This is what “Sleep Deprived” looks like in my world…

Disclaimer: Opium Angry Birds and late nights out other events have conspired to remove sleep from my life these last few days, so I’m not 100% in control of my faculties, which may or may not include grammar or conceptual cognition. Please forgive, and return when I’m functioning!

Obviously, I’m going to the Star Wars:TPM [3-D] opening tomorrow, but due to a previous engagement later on, will almost certainly not be posting about the movie immediately afterward. I’m hoping that my later engagement – at which I know I will see at least two fellow Star Wars-nerds – will afford me the opportunity to dissect the movie enough that I can distill my thoughts down to a coherent post the next day. (hey that was pretty good grammar, right?)

I know.

You’re holding your breath.

Don’t. Knowing me it will turn into a high-minded, detail-oriented, technical film-critique and no fun to read at all. …then again that could be my current lack of brain-function talking.  (I’ll try to include some random mall-watching observations to lighten it up. There’s bound to be humor in a vast collection of sci-fi geeks!)

                                                                                        

Work diversion:

(shh…I shouldn’t be doing this now…)

One of the supervisors just came into my office where someone was working on a Valentine’s Day promotion and had heart-shaped stuff spread everywhere. He said, “Aww…Aren’t we full of heart today!” I said, “I usually spell ‘shit’ differently.” Somehow everyone cracked up... (possibly in part because I don't swear?) I didn’t know I was being funny. Anyway we’ve used “full of heart” a few times since then as a euphemism. Riot.

...come back next week for my thoughts on V-Day. [hint:it's not romantic]

Internet diversion:

WOW!!!

I just found out that one of my favorite authors (ever since the untimely demise of Douglas Adams) is coming out with his new book! The author: Christopher Moore. The new book: “Sacre Bleu” surrounds the mystery of Vincent Van Gogh’s death. Awe.Some. Who doesn't like Van Gogh? (you can read a chapter at chrismoore [dot]com.) Moore is the only author whose book tour I who I’ve visited I’ve seen live …wow, brain-dead me couldn’t grammar-out that he’s the only author …I mean, during a book-tour… I mean,who I’ve gone to …screw it. You know what I mean.

ANYhoo…he’ll be back at that same bookstore this April. During this current tour. coming up in April. Holy crap I need sleep... I may have to go see him again. He’s that good. I do love me some insanity! One glance at the photo in the book-jacket, and you can see Moore’s got the insanity.

**This is not a paid endorsement, nor do I think CM is aware that I am praising the book here. **

**and I'm not a psychologist, and am not making a clinical assessment of his sanity**

On an un-related note…

no wait, a TOTALLY-related-to-everything-I’m-writing note!...

I am SOO droopy-tired! I am going to crash so hard as soon as this workday ends I get home from work. But no, not really, because I have to go to the AT&T store to have them remove the virus I think my Android caught. Oh, and I’d better do some grocery-shopping so I don’t starve. Sleep-deprived and food-deprived would clearly signal the "intervention police" to remove the Opium Angry Birds from my phone.

…and I’ll probably have some Angry Birds to mess with, too.

…because that is now vital to my existence, so I’d best not fall asleep without the appropriate dosage.

…stupid Opium in my phone!

Angry Birds, a.k.a. The Opium App

Are you aware of this phenomenon called “Angry Birds”? I have many nieces and nephews – and a very trendy sister – so I’ve been aware of its existence possibly since its beginning. Never cared. SO not a gamer.

Cute idea though…haha…birds exacting revenge on pigs by flinging themselves from a sling-shot. I can see the attraction for a 10 year old!

I’ve had my smart-phone a month now, and have avoided games, unless you count Sudoku.

Yesterday I observed someone playing “papijump”, “papipole” and such, on their IPod-touch. These apps seemed easy to put down and pick up later – not based on levels or anything, so I thought that might be a nice diversion. I don’t have an IPod, but figure all smart-phones surely offer similar apps.

At bedtime I opened the App Store in all innocence to seek out a free, mindless diversion. One of the first things showing was Angry Birds. Little Angry Bird toys were the hit at family Christmas this year, and my 2yo nephew even imitates their birdy-noises, so I decided to download it and finally check it out – time to get this outdated Aunt back to today! (mwahahahahahaha...)

AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER… I finally put the phone down, turned off the light, curled into the fetal position and cried myself to sleep in the yearning to keep playing. Oh, my eyes: the burn of late-night phone-screen! Oh the lost sleep! Oh, the ache of not completing that level I finally bailed on! I want more, but can’t stay awake to take it! Boo-hoo, woe is me!

The game is just so cute! So harmless…cute little cartoon birdies, cute little round snorting piggies – who get black eyes if you wound but don’t “poof” them! …I’m sure they aren’t killed, they’re just poofed into another dimension. No game this cute could kill!

But I. Must. Finish. This. Level!

Have you played this? There’s like 30 levels on each level! And they’re quick, mostly, so it’s like winning at nickel-slots (I suppose). You win, win, win, (nickel, nickel, nickel) and suddenly you get stuck on one and REFUSE to abandon it knowing the payoff must come soon!

Oh the horror.

…credit where credit is due, I refused to allow myself to roll over this morning and call in late to work from the lost sleep. I do have some pride. That would be worse than calling in with a hangover! – which I’ve also never done, thankyouverymuch.

I read that Opium is immediately addictive. That taking it once means your body immediately requires it. Okay, well, that was presumably an exaggeration, but by all accounts it is highly addictive, compared to other drugs.

I fear that Angry Birds is the same. I can’t wait until I have time to attack that level again! Probably not until I fall into bed again at the end of the day. I’m not at the point of playing Angry Birds instead of eating though. When I get there, get me help!

on another note: 

(Celebrations today, for those needing a reason to bust out the champagne: Nirvana Day in the Buddhist world, Tu B’Shevat in the Jewish world, and John Williams’ 80^th birthday in the Star Wars world!)

I Think I'm Part Bear

...And not because of the fact that I’m a diehard fan of the Chicago Bears, or that this is my 9^th consecutive year participating in the Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics.(still raising funds for this year's plunge) This is a more visceral “bear-ness”: My body seems to want to hibernate.

Of course, biologically we all want to follow the sun’s path, blah blah blah. …and I have noticed that in spades in my own life. I wake up with the sun regardless of when it rises. Can’t help it. (Daylight Savings is a crock. Just don’t get me started on that.)

But this goes beyond. I took a personal day on Thursday, to take care of some things I was not accomplishing with my normal hectic schedule. When I woke at 10 a.m. (SO LATE) Thursday morning, I had a blistering headache, so rolled over. Woke again at 3 p.m. and still had a headache but made myself get up and take something for it. Well, I called work and said Thursday was going to have to be a sick day, and I’d take Friday for the personal day, since I couldn’t do the things I needed to do with my eyes closed!

Friday dawned…again around 11a.m.! I got up, but boy, I could have stayed in bed. And mind you, these are days that I’m sleeping most of the day, AND all night, too. So my body wants the sleep. Saturday was a repeat. Sunday I forced myself up for church, with the grand ambition to get to the gym afterward, but came home and napped instead.

I think I’m part bear. If I could sleep away the winter, I surely would.

Usually when I sleep this much I figure my body is fighting a cold or other bug, but I have none of those symptoms, so it must be an ursine metamorphosis – what other explanation can there be!?