Day 9
Blake
Wow. This has all been a roller coaster so far, so I'm not ready throw up my victory flag. That being said, today has been great. Possibly the best day of the experiment so far. I attribute it largely to getting acclimated to the schedule, but also to finally figuring out what to do with all of my late night time.
That's right, folks! You heard it here first. I have officially made efficient use of the hours between 12:30 and 6:00 in the morning. I've been accumulating a series of options to fill the wee hours of the morning and have finally devised a successful cocktail.
The best new addition was a piece of language software. I have an inexplicable desire to speak all of every language in the whole wide ever, yet sadly am incapable speaking any, save English, well. Last night I delved into learning Portuguese. I know it's not the most common or utilitarian language I could have chosen, but wife and I have plans to globetrot our way to Brazil someday, and I figured I would get a headstart now. Plus it doesn't even matter. I just like languages. I'm a nerd.
I also watched my first late night movie. I know! Impossible, you say. But, no. It's true. I stayed awake through the whole thing. Admittedly it wasn't a very long movie at all. It was an animated version of The Black Freighter, the story within a story from Watchmen. It was a disturbing experience that I don't think I care to repeat again soon (should've seen that coming), but the victory here is largely symbolic. It was late. It was a movie. I was still conscious at the end.
I've also started drawing a little bit. I'm not good at it, and never claimed to be. I enjoy it though, and it keeps my brain occupied. I'd also like to start writing a bit. It should be interesting to see how that works out.
I really wanted to spend some time with my guitar when I decided to do this experiment. I may try to sneak out on the front steps tonight and play a little bit. Hopefully if I'm quiet enough, my neighbors won't see this as a reason to launch pillows at me from their balconies. We shall see.
Sorry for the ramble. Hopefully next entry I'll have something more interesting to say than an overdetailed accounting for my nocturnal habits. It just seemed significant since, until now, finding a good use of my time has been a barrier. Barrier broken. In closing I leave you with this late night scrawling of a hobo blob:
Caitlin
I only wish my day went as well as Blake's. I'm pretty sure I really messed up all my progress with the past couple of days of undecisiveness and extra sleeping.
I ended up crashing around 4am again. I always try sneaking in an extra nap, but I always end up sleeping through the alarm. It seems like I've fallen more into an everyman type schedule than this dymaxion that I am attempting. Maybe I should keep on this, get used to it, and then slowly transition the core nap to a regular nap. We'll see how it goes.
I've been sleeping pretty hard in some of my naps, and it's been taking me a long time to wake up from some of them. It took a couple hours for me to get up from my noon nap today. I was still groggy after I woke up. Again I started to consider quitting this (even though I told myself I wouldn't), but when my 6pm nap got closer, I was getting pretty sleepy for it. So it seems like my body is starting to get used to times, which is good.
I think that it's the extra sleep that keeps discouraging me. I've been figuring out slowly that I just need to let it happen, and try to reduce the extra sleep, and I'll be okay. I'm still hanging in here.
I'm still pretty jealous of Blake's progress. He's been able to stay awake more that I have. He also has been able to be falling asleep almost right when he lays down for a nap. I'm ready for that. That, and to actually feel rested when I wake up. Again, though, this is my fault for slipping up some.
I've got a headache going on right now. And I've been feeling pretty groggy pretty much all day. I'm hoping my midnight nap helps out, because I just feel like going to sleep right now.
Keep up the great work!
Blake, you are my hero for learning languages (well, Portuguese) late into the night! And if I were your neighbor, my night would be sweeter (awake or asleep or anywhere in between) for the strumming of your guitar!