sleep | Piss and Moan

Cookies tossed

Posted on April 4, 2022 by backuphill

Last night was miserable. I started feeling a little dizzy around 5:30-6:00pm. I decided I better take it easy and retired to the couch for the evening. When I closed my eyes the world would spin like I was in one of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups, the ride at Disneyland. So, I tried to watch the TV and hope that it didn’t get worse.

It was about an hour later that I realized that my stomach was not good. Here comes the TMI portion….one trip to bathroom for the runs, then 20 minutes later a trip to toss the cookies (there goes some of dinner!). About 40 minutes later, more dinner and a toilet full of vomit. Needless to say, my stomach was not a happy camper!

I normally have a pretty iron stomach, so if I am tossing my cookies I know something isn’t right. Perhaps I picked up a little food poisoning after stopping at a DQ on the way back from eastern Washington the previous night. I haven’t a clue.

So, off to bed I went. Preparations were made just in case I found that I couldn’t make it to the bathroom… The room only spun for a little while and it wasn’t long until I was out.

A storm came through last night so other than about 30 or so minutes in the middle of the night, I slept most of the night and slept pretty well. Perhaps I was a little extra tired? Maybe. Perhaps my kneck is really really out and I was feeling the effects of being misaligned? I suppose that is possible too, though that doesn’t explain the evacuation of the bowels…anyway…

This morning, it seems things are back to normal. Coffee has been consumed and I haven’t had any issues keeping it down at this point. I guess it was just a passing storm in the stomach too.

The worst bed

Posted on March 1, 2021 by backuphill

I’ve done it folks! I think I have discovered the worst bed in Arizona.

This trip to Arizona hasn’t exactly been a relaxing one. As you may have read in a recent post, dividing time between two parts of your family who haven’t seen you (in person) for at least a year is a challenge to say the least. On top of that, they both want you to stay with them so they get a little time with you while the other part of the family isn’t around.

We started out at my sister-in-law’s house. Big, spacious, and pretty much a space that was just for us in the downstairs portion of the house. All the amenities and most importantly, a bed that was comfortable. Sure, it wasn’t home, but it was at least as good as a hotel.

Now, we are at my in-laws and they have a hide-a-bed to sleep on. This is the first time I have been to their place since they moved down here so I didn’t know what was in store for me. When I walked into the room and saw it folded out I knew I was in trouble. I could already see from the mattress that there was a curve in it and “the middle” would become a dreaded sleeping space. There isn’t the usual bar to sleep on, so there is that. But, the bed is too soft and the pillows too flat. It is killing my back and my neck. The neck issues I am having are now only amplified, which means ibuprofen every day and an unplanned trip to the chiropractor when I get home.

Sleep has been tough to come by.

So, if ever in AZ, don’t stay at my in-laws. You have been duly warned.

Smoke alarm

Posted on February 1, 2021 by backuphill

First night home from vacation and a loud noise interrupts the peace. A loud, piercing, and from a dead sleep, shrieking noise. Dazed and confused but somewhat aware of what all the racket was about, I hoped outta bed and threw on some clothes.

On the way out the bedroom door, the youngest man-child in the family was apologizing for having set off the fire alarms (the whole house is wired so when one goes off, they all go off). He was making corn dogs in the middle of the night, to be precise that would be of the 12:30ish AM variety of the middle of the night.

So, after waving a pillow profusely over my head at the fire alarm so that air would move and it would no longer detect smoke, I tossed the pillow on the couch and gave him a rather irritated look.

So, what they hell?

What is with teens and late teens staying up all hours of the night and causing the old people in the house to lose sleep because they make so much racket? Talking to friends, playing video games, making food, dropping things, knocking stuff over, and everything else that you can think of that makes noise…all to our dissatisfaction and loss of sleep. Can’t you just be like “normal” people and go to bed at a civilized hour?

Yeah, yeah, it’s probably our fault some how.

I’ll tell you what though, nothing is more frustrating that waking up to the fire alarm because the non-adults can’t monitor their food while everyone else is sleeping.

Good night.

Sniffle

Posted on August 18, 2020 by backuphill

Not sure how it happened. Not sure how long it will last.

Some how, the summer cold found me on the roof.

It started a couple days ago. Notice a scratchy throat and a little discomfort swallowing. Today, full blown head congestion and a nose that thinks it’s time to run a marathon.

Laying low today. (Called in sick, even though I work from home)

Guess it is time to catch up on some of my own paperwork, binge watch some shows, and play some video games. Time to rest.

