what happens when i can’t sleep (or List #11).

Tonight is the second night in a row I have been unable to fall asleep. Neither yawn nor eye-rub has passed my way. Not even a quiet whimper.

(While I type this, I periodically look over at my partner…who has been enjoying the benefits of REM sleep for over an hour now…and feel jealous. It’s all good, though: he just mumbled something about muffin pans and chocolate pudding, so I’m sure to have a good laugh in the morning when I tease him about it and he can’t remember a thing).

To be honest, sleeplessness happens to me a lot…well, sometimes. I am somewhat of a night crawler, preferring late nights to early mornings, and mornings and I have had a dysfunctional relationship from the beginning. On most nights I can usually fake it, but not tonight. And not last night, either. I blame the ginko biloba I started taking on Friday.  I thought it would help me stay focused and have less-cranky mornings.  Now, while staying up all night in college almost always guaranteed I would be wide awake when morning happened, after 30 that little trick stopped working so well (in fact, staying up all night in my 30′s has proven to almost always guarantee extreme crankiness and the very real possibility of missing mornings all together).  Oh, the irony.

So, since I can’t sleep, I will plot adventures, instead.

1. Feeding the Wanderlust. I have been feeling anxious to wander. This time around, however, my mind is stuck on Ireland. I just want to go. Now.  Pubs, rolling hills, country towns and the Irish brogue are calling my name. All I can think about is not if, but when and how. (Disclaimer: the last time I felt a similar urge to travel I ended up spending 2 weeks holed up in a tiny bungalow along a fisherman’s beach in the Thai province of Chiang Mai… it was a glorious trip but my initial aim was for Brazil.)
2. Spelunking. Now that the weather has warmed up, I’m planning on hitting a few caves this summer.  I’ve spent a couple hours compiling a spreadsheet of all the national monuments (yes, I bought one of the NM passport books…), categorized by monument type. The Lava Beds in CA and the Oregon Caves look like lots of fun, and getting greater exposure to the west coast is a bonus.  Other caving adventures are being planned…
3. Books…yeah.  The cycle is never ending with this one, I’m afraid.  At the top of my book list this month is The Salmon of Doubt by Doug Adams.  I bought it in 2002 very shortly after it was released but never got around to reading it.  Guns, Germs and Steel is up next after that, possibly The Dresden Files series after that.
4. Movies. I’m planning to check out a few of the outdoor cinema shows this summer.  It combines a couple of my favorite things, evening picnics and films, and I think it’s a great summer tradition to be a part of since it happens all around the world.  Between Denver and Boulder, I will have several chances to see Goonies on the big screen again, as well a few other “oldie but goodies”…that is, if the rain lets up this month sometime.  If not, I’m also looking forward to seeing  The Last Airbender and Predators in the theaters.

Okay.  Seeing how it is going on 2 o’clock in the morning, I believe I am now officially obligated to lie in bed with the lights off and my eyes closed.  I do have to be at work later this morning, after all.  G’night!

On Being Sleep Greedy – Part II

Addendum: So, after writing this entry on Saturday, it turned out that I was coming down with the stomach flu…icky.  I should’ve known, since sleeping for long hours like that is my body’s usual first line of defense when fighting a bug.  By Wednesday night I was terribly ill and left work early, even.  The previous week’s stress didn’t help much either, I’m sure.

I just slept for 13 uninterrupted hours.

This week has been demanding, time wise. I’ve been working longer hours at work, and I had to put my car in the shop – which means getting up extra early in the morning only to arrive extra-late at home in the evenings because I’m riding the bus. In addition to that, I’m preparing a short presentation to the Board of the non-profit I volunteer at, as a statement of my committee’s position on a pressing issue right now. That has meant even later nights due to meetings and planning with a bit of “Dear God, I have to speak in front of important people!” stress added.

On Monday night, I had a couple glasses of my favorite wine when I got home from work, then grabbed my bike and binoculars after dark to go stargazing. That always puts me in a better mood. By Wednesday, however, my energy level had dissolved quite a bit again. Lucky for me, I had dinner plans that night with a good friend who always puts me in a cheerful mood! Thursday turned out to be a late night, due to a meeting, and by Friday morning I knew I’d be keeping it low-key this weekend. I told a friend who asked about my holiday plans that “I only plan to keep to myself”.

But this is a holiday weekend, which means it’s all about being in a crowd. A dear friend invited me to her birthday party some time ago (the party was last night), and despite really wanting to go, I had to call and tell her I wasn’t coming. I would’ve been an unbearable grump, and nobody likes that! I needed to just go home and get much needed sleep, which she completely understood. I’m feeling much better now, although still a bit low-key, so I’ll just have to be extra careful to go with what feels good and say no the rest.

So, what does one do after sleeping for 13 hours? Make buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, of course! Happy Holidays

It’s Over.

The semester is over. Whew. I experienced my first restful, full night of sleep in days on Wednesday night. We’re talking peaceful, solid, deep rest. I’m feelin’ good.

I also feel happy about the feedback I got from a professor I came to really admire during the semester. When I mentioned to him that I considered enrolling in one of his advanced classes next year he told me, “My class always has a seat open for students of your caliber. Please come and fill it.” I was really pleased to hear that.

For right now, I’m off to find other noble pursuits, like practicing on my cello!

On Being Sleep Greedy

With the buzz of the new semester I have been so busy! I knew it would be this way, but I didn’t expect to sacrifice so much sleep in the meantime   Consequently, my procrastinator’s complex has worsened! A spot-on comic came out on PhD this week that made me smile to myself and say “I do that ALL of the time!” But then I thought about it for a few seconds, and saw how vaguely tragic it is…sad, but true. The papers really do help, though. Really.