Lullaby for Grown-Ups - Auld Lang Syne

It's time again to revisit what is certainly one of the most sentimental holiday songs, second only to Silent Night, I think. Despite the sentimentality, I think this is a very nice version to help us mark New Year's Eve and the start of 2008.

And here is my new year's wish for you - may you receive everything you need and most of what you want in the coming year!

Lullaby for Grown-Ups - Bonnie Raitt

Wherever you're going this holiday week, whatever gifts are exchanged, and however you've come to define "home," I hope you enjoy this beautiful song by Bonnie Raitt.

Diversions for Insomniacs #2

Here's a fun little game that should provide at least a few minutes of diversion. Fly Guy reminds me of flying dreams I've had, especially the ones where I'm not that high off the ground, but am moving forward without walking. Flying is so much easier - it's like it doesn't take any energy at all. I'm just gliding along. Smooth!

As for Fly Guy, be aware that because the ending is slightly risque, it may not be completely suitable for the office. Enjoy your fly time!

Lullaby for Grown-Ups - The Freed Unit

This week we have a seasonal video - the song Winter Solstice (the Snowman Came Inside) by a UK band called the Freed Unit. A little strange but mostly charming, it tells the story of a snowman who comes into the house for a drink of sloe gin. (Spoiler - it doesn't end well for him.) My favorite part is Jack Frost's dance.

The Darkest Evening of the Year

© Photographer:Javarman Agency: Dreamstime.com

We're quickly approaching the winter solstice, the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. There are, of course, many ways that this time is celebrated in various cultures. Most of them involve light or fire somehow, a way to keep the energy of the sun burning until it can be coaxed out of its hiding place to provide longer, warmer days ahead. Even celebrations that are not specifically about reviving the sun can trace the roots of their traditions back to this belief.

Anthropologists think that prehistoric humans observed rituals related to the winter solstice out of fear that the sun would gradually go away completely, leaving them in eternal cold and darkness. Only human intervention could prevent this catastrophe. The fear of abandonment by the sun, the life-giving force, seems so primitive to us, yet gives a glimpse at how precarious life must have been at that time.

Even now, some people struggle with the darkness this time of year. One of the saving graces of January in northern climates is that at least the days are getting longer.

While I wrote earlier that I wouldn't post a lot of poetry here, I did find a video of Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, with its reference to the solstice. If you're inclined, you can watch it by following this link. I like this video not just for the recitation, but for the music and imagery as well. This poem remains an American classic, with the narrator torn between contemplating the beauty of the woods and the duties he must tend to. Think of him as you run your after-work errands in the dark in this run-up to the holidays.

Lullaby for Grown-Ups - John Mayer

Since we're on the subject of insomnia, I thought I'd post this video, based on John Mayer's song Quiet. The video's creator, Michael Dyck, writes that he wanted to make "the video I saw in my mind every time I heard this song." I think he did a masterful job capturing the frustration and resignation of a sleepless night.

Maybe this video will act as a kind of inoculant and that by watching it, we'll all sleep soundly tonight. (Here's hoping...)

Insomnia is My Baby

How do people go to sleep? I'm afraid I've lost the knack.
- Dorothy Parker

Does this sound familiar? After having fallen asleep easily at bedtime, I open my eyes at 3 a.m. ("the soul's midnight") and can only hope to fall back asleep within a few minutes. Otherwise, I'm up for an hour or two, thinking too hard about things, then realizing that if I just stopped thinking, maybe I'd get back to sleep.

Or you may have the same issue as Dorothy Parker - trouble getting to sleep in the first place, lying awake 'til midnight or later, counting how many hours you have until the alarm clock goes off ("If I fall asleep now, I can still get five good hours"). Either way, insomnia is a pitiless companion. What we need the most eludes us, providing a cruel metaphor that only the most ardent pessimist extends into waking life.

There are ways to deal with recurring insomnia. Some people have home remedies they rely on (hot milk, chamomile tea, a boring book). Others use over-the-counter or prescription help. And some people make the best of it by jotting down their night thoughts in a bedside journal or even using the time to take care of bill paying or other low-key household tasks.

If you have a tendency to go online during your night wanderings, you can, of course, come here and watch some of the Lullabies for Grown-Ups to soothe you back to sleep. But for those who might be looking for something more interactive, I'm starting a new feature, Diversions for Insomniacs. The diversions will include games and other fun activities to keep you occupied until you feel ready to try that sleep thing again. I'll feature the diversions about once a month and I hope you find them fun and helpful.

The first one relates to the title of this post. That's the start of a story by the writer Roger Angell called Ainmosni, in which the main character is advised by a friend to write palindromes as a way to cure his insomnia. Palindromes are words, phrases, sentences or even paragraphs that read the same forward as backward. The usual examples include the name Otto and the sentence, Madam, I'm Adam. It can be fun to find words that can be reversed (like devil and lived). But actually writing a palindrome takes a love of word play and a great deal of perserverance. Often, the completed work makes no sense, because, as Angell notes, it's the only literary form "in which the story line is controlled by the words rather than the author."

In the case of Angell's story, the narrator becomes obsessed. It's a danger - I've written a few palindromes myself and it can be hard to stop. But if you'd like to try it, follow this link for some useful tips. I also recommend the use of a rhyming dictionary, which arranges words by the sound of their final syllable. This can help you find the right words to link threads of a paragraph together.

Give it a try and stay tuned for more Diversions for Insomniacs!

Lullaby for Grown-Ups - Canadian Brass

This week's lullaby is a beautiful video from the Canadian Brass. I love the warm, rich tones of a brass ensemble. The composition is Quintet by Michael Kamen.