The Humour Club discussion

Anybody got one?

Nothing relaxes me like watching Midsommer Murders. Seriously soothing. I am on my third pass. Creative? I don't know. Sick and twisted? Probably.

Brena wrote: "Nothing relaxes me like watching Midsommer Murders. Seriously soothing. I am on my third pass. Creative? I don't know. Sick and twisted? Probably."

My husband used to fall asleep to that regularly.

It sounds a bit counter-intuitive, but I write stories in my head. Great, dramatic stories with battles and rescues and melodrama. These aren't stories I'd ever write and publish, but they are fun, and they require that I focus my mind on them, which derails the mental hamster-wheel that usually keeps me from sleeping. As a result, I crash right out, leaving my heroine clinging to a cliff for weeks or months, as each night I get no farther than re-establishing the scene :)

For those who can't do this, reciting poetry to yourself works pretty well, too.

I get solid great ideas for writing as I am drifting off. I keep a pen and paper beside the bed but don't write them down. I hardly ever remember them. The few I remember are garbage.

Melki wrote: "Brena wrote: "Nothing relaxes me like watching Midsommer Murders. ..."

My husband used to fall asleep to that regularly. ..."

Used to???

Does he stay awake now? Don't you watch it anymore? Do you no longer have a husband?


I now fall asleep watching Formula 1 motor racing. It used to interest me and my wife a lot, but not any more.

I cannot recommend enough Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime EXTRA Tea - the extra is valerian. I sometimes fall asleep before I've even finished the mug.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Count sheeple.

Brena wrote: "Nothing relaxes me like watching Midsommer Murders. Seriously soothing. I am on my third pass. Creative? I don't know. Sick and twisted? Probably."

I fell asleep to a Midsomer Murder last night. One of the newer ones, with Neil Dudgeon as Barnaby. The newer incarnation shows really are pretty awful.

Years ago, when I was backpacking across Western Europe,I was just outside Barcelona, hiking in the foothills of mount Tibidabo. I was at the end of this path, and I came to a clearing, and there was a lake, very secluded, and there were tall trees all around. It was dead silent. Gorgeous. And across the lake I saw, a beautiful woman, bathing herself. but she was crying..

Martin wrote: "Melki wrote: "Brena wrote: "Nothing relaxes me like watching Midsommer Murders. ..."

My husband used to fall asleep to that regularly. ..."

Used to???

Does he stay awake now? Don't you watch it ..."

He's moved on to another series. If it's British, and a mystery, he'll be sleeping along with it.

They don't call them cozy mysteries for nothing!

Joel wrote: "Brena wrote: "Nothing relaxes me like watching Midsommer Murders. Seriously soothing. I am on my third pass. Creative? I don't know. Sick and twisted? Probably."

I fell asleep to a Midsomer Murder..."

Yay! You fell asleep.

Dudgeon played a womanizing scoundrel on an episode then played John Nettles cousin in Brighton. Nettles was great and grew old on that show. There was some controversy about there never being any black people on it. With Dudgeon there are new writers and black people. Too much effort to be PC? Not the same....oh well.

Brena wrote: "Joel wrote: "Brena wrote: "Nothing relaxes me like watching Midsommer Murders. Seriously soothing. I am on my third pass. Creative? I don't know. Sick and twisted? Probably."

I fell asleep to a Mi..."

I've noticed in Series 17 and 18 (library copies, of course) that there is at least one interracial couple and an either obviously or ambiguously gay character in each episode. Nothing wrong with either, of course - just a different look than the previous iteration of the show. And it appears Midsomer County has been acquiring villages at a geometric rate. As of my last count, there are more towns and villages in Midsomer than there are in France, Belgium and Lichtenstein combined.

Joel wrote: "Brena wrote: "Joel wrote: "Brena wrote: "Nothing relaxes me like watching Midsommer Murders. Seriously soothing. I am on my third pass. Creative? I don't know. Sick and twisted? Probably."

I fell ..."
Badgers Drift was where most of the crime was. I miss the Nettle's days when the show focused on incest, illegitimate children, and the struggles between the lord of the manor and the publicans. You only need to hang out at a pub to get all the facts.

I watch all the British shows, and the ones taking place in London focus on immigrant (eastern European) criminals. There are some very good Swedish and Danish series as well.

You need Netflix. You will never have insomnia again.

