Nonsensical 5a.m. Thoughts

This morning I awakened at 5 a.m. apparently unable to sleep any longer. I haven't done this for a very long time. Over the past few years I have been sleeping like the dead for as long as my 40-something body will allow, which is usually the unseemly hour of 7 a.m., 8 if I am lucky. There was a time, 5 or 6 years ago, when I had a raging problem with insomnia. At the time, I thought things were OK I just had a lot going on and a lot on my mind. Looking back, I realize that everything was not fine, and that no it isn't normal to sleep 3 hours and then get up at 2 a.m., work until the sun comes up. Then watch Regis and Kelly. This went on for months, but I digress.

Anyway, I am blaming this early hour on the cup of coffee I had post-waterpark yesterday to give me a little lift. I normally can NOT do caffeine after about 2 p.m. and I don't know what got into me, but I had a cup of iced coffee around 6 yesterday. As I was drinking it I was literally thinking, "what the heck are you doing, Herndon?" But I drank it anyway, like I was still in my 20's and have no issues with caffeine keeping me awake.

Today I awakened with a Ben Folds song running over and over in my head, and as is normal for that dreamy sleep/waking state, I had a realization after years of listening and singing this song exactly what the first lyric meant. I just love Ben Folds as a songwriter. I think his prose is insightful, funny and sometimes poignant but always irrevrent. Hard to do. Anyway, the first line of this song is "Good morning son, I am a bird. Wearing a brown polyester shirt." Anyway, I thought I had the song figured out until I googled the lyrics today and had them all wrong. My lyrics make much more sense, but then I guess that is what makes Folds' lyric writing so spectacular to me. Each song on each album is like a mini-short story. As someone who has thus far proven incapable to write an effective short story (obviously I have issues following the "short" mandate), this is fascinating to me. While "Song for the Dumped" will eternally remain on my playlist, my favorite line from this particular song is when he says "you're so much like me. I'm sorry." Wow. Parents out there, can you identify with this?

Anyway, this has nothing to do with anything, except that I love Ben Folds. Check out the video for this song, it is like a Seussical modern-day "Cat's in the Cradle". (BTW what the eFF does that title even mean???) Click here to watch the video, featuring Folds' own son. It is a serious tear-jerker. Ben Folds "Still Fighting It".  Oh, and congrats to my dear sweet friend, the spectacular Bill Jakes and his lovely wife Sarah (with an "h", who I am sure is equally as spectacular though I haven't met her) on the birth of their son, William, this past Thursday. Bill, he will be SO lucky to be "so much like you".  Have a fantastic weekend everyone!