I had about an hour of sleep 2 nites ago, and the following nite, I had spotty sleep, so yesterday after my lunchtime workout, I could not seem to keep my eyes open. I constantly got out of my seat to wander around the back hallway and talk to my court reporter in her office or to the personnel in the courtroom next door, because I feared getting to the point where I would fall asleep for a few seconds every time I blinked had I stayed at my desk. (This is the point where a friend would’ve said, “THIS is where my tax dollars are going?! I’m gonna complain.”)
At 4:45pm, the day was coming to a close, and I realized I would not survive the 7-mile drive back home unless I took a little cat nap. We have an old-fashioned pleather couch-like piece of furniture in a small lounge room between the women’s restroom and the jury room, and I laid down on the couch in the darkened room to rest my eyes for 15 minutes or so. At what I thought was 5:20pm, I woke up and thought, “Oh wow, that was longer than I wanted…but what a restful nap!” and wandered into the restroom. I looked at my face, washed my hands, looked down at my watch again, and WHOA, it was 6:22pm! I hurried out of the restroom, glancing at the wall clock in the jury room and in the courtroom and sure enough, I was down for over an hour and a half!! It briefly crossed my mind that as I go into the Clerk’s Office to do my distribution, I should feign to my supervisors “Whew, what a tough day!” but I knew no one would be down there anymore. I grimly drove out of the parking structure at 6:45pm, shaking my head at myself. I can’t believe I left work this late when I didn’t have to. I should get a T-shirt that says “I Heart Work.”