Memes are my level of ability to focus right now:

[trinityvixen]

Dear Santa... Dear Santa, This year I've been busy! In May kent_allard_jr and I robbed a bank (-50 points). In February I helped infosatyr hide a body (-173 points). In October on a flight to LA, I stole the emergency flight information card (-40 points). Last Monday I donated bone marrow to cbreakr in a life-saving procedure (300 points). In April droidguy1119 and I donated clothes to the needy (11 points). Overall, I've been nice (48 points). For Christmas I deserve a shiny red ball! Sincerely, trinityvixen

Write your letter to Santa! Enter your LJ username:

You're a Slytherclaw!: By nature you are rational
and a realist. Some people may call you cynical
and elitist but this doesn't matter to you. You
don't depend on other people's opinions to
determine how you live your life. You are
generally cautious and prefer to weigh the
consequences before you act. In conflicts you
prefer to remain neutral and aloof. You value
intelligence and you are a natural diplomat,
you can convince people to do what you want
them to do. Your weakness is that you sometimes
think more with your head than with your heart
and it leads to isolation. With the
intelligence of a Ravenclaw and the subtlety of
a Slytherin you will be sure to achieve all
your goals!


Which Mix of the Hogwarts Houses are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Wow, that one was a surprise....

Take The First Sentence (or 2) From The First Post Of Each Month Of 2005. That's Your Year In Review.

January: (cut-tag reads: So, yeah, woke up with a serious hangover this morning despite having booted most of my stomach last night.) New Years was a party at my place, one that went really, really well until I ended up sick.

Ah yes, I christened the New Year properly. By telling it to kiss off as I voided my tummy into a toilet.

February: Yesterday, I nearly cracked up at work over the Tuesday Goldmine for this week (for you techno-geeks, you'll love this premise: "Features We Wished Windows Had"), then I caught this incredibly funny article for today about the director of Alone in the Dark.

I still have my favorite picture from that Goldmine, and the Uwe Boll article! That still cracks me up! Can't wait for his BloodRayne movie, really!

March: I had to forgo darkling1's The Iron Giant screening because I had to get home to serve jury duty. Yes, jury duty.

Grr. I will never see Vin Diesel as a giant robot ever! It's just doooooomed!

April: Our hot water was out yesterday, which wasn't a big deal for me as I planned to shower a couple of hours later when it was to be back on. Not so--instead, they turned off both heat and hot water through today.

Yes, our apartment truly is amazing. From the day we moved in, we've had one light socket that won't fit a bulb (the super informed us there was nothing wrong with it but with the several 'cheap' lightbulbs we tried to fit into it); a toilet that ran unless you jiggled the handle; a stick that broke twice from all the jiggling; an upstairs neighbor whose overflowing bath created a waterfall in our medicine cabinet; and, the kicker, last night the floaty thing in the toilet tank was unscrewed....and yet we still live there....go figure

May: Well, as most of you know or saw, I got my hair cut.

And it's still not grown back all the way, damn it all!

June: I took the day off work on top of the day given us for Memorial Day weekend to go to Six Flags with my brother and his girlfriend/cool person. His roommate and his girlfriend didn't end up making it (other girlfriend wasn't feeling well), thus saving me, as Aimee put it, from the boy-girl, boy-girl, and me situation (though in truth I'm used to it).

I went to the amusement park twice in one summer. This is like a record.

July: We had book club at a restaurant to celebrate Restaurant Week. I expected it to be expensive and was not disappointed.

I saw this opening line and was like, "Oh yeaaaah," and immediately got angry at these people and their prix fixe that was a couple of dollars cheaper than the normal value meal (or whatever you call it at a nice restaurant). Growl.

August: Victory for ZIM! Or me, whichever. Two very good things have happened today

Short, short version: I got rolled over vacation days, and I got a quasi-fix on my paycheck. Mark that as one of the only times I thought anyone here at work was doing anything helpful for me.

September: Running around like a chicken with no head, but just in case I don't see/hear from any of you: Good afternoon, good evening, and good night! I'm getting ready to go on vacation.

So, that's why there are no posts in September, heee.

October: I am in the way of figuring out Serenity finally. I do like it. It's not perfect, no, but it's as near to it as any film has a right to be, considering all that was coming against it.

Yeah, much as I am obsessed with Serenity and all things Firefly, it was really hard to take that movie at first. Especially since I cried for five minutes straight when the movie ended.

November: I am going to murder the company man who refills the downstairs soda machine when next I see him. Nothing personal, I'll say, but your machine has probably eaten something close to $5 of mine in the past year.

Yes, and I still have not gone back to it. I can spite pretty hard when I'm of a mind.

December: LOST, I forgive you for having been a Kate-centric episode last night.

BUT I DO NOT FORGIVE YOU FOR BEING ON HIATUS UNTIL 2006!!!

