2:30 am: freelancing + oreos

It's 2:30 am and I'm at my computer. That's par for the course these past few weeks. I've been burning the midnight oil on a super secret freelance project. Staying up until 4 am has been the norm lately, as have bloodshot eyes and generally feeling like shit during the so-called waking hours of the day. Yesterday - no wait, the day before yesterday - my left eye developed a twitch. I promptly sought out the advice of Dr. Google and learned that it is caused by stress, fatigue, and lack of sleep. Yup, yup, and yup.

I'm super excited about this project, so it's all worth it, but I feel like I'm back in college pulling all-nighters. I was an architecture major in college and all-nighters were practically written into the curriculum. Lack of sleep was rewarded with bragging rights..."I haven't slept in 72 hours." "Oh yeah? I'm at 84." 

Back then I used to reward myself with treats - bribing myself with cookies to stay up just one more hour:

"If I work until 2 am, I can eat a cookie!"
"Make it until 4 am? Another cookie!" 
"6 am - Sun's almost up. Have a cookie!" 
"8 am - No time for breakfast. Just eat another cookie!"

And now, over ten years later I find myself craving sweets once again to stay motivated to work into the wee hours of the morning. Problem was, we ran out of sweets today. I devoured the last forgotten square of Ghirardelli chocolate that I scavenged from the back of the pantry after dinner, and knew I'd need something else. Saturday night, 10 pm - me working at the computer, Larry watching a hockey game downstairs. And unlike the architecture studio at Syracuse, we don't have a vending machine in the basement. How was I to replenish my supply of sugar?

Larry and often write each other "love notes" that consists of childish drawings or culinary demands.

Make me some cupcakes please. (And leave them behind the dumpster in a duffel bag full of unmarked twenties.)

So I delivered this little note to Larry. Merely, a suggestion:

He laughed. Then the hockey game ended and Larry grabbed his coat and walked down the street to 7-11. Ten minutes later, I had my Oreos. Double Stufs, even. Yes!

So I'm back at my computer, fueled by double creme-filled chocolate wafers, trying to work for one more hour. Took a little break to read blogs and found the following on Marta Writes:

"freelancing is just another way

 of saying you sleep in late

 and stay up 'til morning"

Yup.

It's now 3:30 am.

I think I need another Oreo.