Photo by Vie Studio on Pexels.com

Exhausted

Posted on March 2, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Monica Silvestre on Pexels.com

So, I got a good night’s sleep last night. After being up at 3:00am to get to the airport, I waited as long as I could to go to bed so that I didn’t end up getting up too early from going to bed too early.

It worked. I got eight and a half hours of sleep, BUT I am still tired. The last five days have really worn me out! It was packed full of activity and warm, sunny weather.

It is safe to say that was one of my top vacations ever. I couldn’t have asked for much better. And, as you probably have gathered, I am not really the kind of person to “see the bright side” of many things so that is saying a lot.

I am going to lay low today and tomorrow before being back at work (I’m telecommuting) Wednesday and Thursday. Friday will be back to the office.

I’ll pick up with the regularly scheduled Piss and Moan tomorrow. I am sure there will be something to make your eyes roll then.

Windy

Posted on February 24, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Iurii Ivashchenko on Pexels.com

Roaring like a lion.

Two nights in a row I have been awakened in the middle of the night with wind that sounded like a freight train running through the house.

Two nights of laying in bed wondering if a tree will fall on the house, or the tarp covering the leak in the roof will blow off and end up somewhere else in the county.

Two nights of hearing the whistling of the wind as it flies past the corner of the house in swirling chaos.

Two nights of hearing pine cones and branches bouncing off the room. Two nights of listening to the rain. Two nights of staring at the ceiling as I listen to things go crash and bump in the night.

Two nights of not as much sleep as I would like.

My only solace?

Two more wake ups and I’ll be enjoying the sun in AZ and the popping of balls in gloves and the cracking of bats.

But for now, the stormy PNW will continue to keep me awake for portions of the night.

Surprising

Posted on February 17, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I have managed to get eight hours of sleep each of the last two nights. Surprising, to say the least.

Why?

Because I am still sick.

It appears that it may have gotten worse over the weekend. I am not really sure. What I do know is that my rib cage is worn out from coughing and my body aches. My cough is now one that would cause my toes to come up from my lungs, if that were physically possible. It’s deep. It rattles. Nothing happens except a bright white light vision and head spinning.

If there are no more posts after this, it’s because I died gasping for air while coughing up a lung or some other body part.

Closer

Posted on November 12, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Ahmed Muntasir on Pexels.com

Getting to the airport is kind of a pain.

I wish I lived closer to the “main” airport in WA state. That would be Sea-Tac International Airport. It truly is the biggest transit hub of the western side of the state.

Actually, let me rephrase that since I live within 30 minutes of two regional airports. They both have expanded their service, but they have a very limited number of airlines that fly in/out of these locations so unless you are looking specifically for flights from those airlines you are out of luck and have to go to Sea-Tac.

Hence, I was at up long before the crack of dawn to get to the airport for a drop off. Long before as in I was up at 2:30am, left the house at 3:15am, arrived at the airport at 4:45am for a 5:45am flight. Thankfully that early in the morning doesn’t necessitate a two hour prior arrival for security lines.

But still…that’s early and I have a full day of work ahead of me on about 3.5 hours of sleep. Oh, did I mention I had two hours to kill before actually getting to work since I was so freaking early?

Gonna be a long day.

Air mattress

Posted on August 26, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Felipe Hueb on Pexels.com

I am too old for this crap.

Sleeping on an air mattress just isn’t what it used to be, especially if you are going to a friend’s house who has the room for a guest bedroom but doesn’t use it that way.

What is it with air mattresses and the actual fact that they need to keep air in them? Are they made so cheaply that the materials just can’t hold up to more than a couple uses? I mean really??

The first night on the air mattress had me almost nearly on the floor by the time morning came. OK, well, maybe all the plugs and such weren’t screwed in tightly. I put more air in it before going to bed the second night. It was as full as it could be. It did better the second night, but still lost air and was rather squishy by morning.

My old body can’t handle being that close to the floor. I am now convinced of it.

So, going forward if you see me laying on the floor or ground or on an air mattress assume that I am in distress and call an ambulance. I will be avoiding ground level from now on.

Elevated

Posted on July 30, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Michael Morse on Pexels.com

I don’t know what it is about me. Do I look like I really like elevators?

I don’t know why this is, but every time I have traveled for work in the last three years and stayed in a hotel I have been in the room directly across from the elevator.

If you have traveled much, you know that is an issue because people getting off the elevator generally aren’t quiet. They are loud and noisy in the elevator and as they get off the elevator. They typically quiet down as they turn the corner to head down the hallway to their rooms. As such, anyone in the room closest to the elevator gets the brunt of “offload” or “load” noise.

It’s irritating, really.

It definitely doesn’t elevate my stay.

What about staying in a hotel annoys you?