The power of sleep

I am a night owl. I usually can't fall asleep before 12 most nights. And I like to get up early, just so I can take a nap later. But I don't always get a chance to nap. Ergo, I am often very tired.

Lately, though, the stomach department has been not performing up to standards, and I've been feeling more tired than usual, so I've been getting adequate sleep (not more sleep. Just the minimum).

Here's the fun part: I have been getting so much done!

Normally on any given Sunday, I go grocery shopping, and go to the library. I will probably cook, and may or may not do the dishes.

Today, I rolled out of bed at 7am, got dressed, and biked to the farmers market, then to the grocery store and then home. I ate breakfast and read the paper after I showered. I installed the air conditioning unit in my window. I started a batch of cold press coffee. I brushed the cat. I took a short nap.

Then I ate lunch! Normally, I nap til 11 before I even leave the house. I read a book for a couple hours, then headed to the library. I watched a movie, and ripped the CDs from the library onto my computer. It was too hot to cook, so I ordered Indian takeout using a groupon for a restaurant near my house. I wrote a note for my state senator. I made a fresh batch of soymilk.

I didn't need to do any dishes because I did them last night before I went to bed!

What is wrong with me? Maybe I should go to bed at 10 every night? I'll see if I can keep it up.

Sleep

I fell asleep last night at 9:30 on the couch. I woke up at 5:30 am, and slept more until 8:30.

Then, I thought to myself "I'l have the whole day ahead of me to do everything! No way I can go back to sleep after this!"

Well, a tasty breakfast later and some Sunday morning internet browsing later, I took a nap from 11:30-3:30.

At this point, I actually left the house to go get groceries and make dinner and everything.

"Wow, I am going to get so much done today. I won't be able to sleep a wink! I'll have so much energy, I'll probably end up cleaning all night."

Nope. I'm tired enough to sleep already, and it's not even 11pm.

It's amazing how tired one can be when the only thing one has to do is clean.

This couch is amazing.

Fleghhhh

Flegh is the best way to express how tired I am. I'm not a "mmm... time to relax." or a "effff I just wanna sleep!" I am in between the two. I feel slightly drunk from exhaustion, but also fairly crabby.

It was a long hard day, and I want to let my fellow movers know that I really appreciate their help today!

I got enough unpacked that I will survive through tomorrow when I can spend more time unpacking, and I've got my furniture situated in my room. The living rooms and kitchen, not so much yet, but I tried. I really did.

Anyway, bed. Sleepstime, please!

It is 5am...

And you are lisssstening to Los Angeles.

It's actually 4:45am, but that just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Why am I up at 4:45 am? I am going canoeing. We probably won't start canoeing until after11, but I have to get from my apartment in Northfield to my aunt's house in Roseville first. Considering public transportation and walking are my sources of transportation today, it then makes sense that I need to get up at 4am. Yay public transit!

Anyway, I'm not exactly dressed for the weather, but here's hoping it's warmer outside than they're predicting. It's bad decisions and lack of forethought like this that make me feel like a teenager again.

We are all in some way or another going to Ricida, someday, to die.

What a Weekend!

Pride. Little sleep. Work. More work.

While staying at the 90s until 2:30am on Saturday when I had to work from 10-6 on Sunday probably wasn't the best idea, I had such a good time that it was worth the lack of sleep today.

The 9 miles I walked this weekend didn't help.

Anywho, bedtime. I am exhausted.

I love Pride.

I tried not to nap.

So, to start, I had a party at my apartment last night for SANRA (St. Olaf Society for Atheism, Non-Religion and Agnosticism). Ergo, this morning, I was slightly hung over, really tired (about 6 hours of sleep) and had a living room full of sleeping people. So, I read the paper and chatted til they left around 11, then I make some chocolate chip pancakes and played farmville.

Then, I woke up at 4pm. What happened? Food coma + lack of sleep + warm sunshine + feelin' crummy = uncontrollable sleep.

