Plain Grumpiness...

I am working on some serious sleep debt this week.  I haven't once gone to bed since Friday night before 11 pm.  It's getting to the point where I would probably scare people if I didn't put make-up on.  While it does have its perks in the month leading up to Halloween, looking like the living dead probably isn't acceptable at the work place unless it is actually Halloween (or you work for Hot Topic).  Last night was the latest night, finally shutting off the computer at quarter to 1...only to have to turn it back on to send a forgotten email.  

I know, you might think a bedtime of 9:30 or 10pm is pretty early, and something you'd only make your kids do, but considering I wake up at 5:30 am, I think that's just about right.    While I can seemingly function on 5 hours of sleep, it doesn't necessarily mean I am completely cognizant of my actions during those waking hours. It's a good thing I'm not doing any calculations today.  As I've learned early on, I'm the kind of person that needs a full 7-8 hrs of sleep.  If perhaps I've managed to accrue some sleep debt, I also become the crankiest old fart on earth.  This week I know I've been grumpy towards everyone, especially my husband, and this morning I want nothing to do with people in general.  Unfortunately, that's not the way the world works.  Although I may soon have to resort to stamping a big F*** OFF on the front of my shirt in hopes that it would deter the majority of the population away from my scowling face as I listlessly cling to my cooling coffee cup. 

I have to ask myself why do I put myself through these times of stress and severe lack of sleep, and the answer back to myself always seems to be along the lines of..."you do not know how to say no to your family".   Ah, the endless bombardment of "can you help me?" from my completely computer inept mother is one of the most irksome things that cause me stress.  Yesterday, I had to set up a place card template, which she promptly screwed up.  And as I was about to leave at 10:30pm, she drops a disk in my lap and asks why the movies won't work on her computer and if it will work with the projector the DJ is providing after telling me he can't use a laptop with the projector.  WHAT?!  She tried to relay what the DJ had told her over the phone, but as mentioned previously her lack of technological skills causes her to not understand a word of what he had said. 

This luncheon party for my lola's 80th birthday is becoming quite the event.  I'll never understand why we have to have a program for a birthday party.  But, my parents are performers.  They don't just throw a party...they HOST it. There are singing acts, and dancing acts, and slideshows, and speeches. I used to get into that sort of thing.  My cousins and my sisters and I used to perform also.  But that was when we were all still in school...when we had all summer to mess around, choreographing and practicing a dance number.  We were requested to do yet another dance performance, but finally we said we could not.  We have no time to do so.  My mom was disappointed, but I'm sitting there thinking, are you kidding me? normal people have birthday parties that don't involve hiring luau dancers or a mariachi band! 

The problem is, ever since they started doing this, they've raised the bar so high and now they feel like they have to meet that bar every time they host a party.  When in reality, none of it is really necessary.  And there is a difference between a luncheon and a dinner party.  But here I go getting involved in the theatrics of the party planning simply because my mother wants to hand make the table numbers and party favors and programs.  And even though there were months to plan it, somehow we managed to put off all the work until the last week.  To me that says, I don't want to put in this much work to plan a party.  So, why do it? I came up with the project to do a scrapbook, and that's my fault for not doing more of the work early on.  I add to my own stress apparently.  But the scrapbook is finally complete...mostly. I might have 1 more page to do, but I'll just throw it together.

On a completely different tangent, I seem to be the go-to person for random questions in my family.  My baby sister calls me and wants to know how to find out how to determine if a highway ramp in Iowa is closed and how to get around it.  Hm, well, you could pull out a map and just drive there.  If it's closed, use the map to find another exit.  My other sister tries to find out how to cook things...like lasagna.  It's called Google my dears...when you call and ask me, that's all I do.  Google is your friend.  What makes me the expert in all things random? Worse yet, why do I continue to keep answering their questions?

sleep deprived.

Office sweaters, coffee, and cough drops

Not knowing what time I actually entered the dreamworld last night, based on how I'm lethargic and mostly incognizant this morning, only leads me to assume one of two things.  Either I didn't fall asleep until after 11pm or somehow I managed to suspend myself in a limbo like state between my two conscious minds for 7 hrs.  Considering I was actually in bed at 9:30, lights out at 10, I cannot be sure which situation is true.  All I currently am aware of is that I would very much like a nap already.  

One of the annoying things about work is how the indoor temperature always seems to hover around 72°F.  Which, for me, is perfect for bedtime in the summer.  Give me a nice big fluffy comforter and I'm down for the count.  Alas, this is not the place for sleeping.  But neither is it the place to freeze while I sit at my station working.  So I have a permanent sweater designated for my cubicle. It's not the nicest sweater, a knit light brown, but it works.  Sometimes too well, especially on days like today when I just really need some more sleep, since it induces the hibernation instinct to curl up and pass out.    Most days I try not to wear it, and when the bosses are out of town we, as in..the women..., sneak around and raise the temperature to 74-75°F.  If  you want to know how 2 degrees makes a difference, try sitting under the vent for a whole day and see how much less the cooled air hits you on the back.


One of the nice things about work is free coffee.  And sodas but the coffee is what I'm lookin' at now.  It's not a high quality coffee, but it's pretty good.  I never used to like coffee, but ever since I started having to wake up at 6am and now 5:30 or earlier because of the dogs, it's grown on me.  I've been trying to avoid drinking coffee every day.  A cup of coffee might be healthy for you but the cream and sugar I add to combat the bitterness is probably not.  Stick to tea and honey. 


The case of the sleepies could also be caused by an impending illness.  I've had my cup of coffee for the day and still I feel like sleeping.  Usually by now, caffeine's effects have already started to affect me.  I seriously hope it's not because I'm getting sick.  I've been fighting off my husbands germs for a week now...and whatever germs my father in law brought with him from Lexington.  My efforts seem futile it seems, as I find myself coughing and holding back sniffles.  Well, hopefully it at least holds off until after my dinner party tonight...wouldn't want to be feeding my guests germs.  And when I say "party" I mean my 2 best friends coming over so at least it's not a crowd.   But look for The Things I Eat Chapter 2, which in editing will be changed from Pork Chops and Guac to whatever I end up cooking tonight.