The Week's +/-

[plumtreeblossom]

I don't usually post in this format, but there are lots of little points and not enough time or post space for posts on them all. So then, my week in +/-:

+Got to see weegoddess briefly on Tuesday, as she's briefly in town from the UK. Welcome back to Boston!

+Dinner with beowabbit and a cuddly viewing of the movie musical Hairspray. Now I want the soundtrack.

+In spite of the rain, neither pair of shoes I've worn this week have soaked through.

+ Am working on sharply reducing the amount of alcohol I consume each week. I'm not eliminating it completely and have no plans to, but I don't need as much as I've been having. Everything good is better in moderation.

-Because of this effort, I've battled my lifelong nemisis INSOMNIA full-on several nights this week, and the overall result of working full time on almost no sleep was a net-negative. (Nobody better say chamomile tea helps you sleep. It just helps you pee 17 times a night and call your noisy Siamese cat a motherfucker. Sorry, Rowleykins.) Still, I feel better physically in regards other than sleep, so the effort is worth it.

+ It's Friday night. I will sleep tonight, you betcha. I done hella good this week. Cheers.

-/+ Work was slow most of the week.

+ Wabbit and I have reservations to see Rimers on Saturday. Looking forward to it.

- During a rare and brief swatch of sleep, I had a dream wherein Santa Claus was sobbing because nobody believed in him. Woke abruptly to discover that the sobbing sound in my dream had been my brain mis-translating the real-world sound of my cat Benjamin snoring. Poor Santa!

+ After work tonight I'm going shopping for my neice's birthday gift(s). Wow, when I was 11 I was still playing with stuffed animals. She wants makeup.

+ Banana pudding.

+ Thanksgiving prep soon. Happy 4th Thanksgiving together, my honeywuzzle!

+ Just sent a request to the Governor's Council for my application to become a Justice of The Peace. I don't know if I currently have all of the qualifications (various Commonwealth wesites listed very few requirements. Surely there must be more). If I manage to become one, this will be my retirement career. And I'll have 20+ years to practice up. :-)

Comments

[bkdelong.livejournal.com]

- Sorry about the lack of sleep. That's tough....I can't function.

+ Oh yay! I have tickets for "Rimers" on Sat night as well. Just....no one to yet use the second one

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Yay, we'll see you at Rimers!

Yeah, sleep dep destroys me. I could *not* be a parent unless I was rich enough to employ a night nanny.

[noire.livejournal.com]

Lack of sleep--I've had insomnia since I was 16. A few years ago a friend turned me on to the combo of
L-Theanine (1 capsule, you can get it at Cambridge Naturals) and
Melatonin (I use 2)

It doesn't work all the time, but it does often help.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

My body gets exhausted but my head won't shut down. It's been this way for decades. A bit of something containing alcohol is the only known surefire magic bullet. But I've let it get to be more than "a bit" and I need to work back down to a healthier level.

[noire.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what the L-Theanine deals with, when your head won't shut down and relax. It doesn't always work, but it works enough of the time that it's worth trying IME.

[kissoflife.livejournal.com]

Wow, I must try that. I have had to resort to Ambien and other heavy-hitters, and I'm not pleased about that.
I didn't know so many people I know also have trouble with insomnia.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Of the people I know, it seems more do have sleep troubles than don't. Its pretty epidemic, it seems.

[kissoflife.livejournal.com]

We should get a lullaby mp3 mix going or something.

From childhood, some of my best natural aids are a fan and wearing clothes to bed. Neither is so desirable with a partner there. *frown*

And lately cough medicine with its alcohol content. *smacks head*

[vanguardcdk.livejournal.com]

4 years with the wabbit? Wow..very cool. :)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Actually 4 Thanksgivings together, 2.5 years as a couple. Our first T-day was the same day we were first formally introduced, at surrealestate's house. For the 2nd T-day we were a brand new couple. 3rd was last year, and this time will be our 4th. :-)

[moonshadow.livejournal.com]

I also have challenges with insomnia. If you would like to hear about what has worked for me, let me know.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to hear anything. I should let you know though that I'm not usually amenable to eliminating anything from my eating/drinking, other than adjusting amounts. I'm always happy to *add* anything to my diet if it will help, though.

[moonshadow.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. What has worked for me is not having caffeine after noon (that's an adjustment, but not the kind you mean, I think), at least an hour of excercise after the first sleepless night to keep it from repeating, and a lot of sleep hygiene stuff. For example, I try to turn off the computer and TV a few hours before I go to bed, not do anything in my bed except sleep, sex, and stretches, and go to bed around the same time every night. I also do various sleep rituals - playing music, turning off the lights, picking up my room, drinking some herbal tea while I wind down.

Stretching is actually pretty important for me - a lot of times, a restless mind is accompanied by a tense body, and it's hard to get to sleep with one of those.

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

+Got to see weegoddess briefly on Tuesday, as she's briefly in town from the UK. Welcome back to Boston!

::squees:: It was great to see you too!! And I'm feeling very welcomed. ;-)

[mistergoat.livejournal.com]

Poor Santa!

[spacechicken.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this is a good long term solution to insomnia, but if I've been drinking to (what some people would consider) excess and for a few nights in a row and am worried about getting to sleep on a night that I take it easy, I'll take a benadryl about 20 minutes before going to bed. Knocks me right out. Only problem is, if I get less than 8 hours of sleep that night I'm kinda hung over from the benadryl the next day.