Beyond these, not much new to report. My sleep problems are such that I am debating drugs. I have benedryl lying about somewhere, and that always knocks me out. Oh, for those of you not following my every trial and tribulation, last week was all about the waking up obscenely early before work and not being able to sleep until just when my alarm went off. Over the weekend and on through last night, it's been not being able to sleep deeply at all. I haven't really changed my routine much--on weekend nights, I went to bed much the same time as weeknights, drank same amounts of caffeine, etc--because I'm trying to change small things and see how it affects me.

I wore different pajamas to bed and used my sleep mask, but I didn't really fall into deep and snuggly sleep until I burrowed a bit under my knit blanket, so I think I will try switching my comforter in and my quilt out and getting the longer blanket on my bed. And less caffeine couldn't hurt...

Comments

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Try Excedrin PM. That helped when I had insomnia senior year. And then you can take regular Excedrin during the day and the caffeine will jolt you awake.

Maybe you're stressed about something?

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Am I stressed? It's the holiday time, that can be a bit stressful. I dunno, maybe that's it. Stress?

Also, I need to get my mother to promise me her car so I can come grab a mattress from you. What time would work for you on Saturday?

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be baking and cleaning, so I can accomodate.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

In May [info]kent_allard_jr and I robbed a bank (-50 points).

And you made me buy my own pantyhose, too! Naughty!

Rules I try to follow that help me sleep: (a) No caffeine after noon (sounds like you're already following that one); (b) no TV or computer after 10 PM (hard!); (c) keep the room cool; (d) no contact with the bed except at bedtime; (e) read a dull book; (f) don't turn the lights on when taking late-night bathroom breaks; (g) if necessary, take a shower before bedtime; (h) (possibly male-only) if really necessary, have sex or masturbate before bedtime. Happy sleeping...

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

a) I violate terribly. I almost never eat before 1 pm, and I have a soda then. I will try to cut down on what I drink at home in the evening, too.

b) Yeah, I use my computer all the time right before bed. Otherwise, bored!

c) My heater goes from slightly chilled to pretty warm, so it's possibly a temperature flux thing.

d) Aww, but I wuv my bed. And our couch is one. Will try sitting in the chair, then.

e) Does skimming fanfiction count?

f) If getting out of bed were the problem, I could see that affecting it, so will do next time.

g) Always do; I shower at night.

h) Male thing, possibly. Otherwise, no comment.

Thanks for the advice, I'll see what's doing. Also, nobody made you buy pantyhose; robbing the bank was just the only thing we wanted to think of you using it for.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Ah, beverages. They shall be my undoing.

Yes, no more angry fanfiction for me. I have been exceedingly good about that.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

e) If reading fanfiction makes you gnash your teeth, sharpen your knives and think about disemboweling some Mary Sue schmuckette then it's probably not the best bedtime reading, but what do I know?

Note I break all these rules all the time; I'm currently drinking an ice-cold caffeinated Diet Coke, will probably be playing WoW until midnight, and so forth.

[earthrise.livejournal.com]

I like your addition of "if really necessary" to the "male-only" pasttime of bedtime masturbation. I actually think this was one of the most valid tips (though I, like T. Rinity, wish to remain mostly silent in the interest of keeping the TMI levels of this blog respectably low). I just find it funny to gauge the necessity of such a practice.

If you're restless and want to be knocked out, that's probably the best way to go. It's also supposedly more tiring for women on average, though one cannot discount the stereotypical male habit of falling dead asleep after climaxing. Oh, men. Men, men, men.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I don't even know that I'm restless, to be honest. It's not a matter of my brain not shutting up. I've had that, too (every sleep disorder except snoring and apnea, it seems), and this isn't that. It's just exhaustion without being able to sleep. Bizarre.

[earthrise.livejournal.com]

You poor thing. Insomnia is such a tough thing to beat. Maybe you should see a doctor about it?

According to my mother, I snore (though according to other sources it's a much more ladylike "heavy breathing." Is that really considered a sleep disorder? Never bothered me to the point of staying awake, anyway. ;)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Technically, yes, it's a sleep disorder, as it alters the natural rhythms of sleep. It may be subtle in your case, and therefore not a problem to worry over. Anything that isn't REM sleep everynight is basically a disorder if it persists long enough.

Thanks for the well-wishes! And ::hisssssss:: doctors! I have enough of those that I'm related to, thank you so much.

[earthrise.livejournal.com]

Ain't worried.

Ouch. Me dad's a dentist, and I find that helps me get OVER irrational fear of those in the medical professions. Perhaps me dad is just super nice in comparison?

Speaking of medical issues, 'tis about time for bloodletting!

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Can't yet, doll. I am not clear until the end of the month. What about January? Any thoughts?

[earthrise.livejournal.com]

...thus the "about time." :-P

January sounds good. I've been clear for a while now.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I keep straying towards blood drive signs in the hospital and telling myself not to. Especially after a nightmare I had about giving blood again too soon and trying to replace the fluid with saline and hoping I wouldn't die.

