A few years ago, I had a severe case of insomnia, brought on by serious problems in my private life (what problems? Private ones). The counsellor at the Mental Health clinic referred me to a psychiatrist, who prescribed a very small dose of Ambien, a relatively mild sleeping aid, or so they told me.
I was to take one pill 15 minutes before going to bed. The first night I used it, I was watching “Life With Father” on AMC. I took the pill and set down to watch the movie, intending to go to bed when I felt sleepy enough.
After about 10 minutes, I was having difficulty focussing on the screen, but thought nothing of it. Five minutes later, I had to laugh. Everyone on screen had 3 eyes and 2 noses. I was so relaxed that my eyes were crossing and I could not uncross them! I tried watching the movie for a few more minutes (I still didn’t feel sleepy). I covered one eye to eliminate the “Alien Theater” effect and after a few more minutes, I decided I felt sleepy enough to go to bed.
As I rose from the couch, I realized I should have gone straight to bed. I stumbled into the hallway and did the blind staggers to my bedroom, tumbling into bed and struggling to recall just how, precisely, does one pull the covers over one’s self?
I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. In fact, I was already dressed, having forgotten this fact when I decided it was really bedtime the night before. After that, I always made sure I was really, really ready for bed and nothing else need be done before I took one of those things.
I still tried to ensure I was watching a movie before I took it though. “Alien Theater” was a good way to determine it was bedtime.
–Baloo
I once lost my corkscrew and had to live on food and water for several days
-W.C. Fields
http://members.tripod.com/~Bob_Baloo/index.htm