This Is This

Sleep is a funny thing with me. With me, the most simple things are often the least straightforward.

Over the last two months I have not been getting much sleep, going to be at about one am and waking up my normal time at six ten and that’s not enough for even me - I generally need about six hours.

I can get by on about four one day a week, so long as I’m putting in my normal six, but five hours night after night isn’t doing me or anyone any favours.

It’s not that I can’t sleep. I am great at sleeping. I can fall asleep straight away in single figure minutes, not even aware of the process. I can also nap like a hero. If I have a twenty minute tube journey, I can take a deep nap for fifteen of those and wake up naturally at the end of that time, at will and feeling refreshed. And if I’m in a car, you can add another four and a half minutes on to that. My dad has said I’m the worst travelling companion on a road trip, because I can sleep the whole way. I think it’s the movement. I can fall asleep in a ski-lift, boat, plane, anything. In fact, I can sleep pretty well all night in just a chair.

If I want to.

And that’s the thing. Something goes off in my head when the house goes quiet because that’s the only time I’ve had on my own in sixteen hours. So I’ll read, write, play an instrument, watch some TV, do some housework, play around on the computer - anything. And I’ll do it right through until the next morning.

Last night - sending emails and listening to podcasts; the night before - reading blogs; the night before - reading about the facts of the Jamie Bulger killing and then looking at maps when I discovered he was killed a few hundred yards from where my dad lived; night before that - googling everything I could about the 1980 USA Olympic team and their Miracle On Ice victory over the Russians (including a biography on the coach, youtube video highlights and where-are-they-now reports of the players); night before that - reading scanned in letters home from soldiers for their accounts of the battle of Gettysburg; night before that - making a video post for this site.

The list goes back, but that’s what I’ve been doing. I think the problem with the internet at least is that I like learning about stuff there’s no end to the tangents.

Please, please don’t say: “You should sleep more,” because I know it. By saying that, you’re also saying: “You shouldn’t be interested in feeding your interests or watching things on TV only you find funny or wanting to become a better mandolin player or staying in touch with people”, because I am. That’s me.

But I really should sleep more, because I am getting irritable. The man in the seat in front has been doing these little coughs the whole time I have been writing this post and it’s driving me nuts. Just small coughs, but really LOUD. It’s like his coughing is linked to his vocal chords, and the more noise he makes the more effective the cough, and I don’t want to think about it. HMMM! HRMPH!!!!! MMF!!! Not only is it fucking annoying, but my ears actually hurt from it. People like him are why I should sleep more.

Any suggestion for me wanting to change my character traits are greatly appreciated. I know that likeminded people and bloggers read this site and wondered if any of you out there in blogland had the same problem.

Also on This Is This
Pink. But not when you pronounce it “PING’k” like everyone else. Say it like its spelt: “piN-k” so you can hear the N. Try it - it will make you happy.
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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 29th, 2007 at 8:56 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed, or you can skip to the end and leave a comment yourself.