Countdown, 3 hours

I slept really poorly on Tuesday night, and spent yesterday in a near state of delirium, compounded by muscle pain and ache. I knew I could not do that for a second night, so I took a "sleeping pill." When I told my mother I planned to, she seemed genuinely concerned. Her advice was to have a warm glass of milk (despite the fact that I haven't drank milk in 20 years; the near thought of it makes me nauseous) or a hot bath (which I'd done already, on Tuesday before bed, to no avail.) I tried to explain that they are just the over-the-counter things, but she didn't like it. She is a nurse who is used to dispensing meds to long-term care patients, but as a child I barely recall even taking an aspirin. (But I do - orange flavored, with a crumbly texture that I loved.) As a young adult, I couldn't swallow pills (until I went on the pill), and even now, bottles of Tylenol expire in my medicine cabinet before I finish them. (Part of this, I guess, is that I am mostly healthy, apart from stomach ails which have now forced me to medicate several times a day.)

Now, having slept a good solid 7 hours, I feel strong and refreshed. I sound like a commercial for CVS brand Unisom! But I needed it. I have very simple packing to do this morning - like the cable box and modem and wireless router (as I quickly type to get in as much as I can before pulling the plug), and the toiletries I'll use before I dress. And the aquarium accessories which are strewn across the kitchen counter to dry.

Yesterday I carried the fish over in a small plastic container, swaddled with my knit scarf and a dish towel inside a plastic bucket. I had a smaller tank set up by the sink in the new kitchen, and soon they were in their new home. It felt weird to leave them last night, but even weirder to wake up today and not have their light to turn on to signal morning.

Morning.