Ellipsis Movie Of The Week... Into The Night

 

Diana: If he's still with you, you better let him go... if you ever want to see those stones alive...

 ( corrects herself ) 

... again

( corrects herself yet again )

... ever!

~Diana

Played by, Michelle Pfeiffer

Into The Night

Ed, has insomnia. He is depressed. His wife is cheating on him. He's screwing up at work. Probably because he has insomnia, due to his depression and his wife cheating on him. Or any combination of the three dynamics, but one night everything changes, and it all gets worse! Or maybe better. You see the sudden encounter with a stranger named, Diana, rocks Ed's life. Is she just what Ed needed? Or is she the worse thing that could have happened to him. You get the drift... Ed leads a dull life... but life can change on a dime, with twists and turns you never see coming, and suddenly life isn't a boring and depressing routine! With a great cast and an amazing, title song by, B.B. King, Into The Night, is a fun little mystery that will keep you guessing, what can possibly happen next?

Let There Be Autumn Light

 

 

"It was a beautiful bright autumn day,

 with air like cider and sky so blue you could drown in it."

~Diana Gabaldon

Outlander

Few words. I am really tired. So tired that my body is screaming. I am not sleeping again. Yesterday, when I had been up well over 24 hours, I decided it might be a good idea to begin chasing down some autumn, first in Ione, second in Apple Hill. Bad idea! LOL. Not only did I find very little in autumn color, but it only served to exhaust me even more, but I did get a few nice shots in Ione. My little tree, just to the side of the downtown, has never let me down. It's still producing lovely leaves, and from year to year, I am never sure what color will be prominent, so it's always an adventure. This year it's red! A power color! Hopefully that's a good omen as well. We will overcome all this. We will be strong, and I will sleep again. Maybe as soon as November. 

~Carly

October 15th 2020

Stockton, California

 

Insomnia

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, look to tomorrow, rest this afternoon."

~Charles M. Schulz

Charlie Brown's Little Book of Wisdom

Is there anything better than a late afternoon nap, on a hot summer afternoon? I like to turn up the air conditioning really high, then climb under a bunch of blankets. And I always have my little babies, Hendrix, Dylan and Joey, right next to me. It's wonderful. And I can always find sleep in the afternoon, but somehow, at bedtime, sleep is nowhere to be seen. I know, I know... don't nap in the afternoon, and I will probably be able to sleep when it's time for bed. But I have tried that, and it doesn't work. I guess I just love the night life or something.

Shrug.

Naps are good... naps have their place.

Mood: Sleepy

~Me :)

Setting The Mood

"I don't just look at the thing itself or at the reality itself; I look around the edges for those little askew moments... kind of like what makes up our lives... those slightly awkward, lovely moments."

~Keith Carter

So, my quest to understand lighting and B/W verses Color photography continues. I have been a bit under the weather the last few days, a common bout of insomnia, mostly due to the changes in the weather, the stress of getting the computer and TV changed from one carrier to another, plus Joey is getting bigger, which mean his wrestling with his older brothers takes on a whole new level of grrr. On top of it, well, you know, life in general I guess. My point is, because of all the stuff going on, I haven't been able to get out with the camera as much as I would like, if at all! The photo at the top is a new one, I took it a couple days ago, but the following ones come from the archives. I am wanting to do more nighttime photography because I haven't done much with it, and I could use the challenge. So, when I chose a favorite night shot from the files, I decided to convert that one, along with some color favorites, to black and white to study the different vibes.

Observe...

Nighttime On Columbus Avenue


Treasure Island Pier


Bay Bridge At Night


Stockton Street Tunnel


My work, my passion for photography continues. It never bores me, in fact it continually inspires me to do better. I love it so much!

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Letting Sleeping Cats Lie

"I want to go to sleep in my time machine and wake up eight hours in the future."

~Jarod Kintz, This Book Is Not For Sale


No one knows how to enjoy sleep quite like cats do, because insomnia does not exist in their world! I wonder... is it because they feel no guilt? Or remorse? Or negativity in general. They don't ruminate about  stupid things they have no way of dealing with. They fantasize, but their dreams are of their realities. Catching butterflies. Chasing mice. Jumping high up on fences. Exploring the world. Cuddling up in a safe place and letting the sun warm them. Eating a good meal. Who knows? There are probably a million reasons my cats sleep better than I do. But all those things sound really wonderful, and I should do more of them I think. 

:)

Mood: Inspired

~Me :)

A Mystery On Lombard Street

"Fate is by far the greatest mystery of all."

~Deanna Raybourn, Silent in the Grave

 

I have mentioned, from time to time, on my blog that I have had some trouble with sleeping. Well, actually it's not sleeping that gives me the trouble, it's getting to sleep that is difficult for me to do. Insomnia has plagued me, to varying degrees, most of my life. I have taken sleep hygiene courses, which had been very beneficial, but I still find myself from time to time right back in the old habit of counting invisible sheep, or purses, or republicans. It's difficult to know what I might choose to count, it just depends on my day, and how unable I am to reach any sort of sleep state.

Along with diabetes and hypertension, I believe that insomnia should be made a recognized physical disease, that comes complete with a special handicapped placard and a service cat. Not being able to sleep, effects most every area of your life. Job, personal relationships, online blogging duties and I began to contemplate the other night, as I starred at the ceiling at 3:00 am, about how many other folks with sleeping difficulties will be on the roads at 6:00 am? But all considering that did, was keep me awake for another 4 hours! Not the way to go! LOL.

So, while the old methods of curbing insomnia all run a bit dry after a while, I have been toying around with an all new approach. Lately, I have been choosing a photo from either my archives, or perhaps from a new file, and write an opening paragraph of a fictional story based around the object or scene in the photo I choose. Mysteries. Comedies, Dramas, Soap Operas, any genre works, as it's all up to your imagination to figure out the details. I like doing one paragraph because I try to describe it as thoroughly. Lots and lots of VERBIAGE.

