In her micro-mini interstitial, Jennifer Neeley seizes the moment to tackle that behemoth, Father Time.

She wonders about "over-employed" workaholics caught up in a rat race, with not enough time to spend with their families. She worries about "under-employed" wastrels who have too much time on their hands and not enough bread on their plates. She uses sound effects sparely but effectively: a xylophone ticking off seven seconds, a commuter train traveling the rails, a toddler emitting a Norman Rockwell giggle.

She doesn't discuss how the term Carpe Diem derives from love poetry in classical antiquity as a solution to the eternal problem of Tempus Fugit. Neither does she pay attention to describing her prototypically rich and poor people in vivid, specific detail.

Despite not being able to rise above platitudinous sentences like "But many live lives that feel increasingly devoid of meaning, as their daily routines are not rewarded with the almighty dollar," "Carpe Diem Today?" bravely broaches its huge subject -- and is blessedly brief.