Waking up early

I

re-discovered something today: If you wake up early, you have ample time to do the things you need to do. Okay, I know what you're probably thinking. Wow! Big deal. What a revelation. When did you figure that one out Einstein. Admit it. That's what you were thinking. Am I right, or am I right?

Well, sorry guys. I'm a night person. It seems that as far back as I can remember, I have always functioned better at night. I studied at night, into the wee hours of the morning. I wrote the bulk of my dissertation between 11PM and 5AM. I like to run at night. I like to watch TV at night. I am ravenous around 3:35AM. Seriously...

So all my classes are scheduled for the afternoon. I grade papers and prepare for class in the dim hours of early morning, go to sleep anytime between 4AM to 7AM, depending on how busy I am. Then I wake up around 10AM, shower and go to school. On a good night, I will get 6 hours of sleep, which I got three days ago. I think that was my first 6-hour sleep in about a month. You who visit regularly know that besides my schedule, I am having issues beyond just work and the stress is not helping me get to sleep or stay asleep. Even when I can sleep in--like on a Sunday--I'm up by 11AM...

Anyway, my lawyer left me a message yesterday, telling me to come in at 8:30 this morning. I go to sleep around 5AM, get up at just before 7, splash some water on my face, brush my teeth and go. The lawyer--actually she's a paralegal--has me sign papers that need to be submitted to Immigration and I also submit my affidavit swearing it would be a hardship if M was removed from the US. Yes, that is the language the court documents say: M is under removal procedures. I know, kinda scary.

When I think I'm finished, the paralegal tells me that M also needs to take a medical examination. What? Again? *sigh* I wish she'd told me earlier. I'm busy enough as it is. Well, she gives me a list of doctors approved by the INS. I get home, call to make an appointment at the closest medical facility and the receptionist tells me that they could see me today, like right now. Well, I'm dragging M out the door. Let's get this thing over with. During the exam, the doctor, who was actually a physician's assistant--have you noticed that actual doctors and lawyers are too important to do the mundane, routine jobs these days?--tells us as she's drawing blood that M needs to get an X-ray for her lungs to check for TB. Great. One more thing to do. But she tells us that we can go without an appointment. So after the examination, we drop by a radiologist that happens to be on the way home. We go in, fill out the appropriate forms, M steps in, steps out, the radiologist assures us that the x-ray will be sent to the doctor's office in two days, wham, bam, thank you ma'am, and we're gone.

Whew... what a morning. We see our lawyer, M gets a medical exam and she gets a chest x-ray. We get home and to my surprise it's not even noon yet! Can I get this much done before I even think about going to school? Damn, this waking-up-early thing might have something to it...

So here I am, it's 1:30AM and my eyes are wide open. I think I'll try to wake up early again, but I should try to get to sleep a little earlier, as well. This lack of sleep is getting to me.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....