Half a Cup of Coffee

Sleep Journal #3
2 July 2013

So this was a failure. I had my alarm set at 4AM to get up and go to the gym for my Body Pump class. And I did, I got up. And I did not reset my alarm clock, at first. And I did not go back to bed, at first.

And so I went downstairs, put on my Early, Early Show on NBC. Put a cup of coffee in the Microwave. Sat down and watched the show. The whole show, all 30 minutes of it. And all the while I only drank ½ the cup of coffee. And I’m thinking, I’ll bet I could go back to bed and get some more sleep after only drinking ½ that cup of coffee.

And I’m thinking how I stayed up too late last night. I was up until 10:30 again, trying to watch the second IN THE DOME episode with my wife. But I eventually went to sleep.

And it was hot last night. I slept in just my skivvies with only a sheet on me.

And when I got up at 4AM it was just so damn early. So I got up, turned off the alarm, and went downstairs to drink that ½ cup of coffee, watching the Early, Early Show in NBC.

And I’m thinking, this would be my first Body Pump class in a long time. It’s going to hurt. I am going to be in pain for a long time after this Body Pump class.

And even the fact that I would be lifting weights to music with a bunch of hot girls in leotards did not encourage me to continue. I was just thinking … all I need to do is that spin class right now. Just the spinning. Body Pump will kill me. Don’t need the pain. Recovery will be too difficult.

So after 30 minutes of the Early, Early Show on NBC and a ½ cup of coffee I went back to bed. And I even managed to get an extra 30 more minutes of sleep, or so.

Or so.

To be fair, the night before I did spend with RJ walking the street of our neighborhood looking for fireworks. We heard many more than we actually saw, but that makes it not a total waste.

Also, with my nextdoor neighbor blowing shit up, and then hiding back in his garage each time my kids would come out to watch him, it was not easy. It was not an easy night to get to sleep. And my dog was on guard, and the cats. Going in and out from the back door. And the heat, and the fans. It did not make for the easiest conditions to get ready for bed.

Riley and I even tried to read part of The Fellowship of the Ring – we’re in the 2^nd chapter of the 2^nd book, “The Council of Elrond.” And it’s a difficult chapter to get through. There is so much history condensed in that chapter, and so many Elvish word, that it is very hard to get through even without the explosions and heat and dog and cat and son prowling around, looking out the back door and front window for suspect firework displays.

I think we’re going to have to go back – after we finish this chapter – and review our notes on the Lord of the Rings Wiki. Just to get names and pronunciations correct. And then maybe we’ll even watch the first film of the trilogy before we finish this book. Just to encourage us … we will see how RJ responds.

But first let me finish this 1/2 a cup of coffee.