The Insomnia Category Archive

Welcome to the Insomnia archives. The posts are listed in chronological order. Click the post title to read more.

November 5th, 2009

77 cheeseburgers

From the time I got my first pink walkman and a cassette of Chicago’s “17″ I would listen to music as I went to sleep. It helped with the insomnia that plagued me since I was a little kid. For as long as I could remember I did this. I would create entire bedtime playlists, [...]

July 1st, 2009

Breaking the law

Every since that one December where I only slept like 30 hours the entire month, I’ve been super rigorous about what I allow into my boudoir (though it might appear that men are on the do not allow list, that is just an urban legend. Men are totally welcome as long as they don’t mind [...]

June 15th, 2009

The disorder that dare not speak its name

Dear 6 a.m. I have written many letters to your slutty younger sister 6:30 a.m. about how much I detest her. I didn’t think it was possible, but I think I like you even less. For as long as I can remember (which is probably like three or four days) you have been messing with [...]

January 10th, 2008

Out of the penalty box

I had to spend two days in the penalty box for unhumanlike conduct. I had a nasty bout of insomnia that left me a bratty, self-pity-filled baby. I figured the Internet didn’t need any more of my self-indulgent babbling about turning into a basement-dwelling gas station attendant. I know I didn’t. I’m out of the [...]

January 8th, 2008

Baby, it’s 3 a.m. I must be George Michael

I am not sure what is the worst part of being away at 3:07 a.m. It could be, well, being awake. It could be having Wham’s “Last Christmas” stuck in your head on repeat. Or it could be that you have just realized that until Friday if someone had asked you who sang “All The [...]

October 4th, 2007

Letter from an insomniac

Dear Jodi, It’s your fault, stupid. You were kind of cold and a little droopy-eyed and you wanted to be alert for tonight’s writing workshop. So what did you do? You ordered that cup of hot, delicious coffee before class. COFFEE AT 4:30 P.M.? Are you new? Your battles with me, sleep, are legendary. Have [...]

September 5th, 2007

forgetful

Fuck, it’s 11:09 p.m. and I forgot to go to bed early. I hate when I do that.

August 7th, 2007

Sometimes the fates give you exactly what you need

For the past week or so someone has been doing some in-depth research here on iwilldare.com about the TTHM. I don’t know who it is. It’s been fascinating watching the mystery searcher plunder through seven years of archives. The mystery searcher is not the legendary TTHM. I asked him. This has, of course made the [...]

July 23rd, 2007

The one where I convince myself not once, but twice that someone is in my bed

I’m on the verge of becoming one of those people who apologize for not writing and bitch about having nothing to say. Yeah, I hate those people. But instead of that, I will tell you about how I scared the shit out of myself last night. I was stumbling up to bed at about 11:30, [...]

July 19th, 2007

Steeped in melancholy

It seems as though I woke up on the melancholy side of the bed this morning. Last night I had a dream about Ben Jones, a boy I loved in college. The dream was so fun and full of that special chemistry that makes you feel hopeful and alive that I was saddened to be [...]

July 12th, 2007

Allen Ginsberg how can I write a holy litany in your annoying mood?

I’ve reached the stage in my yearly mid-summer battle with stress-induced insomnia where I refuse to turn on the lights or get out of bed no matter how much I’m not sleeping. It’s the stubborn phase, and it’s not pretty. In fact, it’s downright bizarre. My mind has started this new weird thing when we’re [...]

May 11th, 2007

Never marry an insomniac

At this point in my insomnia career, I’m pretty adept at knowing when a bad night’s gonna hit me. I can feel it in the spinning of my brain, in my inability to concentrate and the compulsion to pace endlessly around Supergenius H.Q. I had such a night last night. I did everything I was [...]

April 13th, 2007

Gobs and gobs

You know nothing good is going to come of a night where the topic of rectal bleeding includes the words gobs and gobs. Really. I’ve come to the conclusion that most writers in my class are sick fucks. Ashes in hotdishes? Marbles in dead mom’s mouths? Rectal bleeding? Mortuary sciences? I’m like Suzy fucking Sunshine [...]

April 11th, 2007

Will you please shut up, please?

The incessant chatter of my inner voice is driving me ape shit. I don’t know if it’s PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) or PSS (pre-story syndrome) as the symptoms are generally pretty similar. I have a short story due soon. Maybe in a week or so. I can’t quite remember. But that is beside the point. The [...]

January 17th, 2007

My ADD is at its peak, you know what I mean?

My brain has accomplished a feat that has stunned even me, the owner of the brain. I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster this week. Like I told my friend Mel at lunch today, I’m so manic and moody that I’ve even begun to annoy myself. So tonight while I was trying to watch Top Chef [...]