Brian moans and slaps at his smart phone, squeezing the button that mutes his alarm. He’d had a restless night punctuated by dreams he can’t remember. “Still three more days till the weekend,” he groans to himself as he pulls on his jeans and shuffles sullenly to the bathroom.

Robbie silences his alarm and gazes blearily at the screen of his smart phone. Last night’s thunderstorm had woken him several times. The numbers 6:38 swim into focus. “Crud!” he thinks, “I must have snoozed it without waking up all the way!” And then he adds, “Interesting talent. But probably not one I want to develop,” with an irresistible smile. That bit of hilarity clears the fog from his brain like fall sunshine on a misty lake. He hums to himself as he steps into the shower. “Hump day. It’s all downhill from here,” he thinks.

[The plan is to continue like this, comparing the responses of each young man to his experiences, possibly through the rest of the week.]