Continued...

Continued from last post

The Crash, Bottoming Out, Burning Down, whatever you want to call it, starts out slow, almost unnoticeable – each individual element still working. But if a device existed for measuring this effect, it would indicate that the sleep deprivation part was unarguably far ahead of the pack on any scale, graph or pie-chart. It is at this exact point that things become dangerous, as the sleep deprivation has us thoroughly convinced that our thought processes are still screaming along at their previously enhanced pace. They are, most definitely, not. Our formerly tight, solid thoughts now hold a cohesion factor several steps lower than a fart in a wind tunnel, and our communication skills could easily be matched by an intestinal worm with strep throat ( if intestinal worms even have throats to strep – can't imagine why they would). Our ability to complete one, single coherent sentence without stopping midway, looking thoroughly confused as if we'd only just arrived, is virtually nil. We start ambling from room to room, looking for something which, when questioned about, we cannot even identify. I have personally spent hours looking for something, then realizing I had no fucking clue as to what that something might be. Then comes the 'Dozing Off/Sudden Head Snap No! I'm Awake' phase. (do NOT operate heavy machinery at this point, which is also the point at which shoe laces and shirts with more than 3 buttons constitute heavy machinery). Finally, we sleep the sleep of the dead, or the heavily sedated, resting up for the next time, which begins in 3...2...1...

See you in the fast lane!!! 

April 10

    Whew, to say that the last few weeks have been insanely stressful would be an understatement, an understatement in the same vein as referring to WW11 as a rather nasty argument or saying that Carl Malden was slightly unattractive. We've been running on nerves,Adrenaline, rage and what my partner has so rightfully labeled Motivational Accelerators. All of which unite in that perfect biochemical ballet of form, function and sleep deprivation required to power through almost any shitty situation, buzzed enough to come out the other end laughing. I personally suspect the sleep deprivation plays a far greater role than Kara is willing to admit. Along with the award winning combo of nerves, accelerators, etc, the mixture isn't truly complete without the addition of Chinese food, pizza and hot dogs. At the conclusion of one particularly tense interval, my previous evenings pizza dinner made the acquaintance of today's hot dog lunch, they instantly hit it off, amalgamated their assets and sought escape via the most readily accessible route, all of which has led me to a perfectly workable theory regarding the origins of the 'Pizza Dog'.

Now, Adrenaline is an extremely powerful thing, enhancing our abilities – strength, speed, agility, awareness – allowing us to perform extraordinary feats, ie: the oft told (probably apocryphal) tale of the common housewife upending a crashed vehicle to rescue her trapped children – we've all seen Geraldo, Oprah et al.

     Our brains, in order to deal with the massive amounts of pain generated when exerting ourselves in super-human acts of Adrenaline fueled strength, releases another chemical into the bloodstream Endorphins. At an estimated 300 times the strength of Morphine, Endorphins are more than capable of killing most types of pain, with the added bonus effect of intense euphoria. 

      OK, now blend the Adrenaline and Endorphins – end result: a very fast, strong, aware, near painless individual who also just happens to feel FUCKING GREAT!

      But wait, there's more! When these 2 naturally occurring chemicals are then boosted by those Motivational Accelerators alluded to earlier, with their ability to deliver alertness, wakefulness, more euphoria and a clearer, sharper focus than any dose of Ritalin could ever dream of, we approach a state of mental/physical superiority unparallelled in the sphere of 'normal' human experience. Until they wear off.

Next time: The Crash

As always, be safe, adios for now.