So now it's 1:30am. I can't sleep. Good times. lol.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes (serves 3)
1 cup all-purpose wheat flour
2 T sugar
1 T Baking Powder
1 egg
3/4 cups soy milk
2 T canola oil
A few T of chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Heat up skillet on low. Put 1/4 cup of batter on skillet, and sprinkle some chocolate chips on it. When bubble start to appear in the center, flip over and cook til golden brown. Serve with Organic Maple Syrup and black tea.

Jetlag!

Wow. It's 9:20pm. I am just nodding off at this point. I have been on a 9-to-9 sleep schedule. It's really really weird. I suppose it'll get better a few days out, but I have been unable to sleep past 9, and unable to stay awake past 9. This is unusual for me. So much so that I am not making sense. Well, I am making sense, but I am being redundant. Goody.

Anyway, watching the Grammys at the moment. I think pop music is finally back. Mainstream music sucked this past decade, imo. I mean, there were good bands and good albums obviously, but there were a lot of bad bands and bad albums too. I think the bad ones are finally weeded out. That nasty spell of pop-punk is mostly over, and the ultra-patriotic cowboy country is pretty much over and now the music industry has improved. Now we have good dance music with the new gay icon Lady Gaga. Granted there are a lot of bad popular songs still out (Miley Cyrus, for example) but no more Hillary Duff or Fall Out Boy.

Anyway, my uninformed, half-thought out music rant is over. I assume people disagree, but ah well. It's my blog. I can post all the half-formed illogical opinions I want! So there!

I just want you to know that I am really excited for Tuesday. Not only can I caucus quickly, but it's the premiere of season 6 of LOST! Also, I get my new boxes of contacts so I don't have to wear glasses all the time. Kick ass! Yea! Whoo! Tuesday will rock!

I think I'm going to bed. It's 9:40pm/4:40am so........ I'm tired. I will close with a short list of things I missed while in Europe:

Bitter MN cold
Sweatpants
Rice
Microwaves
Getting mail
Reading the newspaper
Meals that don't cost $30
friends and family

Things I will most about Europe:
Music channels that actually play music videos
Humanely-raised meat
Tasty and cheap fruit
Integrated diversity
Long relaxed meals

Jealousy Will Drive You Mad!

There are very few things that make me jealous. I get jealous when I see someone flirt with someone I flirt with. Only briefly and I usually laugh at myself for it. I get jealous when someone sighs happily. I love being able to sigh contentedly, and I wish I could all the time.

The richest person can walk by with all their possessions, or the happiest person can walk by with all the things that enrich their life, or the most beautiful, successful person be hot and awesome, and I don't feel a twinge of envy. It'd be nice, but I don't need it. Congratulations Rich Dude, you have money. Congrats Happy Dude, you're happy. Congratulations Pretty, Awesome Dude, you're pretty awesome. I will be all those things to my hearts content someday.

What really makes me green, though, the thing that stirs up all sorts of feelings of longing, is when I see someone else sleeping.

I get so damn jealous.

I love naps. I love going to bed. I love waking up just so I can fall asleep again. I love dozing off in the sunlight. I love curling up with a blanket on the couch. I love stretching out in my bed.

And when I can't do that, and someone else can, I really, really want to be them.

I know, I know. I will be able to sleep 10 hours tonight, and I can even take a nap now, if'n I cared to. I know it's not rational, but jealousy isn't very rational in the first place, is it? I just love everything about sleeping, the falling asleep, the dreaming, the waking up and falling back asleep, the dozing, the waking up languorously, all of it, and I want to do it all the time.

There's a reason I wear sweatpants most of the time when I am home all day, and put blankets on all the time: so I can be warm just in case I want to take a nap. I even sit in the yellow chair and not on the couch, because the sun hits the yellow chair and I can sleep in the sunlight, on the off chance that I doze off while reading.

There are much more dangerous or sillier things I could be jealous of. I think I'll stick with this.