonely existence I lead, really.

#1 - Friday

I would never force you to listen to that "Friday" song by Rebecca Black, but I do offer the option of a link, should you choose to subject yourself to it. Fridays are life-defining for me. I am, for whatever reason, hugely productive at work on Fridays. I enjoy almost every Friday night one way or another. And my standards have fallen so far that I actually thrive on the experience of wearing jeans to work on "Casual Fridays." There is virtually no downside to Fridays, which is why I crown it The Champ among days of the week. For what that's worth.

Appreciating Saturdays again

When I was between jobs earlier this year, one day was a lot like the next. Tuesday may as well have been Sunday, and Thursday was pretty much the same as Saturday. Nothing on my to-do list really changed depending on the day of the week.

That was then. Getting into the working game again has shifted my mindset back to what it used to be. Now, Monday through Friday is completely different from the weekend.

Monday through Friday, I wear certain clothes, spend much of the day eating from my lunchbox, and of course, devote the majority of my mental energy in service to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Saturday and Sunday? That's about home. I do laundry, I clean the bathroom, I read, I go to my Weight Watchers meeting, we have Sunday School and church, etc. From the way I dress to the way I think even to the way I talk, the weekend is THE WEEKEND. It is sacred.

"Everybody's workin' for the weekend," is what the great philosophers from the band Loverboy told us, though that was never quite true for me. In addition to the paycheck, I'm blessed to feel a high degree of fulfillment from my job. It nourishes my brain and, through personal connections, even my soul. I'm workin' for more than just the weekend.

But don't get me wrong. The freedom to do what I want for two days (depending on what we have scheduled, of course) is invaluable. We all need that to some degree.

Nowadays there is much talk in the business world of adopting a four-day work week. It goes without saying I am open to it.

I love Saturdays

Do you not love Saturdays? Are they just not the best day of the week?

I say they are. Or at least I say they're in the top two. Back in July 2013, I wrote a post in which I ranked the days of the week, and in that list I placed Saturday at #2, just behind Fridays. I may have changed my mind since then.

(NOTE: I really wrote an entire blog post ranking the days of the week? Apparently I did. I was seriously hurting for blog material by that point. You will note that, about three months later, I suspended the blog for what turned out to be nearly a year-and-a-half because I felt I didn't have anything interesting to say. You may counter by pointing out that this has never stopped me before...)

Saturdays are just all-around tremendous, especially Saturdays on which I'm free to do what I want without being burdened by any outside appointments or obligations.

Saturday always starts with me getting out of bed. That, I find, is an excellent way to start the day. Then I pee. You didn't need to know that, but I feel it's important. It's a good, satisfying pee because I spend it thinking about all of the cool stuff I'm going to get to do that day. When in fact I should probably be concentrating a bit more on my aim.

Anyway, after the pee, I go into the closet and put on my running clothes. I run every Saturday, rain or shine, cold or hot, windy or not. Usually 3 miles but sometimes 4 or 5.

After I get my running stuff on, I go into the kitchen and feed the cats. They're always happy to see me when I do this. I feel this is unfair, as I'm more than just a provider of kibble.

For example, I'm also a provider of water, which is what I do when I go into the basement and fill up their water bowls. After that, I scoop out their litter boxes, sweep up the general area, and then take the bag of disgusting cat waste outside to discard it. If it's a day in which the newspaper is delivered, I go and pick up the paper.

Then it's a glass of water, a quick session of dynamic stretching to warm up, and then I'm out the door to run.

(ANOTHER NOTE: We need to pick up the pace here. I'm stunned that you're still reading this.)

After the run comes a shower. And after the shower I step onto the scale so I can get a read on how my Weight Watchers meeting that morning will go. Did I gain anything? Did I lose anything? Did I stay the same? That first weigh-in will tell me how the official meeting weigh-in will go.

Anyway, I get dressed, I brush my teeth, I go to the Weight Watchers meeting, I come home, and I finally get to have breakfast. You guys, I love breakfast. Which is kind of surprising when you realize I have the same thing every day. Every day. It's always a half cup of cooked oats, a banana, and coffee with half and half.

But on Saturday it's just so good, because it's the first food I eat and I know I still have the whole day ahead of me. It's a glorious feeling.

After that the Saturdays vary. I may be taking Jack to his cross country practice. I may be taking a shopping trip to the market for greens and fruit, and maybe to CVS for various provisions I routinely buy there. I may be going to the library (you guys, I love the library).

I will almost certainly be working my way through a list of to-do's that I've sketched out the night before. To-do lists are a major part of my life, and some of my greatest satisfaction comes from completing them: CHECK! CHECK! CHECK! DONE! DONE! DONE! I AM A GOOD AND CONSCIENTIOUS PERSON!

There are always some sort of chores on the to-do list, from cleaning the bathroom to doing laundry to vacuuming to checking the car fluids and tire pressures to whatever else needs doing.

Saturday evenings are spent with Terry, the kids, or some combination thereof. We may see a movie. Maybe go out with relatives or friends. Or just stay in and watch TV. But it's almost always fun and I almost always love every minute of it.

Don't get me wrong, Sundays are a strong contender, and I can see why I placed Friday at the top of that days of the week list. But Saturdays? Man, you can't beat a good Saturday. I hope you enjoy yours!

Ranking the days of the week

#7 - Tuesday
Tuesday is the worst day, hands down. Maybe because it lacks an identity. It's not only the middle of the work week, it's early in the middle of the work week. Few good things happen on Tuesdays, as far as I'm concerned.

#6 - Thursday
"I could never get the hang of Thursdays," says Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And I agree. Some people choose to go out and party on Thursday nights. I don't even go out and party on Saturday nights, so that's definitely not for me. Thursday lures you in with, "Hey, the weekend is right around the corner!" But it's not, because Thursday ends and you still haven't arrived at the weekend. You can't fool me, Thursday, you temptress.

#5 - Monday
This is higher than most people would slot Monday on any day-of-the-week ranking list. But Mondays do have some redeeming value. They always hold out the promise of a solid, enjoyable week ahead, and I always start them well. Sometimes they really are the vanguard of a happy five days. But sometimes they aren't. So you never know what you're going to get with Monday, which is why I can't trust it with a ranking any higher than #5.

#4 - Sunday
It is with a guilty conscience that I rank Sunday in the middle, because Sunday is when we go to church and that's supposed to be the highlight of my week. Sunday morning definitely ranks right up there for me, but Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening? All I do is think about my responsibilities and appointments for the week to come, which really defeats the purpose of a weekend. Sunday is lucky I put it as high as #4 on this list.

#3 - Wednesday
This Geico commercial about a camel on Hump Day makes me laugh. And that's all I really need to say about Wednesdays.

#2 - Saturday
I realize Saturday is the calendar equivalent of Nirvana for most people, and I like it, too. But you know what happens to me around 6 p.m. every Saturday? I start thinking, "Oh man, the weekend is already mostly over and I haven't accomplished anything. And tomorrow is Sunday, which means I have to spend it getting ready for Monday." *SIGH*." It's a sad, lonely existence I lead, really.

#1 - Friday
I would never force you to listen to that horrible "Friday" song by Rebecca Black, but I do offer the option of a link, should you choose to subject yourself to it. Fridays are life-defining for me. I am, for whatever reason, hugely productive at work on Fridays. I enjoy almost every Friday night one way or another. And my standards have fallen so far that I actually thrive on the experience of wearing jeans to work on "Casual Fridays." There is virtually no downside to Fridays, which is why I crown it The Champ among days of the week. For what that's worth.