Posts
Ugh. Desperation.
Winter is the worst time for me. Some people with DSPS say that long summer days cause them to drift, but for me it's the lack of sunlight in the winter that wreaks havoc on my life. My "normal" pattern of sleeping at 1:00 or 2:00 and waking at 9:00 or 10:00 drifts to sleeping at 3:30 or 4:00 and waking as late as 12 or 1:00. These days, I have to set an alarm clock in order to wake up in time for a lunch meeting.
Worse yet, I've been working on a project where morning fieldwork is an absolute necessity, so I've been getting up as early as 5:00 or 6:00 some days. In fact, one day I just didn't bother to sleep at all. By the time the clock hit 4:00, it didn't make any sense to set my alarm clock for 5:15. Why bother? I hoped it would bump my sleep time forward the next day, that I would be so exhausted that I'd crash early, but no such luck. I should know better by now. It's just not that simple.
My greatest fear is for my career. I work for myself now - my former company could no longer employ me full-time once I inconveniently got very sick at a time that was bad for them - so I struck out on my own. I'm sure that early hours for weeks on end had a big part to play in my immune system crashing, but no matter. It crashed, I crashed, and I've spent the last couple of months recovering with herbal therapy and a (mostly) macrobiotic diet. All better now! But I'm done relying on anyone else when it comes to my own health and wellness.
I worked full-time throughout the whole recovery process, and nobody even knew I was that sick until it was over. (Okay, so I slacked on posting here, but something had to give.) I have plenty of work, plenty of clients, and things are going very well. Still, I worry. In addition to early morning fieldwork, crossing time zones is a challenging part of my career and I have to do it regularly. Right now, there is no way around it. Imagine what it's like to have a body that won't fall asleep before 4:00am PST when you have to wake up at 6:00am EST. Do the math. Quite frankly, I don't ever see a viable situation where I can stay in one time zone, keep a stable sleep schedule, and sleep the way my body needs to sleep. That's just not what I do for a living. I travel. It's part of the deal.
And yet, I'm not quite ready to choose between my hard earned career and my health. I keep thinking that there must be a way to have both.
I've always been opposed to long-term melatonin therapy. I hate the thought of having to put something in my body every single day of my life to manipulate its natural processes in order to adjust to artifically constructed social processes. There isn't anything wrong with my sleep pattern. There isn't anything dangerous about it. There isn't anything that hurts me physically when I sleep the way that I am biologically designed to sleep.
But socially? It's devastating. If I don't artifically manipulate my sleep pattern, I could very well lose everything that I have. It doesn't seem right, but it IS. I probably should have become a bartender rather than an ethnographer, but it's too late now. I am what I am.
So it's back to the melatonin. I'm going to have to give it a try again, even though it hasn't worked for me in the past. I've read new information on dosage and timing and I have hope that this time will be different. I'm trying a slightly different dosing schedule. It's only one of a million theories about when you should take it, but hey, it's worth a shot.
I took my first .3mg dose at 7pm tonight, hoping to adjust my sleep pattern back to 1:00 or 2:00am. That's still a rough schedule for work, but I know that expecting an adjustment of more than a couple of hours is setting the bar too high. I'll be happy with what I can get for now. We'll see. If it does work, I will have to take it religiously every day. Circadian rhythm disorders are notoriously hard to manage, and slipping off any program that seems to be working - even for one day - tends to send you all the way back to the beginning. Your body wants to do what it's designed to do, and it will fight to get back to "normal."
I'm so tired of fighting it back. I really am. :-(
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
When CoffeeBots Turn Evil
Yes folks, it really is different when they're your own.
BBBRRRRWWWRRRRRGGGGRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
I know that sound. I know it well.
It's a coffee grinder. I know that sound. I love that sound! I am not expecting that sound right next to my head jolting me out of a deep sleep at 6:10 in the morning. When the confusion clears, I realize that it's my newest neighbor and my latest alarm clock, like it or not. Trumps the Superman alarm by a couple of hours.
I've mentioned before that I live in a strangely shaped vintage building that's been remodeled to make the back part of my unit into a separate studio apartment. My bedroom is shaped in a way that the only place to put a bed larger than a twin is with the head of it right up against the studio's tiny kitchen. Yes, there's technically a wall in between my head and her sink, but you wouldn't know it with your eyes closed. I sleep in a kitchen, basically. I can hear glasses clinking, microwaves beeping, water running, and cabinet drawers sliding.
