3/30/2007

The things I do when I am semi-awake (or should I say semi-sleeping)

Second post in a row where the topic is sleep-related. Lately I have been obsessed with dreams and sleep. Probably because I don't think I have been getting enough of it lately. I've also been made aware of things I do in my sleep, or in a semi-sleep state.

I remember once during the summer after high school. I worked at Kohl's Department Store and had to work the "early bird special" day. I had to get up at 4am to be at work by 5am. That night I couldn't get to sleep and didn't fall asleep until probably 2 (it was most likely later). When the alarm clock went off, I turned it off and jumped out of bed. I sort of forgot that I was in the upper part of a bunk bed and went crashing straight into the ground. My sister, who was asleep in the lower bunk told me that I got up like nothing was wrong, and went walking out of the room. She asked me if I was OK as I was heading toward the bathroom. She said I mumbled something incoherent and walked off. When she told me about it later I told her (and meant it) that I didn't remember.

Later in college something similar happened. I was getting out of my lofted bed, to help a friend search for another friend that had just earlier sleptwalked (is that a word?) out of my room. I once again forgot about being higher off the ground that I remembered and went crashing down into the ground, this time a bucket of cleaning supplies broke my fall. My friend said I once again got up like nothing was wrong and walked out of my dorm room. We found our friend brought her back. I woke up the next morning and found my elbow had ballooned to twice its size and that there was a big hole punctured in my bucket of cleaning supplies. My friend told me what happened that next day.

Then there was last night. I woke up thinking I had a dream about my mom calling me and letting me know that my teenage cousin was in labor and setting up plans to go home and spend time with the family. Taking a shower this morning, I was trying to remember if that was a real experience, or just a dream. I checked my phone, and realized that it actually happened. I am capable of entire conversations while in a semi-awake state.

Maybe its genetic. Recently, while on the phone with my sister, I found out that my dad sleep eats. Something that none of his kids knew about, until one late night my brother and his friends were playing poker and my dad got out of his bedroom, went to the fridge and starting eating left overs. Apparently my brother tried to talk to him, but he was not responding. Creepy.

So basically what I really want to say if that my cousin is ruining my weekend by having her baby during a time when I had plans on hanging out with friends (or in this case see my friend's band who I haven't seen in a long time). She's lucky I love her and her offspring.

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