Battlestar Galactica!!! It is my new obsession, thanks to an introduction by a friend who lent me his miniseries DVD and then alerted me to the first season reruns on SciFi. What an incredible show.

Here is a bit of trivia that may startle you as much as it startled me. Which of the main cast members is British?

As for the waking up parched thing, I feel very strongly that this is happening because you're not getting enough water during the day. Try upping your water intake during the day (not before you go to bed) and see if that doesn't solve your problem.

A raccoon as a pet? No way! Raccoons, like geese, are animals that I classify as generally vicious. Give me a nice pygmy goat anyday. But for the time being, I'm more than content with our three cats. I just hope that there is only ONE raccoon and that s/he is only mildly hungry. Anyone have any raccoon-repellent tips?

I told Jennifer to quit reading Native Son! She is horrified also, and it is ruining my evenings. Why torture yourself. Book club is supposed to be her fun time - time that is for her and only her. Why be miserable? I am thinking that the book would make excellent fire starter.

I think that "Native Son" will foster a great discussion. Yes, it's horrific-- and it's trying to examine the ongoing horror of being black in the South during that era.

To me, it's an interesting juxtaposition with "Clockwork Orange", another recent bookgroup selection. It's fascinating to me to compare what different people find so disturbing that they will look away.

Last week, here in the crime lab, our training room was being used by the medical examiner for a training on blunt force trauma and other violent homicides. The group, typical for the profession, had no problem eating doughnuts and pastries while viewing larger-than-life slides of death. I think they know it is not the sight of the victim but the mind of the killer that is so horrific.

As horrific and disturbing as "Native Son" is, I can't put it down. Andrew couldn't stand hearing about it either. Before bed, I read a few pages of light reading so I can sleep.

Kris makes a good point. I'm going to violate the "do not talk about the book outside of book group" rule here, but...

Native Son is divided into three sections. The first section — which is the only section I've read so far — tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a young black man in late-thirties Chicago. He's poor and oppressed. He's also violent and irrational. He's not an entirely sympathetic character. He becomes less sympathetic when, after taking a job as a chauffer for a wealthy white family, he kills his boss' daughter. Then stuffs her in a trunk. Then chops her up and stuffs her in a furnace. End part one.

Gruesome. But the author does a masterful job of building from the very first scene layer-upon-layer of terror, establishing Bigger's disturbed state and his tendency to violence, so that you think he cannot possibly write anything more horrifying. Yet he does.

It's my belief that after the first part, there probably won't be anything too horrifying. I think this beginning is meant to shock the reader, to establish a basis for the rest of the story to unfold.

In many ways, this book reminds of the existentialist literature I've read. There are a number of parallels to Camus' The Stranger, for instance. The whole tone of the novel is "existential", if that makes any sense.

Anyhow — I've now committed an impardonable book group sin by discussing the book at length before the meeting. And I've done so in this public forum. gasp

I think Jenn should finish the book. If it's too horrifying at present, she can just skip to the start of part two, after the ghastly deeds have been committed.

We have a raccon trap you can use. The only problem is then you have to figure out what to do with the thing (its a live-catch trap). We know how vicious they can be: we've lost two season's of corn to raccoons and we believe two chickens as well.

No one wanted to read A Clockwork Orange but they'll read Native Son?

Go figure.

Interesting.

There's something to my contention that Native Son feels existential.

Native Son was written in 1940. Apparently, during the mid-forties Wright read extensively on existentialism, exploring the philosophy. (Is philosophy even the right word for it?) In 1953, he published The Outsider, which some call the first American novel of existentialism. (This claim is specious. Paul Bowles' 1949 novel The Sheltering Sky is most certainly existenial, and predates The Outsider by four years.)

"It's my belief that after the first part, there probably won't be anything too horrifying. I think this beginning is meant to shock the reader, to establish a basis for the rest of the story to unfold."

Think again...

I think that if the book is ruining your family life and happiness then it is by no means wholly worthless and should be put away.

