AWAKE AT 3:30AM AGAIN

Since I am doomed to be awake for the rest of the night...
I thought I’d catch up on my FB pages.  I subscribe to several online newspapers. And tonight there is a distressing amount of news from Boston.com to the LA times.

Though the news and video of the soldiers who murdered Afghanistan civilians was on the web last night, it is in the Prime Time News today.  News like this takes me back to the 60’s and 70’s.  

The 60’s is known for the Civil Rights movement, the Anti Vietnam movement and the Sexual Revolution that helped gays and the greater populous to see sexual orientation is part of the normal spectrum. 

The Afghanistan tragedy is shades of “My Lai,” Vietnam, all over again and shame on us all.  Then there is the story form LA with regard to the sexual orientation of the LA Chief Justice Judge Vaughn Walker, who correctly struck down Prop 8 calling the law “Unconstitutional,” who is being held by a different standard in his ruling because of his sexual orientation. 

It is like reliving the 60’s again and again. When one thinks that finely, maybe, we are making some small progress, it all comes back to haunt us. There’s the possibility of the Healthcare Bill coming out of Committee without the Single Payer Option included. You may not realize this but this too is an old subject.

With the 70’s there was hope. Nixon ran on the promise of bringing home the troops and, believe-it-or-not,’ Universal Health Care.  He was intrigued with the idea of the HMO model.  Had he not been caught up in the Watergate Scandal we would have Universal Health Care now.

The legislative process seems to take 20 years to bring legislation to a vote but it takes another 20 years before it comes up again.  So we seem to have a history of not passing important legislation that effects us all for 20 years and more.  

We Americans have a very short memories. When it comes to war, we didn’t learn our lesson in Vietnam and went headstrong into war in Iraq and now Afghanistan with the same disastrous results.  The troops are no better trained to be warrior today then they were in the 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. 

As for civil rights, they again are being questioned of hampered by obsolete laws and prejudice.  Why do we fight this one over and over again?

Then there is health care where millions have died because the people we put in office don’t have the guts to do the right thing. Where greed has taken over Congress and the Senate; where we again have Wall Street and corporations dictating to us and leaving our rights to blow in the wind…

The reoccurring news gets me down… I must be tired, 

Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite, See you tomorrow...

Sleepy Sally Sandman

Sep 28,2010 3:39 am

Dog Days of Summer

Insomnia in The Dog Days of Summer

This is the second blog, thou a little late in posting… I didn’t write sooner only because I didn’t think this problem was going to be such a problem. But it has and I’m coping the best way I can.  It has come down to sleeping every two days.

What do I do when I can’t sleep? Well most of the time I click on Facebook and look at the postings then repost what I think you would like to read... not everything gets in, though an awful lot does. I read every article before I post it so it can take a long time to go through the day’s worth of mail.

I have tried all the things prescribed in the insomniac manuals or advice offered by doctors but nothing seem to work..  When I am sleep deprived I can’t concentrate on writing articles.  I know I could sell them if I had the confidence and knowledge to post them on line.  I can’t read the many books I scheduled for the summer so I haven’t finished my ‘Summer reading list. I’m so behind on that subject… So… I find other things to do. 

What do I do to occupy my time? Sometimes play plain solitaire or Spider solitaire… They are time wasters but I get a shot of endorphins every time I win… I’m getting pretty good at it so I guess I may be getting addicted.  It does waste time with my hope that I may fall asleep around three or four in the morning.  But past that I know I’m pretty much in for the whole night and following day.  

Sometimes I try to watch TV but last year when I only had the “basic” part of Comcast or Verizon I saw mostly the Paid Programs… That was a terribly depressing time in my life.  I really think it is disingenuous that the History, Discovery and the other good program channels have to have the Paid Infomercials on late at night/morn.   Even the Syfy channel stops producing movies at five every morning… Do they think we don’t like Syfy movies between five and seven?… Don’t we, insomniacs, count too? 

We now have A Dish TV and we are getting a lot of movies on the HBO channels but I know that too will disappear in time. And, to add insult to injury, only after we signed on for two years did Dish TV offer a decent price for all the three program package… At the time we only wanted TV but had we waited a month we could have had the telephone, TV and computer service ,for a very reasonable price that “would NEVER change”...  Will wonders never cease? Well we are locked in for two years now… I just have to wait.   I do get to see movies IF I can find them… There are two or three areas where the movies are located.  The channels repeat at higher numbers and they incorporate other channels in the mix that are not at the lower end so it becomes very confusing.