And I can hear the Evil CoffeeBot grinding at the crack of dawn.
Now, I understand her dilemma. Grinder Woman is not a morning person either, and she has a "normal" job. She needs her CoffeeBot. I would too! She also understands my dilemma. Being jolted awake from deep sleep hours before my body is ready to wake up does not make me A Happy Neighbor.
What to do?
She gave it her best shot. The day after I banged on the wall with my heaviest wooden Steve Madden sandal, I woke up to a more muffled Grinding of the Beans. She took the CoffeeBot into the other room, put it on the carpet, and smothered it with a pillow. Valiant effort, for sure!
Honestly, I was happy with that effort even though it still woke me up. It wasn't so jarring that I couldn't fall back asleep. It was a decent compromise. But when she apologized and asked me if I could still hear it, I was honest. I hate to deprive anyone of freshly ground coffee at an hour that I don't believe anybody should have to be awake. But even though misery loves company, please don't take me down with you!
I think she's pre-grinding at a decent hour now. Which, by the way, is what I do if I have to get up early. If I forget to pre-set the coffeemaker, I just make it a point to stop at Mr. Coffee's Fine Gourmet Coffee Shop (aka: Polly's Coffee) and get my fix. It's stronger there, anyway.
I love my CoffeeBot. I hate yours. That's just the way it is.
BBBRRRRWWWRRRRRGGGGRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
I know that sound. I know it well.
It's a coffee grinder. I know that sound. I love that sound! I am not expecting that sound right next to my head jolting me out of a deep sleep at 6:10 in the morning. When the confusion clears, I realize that it's my newest neighbor and my latest alarm clock, like it or not. Trumps the Superman alarm by a couple of hours.
I've mentioned before that I live in a strangely shaped vintage building that's been remodeled to make the back part of my unit into a separate studio apartment. My bedroom is shaped in a way that the only place to put a bed larger than a twin is with the head of it right up against the studio's tiny kitchen. Yes, there's technically a wall in between my head and her sink, but you wouldn't know it with your eyes closed. I sleep in a kitchen, basically. I can hear glasses clinking, microwaves beeping, water running, and cabinet drawers sliding.
And I can hear the Evil CoffeeBot grinding at the crack of dawn.
Now, I understand her dilemma. Grinder Woman is not a morning person either, and she has a "normal" job. She needs her CoffeeBot. I would too! She also understands my dilemma. Being jolted awake from deep sleep hours before my body is ready to wake up does not make me A Happy Neighbor.
What to do?
She gave it her best shot. The day after I banged on the wall with my heaviest wooden Steve Madden sandal, I woke up to a more muffled Grinding of the Beans. She took the CoffeeBot into the other room, put it on the carpet, and smothered it with a pillow. Valiant effort, for sure!
Honestly, I was happy with that effort even though it still woke me up. It wasn't so jarring that I couldn't fall back asleep. It was a decent compromise. But when she apologized and asked me if I could still hear it, I was honest. I hate to deprive anyone of freshly ground coffee at an hour that I don't believe anybody should have to be awake. But even though misery loves company, please don't take me down with you!
I think she's pre-grinding at a decent hour now. Which, by the way, is what I do if I have to get up early. If I forget to pre-set the coffeemaker, I just make it a point to stop at Mr. Coffee's Fine Gourmet Coffee Shop (aka: Polly's Coffee) and get my fix. It's stronger there, anyway.
I love my CoffeeBot. I hate yours. That's just the way it is.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Four Days
Four days.
That's how long it took my body to revert back to a delayed sleep phase after forcing it into a crack-of-dawn schedule for exactly 30 days. It's also how long it took for me to feel halfway human again, rather than like a truck ran me over, backed up over my unconscious body, then ran me over again. It's been a rough month.
It's clear now that it's impossible to write about what it's like to live on a lark schedule while I'm actually on it, because I'm simply too exhausted to write. I honestly thought I was joking when I said that maybe I'd sleep again mid-November - but I was pretty close.
