the thing about this late night business is this: i think i’m getting too old for it.
once upon a time, actually up until not that long ago (say a few months), working late nights didn’t bother me. yes, it was a bit of an effort to get back into the studio after the extraordinarily long nightly process of putting my children to bed, but once i was working and in the flow it was ok. and for the past 20 years or so, i was good on 5 or 6 hours sleep for days on end. i am finding this is no longer the case. now – i get tired, i get grumpy, i get emotional. i’d go so far as to say i get downright crazy.
i also end up looking terrible. i got away with dark circle’s under my eyes for a while – it was cool in my 20’s and early 30’s: some kind of badge of honour from my play hard/work hard ethic. but i’m finding the dark circles fast lose their cool appeal once combined with a small amount of wrinkles, and also quite a bit of puffiness. (btw i’m not one to worry about wrinkles – bring it on along with magic grey hair i say).
anyway, with my unwillingness to give up my extra days with ari (he is just too much fun, and i lose those days forever next year), and with a lot more work to go on my book, plenty of late nights lie ahead.
on the up-side, i do get an occaisional sleep-in, and even when i don’t, the kids often sleep til 7.30 anyway (blissful after years of 5-6am). plus there is the satisfaction of getting lots done – that feeling is hard to beat.
and also, rewards. i’m big on rewards in times like these. they don’t have to be expensive (although some of them are), more small luxuries and indulgences that makes facing those nights a little easier.
here are some of the things keeping me going at night:
pat and stick’s ice-cream sandwiches: have you tried these? oh-my-fucking-god. that’s all i’m going to say. i discovered them late last year – at the time they were far away from my local grocer. but now, my grocer has them. the vanilla lace is my favourite. i try and limit myself to one per week. but i may have just ordered a multi-pack. this combined with my steady supply of green and black’s butterscotch chocolate, and my love of gooey cheese is danger. i will possibly be quite a few kg’s heavier by the time i finish this book.
sight unseen paper view: i’ve raved about this site before and it still remains a favourite. their book is as good as the site – if not better. it arrived just at a time when i was needing an inspiration boost and it delivered it hard and fast. for sale here.
PAM semi-freddo cardi: yes, PAM again – i’m sorry, i can’t stop. and beside’s – my studio is freezing and amazingly designed cardi’s are an essentail for long colder nights in front of a computer. i collected this one last week and it’s become my favourite go-with-prettty-much-everything piece. available from someday. also in curtin house pet shop girls has been another rewards shopping spot of late – so good.
nice tea: ahhh tea. my invigorator, my savoiur. when all else fails you come through and give me at least another 30 mins. current favourite is earl grey from T2, followed closely by a selection of japanese green teas from different places. as yet i don’t own this muuto cup to fill with my tea. it’s high on my late-night-reward list though.
exhibitions: sometimes being tired makes staying up late counter-productive. usually that time is late in the afternoon. so instead of getting flustered and achieving nothing, a change of scenery can do wonders. i visited mr.kitly’s current exhibition “group work” on one of these recent flustered afternoons and i loved it so much – it changed my mood quick smart (more info here and here). i’m also looking forward to checking out the hungry workshop’s ‘trophy lives‘ show this friday evening.
grimes: raph usually has me on a steady flow of new music, but it’s nice when i find music myself. i happened upon grimes through eirian chapman’s blog (thank-you!) and immediately downloaded her new album. i love her kooky girly tones and her wardrobe and her washed-out rainbow hair in this filmclip too. i’m finding it to be good late night working music, especially as i can pretend i’m in a disco instead.
one of my easiest / most accessible rewards: writing this blog! i miss it when i don’t get to do it. so, thanks for reading and being part of my late-night-rewards program. any other rewards suggestions (especially non-sugary/fat-laden food ones) welcomed. xx
