A letter to my sleep/wake cycle

Dear screwed up sleep/wake cycle,
I am mad at you. You are ruining my life lately. Why is it that you come alive at 11pm at night, absolutely insisting on utilizing all available neurons so that I am wide awake? Then in the morning, you drug those same neurons so all they want to do is rest. You know I like to get up early. You know I don't like wasting my days catching up on sleep I should have gotten during the night. We have had this fight for the past several months, and it seems you are winning. I have tried to undermine you with Tylenol PM, yet somehow you fight through the drowsiness to make me think of things that really could wait until morning. Like last night- you kept me up thinking about the article in the NY Times about childbirth and the studies that show pushing during a contraction doesn't help labor at all. Is this something that needs to concern me at 3am? Am I pregnant? If so, you must know something I don't. Do I even care about pushing during labor? NO. And the other night when you insisted that I worry about terrorists picking Alton, IL to randomly abduct poeple from their homes so they can behead them. I mean, really. Can you at least be more realistic in your choices for my thought process? How about making me worry that this lack of sleep will eventually kill me? How would that one go? Oh yeah, that doesn't work because I might actually get worried enough to make myself sleep. If there were a way to override you, I would. But mark my words: I won't stop looking for ways to defeat you. You may keep me awake tonight, but tomorrow I think we'll start bright and early with 2 espressos. Then we'll take an invigorating walk outside with Maddie. When we return, 2 more espressos. Then we'll do some heavy cleaning for a couple hours later followed by two more espressos. Then another walk around the block. Then, in the evening around 8pm we'll start taking Tylenol PM combined with a hot bubble bath and some stretching. Then we will crawl in bed and begin reading the Precalculus book on the bookshelf in Ann's room. If you're not crying uncle by then, god help us both.

Yours in wakefulness at midnight,
Laura

Off to a good start

I've decided to scrap the best/worst of 2005 explanations. It just seems wrong to be talking about 2005 now that it's 2006. In hindsight, I should have started it earlier so it would be done by New Year's Eve, but I didn't. I don't think that will crush anyone.
I am off today and for the next two days. Today I went to Walgreens to keep my loaned New Year's Resolution (thanks Jen) to enhance my financial situation by taking full advantage of the Easy Saver Rebate Club while combining the rebates with coupons found in the newspaper. (I kind of forgot about the coupon part, though, and just did the rebate part.) What did I buy?

Fish oil capsules- I don't need them, but they're free and they sound healthy
tampons and pads- let's face it, they're a necessity if you're a woman, and this way they're cheaper
Cottonelle moist wipes: for that fresh, clean feeling after the dirty deed
Kleenex moist wipes: for when you're in the car eating (peanuts, perhaps?)and you need a moist napkin
Isadora mascara: nevermind that I ran out 2 weeks ago and had already bought more. It's free.
Toothbrush: Thanks to easysaver, I haven't had to spend my own money on a toothbrush for over a year and a half
personal lubricant: umm, it was free.
3 Pepsi 12-packs (Diet Pepsi, Diet Mountain Dew, and Sierra Mist Free): for lunches at work. They'll be free after the rebate
Cottonelle toilet paper: you know, those ripples really do make you feel cleaner
Tums smoothie (tropical fruit flavor): I don't have heartburn, but someday I might be with someone who has a heartburn crisis and then I'll have saved the day. And they're free.

Then I went grocery shopping. There I bought:

Fuji apples
oranges
eggs
Healthy Life bread
Jif creamy peanut butter (to put on healthy bread)
cheese
Old Orchard 75% less sugar juice in Apple Cranberry and plain Apple
Dannon and Yoplait light yogurts
pork roast
ham and turkey deli meat
Wolfgang Puck soups in a variety of flavors
whole wheat pasta
three cheese marinara sauce (Shop & Save brand)
cat food (because although I don't have a cat, my dog insists on eating all of my mom's cat's food)

So you see, so far I have managed to keep 3 of my resolutions: I took advantage of January's EasySaver, I didn't let anyone I know have circus ass, and I avoided styrofoam.

So far, so good....