Friday, May 21, 2004

Games To Play In Bed

Last night, I dreamed that someone handed me an awkwardly wrapped book-sized package, and said, "Here. This is for you." I hefted the package for a bit, trying to imagine what might be in there. I prayed, "Oh God. Let it be THE SUM AND TOTAL OF NOW." I was just untying the twine on the package when I woke up. I fought to return to sleep and the dream so I could see the title of the book, but it didn't happen.

The way I've been lulling myself to sleep is by doing books and authors by the alphabet. So far, I've just done novels, to make it more challenging. Here's an example:
A: Arrowsmith B: Bleak House C: Cry The Beloved Country D: David Copperfield...and so on.

Or:
A: Margaret AtwoodB: BalzacC: Joyce Cary ...and so on.

If I get stuck on a letter, I can't move on. I have to concentrate until I come up with an author or a title. That's when I usually wear out and fall asleep. Last night, playing "titles", the last letter I remember was I. I finally settled for THE ICEMAN COMETH, which pissed me off because it's a play. Later in the night, I woke up for a short annoyed moment and thought: IRONWEED!

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