I also found a neat channel that has research lectures on it… Very exciting for a nerd like me.  Also there are the government channels and Book TV that C-Span provides… 

But what I miss the most is Channel 6 from Providence that had adult programming after 12 noon everyday and my town's access tv, MCTV, a local channel that I’m  a member of.  The MCTV channel, 14, deals with local politics and other matters and is often the most bizarre show on the tube.  But Dish TV is inexpensive and I can afford it.  

Back to the insomnia… It has become worse since we last spoke. Why is it that I sleep every two days?   Last night I slept until 11 PM and have been awake ever since. 

It is now twelve noon. I feel good for the time being, though I had a msoigraine most of the morning.  My heart started running fast (I have Atrial Fibulation) and I couldn’t find my pills… After searching my room for most of the morning, I found them down stairs in my son’s room…don’t ask. I did take one but thought I might have to take another… and I might still.  I just managed to take my morning  pills with my headache meds…so that should do me for a while. 

Here I sit at 12 noon… again no sleep… the temperature out side is the better part of 95 F degrees. 

When at seven AM, I spent a measly five minutes outside, checking on my potted plants, I quickly became covered in sweat.  

For me, today is an in-day and so I write…

Have a nice day if you can bare it… 

Sleepy Sally Sandman

DEMONIC MACHINES

What is with computer programs or electronic machines? 

It seems that now every electronic machine I touch has some kind of poltergeist living within.   I think it may have started when I bought my new computer, now a year old.  I just thought it was the Vista programming or the HP computer itself. 

But, now I’m wondering. I must confess that I knew nothing about Vista or about HP computers but it sounded like it was what I wanted and because it felt good.  I know that does sound strange but it’s true.  It has a nice feel to it and I hate to have to give it up because I do really like the feel of it.

So, I suffered this past year with my computer having it ZOOM gyrating between 10-800% while I’m trying to type an essay or any lengthy piece of work; or, when I’m trying to highlight many pages.  I got very good at correcting the problem quickly, returning it to 75%, and not getting upset whenever it acted up.  

Another thing it does is jump from one line to the next so that when I am typing and not looking at the screen I may be typing in the lower or upper paragraph without knowing.  The upside of this problem is that I have taught myself to type without looking at the keys.  But depending on my physical positions this is not always possible.  

The next thing it will do is place copied material in the middle of a paragraph, not where I have designated it to go, making strange and incoherent sentences.

Still another problem is when I “un-do” a typing error.  The computer will reset all of the corrections I have laboriously entered.  This has been difficult for me but I have adjusted to the extra work I have had to do in order to get my papers done. Most essays take four to five times longer for me to type than any other person I know. I’ve decided to call it “Chuck’itza,” translated as “little Chuck.”

Then this summer I bought a new cell phone called the “Smart Phone.” I should have known better.  Anytime something says “Smart” one should know it’s going to be trouble or at least break before it’s time.  I have written another blog about this phone so I won’t repeat it here.  Let’s just say I now call my new phone, “Chucky.” I called him Chuck because he really is demonic where Chuck’itza is really just confused… 

Two incidences shouldn’t concern one but when everything starts to act demonic, one does have to worry; or at least wonder what is happening to create this problem.

Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell

There are times that we must become serious.
I believe this is one of them.

Please take a few minutes to copy this web adress and paste it the web page locator at the top of your page... This is a video of her show and it has a very important message...
 
Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell the Federal Court decision declaring "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" unconstitutional. Rachel discusses the juges ruling, the case itself, and the political situaiton around DADT's legislative repeal. What do you think will happen next?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFRHitn9iTQ&feature=player_embedded
from September 10, 2010
Awesome Video! Right on Racheal! 
MAJ. MICHEAL ALME interview…

SMART PHONES ARE THEY DEMONIC?

By Sleepy Sally Sandman

You may be wondering what possibly could be the connection between this Insomniac and the Smart Phone.  We insomniacs obviously have trouble sleeping; not just falling asleep but staying asleep.  So how does this phone interfere with sleeping? Let me start at the beginning.

I had been without a cell phone for several months and my sons were bothering me to get a new one. While on a trip to Boston one summer’s day my son saw a large billboard advertizing a new phone provider in this area, PCS.  

Hoping that this provider could give service to me in the black hole that I live in; I proceeded to look up this new kid in town.  After much web surfing for information and with several false leads I located a store nearest me.  I won’t go much further on that subject for that episode would take another blog to present.  So, I will just leave it at, I located the store after an eight hour search. Then after looking at the selection I was able to purchase I settled on the I-phone. It sounded terrific. It did all the things I wanted it to and… to my dismay several more. 

