Thursday, August 8 2019

Dear Journal,

I'm struggling this morning. I woke up with a pretty nasty headache right behind one of my eyes. I just took some Tylenol, and now I'm gulping down coffee in an attempt to get the blood flowing through my head. We'll see how I feel in a few minutes, I suppose.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. It was a really busy work day, so I asked Marissa if she wanted to go out to dinner at glass nickel. We usually go there on Wednesdays and it had been a while, so she agreed. I ordered the stromboli, and a few minutes after finishing my meal, the red sauce and the beer really started to mess with my stomach. After we got home, I tried to just work through it and focus on cleaning the stove and the microwave, but the indigestion lingered. This morning, it must have taken the form of a fun little headache. But even while typing this I think it might be dissipating.

Last night, I crawled into bed a little later than I usually do. After cleaning the kitchen, I started working on the computer again. As planned I removed the video card, then continued to strip the computer of any fringe parts that I wouldn't need - DVD reader, SD card reader, as well as other silly parts and accessories from the case. To my delight, the computer booted - the onboard video card worked great, and discarding all that extra plastic and metal was gratifying. I installed freenas on a USB and was having some issues getting it to boot before I finally turned in for the night. At least the hardware is done - the next time I pick up this project, it will just be a matter of setting up the software.

Maybe I'm thrown off from getting six hours of sleep. It's been a while since I've gone to bed this late. Whatever it is, my energy is feeling pretty zapped and I find it bewildering that it's only Thursday. If today is not a Friday, then it feels like a ten day week. I think I could just use a good, long nap - that's all.

I'm remembering just a few weeks ago when I fell asleep on the boat up in Hayward. We cut the motor, and I reclined on a seat underneath a beach towel. Moments later, I felt like I woke up in a different dimension. To me, that's the calling card of a really good nap - you wake up feeling completely different than you did when you decided to take a nap. Or how about unplanned naps? How great are those? Earlier this week I plopped onto the couch for a quick snuggle with Ziggy, and moments later I awoke feeling refreshed. I bet if I climbed into bed now and slept for three more hours, I'd have a very different morning. But there's no time for sleep. It's Thursday. We got things to do. I'm betting after a hot shower and a few more cups of coffee, I'll blend right into the rest of my chipper, well-rested cohorts.

And today should be a regular old Thursday. I'll work, come home, take Rodney to Hy-Vee, cook something, then put Rodney to bed. I have some more fiddling to do with the computer, but mark my words, a nap on the couch is definitely happening tonight.

You should take a nap too. Even if you're feeling rested, just lay your head down and see what happens. After all, the unplanned naps are the best. Let's have a Thursday!