I Sleep When I'm Bored

It's one of my worst, most disorienting habits.

Today was the first half-day Friday at my company. For today and the next seven weeks, we have the option of leaving at 1 PM provided our work is done. It's a nice benefit and a double-edged sword. If you leave too early, it's quietly frowned upon by higher-ups making their rounds to check for empty cubicles. If you work late, it doesn't look good to other co-workers. For the last two weeks, I've somehow allowed myself to fall horrendously behind schedule. Part of it has to do with circumstances within my control. I could get to work earlier, not talk to anyone, and skip a few lunches. Part of it has to do with circumstances beyond my control. There's a lot of work right now and the deadlines are the same despite recent company holidays and the shorter Friday work days. Yesterday, I spent the better part of the morning getting used to a new computer, new operating system, and new ways of crashing. This morning, after being trapped in a stairwell, I finally noticed a hairline crack in my I.D. badge which accounted for it not working on the door scanners, and I had to take the time to get a new card and a new photo taken since my old one apparently wasn't stored anymore. When it comes to my personal Law of Improbability, 2% odds become 98% odds, and anything that can go MCF will go MCF.

I didn't want to work too late today. The Summer goes by so fast and I didn't want to regret not taking advantage of the benefit, especially since I have musical jobs tomorrow and Sunday. Next week is going to be a nightmare in terms of meetings and deadlines, and more assignments will be starting which means I really needed to finish the ones that are currently active. Psychologically, anything past 1 PM feels like working late when in fact it's no later than any other day of the week. By 3 I was in a better place, though not quite where I needed to be, but I was feeling burned out and unfocused. From the shrill yelling of my old, loud neighbor a few aisles down, other people were working “late” and not happy about it.

It was raining and miserable out as I drove home, and I realized nicer weather would have prompted me to leave earlier. Still, 3 wasn't too bad and I was expecting a few movies from Netflix to be waiting for me when I got home. I felt a little guilty letting the weather get me down, considering how many people have worse problems in the world right now. After September 11th, it struck me how different media coverage of the tragedy changed the further the commentators were from New York. Conan O'Brien, for example, was visibly shaken while Jay Leno was back to cracking jokes within a few days. BBC coverage seemed calm and distant, and it felt like I was watching something on the other side of the world rather than something a few miles from my home. It gave me some perspective on how I viewed such events in the past. An embassy or something would be attacked in Africa or somewhere distant and I'd see passing mention of it on the news, think how terrible it was, and then move on to other things without a second thought. There's an unfortunate detachment to things geographically distant. We live in a world where the notion that “it can't happen here” no longer exists. Bloggers more profound than I, from all sides of the political spectrum, have commented on the horrific events in London yesterday. Anything I might have to add beyond my condolences and concerns would only be redundant, but I would advise reading FawnDoo's impressions. As the person on my blogroll geographically closest(Scotland), I think he has the most important perspective, though any terrorist action really does affect us all.

No movies were waiting for me when I got home. I quickly pushed any foolish regrets about not working longer from my mind, and popped in a DVD of the ‘90s Fantastic Four cartoon, which may have the worst theme song in the history of all cartoons. As I recall, they ditched the song after the first season for an instrumental score, and the animation improved, but I'm still on the first season episodes right now. I once saw an episode of ”Two and a Half Men” in which Charlie Sheen's character, a commercial jingle writer, has been given the assignment of writing the theme song for a new cartoon based on a comic book. His nephew is horrified at what he comes up with and explains how dark the comic is, pointing out ninjas and evil spirits. Ultimately, even after he gets the feel for the comic and what the fans like, marketing still goes with the more upbeat original concept. It struck me that songs like the the theme to the original TMNT had similar origins. Adult perceptions of what kids will find “cool” are often far, far off the mark. I did like the classic FF theme though. I think jingly theme songs were a plague that began in the ‘80s and leaked in to the ‘90s where they only got worse.

The ‘90s cartoon had its moments, like a scene in which a certain president from Arkansas(technically, a Skrull impersonating him) is addressing the team on a viewscreen. The Thing chimes in and “tactfully” reassures him, “Just cos I didn't vote for ya, don't mean I ain't behind ya all the way big guy!” He's probably the character I'm most looking forward to seeing on the big screen and somewhere in between gigs this weekend, I have to find time to see the movie. At some point this afternoon I fell asleep, and woke up for dinner. After dinner I went back to sleep and woke up at 11:30 dizzy, disoriented, and with a bit of a headache. It's been a while since I've slept because I had nothing better to do, and I really hate the way I feel when I wake up after one of these naps. Worse, I know I'm going to have trouble going to sleep for the night now, and I was hoping to get up early to get a matinee in before my parade in the afternoon.

I guess if I sleep when I'm bored, my best bet is to avoid boredom. I'll have to remember that in the future....