Barking dogs, Chronic pain and Insomnia times three.

Have you ever had one of those days, or actually, another of those days when the multiverse and all of it's complexities conspire against you? 


Three days into a bout of insomnia in which I've managed about ten or twelve hours of quality sleep, things started to improve this morning.  Little back pain, little or no pain in the knees, shoulders or any of the host of other body parts that I've abused, injured, or failed to take care of over the last half century.  That quality sleep seemed to be attainable and within reach this morning just after dawn.  Just prior to the time that the dog decided he needed to go outside.  

That would have been the beginning of the end of my chance "to sleep, perchance to dream:" for today.  "Where are we going, why are we in a handbasket, and why is it so hot?"

• Let the dog out and returned to bed.
• Felt the twinge of a minor back spasm.
• Got out of bed to take a muscle relaxer.
• Returned to bed again.
• Started to doze off again.
• The dogs corner an unknown critter in the yard.
• Bark, bark, bark...(that's the little dog)
• BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK BARK...(That would be my dog, the larger of the two...)
• Lather, rinse, repeat...
• Get out of bed again, put enough clothes on so not to alarm the neighbors.
• Outside to distract the dogs, and run them back inside.
• Return to bed, yet again.
• Experience a back spasm that registered approximately 5.3 on the Richter scale.
• Tossed and turned in the attempt to find a position that wasn't either uncomfortable or pain inducing.
• EPIC FAIL.
• While flarping about in the eternal struggle to get comfy suffer a total lock up of the right knee.
• While trying to roll off of the right side to unlock the right knee the right shoulder locks up.
• Gee, are we having fun yet?
• Thought to myself "fuck it".
• Got up.
• Took another muscle relaxer.
• Made coffee.
• Vowed to try again tonight.

Ah well, c'est la vie.  Such is life in the fast lane of sleep deprivation.