I don't know if it's a Fashion Week hangover or my new insurance not paying for my $300/month Rx or what, but lately I can barely stay awake. Eight hours of sleep every night, yet I feel like nodding off before every day. With heavy eyelids and a useless brain, I finally succumbed to that forbidden and embarrassing workplace faux pas: the supply-closet nap. I grabbed two pillows from the couch near Engineering, locked myself into a closet, and got ready for a nice little 45-minute nap-a-roo.
I justified this decision by telling myself that it was perfectly appropriate to use one's lunch hour for a siesta. (Right?) I lowered the shades, turned on the white noise iPhone app, and let myself drift away. Strange dreams. When the alarm went off at 2pm, I bolted awake and was maybe 15% less sleepy. Progress!
Unfortunately, the triumph was short-lived, so I turned to something I don't want to use: caffeine. In theory, coffee's great. In reality, it makes my heart pound and my stomach churn. But I can't nap at work every day, so I went down to the café in our office building and got the hookup from Miguel. Miguel is the kind of boy I would have had a little crush on if I were 21. He's jovial and kind, and he remembers small details about his customers. On Friday, he'd asked me to think of a joke for him over the weekend. I forgot, but he didn't, so I had to whip out my favorite on the spot. He chortled, and although he may have done so to get a better tip, I like to think that he laughed because it really is a quality joke.
If I were less tired right now, I'd come up with a snappy way to finish this off, but the whole point is that coffee is now becoming part of my life. I do not like this development. But unless a regular nap becomes part of my day, it looks like this may be the only way to stay halfway alert. Anecdotally, most of my friends are similarly sleepy lately, which may suggest that something is going around. Or that my company (me, not my employer) is incredibly exhausting. Could go either way.
I justified this decision by telling myself that it was perfectly appropriate to use one's lunch hour for a siesta. (Right?) I lowered the shades, turned on the white noise iPhone app, and let myself drift away. Strange dreams. When the alarm went off at 2pm, I bolted awake and was maybe 15% less sleepy. Progress!
Unfortunately, the triumph was short-lived, so I turned to something I don't want to use: caffeine. In theory, coffee's great. In reality, it makes my heart pound and my stomach churn. But I can't nap at work every day, so I went down to the café in our office building and got the hookup from Miguel. Miguel is the kind of boy I would have had a little crush on if I were 21. He's jovial and kind, and he remembers small details about his customers. On Friday, he'd asked me to think of a joke for him over the weekend. I forgot, but he didn't, so I had to whip out my favorite on the spot. He chortled, and although he may have done so to get a better tip, I like to think that he laughed because it really is a quality joke.
If I were less tired right now, I'd come up with a snappy way to finish this off, but the whole point is that coffee is now becoming part of my life. I do not like this development. But unless a regular nap becomes part of my day, it looks like this may be the only way to stay halfway alert. Anecdotally, most of my friends are similarly sleepy lately, which may suggest that something is going around. Or that my company (me, not my employer) is incredibly exhausting. Could go either way.
Labels: neuroses
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