Yeah, I'll get right on that, but first...a little nap

Saturday morning I awoke reluctantly, feeling like I'd never slept, but I knew I had -- straight through the night, thanks to the Lorazepam pill. I was dog tired, as the expression goes. Being that it was the third day after my first chemo session, perhaps that was the way I was supposed to feel. Or, perhaps it was my God-smack for working a 10-hour day on Friday. "Hey, wise up!"

Like in the carnival swing-the-hammer-ring-the-bell game, I had swung too hard and blown the top off the scale. Not only did I have to pay for it, but I didn't win any prize, to boot.

I had a little breakfast, noticed my lips were a bit tingly (chemo!), read the paper and called Linn. I'd been a little overambitious in my plans for Saturday and decided to cancel. She was fine with it. It was a good day for relaxing and reading a book. I thought so too. I read a few pages and took a nap.

Got up a couple hours later and had a snack. Read a few more pages. Took a few more naps. And so it went all day long. Every activity was balanced by a nap. Do some laundry, take a nap. Watch a movie, take a nap. Dust the furniture, take a nap. Take a nap, then take another nap.

At least when I had to leave at 11 p.m. to drive to Milwaukee and pick up Jeff at the airport, I'd be well rested. Or so I thought.

It's a 45-minute drive from our house to Milwaukee's Mitchell Field and an easy one, at that, via expressway. Yet, that night, it seemed like it was taking hours to get there. All right, who hijacked Milwaukee and shoved it further north? If my eyelashes were getting sparser, why were my eyelids getting heavier?

At last I arrived and Jeff was curbside. He took one look at me and said, "You look beat. How about I drive home."

Good idea. Wearing a winter coat over pajamas, I got out from behind the wheel, walked around the car and headed for the passenger seat. An airport guard headed toward me to indicate I needed to move the car, but she took one look and suspected she was about to confront someone who not only might not be from this planet, but might also be hostile, and thought better of it. She chose wisely and walked away.

After having just driven 1800 miles in two-and-a-half days, Jeff drove the 60 miles home while I took another nap. I don't know if my Saturday sleep totals would equal what our cat Riley logs in a single day, but I imagine I came pretty close.