I actually was able to start sleeping on my own schedule again the night of Sunday, November 2. Here's how the previous 30 days went:
3 days of getting up early to meet an insane work deadline
3 days of getting up early for flights and work meetings
1 day of getting up early to get the bazillion things done that I had to do (both work and personal) in the 24 hours I had at home before catching a flight to Lima
16 days of getting up early (or not sleeping at all - more on that later) in Peru
3 days of getting up early for marathon fieldwork, trying to squeeze a week's worth of it into the three and a half days they actually gave me to do it
4 days of getting up early for filmmaking bootcamp in Santa Barbara
Then FINALLY - a day when I didn't have any early-morning obligations!!! Bliss!!!! But it took a while for my body to catch up.
The first night, I fell asleep at 8:30pm. I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I woke up at 7:45am, but I was still really, really tired.
The second night, I fell asleep around 9:30pm and slept until about 8:30am. Still exhausted. Despite the long hours I'd been sleeping, it was clear that I still hadn't made a dent in the sleep deficit I'd built up over the last 30 days.
The third night, I fell asleep around 9:30 again, and slept until 9:15am. Dragged myself through the day.
The fourth night, things were starting to shift a little. Still, at 10:30pm I crashed hard until I woke up at 9:30am.
But the fifth night? I felt great! I have a lot of work to catch up on from being gone, and I was cranking it out until 11:30pm before I even looked at the clock. I didn't fall asleep until 1:00am, and for the first time in a month, I actually had tons of energy. I woke up at 9:20 this morning, ready to go.
The strange thing is that during that 30 days, there were plenty of nights that I got more than 8 hours of sleep (although there were a few nights with little to no sleep as well). Still, it didn't seem to matter how many hours I slept - if it wasn't at the "right" time for my body, I felt like I hadn't slept at all. And no matter what, I was never, ever, not even once, able to wake up at the designated daybreak hour without an alarm clock or wake-up call. Well, wake-up call may not be exactly the right word. "Wake-up yell at my tent door" or "wake-up pounding on the hostel wall" is more like it. You get the idea.
The thing is, my body just does not adjust. It's not a matter of getting used to going to bed early and waking up early, because rather than getting easier to do, it got harder as time went on.
Right now, I'm rejoicing in my return to "normality," as abnormal as it may be to other people. But it won't last long...I have 11 days of early morning fieldwork, travel, and meetings coming up starting Nov 16. So I'm going to enjoy my 8 days working from home on my own schedule, and try to forget that soon I won't be able to sleep again until Thanksgiving. It never ends. I'll always be out-of-sync.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be writing more about my sleepwalking...uh, I mean travels in Peru and posting some photos and maybe some video. Some entries will be more sleep-related than others, but it's all cool stuff!
Here's a hint of things to come - me, two days walk from the nearest village. Yes, I think I am insane. But was it worth the sleep deprivation?? You betcha! Every bit of it. :-)
That's how long it took my body to revert back to a delayed sleep phase after forcing it into a crack-of-dawn schedule for exactly 30 days. It's also how long it took for me to feel halfway human again, rather than like a truck ran me over, backed up over my unconscious body, then ran me over again. It's been a rough month.
It's clear now that it's impossible to write about what it's like to live on a lark schedule while I'm actually on it, because I'm simply too exhausted to write. I honestly thought I was joking when I said that maybe I'd sleep again mid-November - but I was pretty close.
I actually was able to start sleeping on my own schedule again the night of Sunday, November 2. Here's how the previous 30 days went:
3 days of getting up early to meet an insane work deadline
3 days of getting up early for flights and work meetings
1 day of getting up early to get the bazillion things done that I had to do (both work and personal) in the 24 hours I had at home before catching a flight to Lima
16 days of getting up early (or not sleeping at all - more on that later) in Peru
3 days of getting up early for marathon fieldwork, trying to squeeze a week's worth of it into the three and a half days they actually gave me to do it
4 days of getting up early for filmmaking bootcamp in Santa Barbara
Then FINALLY - a day when I didn't have any early-morning obligations!!! Bliss!!!! But it took a while for my body to catch up.
The first night, I fell asleep at 8:30pm. I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I woke up at 7:45am, but I was still really, really tired.
