Basic Instructions by Scott Meyer for September 07, 2020

I count backward from 100 in Mandarin. Well, I would if I knew the numbers in Mandarin. So I count backward in German or Spanish, and then I work on reciting the alphabet backward.

After 10 or 15 minutes of that, I go take one of those “PM” allergy pills.

I’d watch that.

Watching the kiwi bird in its natural habitat. Jimmy Kimmel can have the same effect and it’s conveniently scheduled

I’ll sleep on it.

Instead of counting sheep, I count members of the Swedish bikini team. There’s Elsa, there’s Inga, Adela. I either fall asleep or get “all keyed up”, win, win.

. . . the history of tedium." That is rich.

Back in the 1960’s, when I was in radio, it was a thing for DJ’s to try to break records for staying awake in a glass walled public place and on the air. I can’t tell you if it makes you insane. With DJ’s the baseline was pretty low.

The first effective thing I did to get to sleep was “Self Hypnosis”, alternately trying to relax more and more, and sinking deeper and deeper into the hypnosis. Nowadays, I’ve found that thinking of something I enjoy doing (no, not that! ☺) has the same effect.

What is it about Burns’s work? What I’ve seen is great, and it should be riveting – but I’ve never made it through a whole episode.

Really enjoy Ken Burns’ work. Except Baseball, tried and failed. Apparently the only thing more boring than baseball is a documentary about baseball. Sorry Ken.