RBOC: Can't Sleep

• I'm typically a good sleeper. I put my head to the pillow, and I sleep. But this fall I've been having trouble with the sleeping, trouble reminiscent of my final year-and-a-half of my undergrad days, the only other time I really remember having had trouble sleeping. I think this has to do with being wound too tightly. I was wound too tightly then, as I am right now. I'm looking forward to not being wound this tightly come spring. Crossing fingers re: that, at any rate.
• One of the weird things that happens in the 21st century when one is up late at night is that one IMs with people in the wee hours who live in other time zones. People with whom one isn't in regular contact. In contrast, in the early-to-mid-90s, one had no such options. One was just bored, watching QVC or something.
• I internet-stalked on behalf of BES this week (she broke up with her boyfriend, and expressed an interest in another former student of mine). I feel like internet stalking a former student on behalf of another former student is an all new low for me. I mean, it's bad enough when one internet-stalks on one's own behalf. It's got to be worse when one is schooling a mentee in the ways of internet stalking boys.
• I have tons of grading to do. I am procrastinating.
• My Christmas present from FB is a new home phone. I should receive it on Monday, in theory. I hadn't thought we were doing Christmas presents, but my home phone is crapping out on me, and he's sick of my bitching. While I clearly could have gotten myself a new phone, as I told him many times, he insisted. I have to say, I love that he's about the pragmatic gift. I also feel like this is an appropriate gift for him to get me since our relationship is nearly entirely phone-based. Indeed, it could even be his *fault* that my phone is dying, what with all of the phone-talking to him :)
• I don't think I actually wrote about this on here, but Mr. Stripey had a lump as a result of a vaccination a couple of months ago, and I freaked out, and then I looked on the internet and I found out that some kitties get cancer from vaccinations (although I felt like the people who said this were not entirely to be trusted, as the rhetoric was a lot like the "vaccinations cause autism" rhetoric, but so when I found the hideous lump - which was seriously LARGE - like the size of a lima bean or large marble or similar -, I took Mr. Stripey in to the vet, and the vet was all "oh yes, this is something that happens to some cats - see if it disappears in a couple of months but if it doesn't then we'll need to do surgery to remove it because it turns out the splinter groups who believe vaccinations cause cancer in their cats aren't always idiots.") Anyway, I had been very worried, though my anxieties were somewhat soothed by my Fb-cat-having friends who were all "oh, totally this can happen," but the Lump seems to have nearly entirely disappeared! Mr. Stripey is well! (I will also note for the record that it did occur to me that the Man-Kitty could well have had similar side-effects in the past and I'd never know because he doesn't expect me to touch every part of his body every day - and in fact, he discourages such intimacy. And thus, much as I was worried about the look of Mr. Stripey's butthole as a kitten because I'd never actually seen the Man-Kitty's butthole (it is covered in fur and he does not expect or encourage me to touch it), I had wondered whether my concern over this lump was because Mr. Stripey is such a man-whore of a kitten who wants to be touched everywhere every single day. Whatever. The lump, it appears to be nearly entirely gone (it's now like the size of a lentil and I have trouble finding it). I know all of this was TMI, but I figured I should write about it in case any of you gets a cat, gives them their shots, and then has a huge lump develop and it freaks you out.
• Are you looking for a cat toy for your feline companion(s) in this holiday season? My kitties love this and I've also recommended it to others, and it has been a hit with their kitties. No, it's not the cheapest of cat-toys, but for serious: they want to marry it. I imagine that it would be fun with one cat, but with two, they totally wrestle over it for control, and it's entirely awesome and entertaining to watch.
• Ok, now I actually think I might be able to go to sleep. I'm feeling sleepy, and I'm going to run with it.