Sleep is for the weak


I have arrived at my hotel in Köln. I did not sleep at all on the flight. It is a bright sunny morning here in Germany, and I’m still wide awake. I’m afraid my brain has been whipsawed through so many time zones lately that it has decided screw it, it’s not going to bother sorting out that pointless sleep/wake cycle anymore, which probably means I’ll muddle along in a delirium until I die.

Who decided we should live on a spinning sphere anyway? It makes no sense.

Comments

  1. danglingmodifier says

    If you have 45 minutes to spare in Koeln and are feeling historical, the Roman Praetorium ruins are worth a visit.

  2. Lofty says

    Who decided we should live on a spinning sphere anyway? It makes no sense.

    It’s not supposed to make sense. Meatballs just are. The FSM moves in mysterious ways.

  3. stwriley says

    Stick with it, PZ, you’re doing the right thing by staying awake. If you stay up and immediately force yourself into the new timezone’s pattern, you’ll be less jet-lagged later. Not sure why it works (an area for study by some enterprising graduate student, perhaps) but it’s always worked for me and my wife, even though we have different sleep and metabolic patterns.

  4. FossilFishy (NOBODY, and proud of it!) says

    Who decided we should live on a spinning sphere anyway? It makes no sense.

    I was going to blame that Higgs fellow, but it turns out I can’t. So I’ll just say that gravity sucks.

  5. goaded says

    Two words: Chocolate Museum. (Admittedly, not a very sciency museum.)

    Some more words: Koelsh (test tubes of beer that keep coming until you are under the table or cover the glass with your beer mat), and Halver Hahn is not half a chicken, it’s rye bread roll with cheese.

  6. rq says

    Turns out, PZ arrives, and the train strike is over.
    What magical powers you have, PZ!

  7. says

    Hah. You should have tried surgery residency back in the days before work hour restrictions. Weakling!

  8. slithey tove (twas brillig (stevem)) says

    Who decided we should live on a spinning sphere anyway?

    ooooo….Dangerous wording there, be careful. Ripe for quotemining, there. It’s hard to see your tongue in your cheek when you wrote that. Woards are dangerous. Not only to others, but to oneself.
    diurnal rhythms are so inset into our biology, PZ should know somethin about that. But can be compensated. Beer is NOT the answer, no matter what Homer Simpson will tell ya. Cowbunga dude.

  9. opposablethumbs says

    Who decided we should live on a spinning sphere anyway? It makes no sense.

    Well somebody with “WIZZARD” on their hat was probably involved. Either that or B.S. Johnson.

  10. sawells says

    Seconding @1 re the Roman ruins. “Koeln” (Cologne) derives from Latin “Colonia”, the city was once Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium – the Claudian Colony and Altar of the Agrippinenses.

  11. Usernames! (ᵔᴥᵔ) says

    Who decided we should live on a spinning sphere anyway? It makes no sense.

    It makes prefect sense! The arguments at the Conference of Hydrogen held just after planck time were numerous and persuasive. Just because you were busy, or something, and couldn’t be bothered to attend is no excuse: the entire thing is on YouTubes.

    Now, take some personal responsibility: we were NEVER supposed to travel as fast as you did. Walking or swimming/drifting are the only “natural” modes of transportation. Since you decided to ignore all common sense and decency and travel in your “death-tube” at 30,000 ft in the air, then you get what you get. :P

  12. anteprepro says

    Sleep is for the weak? No, the term that comes to mind is “No rest for the wicked” :P

  13. says

    I think PZ is a bit loopy from lack of sleep. He’s on a spinning sphere so that, even when loopy, he can’t walk off the edge into the void.

  14. opie says

    You really must go see the Koln Cathedral (The Dome). It will blow your mind. And it has the added benefit of being near the best of the Kolsch breweries, Fruh am Dom. There are at least 6 other breweries withing walking distance as well, but Fruh is the best.

    Don’t think, just do it.

  15. eeyore says

    The Bible says there is no rest for the wicked, and it also says the righteous don’t need any, so nobody gets any.

  16. Rich Woods says

    @rq #7:

    Turns out, PZ arrives, and the train strike is over.
    What magical powers you have, PZ!

    He must have flown over the UK on the way to Koln, because our threatened weekend train strike has been called off too!

  17. zoniedude says

    “which probably means I’ll muddle along in a delirium until I die”
    Isn’t that a fairly accurate description of life?

  18. Michael says

    If you are up for the climb to the top of the cathedral, it’s worth doing for the view.

  19. psanity says

    Who decided we should live on a spinning sphere anyway? It makes no sense.

    Nancy: I feel faint! The whole world is spinning!

    Nick Danger: Why, that’s lucky for us, Nancy — If it were flat, all the Chinese would fall off!

    Nancy: Ooooohhhhhhh…

    Nick: Why, she’s no fun; she fell right over.