Sister, sister, he's just a plaything...
April 27, 2010 6:08 PM   Subscribe

An essay on sleep and loss by Bill Hayes, author of Sleep Demons. The essay is part of a NYT series All-nighters, which has also included work from Mefi favorite Christoph Niemann (previously) and other sleep deprived contributors.
posted by Cold Lurkey (13 comments total) 18 users marked this as a favorite
 
I thought this was a good essay, thanks for posting it. It's rather difficult material, so I don't have a whole lot to say about it, except for this part:
If I had not taken half a sleeping pill that night four years ago, might I have been awake and saved him?
I read that and really hoped he was just describing how he felt at the time. I hope he's not still thinking that thought, not still doing that to himself.
posted by FishBike at 6:28 PM on April 27, 2010 [1 favorite]


Creepy & soulful to read as I contemplate pulling an all-nighter while my family (including the cat!) sleep. What a beautifully written essay.
posted by vurnt22 at 7:57 PM on April 27, 2010


On the bright side I can tell you all about the changing international radio broadcasters that CBC Radio's Overnight short wave service had all through the late 1990s.

That's not really a bright side.
posted by Space Coyote at 7:58 PM on April 27, 2010


That was a beautiful story; thanks for this post.
posted by iamkimiam at 8:10 PM on April 27, 2010


That was beautiful, thank you.
posted by smoke at 11:39 PM on April 27, 2010


I have really enjoyed the series and I'm glad someone's posted a link to it. It's worth following the links to other ones. And look! Pretty pictures!
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:49 PM on April 27, 2010


I liked this well enough, but thought it funny how euphemism lead the author into oxymoron: "...we had been intimate from the start."
posted by CutaneousRabbit at 6:02 AM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]


Good article.
posted by M83 at 7:02 AM on April 28, 2010


That Pepsi-Cola sign picture is breath-taking. The description was eloquent as well. Lots of pause for thought in that one. Re: Joe in Australia's pretty pictures link, above.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:26 AM on April 28, 2010


I love this series, and have read many articles in the morning while still all soul-torn from another sleeless night. Funny, I never thought to put it on the blue.
posted by nevercalm at 10:49 AM on April 28, 2010


This has been an excellent and informative series that they've done. Hasn't helped me to get to bed any earlier at night, but I still have loved reading about the ins and outs of sleep deprivation.
posted by blucevalo at 10:53 AM on April 28, 2010


This story in particular is difficult for me to read for some reason. Bill Hayes' story maintains just enough distance to keep perspective, but loss of the author's insomnia buddy is almost too much.
Must not read at work...
posted by tmt at 11:39 AM on April 28, 2010


His writing is really quite lovely. Thank you for the links; I enjoyed this immensely and will check out the rest of the series.
posted by vespertine at 5:34 PM on April 28, 2010


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