Thursday, April 29, 2010

Night shift

Today, I got NO sleep. I tossed and turned to fall asleep.

When I finally did, the lawn guys came to do the lawn. The industrial mowers for our entire complex and blowers running at the same time- awesome. They leave, I fall back asleep. Oh wait, I had to leave my phone on because I was waiting on an important call from my Doctors. A little bit later, I get a friendly courteous call from my father in the Caribbean who just wanted to say “hi” from St Thomas. Bless his heart, but #1 I am still hating the fact I am not on that trip with them & #2 I’m half asleep and can’t barely comprehend what he was saying. He was too chipper for that hour of the day. LOL (sorry dad, but I felt half dead when you called and it was RIGHT after I feel back asleep for the 5th time)

Fall back asleep, text messages, Chris’ phone going off, dog barking, and then the office calls. Find out I have to wake up early to go stop by and there went my last 2 hours of sleep.

It’s days like this when I get no sleep that I hate working nightshift. 90% of the time, I love working nightshift, love my job and love the responsibility & the people make the nights 100% better. I really do love it. Just not today- not right now. I just want to crawl back into bed, back into my cave.

Your 2pm is my 2am. My 11am is your 11pm. It’s not rocket science although the delivery UPS man will look at you strange when you open the door half asleep and in your pajamas at 1pm and scare him away with your dragon breath. He always has the sarcastic tone when he asks for a signature. He asked for it, he needed a signature. I am not a lazy high school kid sleeping in, I just went to bed for your information. Thank god our room is a CAVE. It’s pitch black thank god to the layers of black out curtains I have up behind the blinds and in front of them too. You walk into our room and you would think it was 11:30 at night. That helps at least.

I eat a regular dinner when I wake up and eat breakfast when I get home. I love my fruit loops and apple jacks before I go to bed. This morning Chris and I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast after I got off work and it was DELISH! I was hoping that plethora of food would put me fast asleep. I think it actually woke me up. I was DELERIOUS when we went to bed. I was trying to convince Chris my free card was Derek Sheppard and not Patrick Dempsey. Again, don’t ask.

photo So if your ever wondering what I am up to just reverse everything, when your asleep I'm working when your working I'm asleep, it’s that easy. Nights I have off, Chris and I usually sit and watch OnDemand and lay around the couch with our laptops- exciting huh? It’s no fun when you run out of shows, and of of the 600 channels we have, only infomercials for the slap chop and magic bullet.

The occasional 4am Wal-Mart trip is always in store when we’re super bored.  I go to work when its light out and come home when its light out, I miss the night completely. If I need to get something done, I have to wait for it to open before going to be and in order to have a somewhat normal life I often get very little sleep I'm awake for 24 hrs straight a LOT of the time! So just know that when you see me yawn, or I’m a tad bit crabby just deal with me. I’m just not a morning person. Or would that be an ‘afternoon’ person? Hmmm.

But I do have to consider myself lucky. I only work 3 nights a week, Chris and I are on the same schedule and I love my job. I have to try to look in the good of everything. I could be sitting behind a desk 5 days a week and driving myself crazy, my ADD would be getting me in trouble. What?.. You told me to do what?! Sorry I was playing paper toss in the waste basket. I have a job that keeps me on my toes and keeps me entertained. Thank god.

6 comments:

Lisa and Jonathan said...

Yep, we do the same thing when we run out of things to do at night. LOL! Gotta love Wally World at 4am, when you have the store to yourself :)I hear ya about the ADD thing. I'm supposed to be doing my bills right now, but just had to make my rounds on the internet in between writing checks.

Saffy said...

That's an interesting look into the life of a shift worker. Working 3 shifts a week? Freakin awesome!! And Walmart's open at 4am? wowzer.

Jenni-fa said...

lol gee this post sounds very familliar! Only alot "cleaner" and not quite as angry :-) Guess I'm just really bitchy on no sleep! lol hope your day got better!

cmatsukes said...

Walmart most of them are open 24 hrs and I know exactly what you are talking about when you were younger I worked nights for 7 yrs and more than a couple of weekends I can remember you kids coming over to your grandmas and making alot of noise out in the yard and I was trying to sleep I worked every other weekennd so LOL I know what you mean shut off the phones one thing that can drive you nuts.
and did you know you can request on your orders to not have to sign for ups or fed x look into that, and good luck with sleeping.

Sarah said...

I know all too well the life of a night shifter. I worked 3rd for a year before switching to 1st. I loved it and hated it all at the same time. I worked 8 days on/6 days off though, 10 hour shifts. My body could just not handle switching back and forth. I was a zombie when I wasn't working. I only really miss my co-workers...and the extra moola of course.

Maggie said...

My SIL works the night shift during her job and I really cannot imagine it. It seems so opposite of everything, but I'm sure my life seems opposite to all the night shift workers! :) I'm glad you have a job you love and keeps you on your toes. 5 days sitting behind a desk like me..gets old real fast.