Several things occur at 3:30 in the night. I need to visit the commode. I realize that I have sweat once again and decide it would be best to change my shirt. At the same time. I also have some uncomfortable body parts due to poor sleep positions, so when I try to go back to sleep, it doesn't work. Unfortunately, I just can't help some of the contortions that I get into when I am asleep.
That's a trifecta of issues that are not exactly sleep-inducing, particularly after about 5 hours of pretty sound sleep. Sometimes when nature awakes me at that time, I can get back to sleep, but last night, the three separate issues plus a decent sleep until then, causes me to give it up for a lost cause before 4 o'clock.
First thing is to start the coffee a'brewin. I set it up before I go to bed, so it is just a matter of pushing the switch.
Then comes computer time: checking social media, blogs and a bit of news. Although I caught up on posts before bed, there are a few more waiting for me. I write the post that I published yesterday. I am writing this after I have done everything else that I will go on to describe in this post.
At some point, I go downstairs and make toast. I usually wait until at least 8 o'clock for breakfast, but I am
peckish this morning. I bring my toast up to my den and brew a second cup.
Soon, it is time to take to the chair, open the tablet, and have a go at my daily puzzles. I wonder how the games will go today. Will I be fuzzy-headed, or have I had enough sleep and coffee? I cannot tell ahead of time, but my daily sudoku challenge goes well enough. It is an expert level puzzle today — most daily challenges are expert-level. The few that aren't designated expert in the course of a month are still classified as hard. There are no medium or easy puzzles in the daily challenge.
I solve it in 23 minutes: somewhat under my average time at the expert level.
Then I turn to Wordle. My start words do not give me much to go on, but I am pleased to get it in 4. For the sake of variety, I now often just choose start words at random. I used to begin with soare and follow it up with unity to cover all of the vowels and some major consonants, but now I often switch it up to whatever word pops into my pea-brain. The variety tends to keep up my interest.
I try The Mini. Although I have more of a Sudoku brain than a crossword brain, today goes well enough. Although not great for many, 3:31 is quite good for me.
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| I didn't think to screen capture the Across clues |
Finally, I play Connections. As with crossword puzzles, I find that my brain does not tend to align with the puzzlers brain. In fact, I fail at Connections more frequently than I care to admit. But wonder of wonders, I get it today and fairly easily too. For a change, I get 3 connections quickly. What I don't get is how the last 4 are connected. I know that they are, but I don't see the relationship. Then they tell me, Disney Characters, and I go hmm, for I am not familiar with some of the more recent characters. Who the heck are Scar and Stitch?
Finally, I play another game of sudoku. The daily challenge is done, but I tell the app to generate a random expert-level puzzle. It does, and I manage it fairly well. Apparently, I haven't taken a screen-capture although I meant to and thought that I had.
It is 6:16. I decide to compose this piece. For the second time in recent weeks, I choose to write in the present tense. I find this to be challenging, and it certainly requires editing, for I find myself slipping out of the present from time to time.
Sue is up and has come in to make her first cup and to commiserate with me over my very early morning. It is 7:08. I will add the screen captures: those that you have already seen, above, and will set this up to post tomorrow, Sunday.
Now, what to do or expect for the rest of the day? I won't have a ton of energy for sure. The make-up fireworks from the Canada Day disappointment will be set off tonight, weather permitting. After this early rising, will I have enough energy and stamina to drag my weary self out at 9PM? We shall see.
18 comments:
You get a lot of mind exercise in the morning. For me it's only Wordle. Lately the loser among the five of us siblings that play picks the start word. Today the start was EBONY. We're hoping that one day we will pick the word as our start. Came close when word was EARTH recently because I have used that as a start occasionally. Hope you had a beter night last night.
I begin the day by blogging, then Wordle, Waffle, and Canuckle. I used to use regular start words, but have given that up.
I've been trying Sudoku, despite being a half decent math teacher (I think?), it's taken me until now to embrace it on my iPhone.
I hop you sort out your night sweats. Having had medical menopause, it's a shock to the system.
Take care.
