August 19, 2008

7:50 a.m.

Feeling the Pinch

I go in and out of coffeeland. I guess I've been in it more than out lately, judging by the headache that started last night and woke me up this morning. Or, rather, the one that became instantly apparent when a persistent bird woke me up this morning. 6:30! The town is surprisingly alive at this hour, today. A car alarm went off; a small plane just flew by. Random birds, a jay. A baying dog. The sun slanting golden on the roof next door. Gee, if I didn't have this great headache, it'd be a perfect morning.

So I sit with a little half-caf (hair of a different dog) and think about what I can do with this long day. Yesterday I heard an interview on NPR with a woman who has written a book about the benefits of napping. She advocates a 20-minute nap during one's lunch hour to increase alertness and productivity in the afternoon. I wholly advocate this. If I were a boss I would enjoy requiring my employees to nap. 20 minutes or so is long enough to get some restorative value out of the snooze without going so deep that it's difficult to come back out.

I may try it today, as I got about 5-1/2 hours of sleep.

I might even have a rotating nap room. Gentle bird sounds, choice of aromas -- sea breeze, jasmine flowers, spring rain, fresh linen. The smells would change when it's time to wake up: bakery, coffee, grapefruit, peppermint. Everybody could have their own pillow in a locker. You get twenty minutes to nap and ten minutes to get yourself back together. Bing. You're ready for work again.

And then you wouldn't feel the way I feel right now, tired and headache-y.

I've been listening to back episodes of Radiolab -- fascinating, every one, about what is memory, and how do we know we're us, and what is music and how and why does it affect us emotionally? What is laughter? I love this program as much as This American Life. If you have an iPod or iTunes, and you're curious about various subjects, do subscribe to these programs. They're free and wonderful. Just go here to sign up for Radiolab, or here for This American Life.

TAL episodes are available for just one week after broadcast. Once you've signed up, new episodes will download automatically when you open iTunes.

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45 minutes later, headache marginally better. Maybe some breakfast soon. Walking would be good but I don't want to drive anywhere right now. I wish I could go right out my door into a good walking place. Soon. I pulse the intention out: house, soon. Think of all the ways the Universe is contriving to bring me home. Right this very minute, all sorts of people's lives are being upset on my behalf. I like it.