I’ll give the 411 on the film ‘Penelope’ later today (a full review). For now all I can say is that I enjoyed it and the message it gave.

As for the cessations- last night went well except for the typical bout of insomnia I have, which resulted in the night cap crutch. I don’t know what it is about being single that makes it nearly impossible to sleep! My mind races until the wee hours of the morning and it’s frustrating! Throw a warm body next to me and I’m out like a light for the entire sleep cycle. I’m not ‘worrying’, I just can’t shut my brain off. I practice breathing techniques, Buddhist meditations, relaxations, soothing sounds, no caffeine past a certain point in the day, trying to exhaust my mind after 8 pm- but the results are still the same! I go to bed at 10… the next thing I know it’s 11:30. I remove myself from bed for a few minutes so I don’t associate alertness with bed… I try again. It’s now 1:30. I drift off and open my eyes to see that’s now 2:30. This goes on until it’s time to get up at 5:30-ish.

No, I can’t drink warm milk because of the whole lactose intolerant thing… and yes, I do drink warm tea (which also causes me to get up in the middle of the night). Snacking stops a couple of hours before I plan on sleeping and I even wear a sleep mask.

I *did* fall asleep on the sofa after work/dinner and took a cat nap. That very well could be the culprit although history shows that it doesn’t matter. Today I will push through the sleepy that stems from withdrawal- and attempt a decent nights sleep again without a glass of wine to help me get all yawning and heavy eyed (like I am now).