14 April 2003 ~ Clouds, snakes, and zucchinis, oh my...

I feel very weird today, and I can't exactly explain why... My chief suspect is a very minimal amount of sleep last night, but I'm not sure. Earlier, while ostensibly listening to a guest lecturer in class, I daydreamed that the lecturer had snakes for hair. Weird. I doodled for the next hour, so as not to have to look at the woman anymore. I know, I know, it was just a daydream... But she WAS sort of a freak, anyway...

Of course, on those days when you're thinking maybe you ought to just give up on being awake, you're invariably obligated to work, learn, or entertain someone, for many, many hours.

I went to bed at 11 PM. I fell asleep by 11.20. I was woken up at midnight, got back to bed at 1.30ish, and fell asleep by 2. Then the alarm went off at 7.45. That's slightly less than six hours of sleep. No wonder I feel weird. I don't deal well with less than eight or nine, ever. Plus, I didn't get much sleep the day before, either. Worst, I've got to be on campus until 10 PM tonight.

There are two instances I can recall of amusing sleep-deprivation, and neither one of those involves being awake in class.

One fine afternoon in 1998, Jeff and Ken kept me awake for approximately 35-40 hours. When I finally laid down, they mock-molested me with zucchinis. (As in, "ha! she's asleep! I wonder what we can do to harass her now!?" You haven't REALLY been tired until you've been unable to move out of the way of a zucchini trying to unbutton your fly... Fortunately, the boys gave up quickly, because they discovered I had my checkbook on me...)

One fine evening last September, Jake kept me awake for approximately 30 hours. I remember coffee at Denny's. I remember trees. I remember a big door... And the last thing I remember was falling asleep on a radiator vent, thinking I was asleep on a nice, soft, windy cloud... And shadow-people. Lots of shadow-people.

Today, I'm daydreaming about snakes... Ah well...

...Only ten more hours to go until I can see a bed...

~Helena*