Counting sheep

Two nights ago, I went to bed at my regular time (about 10) and woke up at exactly 1:14 a.m. I never went back to sleep.

I had something big going on at work the next day that I was anxious about, and once that got going through my head, it was all over. I tossed and turned for maybe 20 minutes, tried to think happy thoughts, tried to focus on the cat purring next to me (lying next to a purring, sleeping cat is similar to taking a Xanax), but it didn't work. I gave up and went downstairs, and the cat came with me.

At first I tried to be productive. I logged on to my VPN, checked my email (although I refuse to send work emails at 2:00 a.m. -- I don't want to be "that person,"), checked the discussion board for my IMC class, and wrote three paragraphs of my paper. An hour later I decided this was ridiculous and I needed to lay down. Of course, at that point, I was beyond relaxing, as my brain was full speed ahead. I think it was 3:09 when I gave up and made my morning coffee.

It's been a long time since I've had an insomniac night, but the next day was rough. I was working from home due to some repairs on our house, so I spent the entire day in PJs in my new office, which is conveniently located in our spare bedroom next to a very comfy bed. I would have paid a million dollars to lay down, but obviously, this isn't a country where you can take a nap in the middle of the work day.

To make a long story short, the thing I was stressing about went fine, I survived three afternoon teleconferences, and at 4:59 p.m. (which I believe actually made for a 15-hour work day?) I shut off the computer and laid down, intending to sleep for 30 minutes or so. Brad came home at about 7:30 and woke me up. I was so out of sorts at that point that it took me a good to minutes to figure out where I was and what had happened.

It was one of the most bizzare days I've ever had! We ended up going out for a late dinner to celebrate the successful end of a long, stressful week, and I started off my meal at Vinology (of course!) with a huge cup of coffee.