A Mystery On Lombard
An Insomniac Mystery

Gretchen was in San Francisco for two weeks, and in that time she was determined to see as many of the touristy sights and sounds as she could fit into her schedule. During the day it was all power meetings, and presentations, but the late afternoon and evening belonged to her, and she wasn't going to miss anything. Her employer had given her a liberal expense account, so she took full advantage of the car service for her transportation around the city, but made up for it by not ordering the room service. As the driver of her town car drove up to the top of Lombard st, she could see the gorgeous San Francisco bay, and Coit Tower in front of her. 'I would like to get out and do some photography of the area, before we continue down Lombard Hans,' she told her driver." Then Gretchen stepped out of the backseat of the car, and grabbed her larger of two camera bags, and small tripod. As she positioned herself against the tall black wrought iron fencing at the corner of Lombard and Hyde, she noticed a key, connected to a old fashioned type plastic key fob, laying in the small hedge on the other side of the fence. Room #402. But there wasn't a hotel name on the blue plastic fob. 'It couldn't be from one of the more upscale hotels,' she thought to herself, since the invention of the key card they haven't used that kind of a key in years. Curious. Who could have left it there? And why?

It was a MYSTERY ON LOMBARD STREET!

LOL.

Okay, not exactly Stephen King, or Mary Higgins Clark, but when applied to a sleepless night, it's at least a start!

Okay, your turn. Would you like to play along with the Insomniac Mysteries?

Don't worry about spelling, grammar or punctuation. Obviously, I didn't, but only because on those nights when sleep alludes me, and I begin to count sheep, or write a mystery, I almost never use commas, semi-colons, or periods. I do use Ellipses however, because it's necessary for dramatic pause.

LOL

It's fun, lets not over think it.

" Every solution to every problem is simple. It's the distance between the two where the mystery lies."

~Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant

:)

Go for it. Write a paragraph in the comment thread, in any genre you care to, I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

~Me :)

Karen's Weekend Assignment # 199: When Do You Sleep?

"Night has brought to those who sleep, only dreams they can not keep."

-Enya

Weekend Assignment #199: What is your usual sleep schedule on weeknights? Are you an "early to bed, early to rise" sort of person, or do you stay awake far into the night (voluntarily or otherwise), and get up as late as your work schedule permits? Do you give priority to getting adequate sleep? If so, how is that working out for you?

Extra Credit: If you had no work or family scheduling obligations, would your sleeping pattern change substantially?

-Karen Funk Blocher

Sleep. Yawn. Yawn, yawn, yawn... stretch. Excuse me, I was just enjoying a bit of a snooze. LOL. I am sleeping really well these days, especially since last summer, when I set about changing my sleeping schedule 360 degrees. I have been a lifelong sufferer of insomnia. My first bout began when I was about 12 or 13. I went through long periods of not being able to go to bed and sleep like my friends did. In retrospect, I think I know what probably kick-started the situation. My father worked the graveyard shift when I was a wee folk of about 2 and continued to do so until I was about 6 years old. My mother would allow me to stay up until my father came home, and then he and I would play or talk or listen to music. So, I am pretty sure that my sleeping habits were conditioned at that young age.

As an adult, it wasn't and isn't reasonable to keep those hours, although when I began blogging I did. Alan is a loud snorer, and there was no sleeping with that, so I sat up at night and blogged and when I was finished, I did whatever housework that was needing to be done, and then climb in bed next to him just before his alarm went off, so we could spend some time together. It worked out ok, it made since to sleep while he was at work, that way everything got done, and we wouldn't have to miss spending any time together because of chores. But life kind of played us a few cards I wasn't counting on.

First I got Fibromyalgia and that zapped all my energy, then I got diabetes, and that brought with it challenges of it's own. The Fibro was bad enough, now throw on top of everything, having to adjust my whole lifestyle to suit the diabetes, and what you get is a girl who better learn to go with the flow and life like most of the real world, whether she likes it or not. But actually... I really kinda do like it. :)

I began by taking some classes in sleep hygiene and with the new meal adjustments such as eating lighter dinners, and getting some exercise several times a day, I feel much more relaxed and ready to sleep by the time we go to bed. In fact, I look forward to it. It wasn't any more difficult to change my sleeping habits, then it was to change my sleeping habits. The additional exercise has aided my relaxation and so put it all together and you see a happier, healthier lady then I was a year ago.

It's undeniable. Keeping yourself on a proper schedule with nutrition, sleep, play, and exercise is good for the body and the mind. I still blog, I still get my housework done, I still go out and take photos, I still read, I still watch David Letterman, only now I watch him on the DVR. :) I have David Letterman with my Special K Red Berries in the morning. YUM. DELICIOUS even. So what about the only other part of my staying up late... talking on the phone and texting with my pal H.P.? Well, our friendship is going on 5 years now. He makes time for me, even if it has to be in the middle of the day. :)

So, to directly answer Karen's question... I usually go to bed at 10:00 pm and rise at about 7:30 am, unless Elvis decides otherwise. On the weekends I might stay up a little later, if there is a good movie on, or something special on TV. I have a few friends, that keep later hours, and sometimes I stay up to talk to them, because, I would miss them very much otherwise. Sometimes Alan and I will play a board game, and we will usually play it out, rather then go to bed and try to resume it the next day, but mostly it's 10-7:30 for me :) Boring... but true.

Extra Credit: Nope, I am doing something right with my diabetes and my general overall health, so I would have to say NO, nothing would change dramatically.

-OndineMonet
"Sundown In Moss Beach"
Moss Beach, California
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Early Evening