Late flight, late night

I've been blessed with a great job in a time when a lot of people are having a hard time finding one. Hell, even actors we used to see in TV shows are doing commercials these days. I am very lucky that JetBlue liked my application enough to give me an interview, and it all went from there.

That being said, I'm exhausted! Almost every night the last week and a half has been a super delayed flight coming in, which means an even later flight for us working. For example, last night I didn't get home until 2:40 am, and last Thursday I didn't crawl into bed until 4:00 am! It wouldn't be such a problem if my internal alarm clock would shut itself off. I can't seem to sleep past 11:00 am, and for someone who needs about 10 hours of sleep things are starting to get difficult.

Some people in the world need the number of hours of sleep suggested by medical professionals: six to eight hours. Some need less than that, especially those of our parents' generation and older. Some, like me, need at least 10 hours. This is how the universe works. I love my bed. I love my sleep.


I have always needed a lot of sleep. From infancy, in fact. My mom tells me the story of how I would fall asleep mid-breastfeeding and she would have to try to wake me up to finish. What can I say? I'm a sleeper. I can fall asleep most anywhere, in what sometimes appears to be the most awkward and uncomfortable positions known to man. But for the sake of getting a few extra winks that I missed out on the night before... I would do nothing else.

Maybe I will be able to recuperate some of this lost sleep when I switch over to the early morning shift. I know that going to bed even earlier than before will force me to deal with even more ridicule. I've come to terms with that. You make fun of me all you want; I'll have the last laugh when I'm fully rested and ready to work, and you're sipping on coffee and energy drinks just to make it through the day.

I miss those days... of full-restedness, without yawns, the ability to focus on the task at hand. Naps and the elixir of life (a.k.a., Dr. Pepper) will be had until order is restored to my sleeping patterns. Apparently the 8:00 pm to midnight shift is host to the most sleep deprived group of people. It doesn't really surprise me. On the plus side, at least I'm getting paid for those late nights.