05.24.2005 1:49 p.m.
Who Can It Be Now?

I swear my house is fucking with me.

Last night, EVERY SINGLE TIME I finally started to drift off to sleep, I'd hear a noise coming from downstairs.

I kept hearing noises that sounded like someone was in the house. The floor would creak like someone was walking around. I'd hear a banging noise like someone was doing something to a window. Then the floor would creak again. Then a thump.

At first, every time I heard a noise I'd jolt awake and start breathing hard. I knew damn well that if there was actually someone downstairs, the alarm would go off, but paranoia doesn't listen to reason when you're half asleep. I woke up with a start probably about 10 times before my amitriptyline kicked in and dragged me so deep that even psychotic intruders couldn't wake me up.

I know that houses make noises when they settle. I know that they make noises when the materials they are composed of expand in the warmth of spring and summer.

I know this.

These noises were way more frequent and way more varied than settling noises normally are. It freaked me out and sort of made me not look forward to going to sleep tonight.

Maybe I'll have to put the fan in the window just to have some white noise when it's normally cemetary-quiet in the house.

Or maybe I'll have to have another talk with Harold.

Or, I could tell Callie that she should definitely play with her straws on the stairs for about an hour beginning at 11 PM. She does that most nights anyway, and it's loud enough that it might drown out the bumps and thumps and creaks in the night.

Perhaps I should try all three, just to increase my odds of actually getting to sleep without a lot of effort tonight.

Bah. Stupid sleep, anyway.

Listening to: Garbage - Bleed Like Me (It's even better the second time!)
Reading: Cadillac Beach by Tim Dorsey


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