The other day my friend Alana wrote, “I hate daytime TV.” I assume that nighttime TV, on the other hand, is just jake with Alana. And, although I confess a fondness for afternoon “Law and Order” reruns or one of the better cooking programs (when choosing, observe the Cleavage Rule: the deeper the plunge, the better the show — think Giada and Nigella), I do understand the implication that when it comes to entertainment choices, timing is essential.

For example, I’ve long maintained that listening to blues music in the morning is just plain wrong. And Thrashcore on a Saturday morning is only okay if you’re still listening to it from the night before. On the other hand, Sunday morning and jazz go to together like cinnamon rolls and cream cheese frosting.

Theatre has its appropriateness as well. Yes, you may attend a Sunday afternoon matinee of a sappy, cheerful musical; do not spend that time watching a three-act drama. I can imagine myself leaving the City at 5 pm comfort-humming a Rodgers and Hammerstein tune; I do not want to be driving home late in the weekend with dialog from “12 Angry Men” echoing in my mind. Get the picture?

Days of the week matter immensely: Monday is just begging for good old-fashioned 1960s British invastion tunes, but I can’t hear the really interesting genres (rock sureño, anyone? that’s 1970s rock from Andalusia with Flamenco influences) until later in the week — say Thursday. Classical music is appropriate seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and is probably the only category which knows no boundaries. Of course, that’s truer of Beethoven than it is of Faure, and don’t ask me to explain.

As I write this, my husband is making Chicken Corn Chowder while cranking out Creedence Clearwater and that raises another appropriateness issue. Certain music goes better with certain activities. Cooking and rock and reggae, yes; cooking and country and Christmas carols, no.

And remember — no time and no activity is perfect for pop music, unless of course it’s pop melayu (Malay pop music with dangdut overlay), pop mop (Mongolian), or pop sunda (Sundanese mixture of gamelan degung and pop music structures). And those are best played very softly at 3 a.m. And listened to only with very good friends, trust me.