The second night, I fell asleep around 9:30pm and slept until about 8:30am. Still exhausted. Despite the long hours I'd been sleeping, it was clear that I still hadn't made a dent in the sleep deficit I'd built up over the last 30 days.
The third night, I fell asleep around 9:30 again, and slept until 9:15am. Dragged myself through the day.
The fourth night, things were starting to shift a little. Still, at 10:30pm I crashed hard until I woke up at 9:30am.
But the fifth night? I felt great! I have a lot of work to catch up on from being gone, and I was cranking it out until 11:30pm before I even looked at the clock. I didn't fall asleep until 1:00am, and for the first time in a month, I actually had tons of energy. I woke up at 9:20 this morning, ready to go.
The strange thing is that during that 30 days, there were plenty of nights that I got more than 8 hours of sleep (although there were a few nights with little to no sleep as well). Still, it didn't seem to matter how many hours I slept - if it wasn't at the "right" time for my body, I felt like I hadn't slept at all. And no matter what, I was never, ever, not even once, able to wake up at the designated daybreak hour without an alarm clock or wake-up call. Well, wake-up call may not be exactly the right word. "Wake-up yell at my tent door" or "wake-up pounding on the hostel wall" is more like it. You get the idea.
The thing is, my body just does not adjust. It's not a matter of getting used to going to bed early and waking up early, because rather than getting easier to do, it got harder as time went on.
Right now, I'm rejoicing in my return to "normality," as abnormal as it may be to other people. But it won't last long...I have 11 days of early morning fieldwork, travel, and meetings coming up starting Nov 16. So I'm going to enjoy my 8 days working from home on my own schedule, and try to forget that soon I won't be able to sleep again until Thanksgiving. It never ends. I'll always be out-of-sync.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be writing more about my sleepwalking...uh, I mean travels in Peru and posting some photos and maybe some video. Some entries will be more sleep-related than others, but it's all cool stuff!
Here's a hint of things to come - me, two days walk from the nearest village. Yes, I think I am insane. But was it worth the sleep deprivation?? You betcha! Every bit of it. :-)
Friday, October 10, 2008
Off and Running!
And trekking and cycling and kayaking...in Peru!
These last couple weeks of getting ready to leave have been really difficult and exhausting. I just got back from working in Kansas City and I tried to get on a time schedule that was closer to Peru's time zone while I was there, but it didn't work at all. In fact, it was worse than usual and I didn't get to sleep before 4:00am for even one single night. As you can imagine, waking up at 7:30am central time was a nightmare.
I was hoping to start the trip well-rested but that's just not going to happen. I won't be able to crash and burn when I get back either - it's straight back into the field the very day I land on US soil, then a few days later it's off to film school boot camp for 12 hours a day.
Maybe I can sleep mid-November...?
For now, I'm off to the Andes! Other than the sleep deprivation, I feel ready. I stuck my laptop in my backpack today and walked down to 2nd Street to work. I had to stop a couple blocks away from my house and check my stuff - my backpack felt too light and I was afraid I'd left my computer at home! But no!!!! Not only was my computer there, but so was my copy of Gayle Greene's book Insomniac. If you've read it, you know it's about three inches thick. So yeah, I think I'm ready to climb a mountain. Training with a full pack seems to have done the job. :-)
I probably won't be writing until I get back, since I won't even have electricity much of the time. So for now, wish me luck and I'll see you in November!
These last couple weeks of getting ready to leave have been really difficult and exhausting. I just got back from working in Kansas City and I tried to get on a time schedule that was closer to Peru's time zone while I was there, but it didn't work at all. In fact, it was worse than usual and I didn't get to sleep before 4:00am for even one single night. As you can imagine, waking up at 7:30am central time was a nightmare.
I was hoping to start the trip well-rested but that's just not going to happen. I won't be able to crash and burn when I get back either - it's straight back into the field the very day I land on US soil, then a few days later it's off to film school boot camp for 12 hours a day.
Maybe I can sleep mid-November...?
