29 December 2011 09:33am UTC
★ ★ ★
I relish the night.
Well, the night probably isn't my favorite part of the day. I mean, in terms of options, daylight has so many more possibilites. But in the time after everyone has gone to sleep and before you see the first rays of sunlight coming in through the window, that, that is a wonderful time.
I remember in college being up at 2 or 3am and wandering the halls of my dorm. Even though often during the day you'd find yourself alone while going to and from your room, there was something different about the emptiness of the halls at night. The dim lighting. The lack of noise; The only thing you could hear was the hum of the fluorescent bulbs. You felt like you had the whole building to yourself. Hell, the whole world.
The world feels calm at night. You move at a different speed. You don't rush around, and even if you do, your rushing has a certain pace to it.
The night never feels like it is going to end. If you start a project at night, be it personal or for school or for work, the far off dawn is this never approaching deadline. You are in a world all to yourself. You can put something off for as long as you want, but as long as you start before midnight, you can probably get what you need done.
I look forward to the night, because I know that usually, at the very least, I will out last most everyone else. And after everyone has gone and returned to their homes, their nighttime worlds, or drifted off to sleep, I will again have my world all to myself. I love that time alone to unwind from the day's events. I can read or program or clean. For as long as I want. And eventually I can crawl in bed next to my wife, who has prewarmed the covers for me, cuddle up next to her warm body and let my head hit that pillow and disappear into sleep practically immediately.
I've long had a theory that the best way to sleep is to stay up as long as you possibly can, and then when you can't stay up any longer you won't have any trouble falling asleep and sleeping well. Though that philosophy really only works if you can wake when you want to and/or nap when you want to. But man, when sleep finally comes after staying up late into the night, it is so wonderful. Sleeping after a late night might be one of my favorite things in the world.
I hate trying to go to sleep early, and lying in bed wondering when I'll finally drift off, hoping it will happen soon. Wonderful, deep sleep isn't obtained that way!
I get more done at night. I know about the studies that talk about how the less you sleep you get the less efficient and functional you are, but I can concentrate better at 1am than I can at 1pm. At night you don't have the distractions of the world. And I've always been that way. In college I'd say most of my homework was done late after all the distractions had gone off to bed. I guess sometimes late at night I hit a problem that I can't think through, but that usually just means I've hit that magical point at which I need to sleep.
All that said not all is always peachy about the night... If I'm out of "my home" (whatever that may be that particular night: my apartment, or the house I'm staying at, or the hotel I'm in, or my tent, etc), then the night is nothing but absolutely, completely, petrifyingly terrifying. I hate the dark. Or if I am in "my home" but trapped in my head, stressed out about the future or the past, then then night is neverending and oh so incredibly lonely.
But I prefer not to think of the night that way. The night is a hopeful time, a chance to get ready for the next day when when I'll do everything right and get everything I need to done.
One of my favorite nighttime memories is from one of our yearly trips to the mountains in January. This was in high school and I was up later than everyone else (which was rare at the time) and I wandered out onto the balcony to watch the snow falling. I remember just staring up into those giant falling snow flakes and watching them come floating down.
Being up later than everyone else at night feels like that snow falling. Peaceful, calm and full of potential.
Oh, boy do I relish the night!
And now my friends, I'm going to roll over, cuddle with Keri and pass out. I'll see you in the morning!
6 December 2011 04:14am UTC
★ ★
My list of movies coming out in the next few months that I'm excited about, ordered from most excited to least:
(Old lists, in case you're interested. Of my last list, I didn't see a single one. Bummer.)
(I have to say, 2010 was one of the most amazing years for movies ever. 10 movies were nominated for Best Picture and I thought 7 of them deserved it. This year I can't even think of a movie I'd nominate. Maybe I'm just watching the wrong movies.)
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
This movie looks like an absolutely excellent adaptation of the book. And if that's true, it is going to be quite intense! Be warned!
