I'm So Tiiiiiiired

This is me. I drew the portrait myself. (I know! You're asking yourself why no one has hired me as a graphic designer. Also, you're asking where my glasses are, and the answer to both of those questions is, "I have no idea.")

Anyway, my goal today is to warn young people what it will feel like to stay up too late once you've reached the age of, oh, 35 or so. And because I know some people learn better through pictures than through words, I'm offering my own 35-year-old-plus (plus, plus, plus) face as a model.

 Husband and I did not get back from Boy#2's band concert at Pretty-Far-Away University until 1:20 a.m. For those of us in my demographic, this is the most horrifying number on the clock radio. Any earlier, and you're getting a decent night sleep. Any later, and you're taking a personal day and sleeping in.

So the things I learned by looking in the mirror this morning are these:

1. Wrinkles are exacerbated by fatigue. That one line you're sure no one notices on the side of your mouth? Oh, it's noticeable today.

2. Huh. Who knew the bags under my eyes actually could be darker?

3. I need to put some lipstick on already or face the fact that my mouth is just an opening in my face.

4. Wow, I really, really need a cut and color.

By sheer coincidence, today I also ran across an article about a new sleep study. Scientists found that when rats were sleep-deprived, their brains went into what the article called "rolling blackouts," allowing each region of the brain to take a breather even while the rat appeared to be perfectly alert. And if this happens in the geese (rats), these scientists claim, it also probably happens in the ganders (humans).

That means today, after way too little zzz's last night, my train of thought might...I'm sorry, what was I talking about?