Sprizee :: A simple girl replete with complications

Rest and relaxation.

Yesterday I suffered through possibly the worst headache I've ever experienced along with some blurred vision and the awful sensation of a small animal taking up residence behind my left eye.  I left work a couple hours early.  I would have left work half a day early but I had taken the bus and when you take the bus you're sort of at the mercy of their schedule.  I got home around 5 and crawled into bed.

I was down for the count until I woke up at 7 with plans to head over to Misty's house to watch the Olympics, chat and break bread.  But everytime The Dude would say something to me I kept shushing him, and I finally realized there was no way I was going to be able to pull it together enough to go.  So begrudgingly, I picked up my iPhone and sent a couple texts apologizing for bowing out.  I would have just called them.  But the pain.  The searing white pain.

This morning, miracously, I woke up headache free.  I thought about going to work but I was still exhausted so I called in sick and took it easy.  On the upside, I caught a fascinating episode of Nova about Cryptography and a powerful documentary about Chile and Pinochet titled The Judge and the General.  Oh, how I adore PBS.  Getting to watch both of those programs almost made me glad I had to experience the headache from hell to allow myself a day of R&R.  Okay, not really.  But, still.  Good stuff.

If Peter Falk* can't be my honorary Grandfather, my second choice is David McCullough.

I've been home since Friday afternoon but somehow the 16 hour flight from Bangkok to Taipei and then Taipei to Seattle turned me into a nocturnal dwelling vampire type.  I can no longer willingly fall asleep until the sun comes up and it's time for the normal people to go outside and do whatever it is that they do with that bright ball in the sky that makes me drowsy just thinking about it (except at night when I tell myself it's time to go to sleep already). 

It probably didn't help when I finally made my way home from the airport at 3 in the afternoon on Friday and promptly made a beeline for the bed for a "nap".  That nap lasted until 8pm which meant I was officially nocturnal and already starting to develop special skills that would help me survive in the dark, like being able to read multiple chapters of the same book without falling asleep in one sitting.  Talk about weird. 

That nap also meant that I didn't fall asleep until 6am the next morning. At the time I wasn't worried about it because NORMALLY when I fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning I don't have issues with sleeping in and NORMALLY I would have been awake by 10.  But no.  I didn't wake up until 1 and that was only to roll over and see that it was still sunny outside which meant my eyes should close and remain tightly shut.  Clearly that meant it was time for me to roll over and promptly go back to sleep.  The only thing that prevented me from continuing to sleep when 3 rolled around was The Dude telling me to GET UP ALREADY! and lure of Costco, which makes sense...think about it.

So last night after having been awake while the bright shiny blob was still in the sky for at least a few hours, I thought for sure I was back on human, non-vampire schedule.  Not so much.  I was still awake at 3 and by 3:30 had realized it was time to call in some re-enforcements.  You probably missed the re-make of Nosferatu in which David McCullough saves the virgin maiden bride from certain death by lulling Count Orlok to sleep with his soothing voice but, trust me, it's something the CIA should be studying to use against all those evil doers, because by 4 I was sound asleep.   

In related news, I have yet to make it past Chapter 5.  I have no idea how my mom was able to listen to the entire audio book without blacking out and permanently becoming trapped in a coma.  Don't get me wrong.  I love McCullough.  But the fact remains, unless his narration is accompanied by sappy music and dogeared photos compiled by Ken Burns flicking across the screen of the idiot box, I am unable hear his voice without nodding off.

*You don't feel me?  Apparently you need to see The Princess Bride again.