How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #1
I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard by mistake […] (1)
This is the start of it all. The funny thing is, the very first thing that "happens to" Alexander is a direct result of his own irresponsibility: going to bed with gum in his mouth, not to mention all the junk he's left on the floor. But don't say that to Alexander. It'll make things much worse.
Quote #2
[…] but in my breakfast cereal box all I found was breakfast cereal
In the context of the bad day, even totally ordinary things are no good and very bad. The cereal box toy is special—a seemingly once-in-a-lifetime (or just once-in-a-week-or-so) treat. So even though the odds were not in his favor, Alexander feels totally ripped off.