I Should Really Go To Bed.
I work in television.
As anyone who works on the side of production, they can tell you the hours tend to suck. Hard. Since '99, when I began my illustrious career, my schedule has consisted of: 3:30pm-11pm, 4:30pm-1am, 3pm-11:30pm. Sometimes, if games are running late, the out time for a day off work can be anywhere from 2:30am to 3:30am. I have arrived home after 4am before. It's not ideal.
I knew this going in, so please understand I am not trying to complain about such work hours. I chose them myself by staying in this field and knew they would be as such, therefore I do not have the right to whine. Now, if I have to stay at work until 3am or so, then I am permitted some griping. Otherwise, no. Suck it up, because it's your job.
That being said, this kind of schedule lends itself to an awkward sleeping pattern. I have been getting up earlier recently, but before moving in with my girlfriend, my sleeping schedule used to fit a cycle of Bed At 5am, Wake At 2pm. Give or take 30 minutes here or there.
Say you go to work at 9am, and get home around 6:30pm or so, allowing for the drive home and traffic and staying late and arriving late and taking a longer lunch and whatever else may slow you down or speed you up. Well, it's the same time frame for me, except later. Say I get home at 12:30am. That is my 6:30pm. When you get home, you might eat some dinner, maybe watch some TV, read a book, have some sex, surf the internet, read this blog, then cozy on up for a nice doze before beginning the next day. You do not go right to sleep. And why would you? It's only 6:30pm!
This is my conundrum. After leaving work, I need time to unravel. Relax. Watch TV. All the aforementioned stuff. So even though it's 1am or so, I am not ready to hit the hay, as it feels like Evening to me. Finally, come the middle of the night, I am now ready for sleep.
The crappy thing is, this schedule is hard to break. My hours at the job are 3pm-11:30pm right now. Even so, the last two nights I have stayed up until 4am or later. Typically, I am not in bed until at least after 2am. I just can't seem to do it. I want to, I would like to, but laying down at 12am does not find me sleeping. Rather, my mind races, I toss and turn, stare at dark portions of my room, and be annoyed that I cannot fall asleep.
I write this only because it is currently on my mind. It is 12 minutes past 12am. I could easily lay down right now, as my bed is literally seven inches from where I am sitting. Nichole is already asleep, her daughter is knocked out in her room, and here I sit, punching away at keys, my right leg fidgeting in that way that gently shakes everything around you. And yet, I cannot make myself go to bed. I wouldn't actually get to sleep for at least another hour, if not more. I know that around 3am, Nichole's daughter will wake herself up and come in our room, and we'll have to put her back to bed. I know she'll be back around 7am or so, and either climb into our bed or try to wake us up because she's up, and that's what little kids do. So it is in my best interest to go to sleep now.
And here I sit, boring you with tales of how I am sitting here. It's like some twisted version of insomnia. I don't intend to bitch and whine and moan about job hours and the like. As I said before, I chose this profession. I could of become a realtor or something. So I'm not complaining. I'm just saying.
Sometimes, it gets annoying.
As anyone who works on the side of production, they can tell you the hours tend to suck. Hard. Since '99, when I began my illustrious career, my schedule has consisted of: 3:30pm-11pm, 4:30pm-1am, 3pm-11:30pm. Sometimes, if games are running late, the out time for a day off work can be anywhere from 2:30am to 3:30am. I have arrived home after 4am before. It's not ideal.
I knew this going in, so please understand I am not trying to complain about such work hours. I chose them myself by staying in this field and knew they would be as such, therefore I do not have the right to whine. Now, if I have to stay at work until 3am or so, then I am permitted some griping. Otherwise, no. Suck it up, because it's your job.
That being said, this kind of schedule lends itself to an awkward sleeping pattern. I have been getting up earlier recently, but before moving in with my girlfriend, my sleeping schedule used to fit a cycle of Bed At 5am, Wake At 2pm. Give or take 30 minutes here or there.
Say you go to work at 9am, and get home around 6:30pm or so, allowing for the drive home and traffic and staying late and arriving late and taking a longer lunch and whatever else may slow you down or speed you up. Well, it's the same time frame for me, except later. Say I get home at 12:30am. That is my 6:30pm. When you get home, you might eat some dinner, maybe watch some TV, read a book, have some sex, surf the internet, read this blog, then cozy on up for a nice doze before beginning the next day. You do not go right to sleep. And why would you? It's only 6:30pm!
This is my conundrum. After leaving work, I need time to unravel. Relax. Watch TV. All the aforementioned stuff. So even though it's 1am or so, I am not ready to hit the hay, as it feels like Evening to me. Finally, come the middle of the night, I am now ready for sleep.
The crappy thing is, this schedule is hard to break. My hours at the job are 3pm-11:30pm right now. Even so, the last two nights I have stayed up until 4am or later. Typically, I am not in bed until at least after 2am. I just can't seem to do it. I want to, I would like to, but laying down at 12am does not find me sleeping. Rather, my mind races, I toss and turn, stare at dark portions of my room, and be annoyed that I cannot fall asleep.
I write this only because it is currently on my mind. It is 12 minutes past 12am. I could easily lay down right now, as my bed is literally seven inches from where I am sitting. Nichole is already asleep, her daughter is knocked out in her room, and here I sit, punching away at keys, my right leg fidgeting in that way that gently shakes everything around you. And yet, I cannot make myself go to bed. I wouldn't actually get to sleep for at least another hour, if not more. I know that around 3am, Nichole's daughter will wake herself up and come in our room, and we'll have to put her back to bed. I know she'll be back around 7am or so, and either climb into our bed or try to wake us up because she's up, and that's what little kids do. So it is in my best interest to go to sleep now.
And here I sit, boring you with tales of how I am sitting here. It's like some twisted version of insomnia. I don't intend to bitch and whine and moan about job hours and the like. As I said before, I chose this profession. I could of become a realtor or something. So I'm not complaining. I'm just saying.
Sometimes, it gets annoying.
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