For now, I'm off to the Andes! Other than the sleep deprivation, I feel ready. I stuck my laptop in my backpack today and walked down to 2nd Street to work. I had to stop a couple blocks away from my house and check my stuff - my backpack felt too light and I was afraid I'd left my computer at home! But no!!!! Not only was my computer there, but so was my copy of Gayle Greene's book Insomniac. If you've read it, you know it's about three inches thick. So yeah, I think I'm ready to climb a mountain. Training with a full pack seems to have done the job. :-)
I probably won't be writing until I get back, since I won't even have electricity much of the time. So for now, wish me luck and I'll see you in November!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Not-So-SuperNanny
Note to Superman's Nanny: When he's throwing a full-on meltdown temper tantrum bright and early in the morning, right in front of my bedroom windows, it's probably not an effective technique to just stand there and repeat, "You need to be quiet, the woman who lives right there is working," over and over and over.
You might want to actually do something. Like move somewhere private. Comfort him. Give him a time out. I don't know what, but something other than making someone else the bad guy and being completely ineffectual.
That is all.
You might want to actually do something. Like move somewhere private. Comfort him. Give him a time out. I don't know what, but something other than making someone else the bad guy and being completely ineffectual.
That is all.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Deadlines and Drifting
I feel like a total flake.
I missed the used gear sale at REI today. And the E-Waste drop. And my conditioning hike. And going out with a friend tonight. (Sorry!! I swear I will NOT flake on you for the whale watching cruise tomorrow. Swear!!!!)
For some reason, deadlines make me drift. When I have a ton of work to do, I find myself staying awake later and later and later just to get it done, just because I can. Like right now. It's 1:00am. I'm taking a break from work to write this and try to decide...do I push through and finish the piece I'm working on today? I only have about two more hours of work on it, then I can move on to the next thing tomorrow. I could easily stay up and finish it tonight. Easy. Or I can try to wind down over the next hour, do some meditation, some reading, some aromatherapy. And maybe get to sleep by 2:00. Or 2:30. Honestly, I don't know. I'm not the least bit tired yet.
Sometimes there's no particular reason for the drift. This time, it's my own fault. I have a lot of work to do, on a virtually impossible deadline. That's nothing new. That's my job. It's fast-paced and unpredictable, but I would rather push deadlines constantly than sit in a cubicle all day or attend meetings about meetings about meetings. I like being super-busy and I really like the analysis phase of a project, even though it's the most tedious, time-consuming part. Sick, I know. But true.
The problem is that the analysis phase is when my mind really starts to click. I get in The Zone, where time flies and I don't even realize it's passing. It's where all the years of education, all the books I've ever read, all the theory I've ever learned, and all the data that I've collected over the last month have to come together in my head and emerge as something that not only makes sense, but is interesting and useful for my client. It's the real work, and I love it.
That sounds like a good thing, but for me it's really not. Because when I get in The Zone, I ignore the clock. I work on my body's time, when it feels right and when my mind is the sharpest. I'll work for hours and think only one went by. Tonight, I went to the bookstore to work for a couple of hours - and was there for six and a half. I had a pumpkin spice latte for dinner. I literally forgot to eat real food. I thought I had plenty of time and then Poof! It was midnight. The cafe started shutting down around me and I felt like Cinderella, shocked that the clock was already announcing my forced return to reality.
I could work all night if I didn't force myself to stop. I'm kind of faking myself out right now. I've stopped working, but I'm still working on this. I'm hoping my brain will start to wind down so I can get some sleep. When I drift later at night, I also drift later in the morning. This, of course, is the real problem.
That's why I missed everything I had scheduled today. I knew I had to get in at least 10 hours of work on top of all that, which meant that I had to get up early AND stay up late to fit it all in. I didn't get up early. I didn't wake up until 11:30am after working really late last night. By then, I'd missed Plans 1 through 3. Looking at the time and assessing the amount of work I had to get done, I realized I'd also be missing Plan 4.
The good news is that I got a lot of work done today, and I may still get more accomplished before the night is over. The bad news is that I have no idea what time I'll get to sleep, or what time I'll wake up tomorrow. That could be a problem, since I have some serious non-negotiable, non-flakeable plans that I absolutely cannot miss. A boat is leaving the dock and I absolutely must be on it when it does, in order to prove that I can, in fact, commit to something. (Yeah, not my strong point without the DSPS, I know.)
For once, I'm actually hoping the Superman Alarm Clock is set bright and early. Maybe he'll break out the drum set? Please?? But just this once.
