Falling Asleep

When I have trouble falling asleep at night, I drop into a2k and browse the philosophy threads.

Unfortunately this isn't about having trouble falling asleep - quite the opposite.

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I've fallen asleep at my kids' musical at school before. You wouldn't think it would be a problem until another parent calls you out on it.

Everytime I've seen traffic control rooms portrayed in a movie, it looks like a small room, with people walking around all the time.

How could that even happen?

Were they doing lullabies, or the 1812 Overture?

Damn - the musicals are the same each time - the same kids with the same speaking parts and the same sounds - they change the actual words ....

but its the same.....

When I heard this - this morning I just assumed it was some small airport...not so...

The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday suspended the air traffic controller who was on duty just after midnight Wednesday, when two passenger jets landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport without clearance or guidance from the control tower. The controller may have been asleep, officials said.

Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, has directed the aviation agency to study staffing levels at airports across the country, and has ordered that a second controller be on duty during the overnight shift at the Washington airport. “It is not acceptable to have just one controller in the tower managing air traffic in this critical air space,” he said. In the incident on Wednesday, the first of the two planes, an American Airlines Boeing 737 from Dallas, approached the airport around midnight, but then aborted its landing and circled after its pilots got no response from the tower. About 15 minutes later, a United Airlines Airbus 320 from Chicago also tried unsuccessfully to establish contact with the tower.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/us/25airport.html?src=mv

So it appears only one person is in there late at night.

Back in my seminary days, we had marathon religious services during
the period around Easter. There I was standing and singing (sort of)
from a big, thick book of Gregorian Chant called the Liber Usualis.
It was late. I was tired. And the chant went on and on. And on.
And on.

Omnes sancti Apostoli et Evangelistæ, orate pro nobis.

I began to sway, ever so slightly. My eyes started to close. Then I
suddenly awoke to find myself falling forward. Startled, I slammed
my Liber shut with a boom. There was a ripple of snickering,
but the chant went on.

Omnes sancti Monachi et Eremitæ, orate pro nobis.

So sorry I missed that one.

I fell asleep in a meeting when I was working in insurance. This would not have been a problem, except there were only 4 or 5 of us so it was kinda obvious.

Is it JUSTIFIED to punish anyone for falling asleep ?

Is that a voluntary choice, like a decision to rob a bank ?

(I 'm not saying that the sleeper was punished or not; I dunno.)

So many times I've come close to falling asleep in meetings.

There used to be a lady in my office that would fall asleep on the toliet in the lady's room. I'd go in the bathroom and hear her snoring. Not sure how long of a nap she'd take sitting on the pot.

Well when it potentially involves safety - like crashing a huge truck and flattening a family of 6 like a pancake.

If you're on sentry duty and you choose to get into a comfortable position
and make no effort to stay awake, yes.

Well I remember that chant..
very funny, George.

The only time when I was even close to falling asleep other than in a bed/on a sofa was when I first started taking Zoloft, and had just increased my dose.

I had nothing to do with the meeting but was just sitting there for some unknown reason.
I was in a rolling chair and a scooted it over to a wall, and leaned my head sideways on it.

I remember gazing at the wall and thinking "this is a really nice paint color. I like this wall." I moved my eyes, and they land on the one person who knew I had just increased my dose. She was trying not to laugh her ass off.

Other than that, I can't fall asleep in situations like that.

Sometimes in yoga people fall asleep and start snoring.

One time this young woman remained asleep while everyone was putting the props back. Someone woke her up and said "Good thing you didn't snore"

She said "Good thing I didn't FART!"

When I was in high school we had a science teacher with narcolepsy ( I guess) he would nod off in the middle of a lecture while standing at the chalk board. It was amazing, he would just wake up and go on where he left off.

Men have been SHOT for that,
with no consideration to their positions nor to their efforts.
That is well-known.

Regardless, it is a profound principle of American jurisprudence
that no man can be held responsible for what he cannot control
(tho it has probably happened anyway).
In other words, falling asleep can be like death,
in that u cannot stop it.

I remember 1ce when I was about to graduate from high school.
I was underslept. In school, the classes were assembled in the
auditorium to witness the award of honors for athletic achievements,
something in which I had not the slightest interest.
Many students were granted those awards.

In retrospect, I shoud have simply left and gone home,
but I did not think of that. I fell asleep. I was awakened
by the sound of applause. I fell asleep again; coud not help it.
I was awakened by the sound of applause AGAIN.
I went thru many cycles of this. It felt like torture.
I resolved to remain awake, to avoid that sensation.
Within a minute, I fell asleep again, being re-awakened
by more applause. It became plain to me that remaining awake
was not within my control. Sadly, it did not become plain to me
that remaining in that school or not WAS within my control.
I guess I was too sleepy to think of it.

I 've never been at my best, when sleepy.
I 've fallen asleep too ofen at my computer.
I 've fallen asleep driving home from my girlfriend's house.
I hit a New Jersey barrier, awakening with my left front wheel
about a yard up off of the road, deflected by the barrier
and was sufficiently adrenalated to be fully alert and get home.





David