The C-PAP machines are not bunk and not a fad. It has quite literally saved my father's life. He has been using one for a few years now and tried a number of different masks. He even takes it when we go camping and hooks it to a car battery. His apnea was so bad that he had not been asleep long enough to dream in over 20 years.

I would agree that the C-PAP is not a fad. I have a friend whose father started using one a few years ago. His father had never been able to stay up past 8:30 because he never got fully rested - and now he has more energy than ever before. Also I am told he isn't so crabby - but that may or may not be because of the machine.

I do know that if you do not get restful sleep that you are more of a target for a heart attack...as your heart doesn't get to rest sufficiently while you sleep.

I did not say the CPAP maching was bunk. I do however think it is a popular fad. Not to say that they are worthless, just overdiagnosed. My mom was on a machine for years, until she lost over 100 pounds. Now she does not need it. I think we, doctors and patients, are influenced by the success of others. For a while it seemed every other person I met was allergic to wheat - they suffered headaches and extreme tiredness. Then everyone was diagnosed with fibermyalgia. The most common symptom being fatigue. Do I think some people are really allergice to wheat, or have fibermyalgia, or need a CPAP machine? Yes. But I also think a lot of people find it convenient to have a diagnosis and treatment for the general condition I call being human.

Jd, I rarely remember my dreams unless I wake up immediatly following the dream. Maybe you are dreaming, but you just don't remember since you are no longer waking up in the middle of the night.

I had no idea the book would be so digustingly violent. I have skimmed through those parts. I will finish it, but I wish I was reading Harry Potter. This has been a really rough week.

On the subject of apnea and C-PAP machines, I'm curious how JD's blog readers feel about their own quality of sleep... let's take a survey:

Do you wake up feeling rested, or in a groggy haze (after 8 hrs of 'sleep')?

Do you sleep through the night, or do you wake up repeatedly (sometimes in a coughing fit)?

Do you find yourself fighting to stay awake in the afternoon, or do you have energy all day?

Do you feel that you have a sleep disorder?

I think that JD's pastoral lifestyle is leading to his sleeping problems. If he would stay awake for approximately 18 hours each day and work 15-16 hours of each day he wouldn't have any trouble sleeping - whatsoever - none - he would sleep like a baby!

So Jeremy, you are suggesting that we are putting the cart before the horse, eh?

Instead of thinking that a good nights sleep will provide the rest we need to maintain energy throughout the day, we should be constantly be working throughout the day so that we will sleep good at night?

I can tell that you most definitely do not have a sleep disorder... I wish it was that easy... but trust me, it's NOT. :-(

Good question, Jeff!
In my fantasy world, I like to get nine hours of sleep, but I'm usually closer to seven during the week. That means I have a hard time getting out of bed, but once I'm up and showered, I feel fine and ready to go for the day. If I didn't make myself go to bed, I could have plenty of energy to stay up longer, but knowing the alarm is going to start blaring early the next morning usually forces me to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. I don't think I have sleep problems-- am usually awakened several times during the night (cats, bathroom, husband snoring) but easily go back to sleep.

I used to wake up with back pain every morning, but then I switched to one of those "neck posture" pillows. Feels much better!

Jeremy-- I agree with you to some extent: Jd gets into a napping cycle which then interrupts his night's sleep. But a workaholic will also experience a share of health related issues: heart attacks, hypertension, headaches, etc. I am very glad that Jd knows how to relax-- his easy-going nature is one of the first things that drew me to him, oh so many years ago.

Jenn: I did not say the CPAP maching was bunk. I do however think it is a popular fad.

My apologies to Jenn. I worded that more strongly than I ought to have. That's the impression that I received from our conversation, and not the actual words that were spoken. My bad! My bad!

Jeff: I'm curious how JD's blog readers feel about their own quality of sleep... let's take a survey

Before the C-PAP:
I woke feeling groggy after 8hrs sleep. I woke repeatedly (as in 10-20 times a night), though rarely coughing. I fought to stay awake all the time not just in the afternoon. (Driving was especially bad.) I suspected I might have a sleep disorder, but only after other people had listened to my complaints and suggested it as a possibility.

