You know how when you can’t sleep, your eyes sometimes wander to the digital clock on the night table? At some point everyone does that. It’s no good since you are not going to sleep, you are just watching the clock countdown. The whole night can go by that way repeating that same counter productive routine.

Last night I was trying to sleep along those lines. But being an overachiever, I was much more counter productive than that.

Yesterday evening Lily and I went swimming and we did 10 laps together. She’s a better swimmer than I am, since I don’t push myself too hard.  My muscles will not cramp up because at the first sign of warning I slow it down. Even taking it easy I still get really tired.

Just like last week, water got into my right ear and I could not hear much from that side.  We got home and eventually went to sleep.  Or Lily did, I spent the night pulling, tugging and prodding my sensitive ear.

At some point around 3 AM I went to the bathroom and poked at my ear with a q-tip.  Then in a pre-dawn state of mind, I poured some hydrogen peroxide in my ear. My thinking was that I had a build up of ear wax. This flat out did not solve my problem but my ear sure got sore.

Now, I do not know anything at all about the human ear.  If I was not so tired and had slept, then I am sure my response to my idea for treatment would have been “Wow, that’s just stupid”.  Normally I would expect that my ear would get worse from that plan but at 3 AM it seemed like a pretty good idea.

I did not get to sleep at all and when the alarm went off at 5:30 this morning I tried to go downstairs to have my coffee.  I did not make it, I was just too freaking tired. I thought that if I went to the office in my nervous state of mind, I would have a psychotic episode. So I called in sick and kept my hands off my ear.

It’s now 12 hours later and still no sleep. And my ear is only a little better. I have to do a parent-teacher meeting tonight, it’s my first one this semester. I think I will let my wife do all the talking. Next week I have a scheduled doctor’s appointment so I’ll skip any further swimming till I speak with him.

I’m really hoping I sleep like a log tonight.