And I still want to donate. Go figure.

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

Well it's that whole tradeoff between going blind and getting some sleep...

Seriously, I think sex only induces sleep when it's someone you're comfortable with. (Otherwise there's all that performance anxiety.) And it can't be anything too, well, athletic, or your body temperature will rise to the point that it'll be even harder to sleep. So the Kama Sutra should probably stay on the shelf during bedtime adventures.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Not a problem: don't own a copy. The most risque my bookshelf gets is my manga, and I don't own any of that kind of manga. There is some Top Cow stuff, though, and that's pretty. I don't find the chicks that hot, and the muscle-y men are a bit of a turn-off (they overdo!), but maybe that's what's been conspiring against my sleep all along!

Jackie Estacado, you sultry minx!

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

Oh, the Kama Sutra's probably fine bedtime reading; IIRC it's a pretty dull book. Following the KS is another matter. When a man is standing and pulling the woman up and down by her ankles, well... I suspect neither one will get much sleep that night.

[earthrise.livejournal.com]

Oh I dunno. I used to do jumping jacks or spaz dance when I couldn't fall asleep when I was little. Even now going to the gym tuckers me out. Maybe I just tend to work till I drop.

Oy, that could be so misinterpreted...

[kent-allard-jr.livejournal.com]

What I always heard is that exercise during the day helps you sleep at night, but heavy exercise at night keeps you up. So Kama Sutra antics are great for the morning (if you don't mind the heart attacks and nosebleeds), but in the evening maybe not so much.

[earthrise.livejournal.com]

If I am ever faced with the difficult choice of acrobatic 53xx0ring in the morning or the evening while simultaneously battling chronic insomnia, I will keep this in mind. At the moment, I face neither symptom. The absence of one cures the other -- it's easy to be well-rested when one cries onesself to sleep every night.

omg jfk!

Caffeine

[carpdeus.livejournal.com]

Shouldn't have any 4 hours before you want to sleep :/

well if you want to try herbal...

[arcane-the-sage.livejournal.com]

...then try brewing up a batch of chamomile and lavender tea. For some it can be quite effective.

Re: well if you want to try herbal...

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Never had chamomile. Tea's a thought, will have to watch the caffeine.

Re: well if you want to try herbal...

[earthrise.livejournal.com]

Or warm milk.

I have tons of tasty decaf tea (it's the only kind I drink) if you'd like to pull samples from my stash.

Okay, stopping multiple comments on this entry NOW.

Re: well if you want to try herbal...

[arcane-the-sage.livejournal.com]

Neither chamomile nor lavender have caffeine. Most herbal blends don't either. You can brew your own, or get it in tea bag form from a lot of different places (health food places are a good place to start).

[negativeq.livejournal.com]

Or you can try Q's Desperation Method of Falling Asleep - when you're at the point where you do not care anymore:
Six hours before you intend to go to sleep:
1. Four times whatever is your recommended dose of melatonin.
2. Wash down with a pint of Guiness or hot chocolate spiked with cheap scotch.
3. It won't help you fall asleep, but it will keep unconscious and immobile for exactly 8 hours.
5. There is a published scientific study in which a melatonin/booze combo has been tried out on mice as an effective means of minimizing dna and brain damage from excessive booze consumption. No joke.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Crazy. Where would I get melatonin? And does it have to be beer? Can I have a margarita?

[negativeq.livejournal.com]

You can buy melatonin at any drug or health store.
I don't think it has to be beer. I went for beer because it doesn't have as much alcoholic content as other stuff I tend to drink.
The mice in the experiment were given vodka.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Well, there's a recipe for not sleeping....vodka doesn't like me. On my behalf, my stomach protests whenever I try to get back together with it.

[fairest.livejournal.com]

Oh, sure, you've been nice to Santa. But have you been nice to Cthulhu?

Oh Great Cthulhu!

I have been an extremely sedulous devotee this year.

In August, I called down the wrath of Yog-Sothoth upon viridian (65 points). In December, I legally changed my name to Randolph Carter (-40 points). In May, I bombed a cultist gathering (-100 points). In September, I fed agrumer to a Shoggoth (250 points). In April, I exposed geeknz to soul-rending horrors (250 points). In July, I sacrificed trinityvixen to Cthulhu (500 points).

In short, I have been very good (925 points) and deserve to be promoted to High Priest.

Your humble and obedient servant,
feiran

Submit your own plea to Cthulhu!

[viridian.livejournal.com]

*scoffs*

bitch please.

Yog-Sothoth is totally not even scary. I want to be wrathed upon by Nyarlahotep instead.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

At least you got wrathed upon. I just got butchered. Seems highly unlikely she'd be able to pull that off, given how hard I smacked her in blood wrestling. Must've caught me by surprise.

[(Anonymous)]

FANTASTIC
do i want to know who's body it is????

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

It might be some terrible person who you wouldn't mind being 6 ft under, let's put it that way...