After the C-PAP:
I wake feeling rested (but not well-rested). I sleep eight hours straight through without waking except when my mask slips off my face. I'm no longer tired in the mornings, but I am tired in the afternoons. Like right now. I know that I have a sleep disorder (because I've seen the charts demonstrating my sleep-time body functions).

I always wake feeling groggy and confused. I think because I was asleep just a moment ago. About a third of the time I sleep through the night. Sometimes I wake up from a dream or to go to the bathroom. Other times the kids wake me up. I always get tired in the afternoon. I tackle this problem in several ways.
1. Sit down and read with the kids which may lead to a short (less than 15 minutes) nap.
2. Find something very active to do (clean house, weed in the garden, ride bikes or play soccer with the kids)
3. Have a pick me up snack or drink - this often involves caffeine.

I do not think I have a sleep disorder. I do think sleep disorders are real. I just think doctors or overdiagonosing this disorder because people are used to science solving all human discomforts. I hope, Jd that you have a sleep disorder since you already spent a lot of money on the machine. Plus, I would like for you to feel better.

Things like loud snoring which lead to stopping breathing... these are the big symptoms, right? Things like heartburn, occasional headaches, irritability, unrefreshing sleep, reduced libido... these are the symptoms of being human. Sometimes we don't feel good, sometimes we are uncomfortable or tired. Sometimes we just need to change our bad habits. Maybe you don't feel the need to change your bad habits, but I do. I know I should get more exercise, eat healthier, find time to relax and rejuvinate. I don't need a doctor to tell me this. Or maybe I do.

There was an NPR report recently about a study where patients asked for certain medications from the doctors. More often than not they were given a prescription on the spot. Behold the power of advertising and the pharmaceutical industry.

I'd just like to point out that whoever coined the term "sleep like a baby" obviously has never experienced how a baby "sleeps." More believable would be to say "sleeps like a cat in a warm, sunny window." Just an observation I've made several times these last 8 months... :)

Jenn, I've heard a similar report in which something like 75% of patients who asked their doctor for a prescription drug received it that same visit. Of course, I don't think this report controlled for those prescriptions that were, in the doc's opinion, clinically viable based on diagnoses... so I'm not sure how disturbed I am. I guess I'd go with fairly disturbed.

Regarding my sleep, I usually remember waking a few times a night (according to what I've learned, we actually rise to consciousness a few dozen times during normal sleep, we just don't remember it), and at least once a week I wake and can't return to sleep for several hours. Fairly frequently (depending on what's going on in my life) it takes me more than an hour to fall asleep after I lie down.

I usually feel fine during the day except for 2-3:30 pm, which is the usual low ebb of my energy.

I do not feel I have a sleep disorder.

I prefer nights when I wake up several times (which happens all to rarely for me). It makes the night seem longer. And night time is good, because I'm not at work.

I may sound like an old lady here, but I've found that I feel the best overall when I've slept 8 hours AND when I go to bed and rise at the same time everyday, even weekends. I've trained myself to wake at a certain early am hour without the aid of an alarm clock. Nothing ruder than being jolted out of bed by a jarring noise. My internal clock is pretty reliable at this point. I followed a routine of getting maybe 6 hours a sleep a night with an afternoon nap for years, esp. during grad school. I never felt truly rested in the way I do now.

I've also found that what and when I eat throughout the day impacts my energy level. I think there is something to the theory of maintaining an even blood sugar level throughout the day. When I fail to eat and it gets low, I can barely move and boy, I'm not a very pleasant person to be around. Paul suffered for years until I figured this out . . .

And to continue my doctor-like speech here, moderate exercise also helps. On the days when I don't get out I feel lathargic and drowsy and I tend to want to nap in the late afternoon, which interupts my sleep cycle.

