What are you doing up at this time of night?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Okay. So, it’s almost 4 am where I am right now.

I’m awake becuase I have a bunch of writing to do. I’m reading the Dope at the moment because my brain is almost semi-fried. Unfortunately, sometimes I need to be completely semi-fried (can I use the phrase “completely semi-fried?”) to actually write anything that’s even vaguely important to me or anyone else, because I can’t be nervous and jumpy when I’m a little numb from exhaustion. I know this is really stupid, but sometimes it’s the only way I can do things that give me performance anxiety–like, say, finishing grant applications.

That’s one of the things I’m doing now. Rationally, I know that even if my application is total garbage, as long as I don’t screw it up totally, I’ll get the money. But I keep thinking, “Yeah, but, knowing me, I’ll probably screw it up totally. I’d better do it right, or not only will I be very, very broke, but I’ll have to face up to being a total loser for having royally flubbed up something that anyone with two working neurons could pull off.” So now I’m nervous. But I’m also almost semi-fried now, which is helping a bit.

Oh, and I’m supposed to be helping to revise the lab manual we’re using in the course I’m TAing for. That’s taking up a lot more time than I thought it would. I know that if I don’t do it well, lots of other grad students and TAs for at least a year will have to put up with a bad rewrite. As it is now, the manual is pretty lousy. I spend a good chunk of my lab period having to clarify badly-written directions or questions in the manual. I suppose I should take the attitude that any changes I make to this beast can only be improvements, but I’m afraid that I’ll produce a total piece of crap. Then everyone will know that the piece of *&^% manual they have to work with is my fault.

So, basically, I’m awake because I’m completely neurotic. And I really, really want this grant.

For those of you in places where it’s now between, say, midnight and 5 am–why are you up at this hour, and what are you doing?

2

I got up at 4:30 just, well, because.

I normally get up at 5:30-6 am (the alarm is set for 6 and I rarely sleep long enough for it to go off) for my 8-4 job as a social worker. Today, I’m working on an assignment for one of my evening graduate classes (M.Ed. in special education, someday).

No, not really. I’m procrastinating and reading the Dope. I’m also supposed to be doing my taxes.

My night owl daughter will be dragging out of bed at about 6:30. She gets on the bus at 7:25 and I leave for work shortly thereafter.

If it was summer I might be running a 5K right now. That was my hobby last summer, and it’s best to get that stuff over with early in the A.M.

3

I get bouts of pregnancy insomnia, along with all the other thoughts swimming in my head, and wham it’s 2:30 in the morning and I still can’t get to sleep. And with the baby kicking right now, sleep won’t be happening any time soon.

4

'tis only 10:30pm here, so it’s not that late.
There’s nothing on TV, so just reading a few things before turning in to bed.

5

All right. Lab re-write done.

Now I have to finish the grant thingie.

I’ll do that this morning, have it ready by this afternoon. Whoo!

6

Eating breakfast (after working out.)

It’s not as cool as it sounds. (and it doesn’t sound very cool)

Bacon/cheese omlette. ummmmmm. it’s 5:35 here, 'been up since 4:15…
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Okay, 4:25, man that alarm clock goes off EARLY.

7

I just don’t have the sense to go to bed. As to what I’m doing, I’m reading the SDMB, watching some court show on TV and MUDding.

8

Avoiding going to sleep. Don’t know why, since I do have to be at work tomorrow morning…

9

It’s only 8:45pm here. Waaaaay too early to retire.

10

I was working and listening to Coast to Coast AM until it went off about two minutes ago.

11

I’ve been working on my family tree.

I started with looking up the Mayflower folks, then I looked up their names on FamilySearch , then I thought “you know, there’s a LOT of information here, some of it goes back to the 1400’s and I really should get it on computer once and for all,” and so I dragged out the Family Tree Maker software, installed it and have been adding names and other information for about 2 hours.

My idea of a happenin’ Friday night. Just me, the computer and a bunch of dead relatives who obviously delighted in living in obscurity, changing their names frequently, getting divorces (Pilgrims, at that! :eek: ), knowing that 400 years later I’d come looking for them.

12

OC web-surfing. Signed on at 1:30am wanting to check on an eBay auction I’d bid on. Next thing I knew (to borrow a surfing metaphor), I’d caught a wave and was 7 miles out to sea.