Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Insomniac's Digest: Because when you can't sleep, you might as well do something useful or at least do something, period

Photo came from this insomnia site.

Ramblings of an insomniac:

11:21 PM - Not bad, but it feels ridiculously late and I'm wired. Both son and I have maddening but limited cases of hives. There must be something in the air. Mold, maybe? All that rain can cause evil things to grow. Evil things that itch.

11:22 PM - I'm going to tell you about all the books I'm reading, now. I hope this doesn't keep you awake unless you need to be awake and doesn't put you to sleep unless you're having a bout of insomnia, too.

11:23 PM - To Serve Them All My Days by R. F. Delderfield - a fictional, classic chunkster about a man who returns to England severely shell-shocked after 3 years of service in WWI (life in the French trenches = misery) and becomes a teacher at a remote boys' school as therapy. Oh, man, am I ever loving this book. You should read this book. I'll review it in about the year 2014, at the rate I'm going, but still . . . you should read it.

11:25 PM - Milky Way Marmalade by Michael DiCerto - A humorous sci-fi tale about a hunter of meaty delicacies who plans to retire until he's offered a chance to make money by capturing the Wisest Substance in the Universe: a gelatinous, pillow-shaped blob known as L'Orange. He decides to save it, instead (according to the cover -- I haven't quite reached that point). So far, this one falls into my Loads Of Fun category. We'll mention the rock 'n roll references later.

11:30 PM - The Interrogative Mood by Padgett Powell - Don't hate me if I haven't read your book, yet, and I shoved this one to the head of the queue, okay? It's just that it's skinny and it looked really, really interesting. Also, apparently I was magnetically attracted to it. I can't locate the magnets at either end, but trust me . . . they are there. I can feel the tug.

Kiddo had to do abdominal exercises poolside, today, because he can't swim for a day or two after his cortisone shot. So I alternated between timing his leg lifts and reading aloud from The Interrogative Mood. It's written entirely in questions and it is . . . humble opinion, here . . . a bit of quirky brilliance. We laughed a lot. I want to laugh more, so I'll keep reading.

11:38 PM - The Treasures of Venice by Loucinda McGary - A romance (gasp!) that takes place in two separate time periods in Venice. Samantha is caught up in an adventure involving a handsome Irish rogue, his kidnapped sister, and some valuable jewels. There's a connection between the historical lovebirds of 1485 and the contemporary couple, but I'm too tired to explain it. This book was sent to me by mistake. I love this kind of error; Bookfool needed something a little light and atypical to toss into the mix.

11:41 PM - $20 Per Gallon by Christopher Steiner - A nicely researched forecast of how our lives will change in America as the remaining gas supply dwindles and prices sharply rise. Fascinating stuff. All those airplanes parked in the desert! Will we end up sailing the Atlantic if we're in the mood for a European jaunt? Will there be a modern Jamaica Inn, where people go rushing off to salvage the goods of ships wrecked on the craggy shore? I don't know, but I'm enjoying the book. And, those were just my questions. Steiner hasn't mentioned sailing or shipwrecks, just FYI. He did mention planes parked in the desert.

11:44 PM - The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose - Brown University student Kevin Roose decided to go undercover at a Christian university (Jerry Falwell's) in order to write about it. I haven't gotten far on this one because I keep burying it, but what I'm getting from it, so far, is a "They're human like us," vibe. I'm anxious to read more. I should possibly attach a neon flag to this book.

11:52 PM - Went on a mental tangent that intersected with a heavy, anomolous brain fog.

11:53 PM - The Mosaic Bible from Tyndale House - You should read yesterday's post; I don't want to describe it, again. And, then come back later in the week because I'm going to have a drawing. One lucky person will win a certificate redeemable for a copy of The Mosaic Bible. I have to ask whether or not it can be redeemed from any place on the planet, though. So, bear with me.

11:55 PM - Aha! Benadryl is beginning to take effect. I prefer oral to topical for hives, don't you? Especially at night, when you're all goggle-eyed and need sleep because somebody is going to come to your house to measure your room for carpet installation and they're planning to call between the Ridiculously Ungodly Hours of 7-9 AM. Too, too early for this gal. Waaay too early.

11:57 PM - Giving up. Think I'll review a couple of children's books, tomorrow. The cat and I always have such fun reviewing children's books.

12:03 PM - Editing your blog posts is obviously time-consuming. I am really going to stop, now. This moment. I'm not going to say another word. Not one. Okay, maybe one or two.

Good night.

She whose eyes were wide, whose stacks are likely to be featured in a horror film and whose cat has given up on her, quietly retreating to a dark spot to meditate.

22 comments:

  1. Dang. Even sleep deprived you're funny. That's not fair.

    Did you know they are now saying they can make crude oil in a lab, without all the nasty decaying plant/animals and thousands of years of pressure? No $20 a gallon for gas...

    I hope you slept well!

    cjh

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  2. That was funny :()

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  3. Sorry you could not sleep but this post was very funny and interesting. I always love your descriptions of what you are reading. :)

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  4. CJ,

    Thanks, dear. I didn't feel very funny. I mostly felt like a zombie with a rambling problem.

    Nope, I didn't know about lab-made crude. That could be good or bad. The book is mostly about positive effects the lack of oil will have on Americans - like better health because we'll have to do more walking.

    I slept very well until my husband woke me up to remind me I was supposed to wait for the phone to ring, thanks. Stupid phone.