This is the latest phone that has come on the market and supposedly has all kinds of programs to make your life easier and more informed. Remember this is called the “Smart Phone” and I soon found out that smart phones, do kinds of things all on their own. As a matter of fact I might just call mine, “Chucky”

The “smart phone” turns itself on at various times during the day or night.  One can turn the phone off and an hour or two goes buy and it’s on again. It’s programmed to give you the weather or maybe the number of runs the Red Sox have hit or the inning or maybe the status of route three going north.  I live south of the city and the information I get is useless. But in particular, none of these things interest me at two or three or four in the morning.  But, happily Chucky gives this information night or day weather I want it or not.

Then there are the all the bells and whistles this devious device has.  At a prescribed time, unknown to me because it varies, the phone discharges itself thus requiring me to connect it up to the charger.  But if I’m sleeping I don’t know it is divesting itself of the charge and I will find a low battery signal, essentially a dead phone, when I need to use it the next time. 

Chucky will sit enjoying himself on my desk receiving the charge and after he has had enough; he rings a bell that tells me he is fully charged. But don’t let that fool you for after an hour or two Chucky WILL discharge himself again. I think he gets off on being charged.  Finely I got wise to him and after much trial and error I overcame this problem.  I leave him plugged in over night.  He doesn’t like it very much and rings his bell periodically to let me know he is done, often getting louder & louder.  I just ignore him.  I know his tricks now.

Then there are the “Announcements.”  Mind you the phone is supposed to be completely “off.”  But is it? How does it turn itself on?  And how can I dismember this app or this “wonderful feature” I never use… Well according to all the websites I’ve visited and the technical manual given to me when I bought this overpriced electric demon, YOU CAN’T!  There is NO way to delete any PRE-INSTALLED program.

It’s too late to return Chucky, so, here I am with stuck with him turning himself on during class, disrupting everyone, but most of all, annoying my professor and making me look like a fool. Maybe Chucky thinks he is just keeping me company during the night but for all his efforts, Chucky the “Smart Phone” just keeps me awake.  

Enough for now I see the sky getting light and maybe, just maybe, I’ll get a few winks in before I have to get up for school.

Sleep tight everyone. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

Sleepy Sally Sandman

SELFISHNESS OR ALTRUISM?

Yesterday I was waiting for my son to finish his grocery shopping… I had to wait a long time… first I went to the area where there were tables and chairs and ate a muffin… I made a few phone calls on my cell phone.  I can’t get any reception at my house so I have to do long distance calling elsewhere.   

As I was leaving a message two people decided to sit down and both scraped the chairs along the tiled floor where they made loud screeching sounds; thus destroying my important message… I was annoyed.  I gave them the evil eye and left.  I passed the muffin tray where I had just pick up one of the last muffins in the tray. It looked like someone had nibbled all around the edge of the muffin yet I had to pay full price, but now ‘low and behold’ there was a tray with a tray of beautifully formed bran new muffins… I grumbled to myself and headed to my car where I hoped my son was waiting… the temp was still 85F at 6:00 PM and humidity 85%... I decided my ice-cream wouldn’t last long so I went back into the store where it was much cooler… I sat down on the bench provided and with nothing else to do, I started people watching… 

First I noticed that many of the cashiers were young.  Several young men appeared to be gay.  I wondered about this. Was the hiring manager gay too? All the cashiers looked like they came from another towns… My town doesn’t have many YUPI children.  Then I witnessed several very tall women, many more than I had seen in other grocery stores in the area… there are three grocery stores within 5 miles.  I wondered if all the tall women only shopped here at this store or if they were summer people. Then I noticed that everyone seemed to be dressed up and this was only Tuesday; that is, except for one woman who was dressed provocatively with next to nothing under her tunic. I thought maybe she had gone swimming as this is a seaside resort town.  Next I noticed that everyone’s mouth was turned down.  This perplexed me as it was cool in the grocery store… maybe they didn’t relish going out into the hot weather again.  

But, this bothered me the most… how can everyone be so miserable don’t they know what they are projecting?  I wondered if my mouth was turned down too.  I touched my face and sure enough my mouth was also frowning or turned down. I tried to change it. I saw a man coming towards me and I smiled… He tried but didn’t quite make it but his eyes looked happier as he passed me.  

Next there was a man coming towards me as if to sit down.  I smiled and his frown turned into a genuine smile and he sat next to me on the bench.   I struck up conversation about the shoppers leaving the store and so we both observed them. Only one pretty lady didn’t have a frown on her face, all the rest did. 

