Tag: insomnia

Whirlwind Trips

I spent part of this week in NYC traveling for work – had something like 12 meetings in two days, all productive.  I’m really glad I went, but MAN do I love Chicago so much more.  A while back, one of my friends inferred that in order to advance my career I’d potentially need to move there.  Well, the thought makes me want to dry heave, so I guess that’s not happening.

However – some observations (and also, with how tired I am, the fact that it is almost 4 a.m. and I can’t sleep is unacceptable):

  • Cabs there are SO much better. They all have super fancy credit card machines and make it incredibly easy to pay that way, whereas Chicago is still very much behind the times with that and while some cabs have a more automated process, others will take an imprint of your card like it is 1985 and then steal your info so you have to cancel it.  Jerks.  That being said…
  • In NYC it takes like 56 hours to drive four blocks. I was in Midtown having coffee with my friend who works in the same field but at the NY Post when the Managing Director of our technology partner texted me to meet him for lunch in SoHo in 15 minutes. Yeah, NOT possible.  It took me 30.  BUT we had lunch at Mercer Kitchen, which was excellent.
  • While I was waiting for Jess in Midtown I wandered into an authentic NY deli and got some chicken salad for later, which was the best EVER.
  • NYC is so condensed. A coworker made a good point in that Chicago is a bit more spread out, even downtown. It’s just easier to breathe here.
  • Customer service – not so much. Maybe I just had bad luck with my hotel, which was a very nice property but had questionable service, but I was not impressed.
  • I should probably mention that this is not the first time I’ve been to NYC. I’ve been there a zillion times, however this week’s trip was the first time I spent more than a day there since like, 2006. So I felt like it was my first time there in some ways.
  • Also, I have no idea about neighborhoods or city layout. Though I do have a general sense now, when people told me where to meet them and it which neighborhood, it was lost on me.
  • I AM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK.

Now if only I could fall back asleep.

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The Sound of Silence – Thoughts of an Insomniac

I woke up around 3:30 this morning to go to the bathroom and then had a hard time falling back asleep right away.

So many thoughts were racing through my head; thoughts such as:

Wow.  It’s so quiet.  If I woke up at 3:30 am at my old place, henceforth known as 2020 N Hell, I’d hear music blasting from the Beaumont and people screaming at each other in the street.

Which reminds me, I wonder if that couple I heard fighting in the street once at 4am on a Wednesday ever made it.  Guy: “GET IN THE FUCKING CAR.”  Girl:  “FUCK YOU!”  Lather, rinse, repeat.

My lower back hurts.  I wonder if I can procure illegal painkillers.

I need more coffee mugs.

And wine glasses.

It is SO quiet.  The sound of silence is wonderful.

Great.   Now I have that song stuck in my head.

At least it’s a good song!

But it still reminds me of that scene from Kingpin

So, there you have it – it’s no wonder it took me so long to fall back asleep.  My mind was racing out of control.