    Veens,

    Thank you, dear. Always happy to entertain you, even in a haze. :)

    Brittanie,

    Thanks, babe. I haven't done a post like that, with the currently-reading blurbs, in a while, have I? I think I had fun writing them but it's a little vague. I also have this creeping feeling that I awoke from a nightmare in the middle of the night and it had something to do with walking through a muddy bog. The weather must be getting to me. LOL

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  5. I love this post.

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  6. Anonymous9:32 AM

    Ice (or a bag of frozen peas) works spectacularly well on hives/excema/heat rash while you wait for the Benadryl or topical cream or whatever to kick in...it stops the itchies.

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  7. Nikki,

    Why, thank you. This post likes you back. :)

    Softdrink,

    Ice is practically a panacea, isn't it? I didn't even think of that, thanks. Next time . . . which I hope will be a long time from now. I'm guessing we were both reacting to mold, though. I'm allergic to every kind of mold God made. Smart move, ending up in a humid state, eh?

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  8. How do you read so many books at one time? I try to but I always end up concentrating on one in the end...

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  9. Oh man, I had trouble sleeping last night too. Wish I'd been as productive (and witty!) as you.

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  10. Sorry about your insomnia? Where are the readathons when you need them? Delderfield looks promising.

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  11. Kailana,

    There are two tricks to reading a lot of books at once:

    1. Have a lousy attention span.
    2. Read a wide variety rather than, say, three fantasy books at the same time.

    I've tried reading two of the same genre at a time and that doesn't work. I get them mixed up. Usually, I'll focus on one book as I'm finishing it, though, like you do.

    Rosemary,

    I'm sorry you had a lousy night. Thanks for calling me "witty". I think you've just given me my warm fuzzy for the day.

    Bybee,

    I know -- readathons should definitely be coordinated with nights of insomnia!!! That's one reason I've never signed up for a readathon. I don't want to deliberately stay up all night reading. If I can sleep, I will. The Delderfield is great.

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  12. Wait - your husband woke you up to tell you you were supposed to wait for the phone to ring? I'm thinking bodily harm had I been in your shoes...

    The oil thing is a recent claim. I have no idea if it works or not. Something to watch, that's for sure.

    The walking would definitely not be a bad thing but there are a lot of oil-based products that wouldn't be easily replaced.

    cjh

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  13. CJ,

    Yes, dear huzzybuns did wake me up to remind me the phone was going to ring. Not being a morning person, I couldn't move and requested that he bring the cordless phone in order to save me from hopping up and dashing a whopping six feet across the room.

    There are already sythetic oils, aren't there? Or maybe they contain synthetic components. That just came to mind.

    Yes, the walking would be good. The rate of pollution would allegedly drop and we'd breathe easier. But, it wouldn't be nearly as easy or affordable to travel. That's a horrible thought.

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  14. I hate insomnia! I go through periods of it and it's just not fun. Hope you've been able to recoup some of your lost sleep hours!

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  15. Iliana,

    Same here; I've been an off-and-on insomniac for most of my life. I've been napping to catch up. We're having a DIY weekend - painting walls and replacing kitchen cabinet doors. When the husband doesn't need me, I sneak away to read or snooze. :)

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  16. What a great post! I don't have insomnia, but also sleep with the TV on all night. If I wake up and it's not on, the brain starts ticking and I'm lost. If I have that white noise, I'm right back to sleep.

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  17. Sandie,

    The ceiling fan is my white noise, so I can relate. I do have occasional insomnia in spite of it. When winter hits there's always a time of adjustment when the fan goes off. And, thank you. :)

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  18. Andiloo,

    I do believe I just inadvertantly deleted your comment, but I know you said you added a few books to your list (the hives are gone, thanks!). Always happy to weigh down a wish list. :)

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  19. At the first of this post I was cursing your unfailing wittiness. Come rub some of that off on me, will ya? But then I got sidetracked by the fact that you are reading EIGHT books right now? Hoooooooow do you do that? Do you just read a chapter from one then rotate? I have troubles enough keeping ONE book straight.

    Nyquil works for me when I can't sleep, although I don't take it like I used to (now it's a glass of wine). Oh wait, the Benadryl was for the hives. Oops...scratch that part about the Nyquil.

    And see? It's for posts like this that I don't hit that "Mark All As Read" button. The fun I would be missing out on!! I can't stand to miss out on fun (or another's misery...?)

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  20. Trish,

    I think I counted 6 . . . but, actually, that doesn't include a couple that I've added and one that I read in an evening (so it never has even made its way into my sidebar), so . . . yeah. About 8. LOL I sometimes do exactly that -- rotate books. It's not a good thing, IMHO. I just have such a terrible attention span that sometimes I can only stand to read a chapter or two of one book and then I'll just go right through the rest, one at a time and read for hours.

    Other times, I'll focus on one for an evening. You just never know.

    Nyquil . . . I think it's lost its punch since they changed the formulation to try to keep the druggies from using it to make methamphetamines (which didn't work -- they've come up with a new method that's even more dangerous, apparently).

    LOL I know what you mean, really. Today, I've been loading swim photos all day and because my swim blog isn't associated with my book blog, I'm unable to view the book blogs in my reader while I'm doing all that mind-numbing photo loading. That means I'll probably end up doing a mass delete AGAIN, just for my sanity. But, I've got my reader set so that I can still view missed posts. I hate missing out on anything wonderful (I'm sure I do, though).

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  21. ever finish Milky Way Marmalade?

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  22. Michael,

    No, actually, my son ran off with Milky Way Marmalade. He read it a second time and after that I don't know what he did with it. I'll ask him, next time I talk to him. He's off at college, now, and didn't take many books with him so I'm sure it's in his room, somewhere!!

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