Insomnia is not your friend. Sure, you start out thinking, "Okay, so, I've got insomnia. That's another eight hours I can add to my day. Now I can try all those things I've always wanted to try but never had time for. Like…midnight gardening. My productivity will shoot through the roof!"

Well, productivity aside, it sucks. You lay around for hours trying to sleep, unable to do anything else because there's the slight chance that the one moment you COULD have fallen asleep passed by as soon as you sat up to do something. So, you spend the whole night oscillating between constant tossing/turning and lying completely still as if you're trying to sneak up on sleep or something.

I'm a veteran. I've had it off and on for years. Nasty stuff, insomnia. Once you have it, it triggers a viscous cycle. Well, I'm sure you've experienced it at some point. All that tension that not being able to sleep creates. But the worst part comes when you try to talk to the doctor about it. First they look surprised, as if they weren't aware that people could have trouble sleeping (I guess residency hardens you against this problem). Then, they get down to business:

Doctor: What do you do when you can't sleep?

You: Uh, I just lay there. You know, trying.

Doctor: Do you start to worry about how tired you'll be the next day? Start questioning why you can't sleep?

You (leaning forward): Yeah!

Doctor: Well, there's your problem right there.

You: You know what's wrong with me?

Doctor: You're too tense to sleep.

As you squint at them, trying to decide whether or not they're joking, they tell you to try and relax and then walk off, leaving you squinting into thin air. Extremely helpful. Meanwhile, they're out like a light as soon as their heads hit the pillow and you're stuck watching late night infomercials cuz you've seen all the movies you own seven times. (I'm just guessing here.)

In Other News:
-The school year began with me taking six classes for 24 units. Since then, I located my sanity in my desk drawer (the "junk" drawer) and have dropped two of those.
-I've started an internship at ReadyMade Magazine (thanks Mark!) as intern to the Music Reviewer so I get to listen to all the new music before it's released. AWESOME.
-I've begun applying for grad school and wondering why the hell I'm putting myself through the pain and suffering.
-Babysitting for Mitch has become a highlight of my week because he's just about the cutest baby ever (tied with The Baby, Mira, and Ari).

~The Ass