“Zaphod felt he was teetering on the edge of madness
and wondered if he shouldn't just jump over and have done with it.”
-- Douglas Adams,
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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| Polymer clay face 5-30-13 |
“Of all the things a man may do, sleep probably contributes most to
keeping him sane.”
-- Roger Zelazny, Isle of the Dead
“I lie on the floor, washed by nothing and hanging on.
I cry at night. I
am afraid of hearing voices, or a voice.
I have come to the edge, of
the land.
I could get pushed over."
-- Margaret Atwood, Cat's Eye
Ding ding ding!
Insomnia fun fact!
Since I was up all night and the moon was big and bright ...
Luna is the Roman name for the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene. She is best known in ancient art and literature for her role in the myth of Endymion.
Endymion was a shepherd, and is thought to be the first human to observe the movements of the moon. I figure he watched the moon a lot because he was up at night literally counting sheep and looking out for predators that might be stalking his flock in the dark.
At least he had a good reason to be awake, unlike me, who was up all night fending off anxiety, agitation and total lunacy by polishing all of my boots and shoes, lifting weights, reading a photography magazine, and watching Robert Irvine salvage yet another dying eatery on "Restaurant Impossible."
Ding ding ding!
Bonus insomnia fun fact!
"Lunacy" is a term that comes from the word lunaticus, which means ... wait for it ... "of the moon" or "moonstruck". "Lunatic" is a term referring to people who are considered mentally ill, dangerous, foolish or unpredictable. Hence, today's crazy face.
Yay! Fun with etiology!
But back to our myth.
According to the story, Selene (aka Luna) was super-infatuated with Endymion the hottie demigod shepherd, who was a son of Zeus, and who was young and beautiful (especially, it seems, by moonlight).
Apparently, Selene/Luna thought Endymion looked particularly good when he was asleep, so good, in fact, that she asked Zeus to grant him eternal youth and eternal sleep so that she could enjoy gazing at his flawless, moonlit, slumbering face forever and ever. Zeus granted her request, and every night until the end of time, Selene visits Endymion where he sleeps endlessly and eternally in a cave on Mount Latmus.
Sleeps endlessly and eternally ...
I'm totes jelly.
Some hottie demigod shepherds have all the luck.
Ding ding ding!
This isn't fun anymore.
