Last night in Seattle

It's just after midnight, which I know isn't late at all, but after four months of paying off my sleep debt from the school year, I should be asleep by now. Insomnia usually hits me either on Sunday night (when I stress about the upcoming work/school week) or prior to big events (like big travels or Christmas as a kid). I read somewhere that if you can't fall asleep in 20 minutes, then you might as well get up and do something productive until you're tired. Otherwise, you'll just lay in bed, fretting about the fact that you can't fall asleep, and perpetuates the cycle (did I just use the word "fret," what am I, middle-aged or something?)

I also remember my sixth-grade teacher saying that creative people can fall asleep faster than non-creative people and I have always taken personal offense to that statement (maybe I misunderstood her, since it was 10 years ago). All of my best thinking has occurred when I'm in a sub-conscious, stress-free state. It's like all the ideas that I couldn't think about because I was too busy in class or studying suddenly come forth and pester me like hybrid harpies and muses until I've paid them all due attention. I consider myself lucky in that I can think in 3-D, that I visualize projects in space, rather than just a plane. You know how a sculptor uses his whole body to embrace his piece, wrapping hands and limbs around it's contours? That's how I brainstorm; I can literally feel my mind bending and warping around an idea. Perhaps this is why I've often had difficulty keeping a sketchbook, because I'm already mentally sketching my plans. To be fair, I have noticed that keeping a sketchbook has a cathartic effect, that I can sometimes put my mind at rest once the idea is down permanently on paper.

On a completely different side of the sleep spectrum, I've noticed lately that I've begun to dream in French. Or at least, I think I'm speaking French. Whatever language it is, I'm damn fluent in it, which is certainly not the case when I'm awake. I'm quite happy with this unconscious habit; I feel like I'm studying without doing any of the work. Still, these conversations are limited to what vocabulary I already know. Hence, the mix-up in a recent dream between "le lait" and "laxatif" or "milk" and "laxative." I've also heard that language proficiency improves with the assistance of alcohol. Since it lowers your inhibitions, we're more likely to be self-confident in our speaking skills. Basically, what this all comes down to is that in order to communicate in Mali, I need to be stumbling around half-asleep or half-drunk.

I'm now eating "Original Salsita's Salsa Chips; Spicy Salsa Tortilla Rounds," a brand that I've only been able to find out here in the West. They're like Doritos, if Doritos were made with fresh spices and baked instead of fried. I love them and bought them for my road trip home... but couldn't wait that long. I wonder if I need to brush my teeth again.

I'm digressing. Or am I? I'm obviously in a stream-of-consciousness style of writing tonight.

Tomorrow I'll drive away and see Seattle and Mt. Rainier disappear in my rearview mirror and I'm not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I'm very ready to start the drive home and reconnect (if only briefly) with family and friends. On the other hand, I have a distinct sense that this may be the last time I'm in the area for awhile. My life has changed so much since I first arrived here, Summer 2004. I'm sure I'll settle down out here on the West Coast, but for now, there are new places to explore.
Seattle's been good to me. I'll miss it and the people out here. And the coffee. And the pho. And the weather! Oh, how I love Seattle weather. I checked online for the forecast in Bamako, Mali: High 87, low 73, 96% humidity. So not as bad as I thought, much like Michigan. Though of course, Michigan has air conditioning.

Did I mention that I bought mosquito netting earlier this week? Kinda surreal to go comparison shopping for mosquito netting.

And this chips are so addictive.

And I'm going to bed.