When I'm up very early, for me about five am, I go and mosey around the patio, pinching and sniffing herbs, and getting bitten by early rising mosquitoes.
I read blogs in the morning with my coffee. I used to love to do the newspaper puzzles, but we do not take the newspaper anymore, it being an Ogden Newspaper, which caters to the right wing viewpoint. The editor does not believe that it is his responsibility to insure that what he is allowing to go to print is true.
Your morning sounds peaceful, whether you are fuzzy or clearheaded and I envy you that.
I never quite got into Wordle and do not play it. Maybe someday. I do play other easier word games in the morning on my phone while waiting for my coffee to steep. I empathize with your sleep issues and my cough seems to be coming back after going off my medicine so I am getting only 2 to 3 hours before being awakened. I will wait and see.
Fun to hear your present tense voice...though it was yesterday in fact! I only indulge in solitaire, but have devised my own way of doing it. I want to just reach the point where it's a sure win (but avoid the dull steps to finish it.) So my goal is to reach that Point of Winability with the lowest score, ie. the least number of moves. And...if I find I miss silly things like 10s on Jacks, I realize my brain isn't at its best. That is a signal for me to avoid doing risky things like driving on the interstate highway. Seriously, since I've been playing it, I have an automatic scanning of my eyes and I'm pretty fast. If I start missing a simple play, I know there's a screw loose in the old noggin'. (I heard that!)
Sounds like you will need a nap.
My husband rises at 3:20 every morning. We don’t do a lot in the evenings since he is tired then. Good luck seeing the fireworks this evening.
I find that the best way to get back to sleep is do a lot of stretching. I cannot keep my legs still unless I stretch. This summer I've been rushes so I haven't been able to spend much time on puzzles.
I do all those as well as geography puzzles. I'm getting better but they're still frustrating. I don't do them as early as you do though! Ugh on the early morning. :( Scar is from Lion King and Stitch is from Lilo and Stitch. (I think) I'm glad you didn't put today's puzzles up; that would have been a spoiler. I got it in three, unusual for me. I play it hard mode so I can't always cover most of the vowels until I use adieu or audio. My octordle was 58, a great score but I bombed on the sequence. I enjoy keeping my brain active or do I just love wasting time?
Insomnia gets to everyone. It is best to practice sleep hygiene that avoid bubbly or caffeine drinks any time after lunch, get out of bed to avoid association of beds with other activities other than actual sleeping etc. When one is exhausted enough, sleep actually sets in
I do Wordle, the Mini, Spelling Bee, Connections and Letter Boxed. Connections is hard for me since it often refers to current things like movies sports, etc, which I am not up on. I used to do Worldle, and need to get back to that. And I do Woodstock, but no numbers puzzles for me please!
I cannot imagine getting up at that hour! How you function at all is amazing.
I'm loving Connections, also Wordle and Chrono (history game.) I find it a good way to start the day, along with Heather Cox Richardson. and the NY Times.
Tell Sue I used her cool hack for a bag for the kitty litter bags--I used one of those Amazon gift bags. Thanks for the idea!
I'm still on the easy level of Sudoku!
In the morning I get dressed, eat breakfast, take care of the cat, go to exercise class. All that if over at 11:30. Then I can think of other things.
My morning routine tends to be briefer.
Ugh I hear you re: the wee-hours wake-up. I get a drink of water, turn over, and usually am awake for the next hour or two. I never get up though, always thinking that in the next few minutes I will be unconscious. I have mixed success at that. I don't do the wordle but on Arkadium Games (to which I subscribe) there is Hurdle. After you get the first word, you have to jump three more word hurdles and then are left with two chances to get the final word. It's fun. I do that with my coffee in the morning too. Then I go to wordlegame dot org which has many wordle games, plus word find and phrazle and other fun things. It's a decent way to while away the coffee hour. I hope that next time you can get six straight uninterrupted hours. Or even seven. xoxo
I'm surprised you don't do Spelling Bee, too. That's my favorite but I do all those except the Sudoko. I will never catch up with the posts I've missed over the past few days but enjoyed this and also your fireworks posts. I can see you got the energy you needed to do the photos!
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