Subterranean By Design...
---Sleeping---
2003-11-04 - 10:51 p.m.
Today I woke up very tired. The reason? Last night, when I could have gone to bed well before midnight, I figured it would be better to relax and pretty much goof off for a couple of hours, enjoying myself. Well that was fine and dandy between the hours of twelve and two, but it made the time from eight until five pretty difficult.
This is nothing new to me, as it has been the status quo for about the last six years. But I have to wonder if the two hours of relaxation is worth the drag I feel the next day. I definitely would feel sharper the next day, but I would sacrifice my down time. Sure, I have bowling league, but that really doesn't count as down time. Neither does hanging out with my girlfriend, spending time at the bar, or hanging out in the office with other grads, working on the crossword puzzle. Down time, in my eyes, must consist of some form of solitude. Alone time is necessary for ones well being. When one is by themselves, they may think about the events of the day and that of the next. They may even write those thoughts down, if they wish, in some medium.
I have to say that I'd rather take those two hours to unwind and reflect on the day and goof off in any way I please than to get my eight hours and be constantly on the go when I'm conscious. It has to have a positive effect on ones mental health. And Lord knows, I can use all the help I can get. Someday, when I'm older, things will change, and I will swear by my eight hours of sleep. I may even take in an occasional nap (naps are great for down time, as it usually takes me a good half hour to recover from forty winks).
So I may have been dozing off during my review session, and I may not have had the umph to get out of bed until 8:30 (only because Andy, my roommate, was in the shower and it sounds like a monsoon when he runs his shower) but I had my me time. And that is the most important time of my day.
Now for the splish splash of things...
I did something today that I am not known for. I sat in a coffee house, drank a coffee house type drink, and listened to dudes play their guitars on an open mic night. Thankfully they were just playing regular old songs. A couple of them were old protest songs, calling for the USA to get out of who knows where. Whatever, songs need to be sung. On the way home, I took advantage of the warm night and had the windows down. While waiting to turn left at a stoplight, a car came cruising through the intersection and, as it had been raining, splashed me through my open window. Now the splash was shocking and refreshing, but I still felt somewhat like a loser. It's the first time that something like that has ever happened to me. I guess I had it coming to me. That'll teach me to try and enjoy a nice evening.
Well, time to goof off for a couple of hours.
Two Steps Forward - Two Steps Back
