The Soup Begins To Thicken

okay maybe the lipstick would smudge a little

No nuance. If you don’t have a mother/are no contact etc this is not a poll for you.

Then, around the end of last year, I began listening to audiobooks on sleep headphones, and it is more effective than ANY DRUG. The trick, I learned, is not to listen to new books (because then I get involved and can't go to sleep) or very exciting favorites (ditto). Instead, it has to be relatively sedate favorites I've read so much I almost know passages by heart (THE SHELL SEEKERS, LITTLE WOMEN), or audio courses on topics that I am interested in but either (a) know very well already or (b) am not so fascinated by that I'll wind up staying awake to hear more. The Great Courses on physics, chemistry and ancient civilizations tend to work beautifully. This is especially effective because my biggest issue wasn't taking a long time to fall asleep (though this was a thing), but waking up in the night and then thinking/fretting about ALL THE THINGS for hours on end. Now I wake up, hear somebody talking about nuclear particles or the Olmecs, and engage with that very minimally before I drop off again.

god this tickles me