Insomnia

Written by Dan Carlson • @minutiaeman@tenforward.social

Published October 27, 2007

Every child knows about Santa Claus, and how he and his elves work tirelessly to bring presents to all the good little boys and girls of the world; how Santa and his reindeer magically fly around the world to deliver said presents, visiting every house in a single night. It’s a great, comforting tale for a child.

But no one ever thinks of Santa and his elves. Just how many hours do they have to work to get all the gifts made up just right? How feverishly does Santa have to rush around to make sure that each child gets exactly the right presents, with no late or misdirected deliveries? What kind of overtime might they get paid for?

Perhaps more importantly, do the elves get presents of their own? When they’re done their job, and they get back home, do they slump into bed, exhausted, or do they gleefully unwrap their own gifts?

Right now, I think I feel a lot like one of Santa’s elves. About twenty-four hours ago, I was frantically running around, making sure that all the toys were being set up properly so the exuberant boys and girls could get a chance to play with all the shiny new gadgets. Then I got maybe six hours of sleep (too little for my internal sleep clock) before heading back to work to deliver those wonderful toys.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! I had lots of fun, but I’m also completely bushed. It’s already past midnight, and I sit here with a shiny blue progress bar on my iMac’s screen. But I won’t be getting much sleep tonight. Because now, it’s my turn to play.