Before I discovered Sleepytime tea, I used to wake between 2 and 3 AM, and find myself unable to fall back to sleep. This happened a few weeks ago, and I tried something new - a visual walk-thru of every house I've ever lived in. I started with my childhood living room. The TV was there. The couch had some sort of sepia-toned colonial print. There was a lamp in that corner . . . I believe it had an olive green shade - ghastly. I moved into the kitchen, and was asleep before I even remembered where the wall phone had been.

Granted, this technique probably won't work if you still live in the same house you grew up in, but for others, it may be worth a try.

Melki wrote: "Before I discovered Sleepytime tea, I used to wake between 2 and 3 AM, and find myself unable to fall back to sleep. This happened a few weeks ago, and I tried something new - a visual walk-thru of..."

Same idea as my story-in-the-head. Something that regulates the brain and prevents it roaming where you don't want it to go.

This being the humour group, the only reply I can make to the first question is
'A few. As long as you don't mind not waking up again'.

Joseph wrote: "This being the humour group, the only reply I can make to the first question is
'A few. As long as you don't mind not waking up again'."

I've had some nights lately when I'm almost that desperate.

Benadryl. Excercise

Watch and listen to Bob Ross's painting show. Do the 4-7-8 breathing method (look it up online) and finally look at the patterns inside your eyelids. If you let them, they will form into images that draw you into a dream scene.

Wait until about 2 AM, open all the windows, then crank your stereo to max with your favorite Motorhead ditty. One of your neighbors will gladly knock you unconscious.

Jay wrote: "Wait until about 2 AM, open all the windows, then crank your stereo to max with your favorite Motorhead ditty. One of your neighbors will gladly knock you unconscious."
I knew we could count on you for an inventive solution.

Sleeplessness is awful, but a wise friend told me it can only be 2 things...physical like caffeine overdose or chronic pain, or it can be guilt. Guilt can range from forgetting to make a grocery list to murdering your neighbor's dog.

Why can't they make a sleeping pill that is vitamin enhanced and has no side effects?

Brena wrote: "Sleeplessness is awful, but a wise friend told me it can only be 2 things...physical like caffeine overdose or chronic pain, or it can be guilt. ..."

I guess that your wise friend never suffered from worry insomnia.

Brena wrote: "Sleeplessness is awful, but a wise friend told me it can only be 2 things...physical like caffeine overdose or chronic pain, or it can be guilt..."

Only 2 things????

How about: She's in my bed and she's naked.

Yep, I lost sleep.

Martin wrote: "Brena wrote: "Sleeplessness is awful, but a wise friend told me it can only be 2 things...physical like caffeine overdose or chronic pain, or it can be guilt. ..."

I guess that your wise friend ne..."

Unless she's figuring that all worry is based in guilt. And there may be some truth in that. I mostly fret in the night over failings, not big things that scare me. Or maybe I'm just sublimating the big scaries.

Rebecca wrote: "Martin wrote: "Brena wrote: "Sleeplessness is awful, but a wise friend told me it can only be 2 things...physical like caffeine overdose or chronic pain, or it can be guilt. ..."

I guess that your..."

My wise friend is a Benedictine Monk and a truly amazing man who has no ego. He taught literature at a Benedictine college then went on to become a lawyer, and has saved the lives of thousands of political asylum seekers. He has won many awards from Presidents for shaping immigration legislation. Obviously, I am in awe of him.

I was having horrible problems with not sleeping, and I looked at what it was I was tossing and turning about. Action. Guilt from not taking action about something bothering me. I have tried to never put off issues that need to be confronted and dealt with. It is not always easy though, and I always have Calms Forte on hand. No side affects but a little too mild for my liking.

A friend in college had a system of sleeping when she was tired, and not necessarily during the hours we're all expected to. She had a very odd sleep schedule, but is now a prominent physician. Perhaps she was on to something.

Joel wrote: "A friend in college had a system of sleeping when she was tired, and not necessarily during the hours we're all expected to. She had a very odd sleep schedule, but is now a prominent physician. Per..."

I've been on odd sleep schedules many times, particularly in the Navy. When you return to the real world, people do tend to look at you funny when you mention, "Oh, it's noon... Time to go to bed."

There have been some letters to the editor of The Times about the soporific powers of legal textbooks. The latest letter, from the head of a law firm, includes: "... reminded me of a burglar who entered our law library. He was found asleep in the morning using Rayden and Jackson on Divorce and Family Matters as a pillow. This mitigated his sentence to a conditional discharge".