Now that my youngest is four and I'm no longer getting up at night I sleep the entire night through. I go to bed at 10 and wake without an alarm promptly at 6. I almost never vary from this schedule. When I get to bed it takes me all of about 2 minutes to fall asleep.

There are 2 exceptions to my wake free nights. If I eat anything within about two hours of going to bed I awaken with heartburn all night long.

Secondly if I dont eat a lot of protein for dinner I awaken with a severe migraine the entire livelong night.

Otherwise I sleep!

My sleep pattern very closely resembles what Joel describes above, except my low-energy period comes between 3 and 4:30 in the afternoon. It most definitely does not resemble what Tammy and Amy Jo describe.

It takes me forever to fall asleep at night, yet if I actually get the opportunity to take an afternoon nap, I can fall asleep within two minutes of laying (or sitting) down, and I actually get very deep, restful sleep. I find that doing a crossword puzzle speeds up the falling asleep process.

I do get some REM sleep, as I often remember my dreams; but I think that I only get that REM sleep during the last few hours of sleep, and I remember my dreams because my alarm interupts them. Speaking of alarm clocks, if I don't set one, I will most definitely sleep-in enough to be late for work. I can't just wake up with a single sounding of the alarm either -- I get up, walk across the room, hit the snooze, and go back to bed... usually 3 or 4 times before it actually registers that I need to wake up. If I don't set it across the room I will do that repeatedly for an hour or longer...

I like to think I have an internal clock that wakes me at 6:00 every morning, as I have trouble sleeping-in on the weekends... but an early rising 3-year-old doesn't help with that scenerio. Just because I can't sleep any longer doesn't mean that I am rested... my eyelids are at half-mast until I get a little caffeine, and my groggy haze lasts for several hours. I pretty much ALWAYS feel sleep deprived.

I still can't decide if I have a sleep disorder or not... and I'm waiting for JD's final verdict on the C-PAP machine before I try that avenue. My insurance isn't near as good as his, and I really don't want to fork out the money for a sleep clinic and then a C-PAP machine if it doesn't really help his sleep problems (which are similar to mine). I just can't imagine getting any better sleep with that thing attached to my face... but I guess if I am no longer tossing and turning all night long it wouldn't get in the way.

My wife thinks I have sleep apnea because I snore when I sleep, sometimes very loudly, occasionally stopping abruptly. I also wake up occasionally in a gagging, coughing fit.

So far, my sleep pattern seems abnormal... what about the rest of you out in foldedspace land... do you spring out of bed without an alarm, ready for the new day? or do you need an alarm to shock you out of your slumber?

During the times when I am active, either excersizing or working (physically - around the house etc...) and eating healthily (2000 well rounded calories or less) I sleep just fine. I go to sleep easily, wake up with the alarm, every once in a while before it, and although I feel groggy and grumpy in the morning 2 cups of coffee usually remedies this. I very rarely feel tired in the afternoon unless I overeat (or have too many carbs) then I can barely function in the late afternoon.

During the winter and when I am not excersizing and eating right the opposite of all the above is pretty much true.

I am no doctor, the following is only a guess...

If JD would exercise 5 days a week (hard exercise, like running for 30 or minutes and some stretching/weight activity - or the corresponding yard work/household work) and eat a WELL BALANCED diet, that his snoring would stop, he would probably sleep better, I can guarantee he would FEEL better. I know this from experience. However, he would probably grow to resent all of this (I know this from personal experience) becuse that is a lot of time to give up.

I hope this doesn't sound preachy, because more often than not I feel like JD. But over the past three years I have extended (longer than 3 months) periods during which I have either excersized or worked very hard and have had stunning results. As the pounds go on (usually in the winter) I begin to have more trouble with sleeping - I start to snore, I can't go to sleep as easily, and I am more frequently depressed and grumpy.

Think of our recent ancestors -- even only 1 generation back for some of us. Many of them worked a full time job, and came home and worked on the farm, etc... These people didn't have much trouble sleeping. Modern convenience is nice, but it comes at a cost sometimes, often a VERY high cost.