To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Why is it always like this? Whenever I get an opportunity to get away and get some much needed "me" time, the last day I get the crappiest sleep?

So, here I am at 4 in the morning, seeking something to help me get maybe a few more precious hours before I have to face the reality that is my life. Of course, I cannot escape the whole reality entirely when I'm on my mini-vacations these days because of the new addition to the family. I swear it is just like having another kid. She was a large contributor to my crappy sleep last night. I am completely out of earplugs at the moment (I knew there was something else I was suppose to pick up at the store today), and so with every grunt, groan, squeak, gnaw, scratch, rustle, sneeze, I wake up. I can't put her in another room because then she goes into her incessant screech-howl sessions. What happened to the near mute mutt we brought home?

I tried reading, but I'm starting to get truly depressed about the seeming dearth of entertaining modern reading material these days. I used to masochistically stick to a book, no matter how awful, due to some misguided idea that once I picked it up and started reading I had made some kind of binding agreement to finish it. Ah, the luxuries of youth. Now, I apply the 50-page rule (I'm starting to think that's too much). If the thing isn't a page turner by then, I'm on to the next one. As a result, I'm making my way through a shocking quantity of books. I'm currently in a horror/fantasy mood, and that particular genre seems to be especially lacking. Where have all the good authors gone? Even the authors that had established themselves as the "masters of horror" are a disappointment. I can't remember the last time I read a Stephen King novel. I think one of his last readable books was "Salem's Lot." Most everything after that seems to have been written with the primary goal of fulfilling his publisher's 10-books-a-year requirement. That reminds me of some song. Who did that? Something about churning out crap... Anyway, it seems to be pretty common. An author puts out a really good debut, and thereafter, it's all a variation on the theme, if that.

Well, it seems the sleep club has finally whacked me. Now if the dog will just stay quiet for the next few hours...