I missed the used gear sale at REI today. And the E-Waste drop. And my conditioning hike. And going out with a friend tonight. (Sorry!! I swear I will NOT flake on you for the whale watching cruise tomorrow. Swear!!!!)
For some reason, deadlines make me drift. When I have a ton of work to do, I find myself staying awake later and later and later just to get it done, just because I can. Like right now. It's 1:00am. I'm taking a break from work to write this and try to decide...do I push through and finish the piece I'm working on today? I only have about two more hours of work on it, then I can move on to the next thing tomorrow. I could easily stay up and finish it tonight. Easy. Or I can try to wind down over the next hour, do some meditation, some reading, some aromatherapy. And maybe get to sleep by 2:00. Or 2:30. Honestly, I don't know. I'm not the least bit tired yet.
Sometimes there's no particular reason for the drift. This time, it's my own fault. I have a lot of work to do, on a virtually impossible deadline. That's nothing new. That's my job. It's fast-paced and unpredictable, but I would rather push deadlines constantly than sit in a cubicle all day or attend meetings about meetings about meetings. I like being super-busy and I really like the analysis phase of a project, even though it's the most tedious, time-consuming part. Sick, I know. But true.
The problem is that the analysis phase is when my mind really starts to click. I get in The Zone, where time flies and I don't even realize it's passing. It's where all the years of education, all the books I've ever read, all the theory I've ever learned, and all the data that I've collected over the last month have to come together in my head and emerge as something that not only makes sense, but is interesting and useful for my client. It's the real work, and I love it.
That sounds like a good thing, but for me it's really not. Because when I get in The Zone, I ignore the clock. I work on my body's time, when it feels right and when my mind is the sharpest. I'll work for hours and think only one went by. Tonight, I went to the bookstore to work for a couple of hours - and was there for six and a half. I had a pumpkin spice latte for dinner. I literally forgot to eat real food. I thought I had plenty of time and then Poof! It was midnight. The cafe started shutting down around me and I felt like Cinderella, shocked that the clock was already announcing my forced return to reality.
I could work all night if I didn't force myself to stop. I'm kind of faking myself out right now. I've stopped working, but I'm still working on this. I'm hoping my brain will start to wind down so I can get some sleep. When I drift later at night, I also drift later in the morning. This, of course, is the real problem.
That's why I missed everything I had scheduled today. I knew I had to get in at least 10 hours of work on top of all that, which meant that I had to get up early AND stay up late to fit it all in. I didn't get up early. I didn't wake up until 11:30am after working really late last night. By then, I'd missed Plans 1 through 3. Looking at the time and assessing the amount of work I had to get done, I realized I'd also be missing Plan 4.
The good news is that I got a lot of work done today, and I may still get more accomplished before the night is over. The bad news is that I have no idea what time I'll get to sleep, or what time I'll wake up tomorrow. That could be a problem, since I have some serious non-negotiable, non-flakeable plans that I absolutely cannot miss. A boat is leaving the dock and I absolutely must be on it when it does, in order to prove that I can, in fact, commit to something. (Yeah, not my strong point without the DSPS, I know.)
For once, I'm actually hoping the Superman Alarm Clock is set bright and early. Maybe he'll break out the drum set? Please?? But just this once.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Superman Has Left The Building!
It's Saturday morning and the sun is shining into my bedroom window. I wake up, feeling pretty good. I glance at the clock - double-take!! It's 10:30am.
I don't know if Superman's suddenly learned how to be quiet, if he's gone for the weekend, or if I was finally so exhausted that I just slept right through the morning chaos. Doesn't matter - I slept!!!!
Of course, I have to leave in an hour and a half for a friend's baby shower, then go straight from that to another friend's 40th birthday party. I have a million things to do like pick up the champagne, sign the cards, and pack for my big hike the next day. I'm so used to having an automatic Superman alarm clock that I didn't bother to set one - and now it seems inevitable that I'll be late, as usual.
Sure enough, it's 12:45 before I make it out the door - and there's traffic. I figure it's not too bad to arrive almost an hour late to a baby shower...until I walk in and find that it's an extremely formal sit-down affair, complete with table service and china. I thought I'd be missing some silly game that involved diapers and toilet paper, but what I really missed was foofy sandwiches and a chance to actually TALK to my pregnant friend. Ah well. Onward.
