I am just not good at this sleep thing

Or the life thing.

I had a varied day today. Shoveled some snow (very carefully), did some shopping, worked on the computer quite a bit, and laid down and read quite a bit. No pain, no problems, until I try to sleep. Now my right leg is jumping and twitching so I can't sleep. Even sitting is a problem because my leg keeps jerking. Why is it I can go an entire day without a problem but as soon as I try to sleep major problems set it? I am starting to think I have a sleep allergy.

What sort of jobs will there be in the future?

Over the holidays I got a chance to speak to some of my nieces and nephews about their struggles in the job market. I also read a couple of articles about how jobs are changing. It makes me wonder what sort of jobs will there be by the time my 16 year old finishes college (assuming he goes). And how can he prepare for a career that can't be predicted? Some jobs will always exists sure, we will always need nurses, doctors, and fast food clerks but will most IT jobs go overseas like the manufacturing jobs have? Will there be electrical engineering jobs in the US or will they move overseas too?

I have no idea what courses my son should even take because I have no idea what jobs will still exist (and pay well) by the time he finishes college. I do know the US better do something to start keeping jobs here, because this sort of chaos will just drag the economy further down.

Scientific studies

Every month there is a new report about some substance that "causes cancer in lab rats". I can't believe the government still hands out money for this, it is like shooting fish in a barrel. Everything causes cancer in lab rats. What I want to know is what would cause lab rats in cancer! That would be far more useful. Well, maybe not useful but interesting. Okay, more gross than interesting. But at least we have a cure for lab rats.

I get tired of reading about scientific studies that prove things that were perfectly obvious to me when I was 12. Too much radiation will kill you, duh. People who are bad at estimating their weight are bad at estimating other things too, double duh. Why does the government keep wasting money on these studies? I would have told them the answers for a lot less money.

Single parenting

Being a single parent isn't easy. Being a single parent of a high-functioning autistic child is just a bit harder. I am certain I am doing the best I can for him, but is that going to be enough to make him a successful adult? That I don't know, and worry about a lot. What if my best isn't good enough?

I solve problems for a living and it is pretty much a way of life for me. Not knowing how my son will turn out is driving me nuts. I don't know if I have a problem or not and I don't know how to solve it when I have already done my best.

This whole life thingy is aggravating.

Another difficult night

There are nights when I just can't sleep, and this is one of them. So here are some random thoughts.

I don't understand how we can have so many stupid people in the world. Now I am not talking about people who are physically unable to think, I am talking about people with perfectly sound minds that won't think. We have free public education (not the greatest but decent) and I know most of the people I am talking about have graduated from at least high school, yet they don't understand simple concepts like "if you spend all of your money on fancy cars you won't have anything to eat". Several people I have met believe this is due to a government conspiracy to keep the voters stupid and under control, but they shouldn't be this stupid unless the government is putting stupid pills into our drinking water. I just don't get it.

Another thing I will never understand is why a woman will stay with a man that abuses her when there are so many good (but not good looking) men available. Is being married to a good looking man that cheats on you and treats you like dirt truly better than being married to a man that doesn't cheat on you but is ugly or walks with a limp? It seems bizzare to me.

One of the few things I do understand is that the older I get the more I dislike winter. I am tired of the snow and ice. And now my joints hurt because of the cold. It makes me wonder why my ancestors decided to live in Michigan. Sure it is better than a desert, but there are some decent parts of the country. Why didn't they go there?

Do aliens dream?

Dogs dream. People dream. Without being an expert I would guess that most animals on this planet dream in some form or another. But what about beings from another planet? With minds evolved totally differently than anything we have seen on this planet will they have a need to dream? Or is that strictly an Earth oddity. Eventually we will find intelligent beings from other planets and be able to ask them. Meanwhile I wonder.

Living as simply as possible

My life is fairly complicated, so I try to balance that by making it simple where I can.

I don't own anything that can't be thown on the floor. None of my clothing is dry clean ownly, none of it is stylish, and all of it is sturdy so it lasts for quite a while. I don't own a fancy car that I need to worry about getting dinged, but it is fairly new since I don't want the complications brought on by owning an undependable car. I spend less than I make because having cash in the bank means I don't need to worry about what checks can clear when. I buy everything in cash because seeing the money disappear makes it easier to track how much I am spending.

Like most things I take a long term approach to simple. It would be simpler in the short term to ignore the change oil light, but ultimately life is simpler if you do things when they are needed rather than ignore them until it is too late.

Simple doesn't mean primative, I own a nice house and use the heating and air a lot because being comfortable is less wearing than being too hot or too cold. I own several computers because the internet provides a cheap and easy way to learn.

Simple doesn't mean lazy, as I noted above putting things off often complicates your life in the long run making it counter productive.

Simple does mean I miss out on having the latest gadgets and the coolest toys. And without stylish clothes and a fancy car I miss out on being the center of attention. But not having to worry about how to pay a massive credit card debt or what would happen if my house was robbed more than makes up for this.