No Sleeps

I've always thought that the measuring of the passage of time by counting the number of sleeps to be wholly unsatisfactory. Childish even. I mean, it's just not that accurate is it? I can appreciate that it might help to count down the days to an exciting event, such as birthdays, Christmas or even the launch of a new operating system but it doesn't work for me. Not in the least. 

Am I supposed to just count just the big sleeps? You know those where I actually put on pyjamas and get into bed. But even then that is flawed. What about Sunday afternoons? I have been known to retire to bed after a particularly hard run or big lunch. Or both. Including those would well skew the system. Should I count snoozes in a chair and if so, is that a whole sleep or just a quarter? Exactly how many nana-naps make a whole sleep? And what if I manage to sneak in a few winks at my desk? How many winks are there to a nana-nap? Forty I suppose. I think we need guidance. Maybe I will suggest this as a potential question for Jeremy Corbyn to raise.

So having established that counting sleeps to major events isn't going to cut the mustard, as it were, I can announce with almost certainty that there are now no sleeps to when my parents and sister arrive on these shores. Today is the day. And no sleeps is somewhat ironic because that's exactly what I've been getting these last few days. For some reason my circadian rhythm has gone haywire. I have been told before that I have no sense of rhythm but I always took that to mean my dubious skill on the guitar rather than the inner workings of my body clock. Maybe it has spread?

Anyway the upshot is that I have been waking at some unusual hours this past week with my mind running simultaneous scenarios. Sure some of it is work related - the curse of being a project manager - but mostly random, and it has to be said, seemingly innocuous problems. Such as how can I squeeze in another training run before the weekend? Should I rearrange my running shoe collection? Is it better by colour or age? What's the best combination of dinners this week to use up all of the veg? Do we have enough carrots to make minestrone soup? Should I make some soup? What time is it in Los Angeles? How long is a flight from LA to here? If it leaves at 9pm in LA, what time will it be in the UK when it arrives in New Zealand. Should I buy an occasional table for occasional use. What should it look like? Where can I buy it? Can I go at lunchtime? Aaarrrggghhh!

I could understand it if I was pondering the futility of human existence or trying to understand Einstein's theory of relativity but no, not me. My mind seems preoccupied with bringing order to my grocery collecting rather than the universe at large. Ah well, so be it.

Of course I blame my parents. They arrive today and it's like Christmas has come early - and to reinforce the effect they are bringing gifts. Well, I say gifts, but these are things that we ordered, had shipped to their house because we can't get them in New Zealand. But the effect is the same, and has only added to the excitement of the day. I'm hoping that when I see them, and we are relaxing at home this evening my body clock resets itself and I can get a good nights sleep. I'm sure that it will. Just as  I'm sure that a glass of wine or two will help me drift off to sleep this afternoon. A couple of winks or even half a nana-nap will do the trick. Maybe they are the same thing?

Yes, all will be put right once they step through the arrival gate.....I just hope they can get through customs with a super large tub of Marmite!