Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Nightshift
It was around 3am when I finally put the lights out last night. I was struggling to keep them open and my head was nodding off in all directions then snapping back to upright as I fought off the pull from sleep. It worked a treat, too. When I woke I was surprised to see it was after mid-day and happy that working until the early hours provoked a longer sleep, which hopefully should take me through tonight's night shift without falling asleep at my desk.
I went in at the back of six o'clock and stayed until the early hours. Working this kind of shift as a one-off knackers both days either side of the shift. Your body just isn't adjusted and then when it does you have to switch back to normal daytime programming. The day before you are trying to get as much rest as possible so you don't die at your desk, and the day after you are shattered. Most people when they come home from a 9 to 5 do something in the evening or relax. When you finish at 4 or 5am what can you do except try to wind down enough so you can sleep. It ruins your internal clock and your social/family life.
In saying that, I love being awake as the city moves from dusk to darkness and into the depths of the night. Seeing its secrets open up and being part of the moon dance. I feel more attached to society in the middle of the night when nobody is around for some reason. It is almost as if the work belongs to me as I walk the empty streets with everyone tucked up in their cosy beds.
So there I was tonight sitting at my desk working away when the headache kicked in. I don't know if it was the altered sleep pattern or the caffeine consumed to keep awake but it was a right thumping one right at the front of my forehead. And there was no paracetamol anywhere. Typical.
I finally got away from work at around half three in the morning, went home, had a cup of tea, took a Syndol for my head and tried to wind down.
I did manage to get the first three chapters of Stella, adding a further 1000 words net and changing much of the detail about so it can link in with the later sections. Once I decided to make Chapter 1 the prologue set just after the end of the story, everything else seemed to become clearer.
For more information about Fringe Fantastic, please go to the website: http://fringefantastic.colingalbraith.co.uk
I went in at the back of six o'clock and stayed until the early hours. Working this kind of shift as a one-off knackers both days either side of the shift. Your body just isn't adjusted and then when it does you have to switch back to normal daytime programming. The day before you are trying to get as much rest as possible so you don't die at your desk, and the day after you are shattered. Most people when they come home from a 9 to 5 do something in the evening or relax. When you finish at 4 or 5am what can you do except try to wind down enough so you can sleep. It ruins your internal clock and your social/family life.
In saying that, I love being awake as the city moves from dusk to darkness and into the depths of the night. Seeing its secrets open up and being part of the moon dance. I feel more attached to society in the middle of the night when nobody is around for some reason. It is almost as if the work belongs to me as I walk the empty streets with everyone tucked up in their cosy beds.
So there I was tonight sitting at my desk working away when the headache kicked in. I don't know if it was the altered sleep pattern or the caffeine consumed to keep awake but it was a right thumping one right at the front of my forehead. And there was no paracetamol anywhere. Typical.
I finally got away from work at around half three in the morning, went home, had a cup of tea, took a Syndol for my head and tried to wind down.
I did manage to get the first three chapters of Stella, adding a further 1000 words net and changing much of the detail about so it can link in with the later sections. Once I decided to make Chapter 1 the prologue set just after the end of the story, everything else seemed to become clearer.
For more information about Fringe Fantastic, please go to the website: http://fringefantastic.colingalbraith.co.uk
Colin 4:08 pm