Then a young man walking towards us stopped and hoisted a gallon jug of iced tea and started drinking it right from the bottle. A pretty blond, well groomed, lady, also with a frown, took a double-take and tried to pretend she didn’t see it but my ‘partner in crime’ and I smiled and I said, “thirsty.”  Not only did she smile but broke out laughing. My partner asked the young man, “How does it taste?” To which the young man replied, “Football!” 

That’s all it took. We were all in a good mood and smiling and laughing.  My ‘partner in crime’s wife appeared and he got up to leave.  My son came with all his groceries and we left too. But, as we were loading the car my "partner in crime" and his wife gave my son and I a big wave and bigger smiles. 

Was I selfish? Maybe. I didn’t think of it at the time.  I wasn’t planning to create anything.  I just felt uncomfortable sitting on a bench with people looking at me, judging me.  Maybe that’s selfish. I couldn’t stand it and changed the equation. In the process I made others happy and gave myself a shot of endorphins.  

 Be good to yourself. Smiles are contagious.  Give a few to the unsuspecting and see what happens.

Good night blogger, the sun is coming up and I have to get a few winks in before doing more homework.

Sleepy Sally Sandman

INSOMNIAC IN THE SUMMER

Yesterday was a doozy! I was awake at 2AM with my insomnia. At 8am I was dragging my a** but took a shower anyway.  Some reviving took place and I proceeded to travel to my friend’s house outside of Boston.  It was a scorching 3H day, with all the extra traffic included.  My friend & I went into Boston to check on our admission status at UMB.  They took pity on me because of all the unbelievable things that went wrong with my application.  It seems to be straightened out now but it took forever to do.  The school bureaucracy as we all know can drive you nuts.  I persevered...  

I couldn’t find my friend, Janet, for my cell phone didn’t work inside the building.  So I went to the cafeteria to wait for her knowing she had to eat sometime.  We did manage to find each other in that cafeteria where the food hasn’t improved since I left in ‘03.  How can they build such a beautiful building and ignore the small details like food?  A student thrives on good food... don’t they know that?

We went back to my friend’s house where she was kind enough to go over my essay for admission and then the long ride home.  I had trouble keeping my eyes open but managed to get home safely about 6 pm.  Finley home, I called my neighbor and asked her to call me at 6:30 pm.  Boy did that time fly.  I wasn’t sure I even closed my eyes. 

We were to go to the Traveling (Circus) Listening Meeting that the Town’s Selectmen were having at 7 pm.  Needless to say that they were, as usual, late. 

The meeting was held in a 1810 building, that was oddly enough, next to the Town Hall. The Town Hall is where most of their meeting normally are held and is air-conditioned.   But, we sat dutifully in an unbearably hot room and suffered through their evasion of issues time again and again.  We are such dummies...  Thy must have enjoyed seeing the sweat pouring off our brows.

It is now 8:30 pm and the meeting is over at 9 pm.  By this time, I’m melting fast.  One selectman caught me with my eyes closed, dozing off...    I had my hand up, for most of the one and a half hours, waiting to be called.  That is except for when my hands or arms had pins & needles in them from lack of blood.  Finely I got my chance to speak and ask my one and only question..... “Is this a legal meeting?  Isn’t it required by the Open Meeting Law that you are required to have this meeting in a handicapped accessible building?”  Their reply was humorously evasive.  

“Well we were waiting to see if anyone complained and we were going to adjourn to the downstairs where it is handicap assessable.”  “We will go right downstairs now if you want?” The audience gasped… but I laughed in sarcasm. Out shot, “Isn’t it a little late?” As my thoughts became words, I spouted, “How can anyone complain if they can’t get up the huge flight of stairs to complain?” then added, Or, if they have to wait until a half hour before the meeting is over to complain?”  Then I explained that I had already climbed the stairs once and I wasn’t going to tackle any more.  Laughter from the audience....

The meeting went on but I was fading fast. My one and only point was made. They are illegally having meetings that most elderly or disabled people can’t attend. They already knew about the handicap accessibility problem but they hoped we wouldn’t notice.  Either that or they are terribly insensitive to the needs of the Town’s people. I suspect this is done to control the agenda.   

Oh! There were many very good questions asked last night but none got an answer. 

My neighbor saw my distress and mercifully motioned to leave.... Ahhh!... home and 11 o’clock.  It is now 23 hours that I had been awake.   My head hit the pillow and I didn’t wake again until 4 AM today.

So here I am writing this all down trying to keep my sanity knowing it will be another 3H day and I will again be awake through it all...

The sky is getting light so get a few more winks in before you have to get up.  I’ll still be here writing. Till tomorrow…

Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.

Sleepy Sally Sandman 

Incase you didn’t know 3H is Hazy Hot & Humid