Sleep....perchance to dream.... in Life

noun \ˈslēp\ : the natural state of rest during which your eyes are closed and you become unconscious Just in case you are like me and not sure what the state is, here’s a definition. I survived the outdoor woman weekend. I had a blast, saw some wonderful friends I don’t see often, ate some amazing food, and got no sleep. Part of one of our classes was rained out, but other than that, it was a great weekend. Monday morning, bright and early THE TEST began. The state high stakes standardized test. The one they have to pass to pass 4th grade (although this year the state is giving the parish some leniency on that). The test that decides if I do a good enough job to keep my job. (Some leniency on that, too, this year.) The Test means hours of sitting there watching them test. You can’t do anything because you have to be watching them. I get up every once in a while to walk around them, but not often. I’m the type of person that gets so antsy when someone watches over my shoulder, so I try not to do that to the kids. So that leaves hours of sitting there, on the top of an empty desk, watching them. I’ve planned out a rough sketch of the rest of the year sitting there. I’ve rearranged my room in my head a dozen times. We have one more day of testing and then things should get back to normal.
Just to make things interesting, I have a pinched nerve in my neck/shoulder. (Most likely pinched in my neck, but caused by my shoulder.) That causes the base of my skull, on the left side, to feel like someone is stabbing me. Monday it hurt so badly that even the collar of my shirt touching my head brought tears to my eyes. It’s getting better. Not so much a stabbing pain any more, more of a constant throb. I’ll take it. I don’t lose my breath with it, at least. The mornings are still rough. If I’m not careful, I sleep wrong and wake up in a whole other world of hurt. I woke up around 1:30 yesterday and never could get back to sleep.
I had other things to write, but they have flittered right out of my over taxed brain. So with that, I’m off to pretend to read and sleep. (carefully)