- New Year's Eve
Same premise as the bad Valentine's Day and decent He's Just Not that Into You: a bunch of different stories with a bunch of stars. Where in the spectrum do you think it will be? Personally, these movies are basically tailor made for me. I won't even begin to list the stars I like that are in it!
- One for the Money
Base on the book One for the Money which is the first book in a series my in-laws are all really into. So, it should be pretty fun. And it has Katherine Heigl who I hated until I got obsessed with Grey's Anatomy.
- We Bought a Zoo
Matt Damon? Check! Cute animals? Check! Need I say more? Nope!
- Big Miracle
Feel good movie about saving a whale (well, technically three of them), haven't we seen this before? That said it looks pretty cute and I can't get enough of Drew Barrymore or John Krasinski!
- The Adventures of Tintin
I loved the Tintin books, but have read terrible reviews of the movie. But the trailer looks pretty good!
- The Secret World of Arrietty
I love the book this is based on!
- Contraband
I tell ya, you just can't help but root for this Mark Whalberg guy!
- Gone
This looks terrifying! The only reason it is on the list is that it has Amanda Seyfried from Veronica Mars.
- This Means War
I like both the male leads in this movie, but it is certainly something we've all seen before. Looks fun, though.
- The Vow
Similar in vein to The Notebook or Dear John, this looks completely over the top and sappy, and I'll probably enjoy it!
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked
The trailer looks really cute! I haven't seen the first two though... think it matters?
- Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows
I enjoyed the first one, so I'll give this one a shot.
4 December 2011 08:35am UTC
★ ★
Why look at that! It's my 28th birthday! Send me emails and texts and messages and Facebook messages and generally shower me with attention!
1 December 2011 07:25am UTC
★ ★
Sorry, I'm a few days late!
I'm feeling happy (but not content!) with my life for the most part these days. I don't think there have been many extended periods in my life where I would say, I'm Happy, generally speaking in a timeless, state of being sort of way (as opposed to situationally happy, like I just had a really good time doing X or Y)*. So, really that statement is quite incredible.
And that I am definitely grateful for.
What follows is a list of other things that never would have occurred to me (and that historically speaking I would find quite painful and groan about internally if other people listed them) that I am grateful for:
My health.
The fact that I can go out and run most any day of the week with my wife is incredible. The fact that I can plan and day dream backpacking trips for the future, and then actually do them is incredible. For most of my life I was invincible, and then in a fluke badminton accident I broke my toe and my nerves shrunk, and then everything thing I wanted to do was accompanied by varying degrees of pain and doubt. Will this make my leg ache more? Will this make my leg hurt more? Will this make my leg spasm, being some of the most painful things I have felt in life?
At this point, the doubt isn't completely gone, and neither is the pain, but it does appear that I have learned how to (if I am diligent about doing my exercises) do anything I want, and that I am still making forward progess.
Don't take for granted your health, and remember, it is easier to stay in shape than get into shape!
A steady source of income.
Last fall, when I didn't have work and was trying to get my tutoring business off the ground, I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint it, but my life was full of unease. Unease with the knowledge that things couldn't continue as they were, unease with not know how to change them, unease with frustration that things couldn't be easier.
Not having to worry about being able to pay the rent and the bills at the end of the month is one of the best things in the world. Both my jobs right now are quite unspecific, and for all I know I could be unemployed next month (frankly it is a mystery to me while they are still paying me!), so this is definitely something I don't want to take for granted. Let's just hope the wifey can get herself gradamacated and employed as soon as possible, so we can pass this particular responsibility on to her!
Now, I realize I'm being a bit "mushy", which makes me groan inside, but don't worry, I'm not going to get carried away and starting saying I'm grateful for family and friends and what not. I'm not feeling that mushy. Besides, you know who you are and you know I love you! That being said, I will say this. I think thanksgiving as a holiday has sort of religious overtones; who exactly are we thanking? But personally, it is the aforementioned family and friends that I an thanking. For without them, I would be nothing.
Anyway, let's all let out a groan about my behavior here, and I'll try and not let it happen again anytime soon.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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