A Fatal Mistake

Insomnia and I are old friends. About every 2-3 months, I have a night or two where no matter what, I just can't seem to sleep. Sometimes it's merely a matter of my not feeling tired, and already being preoccupied with something or other. Other times, like last night, I'll go to bed at a reasonably decent time, but then finding myself just-- Not. Being. Able. To. Sleep.

So I lay there, eyes wide open in the dark. Unlike the cliches of yore, I can't and don't count sheep. I don't count pigs, rats, ducks, cats, dogs, cans of Fresca, corrupt politicians, naked ladies, or anything else. I just lie there, trying my best to drift off to the Sandman's realm. Despite my nickname, I don't get to dreamland as easily as I'd like.

So I decided at 2 a.m. to admit defeat. "Ok," I thought, "I'll get up, go in the other room, get some boring book or do some other mundane task, and that'll help get me drowsy fairly quickly." So with that in mind, I eased my way out of bed, grabbed my robe, and toddled out to the living room.

Alas, it was there I made the Fatal Mistake. A few months ago, my lovely walking companion and her one-time roommate enthusiastically promoted the TV show "24" to me. It was great, they said. It was addictive, they said. I'd really like it, they said. Although we have a TV, it's used primarily to watch movies. I've never been a big TV fan, and the last few years, most of what I've bothered to watch on TV can be broken down into two or three specific categories: the Olympics, football games (especially the 49ers-- yeah, yeah, I know they suck, but I stand by my guys through thick and thin), and occasional big events, such as the political conventions every four years (even though they're basically infomercials these days). If I like a series well enough, I'll put it on my Netflix queue and rent it when it comes out on DVD.

As for "24", I said I'd check it out when I had time. But eventually, I capitulated. I got the first disc, and thought it was an interesting show, but hardly the stuff of addiction. It seemed better written than most of the junk that passes for television, but I wasn't ready to rave about it.

Well, I couldn't find a book that I wanted to read. I certainly didn't want to waste hours spinning my wheels online. There was no one online on AIM at 2 a.m., and in any event, getting into an interesting, lively conversation wasn't exactly conducive to making me sleepy. So... what to do? Oh, well, I've got a the next disc of "24". Hm, maybe I'll watch just one show, then I can read a boring academic tome for fifteen minutes or so and get back to bed.

So I pop in the disc, settle back, and start watching.

One show down-- hm, I really want to know what happens next. Guess I'll just watch one more.

Um, two shows-- wow, it's really late. Eh, ok. Just one more, then that's it for tonight.

By now, it's well on the way to 5 a.m., and I can't seem to stop watching. While I wouldn't put it on my list of all-time best shows, it's definitely uh, gripping. What the hell-- there's just one episode left, and my sleep is screwed up anyway. So I decide to keep going.

By the time I finish, the paper has arrived, the greyish tinge of an approaching dawn fringes the edges of darkness, and I'm definitely going to have trouble staying awake today. *sigh* Definitely a mistake, and most likely the sign of a new obsession. It's just a good thing I only have the one disc, I guess.