Such random things I feel like mentioning today! In no particular order:
I've been using (sometimes) this app called MotionX to track my sleep. I don't use it all the time, because–hippie alert–I'm convinced that one shouldn't have one's cell phone too close to the body very often, so putting it under my pillow freaks me out.
But the app has convinced me that I do sleep more than I think I do. Often I feel like I'm awake all night, but what's actually happening is I'm looking at the clock every five or ten minutes, yes, but in between, I'm dozing. You can see that here, in this picture (on a work day, where I only got 3 hours and 1 minute of sleep — very sad): Yes, I was awake for a lot of the time, but also, when I was glancing over and over at the clock between 11:30pm and 1:30am, I was in light sleep.
This, somehow, is comforting to me. I'm getting SOME sleep. (Yes, I know the trick of turning the clock away from you. I'm not that strong.)
I show this to you in order to contrast it with Lala's sleep efficiency. This is from two nights ago:
All that dark blue??? IS DEEP SLEEP. She has a true gift.
And if that weren't unfair enough, she has another gift! Lala painted a picture of me!
I love this. I think she flatters me, and yep, I'll take it.
In knitting news, I've got my mojo back, I think. I'm deep into Cocoknit's Mishke, an asymmetrical cabled cardigan that I'm doing in Berocco Blackstone Tweed (delicious yarn, wool with mohair and a little angora for softness):
O, cables. How I love you. And how I don't care if any are miscrossed. (Thanks, Eliza Carpenter!) This is taking forever, but I'm loving every minute of it. It's one of those knits.
And it's San Francisco Pride weekend! Happy Pride, everyone! We'll be going to the city later, because I like to look at people and Lala does too, even though she sometimes forgets that. We started the weeekend earlier this week at an amazing Indigo Girls show at Slim's. Here we are in line.
Yay love. Yay sleeping artist wife. Yay Pride. Yay just about everything.
Yay! You two are way too cute together. Love the painting!
You’re wearing your new dress! 🙂 I love the painting, too.
Must confess I’m a bit mystified on the sleep app…..but maybe I’ll try it! I’m always grousing about not sleeping enough.
Have fun in the City….
Are you doing sleep restriction therapy? I ask because it uses the same info your app is tracking. If you’ve heard about this or tried it (or hated it) before, I’m sorry to preach, and please ignore me. But it’s the only thing that worked on my insomnia after many years and I really want to share the info with anyone who has sleep issues!
Sleep restriction therapy is very simple. To begin, you get a baseline of your sleep efficiency, like what you’re tracking now over the span of a week. Then you pick a wake-up time, count back the amount of time you’re *actually* sleeping, and that’s your new bedtime. For a week: no snooze button, no sleeping in on weekends, and no naps. (I don’t know how this would work for shift-workers… and I am now trying to remember if you work shifts, sorry!)
Anyway, you use this bedtime for a week until your body adjusts so your sleep efficiency is better than 90% and your number of wake-ups is 1 or 0. Then you move your bedtime back 15 minutes for the next week.
Rinse and repeat each week until your ratio starts to fall below 90%. I started at 6 hours of sleep and 60% efficiency and I got up to 8 hours at 90%! (Glorious!)
The data about sleep restriction therapy shows it is always this successful. I found it really uncomfortable at first, and I was tired for a few weeks as I crept up the hours of sleep time. But it really works, and pretty quickly too.
Ok, stepping off soapbox now. Hope this is something that would work for you, and wishing you the best!
I’ll have to check that app out for me and hubs thanks. and to Liz i love the info!
YAY! I do believe that this post calls for a “Woot!”
Yay for everything!
But especially YAY at how happy you and Lala always look together.
New dress is totally cute. Love the portrait that Lala painted of you. You two always look so perfect with each other. Hope Abigail is fantastic – now I want one too! In my dreams! Maybe someday! Take care. Hope you had a good weekend.
Forgot to mention that I really like Mishke! It just might need to go on my next project list!
I am the worst sleeper…more like yours than like Lala’s for sure…wow…she can sleep!!!!
I love Mishke!!! Beautiful. Someday I will tackle a sweet cardigan for me. Someday…biggest I have made so far fit a 10 year old.
Your smile is wonderful!
I’m fascinated by the idea, but skeptical that it would record correctly given that my bed is constantly being jostled by cats. But after about 20 years of insomnia, at this point in my life I am truly a champion sleeper!
Wow – seriously impressed by lala’s ability to sleep! And her painting 🙂
But your cables beat both! 😉
I love Blackstone Tweed – good choice!
You guys are so cute! Happy Pride!
Would you consider writing a book with us? From the day you sit down to do it, would you share your process? I remember reading at one time that you open a new notebook. Watching your characters find you and tell you who they are would be like watching an artist create a painting.
I’ve got the pattern and the yarn and have even done the gauge swatch for Mishke… I love that pattern, and I can’t wait to see how yours comes out!
I don’t know that the painting is much flattery… I’ve seen you in real life and I think you’re a beautiful woman. And clearly Lala does too.