Through these sleepless nights. . . .

April 20, 2011


This afternoon, I did the unthinkable.

I left work around 1.30.

The honours thesis was hand delivered to the second reader.

My duties as second reader on another thesis were completed.

I may be a second reader for yet another thesis, however, I haven't seen it yet so I'm assuming I'm not.

With nothing I needed to do in my office I came home.

I can mark anywhere.

And do I ever have marking.

Being away from the office means I don't have to stare at the huge pile.

Just the smaller pile.

The one that deluded me into thinking I can get all of this done on time.






Alas, marking hasn't been that forthcoming.

When I walked through the door to the loving welcome of my gleefully excited puppies, put down all my bags and sundry items, and basked in that canine love, I realized I was utterly, unquestionably, without a doubt exhausted.

In spite of two nights of rigorous yoga.

Extensive reading and editing.

Dealing with the usual traumas that have come to signify the reality of my everyday life.

Exhausted.

Oh, and last evening was a bit of a shit show in terms of sleeping.

I couldn't sleep.

Things on my mind weren't gracefully melting into the back of my consciousness.

And Stephen's snoring was more than obnoxious.

A LOT more than. . . .

Perhaps I only notice Stephen's snoring when I can't sleep because my brain is full to overflowing with things that won't leave me alone.

Ergo blaming it on Stephen's snoring is just more convenient.

Not withstanding the reasons for my bout of sleeplessness, I still had to contend with the snoring from hell.

As usual, I started with a gentle poke to the shoulder, asking him to roll over onto his stomach.

No response.

As usual.

I did that a couple more times and then resorted to something a little more aggressive.

A definitely less-than-gentle-I-am-not-f***ing-around shove.

THAT got me a response.

Although not the one I intended.

Stephen, roll over.

NO!

I was a bit surprised by his vehemence, however, surprise did not negate my intense, burning desire for a bedroom that didn't sound like the inside of a factory.

And one NO! isn't nearly enough to deter me from my quest.

Neither did several more NOs!

Leaving me no course than to take more aggressive measures.

Like shoves.

Which resulted in a very, very strange occurrence.

A spiel of gibberish I can neither replicate here, nor am I certain I would want to.

Weird, though.

Very weird.

Weirder than when he speaks Ukrainian at me.

Which happens more often than it should, given that I can't understand a word he's saying to me.

When I asked him this afternoon what the gibberish meant, he said all he could remember was that he was dreaming of being on the Great Wall of China.

Pushed off the Great Wall of China next time he keeps me up with his noxious snoring.






And this wasn't the first Stephen-weird incident of the day.

Earlier in the evening, he was driving me to my Tuesday yoga class.

Dogs in the back of the car because immediately after dropping me off, he was taking them to the farm for a run.

One they most desperately needed.

We had just turned from Wetmore to Kimble when a crabby Stephen. . .

. . .crabby because the dogs were so excited they were barking at anything as we drove down the street. . .blowing leaves, pedestrians, other dogs, things we couldn't even see I suspect. . .

meaning that Stephen's nerves were shattered before we were in the car for five minutes.

In a state of shattered nerves, Stephen asked me to reach into the glove box and retrieve his sunglasses.

Something I would have been happy to do had they not already been on his face.

Snugly nestled on the bridge of his nose.

Already providing ample relief from the blinding close to six pm sunshine.

I needed a laugh.

I really did.

An honest to goodness deep down in the belly laugh. . .ones where you're gasping for air.

And you have to take them when they come along.

Cause your never sure when the next one will make an appearance.






And what the hell is 4 20 anyway??? 

And how come my son is so excited about it?



Title Lyric: Sleepless Nights by Norah Jones