At least I wasn't late to the 40th birthday party - which ROCKED! It was another formal affair, with wine tasting, Italian caterers and live music. No, that's not just bad grammar. Yes, the food was Italian too. But the caterers were the highlight of the evening in my book! Hey, I've been so busy at work that I forgot to bring my own hot date and my friend's hot firefighter husband was at work saving cats from trees or something, so at least the two of us had something to admire from afar.
Parties are the awesome end of the delayed sleep phase spectrum. People started crashing around 1:30am or so, but I was wide awake (and relatively sober) and was able to get some meditation and reading in before I hit the guest bedroom around 2:45am. Perfect timing for me! I had yet another blissful full night's sleep and was ready to haul my partied-out self up a mountain the next day.
Which I did. 12 miles worth of mountain, on about 400 calories. I kinda forgot to eat anything but a hard boiled egg, a few slices of apple, and a smashed-up, melted chocolate Power Bar that I dug out of the bottom of my backpack halfway through the hike. Oops.
I got home around 6:00pm, did a few restorative yoga poses...and fell asleep on the couch at 9:00!!!!!!! When I opened my eyes again, it was 11:30. I dragged myself to bed and...laid there. I was totally exhausted, but my body seems to have treated my early crash-out as a late-afternoon nap. It wasn't about to go back to sleep until my normal time. Just like I expected, I finally fell back asleep around 1:30. Ahh!!
Which brings me to this morning. I opened my eyes to find the sun in a rather high position again. Looked at the clock. 10:30!!!! Another Superhero-less morning!!!!!!!
Wherever he is, I hope he stays there. I think my sleep-debt is just about paid off. Now if only I could do something about that school debt...
I don't know if Superman's suddenly learned how to be quiet, if he's gone for the weekend, or if I was finally so exhausted that I just slept right through the morning chaos. Doesn't matter - I slept!!!!
Of course, I have to leave in an hour and a half for a friend's baby shower, then go straight from that to another friend's 40th birthday party. I have a million things to do like pick up the champagne, sign the cards, and pack for my big hike the next day. I'm so used to having an automatic Superman alarm clock that I didn't bother to set one - and now it seems inevitable that I'll be late, as usual.
Sure enough, it's 12:45 before I make it out the door - and there's traffic. I figure it's not too bad to arrive almost an hour late to a baby shower...until I walk in and find that it's an extremely formal sit-down affair, complete with table service and china. I thought I'd be missing some silly game that involved diapers and toilet paper, but what I really missed was foofy sandwiches and a chance to actually TALK to my pregnant friend. Ah well. Onward.
At least I wasn't late to the 40th birthday party - which ROCKED! It was another formal affair, with wine tasting, Italian caterers and live music. No, that's not just bad grammar. Yes, the food was Italian too. But the caterers were the highlight of the evening in my book! Hey, I've been so busy at work that I forgot to bring my own hot date and my friend's hot firefighter husband was at work saving cats from trees or something, so at least the two of us had something to admire from afar.
Parties are the awesome end of the delayed sleep phase spectrum. People started crashing around 1:30am or so, but I was wide awake (and relatively sober) and was able to get some meditation and reading in before I hit the guest bedroom around 2:45am. Perfect timing for me! I had yet another blissful full night's sleep and was ready to haul my partied-out self up a mountain the next day.
Which I did. 12 miles worth of mountain, on about 400 calories. I kinda forgot to eat anything but a hard boiled egg, a few slices of apple, and a smashed-up, melted chocolate Power Bar that I dug out of the bottom of my backpack halfway through the hike. Oops.
I got home around 6:00pm, did a few restorative yoga poses...and fell asleep on the couch at 9:00!!!!!!! When I opened my eyes again, it was 11:30. I dragged myself to bed and...laid there. I was totally exhausted, but my body seems to have treated my early crash-out as a late-afternoon nap. It wasn't about to go back to sleep until my normal time. Just like I expected, I finally fell back asleep around 1:30. Ahh!!
Which brings me to this morning. I opened my eyes to find the sun in a rather high position again. Looked at the clock. 10:30!!!! Another Superhero-less morning!!!!!!!
Wherever he is, I hope he stays there. I think my sleep-debt is just about paid off. Now if only I could do something about that school debt...
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