Waking up, drifting back to sleep, then the alarm going off again, in an endless loop. Only each time the alarm goes off it's a different clock, in a different place, and I'm drifting off to sleep in different locations: the bed, my desk chair, standing by the window, driving the car.

As I'm falling back asleep each time, trying to stay awake, I'm thinking to myself how dangerous it is that I'm so tired, since I've got to drive to San Francisco this morning. Then, when I do manage to get up, there's weird goings-on outside the window. Ambulances and stretchers with people laying in them scattered around a large parking lot. Off in the corner there are construction workers burning their materials in a dumpster and hastily packing up their truck. Then my eyes get heavy, and I feel that I'm drifting off to sleep again, only for the alarm to wake me again as soon as my eyes are closed.

That was basically my last hour to an hour-and-a-half of "sleep" last night. I was so tired when the alarm finally did go off for real, that I hit the snooze button. Twice. Each time I did fall back into that restless sleep. When it went off the third time (at least, I think it was the third time), I couldn't bear to repeat the cycle again and finally got up. So far, I think I'm really awake, and I'm willing take a stab at starting my day.

"What will you miss when you die?"

"I don't know. The people? Sunrises? Fresh air? ... Sex? How about you?"

"I don't think I'll be missing a thing."

"I see: once you're dead, you won't be conscious to realize that there's anything to miss. Is that it?"

"No, I just don't plan on missing a thing. That's all."

"What, you're not planning on dying? Not very realistic, you know."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be dead at some point. I just don't see why that should stop me from enjoying all those things you mentioned. Maybe I'll even learn to enjoy them more, once the shackles of physical being have been released."

"Is it too late to change my answer?"

Well, this morning my Barnes & Noble (.com) sales rank is number 152,928. Hey, out of a couple of million titles listed, that isn't bad for one day of sales!

Okay, I promise to start writing about something other than the damn book. Tomorrow. It's just been a very exciting time - I've gotten several nice emails from old friends replying to my announcement. Let me just revel in it for one more day...

I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate. -- George Burns

Well, it's official now - I've emailed all my friends, family, and others who've joined my mailing lists with the announcement that my book is out. Now, whether or not the book is successful, I know I've been. I set out to do this thing, and I've done it.

Also, this morning, just in time for the announcement I'd sent out last night, Aaron's Intifada is now listed on Amazon: take a look!

Education is a wonderful thing, provided you always remember that nothing worth knowing can ever be taught. -- Oscar Wilde

Aah, yes. Experience is the key. Ain't that the truth? Or, if I can get religious on you for a moment, here's one from Proverbs:

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. (Prov. 4:7)

Even with experience, not everybody quite gets it. Some folks go through life experiencing a lot of different things, but never take the time to think about what they've seen or done.

So, there you have it: Education, Experience, & Understanding. It takes a little bit of each to figure out what's going on in this world.

Alright... I've posted most of the new pages to my web site with ordering information about my book. I'll test that out for a couple of days, get all the links right, then do my formal announcement to my mailing list by the weekend!

This is all happening much faster than expected, but it's very exciting!

I just found a great quote:

It is easier to buy books than to read them,
and easier to read them than to absorb them
--William Osler

How true! There's a small, but steady, percentage of the books I buy that for one reason or another I never get into. Either I get busy and never finish reading them. Or I sit and read, but my mind is elsewhere. I turn the pages and don't remember what happened on the previous page. Then I have to turn back to see what new character I'm supposed to know about now.

When that happens it's easy to blame the author. After all, there are certain authors who do manage to keep my attention throughout a book (John Irving, for one, can hold me for 500 pages). But, I think I also have to take some of the blame for my lack of concentration. I need to work more on relaxing, and enjoying what I'm doing at the moment, rather than always thinking about what to do next.