Pasquinel, McKeag, Levi Zendt why are you bugging me?

[Grandpa Shooter]

I woke up this morning around 4:30 with the story line of the movie Centennial running through my head.  I was trying to remember who it was that fell under the train while trying to run next to it.  I finally got up and looked it up so I wouldn't have to watch the whole series again just to find out.  I understand why Pasquinel died the way he did, and why Alexander McKeag died in the manner he did, but why have Levi Zendt fall under a train?

That's the stuff that wakes me up and I've never figured out why.  What is rumbling through that subway station in my head with at least six trains coming through constantly, that so frequently wakes me up?  I rarely get any relief from it, and at times is unrelenting.  Anyone else have the happen?

[MechAg94]

I am not quite sure I follow you. 

However, I have woke up plenty of times with a dream running through my head (sometimes it can be related to a movie).  It usually fades pretty quick and I can't even remember the dream later.  The worst is if I dream someone broke into the house or something.  Waking in the dark after that means you have to get up and check the house. 

[WLJ]

but why have Levi Zendt fall under a train?

Been a long long time since I've seen the mini series but perhaps the falling under the train bit was to symbolize how the coming of the railroad was destroying the last vestiges of the old frontier.

[Grandpa Shooter]

I am not quite sure I follow you. 

However, I have woke up plenty of times with a dream running through my head (sometimes it can be related to a movie).  It usually fades pretty quick and I can't even remember the dream later.  The worst is if I dream someone broke into the house or something.  Waking in the dark after that means you have to get up and check the house.

  Oh I do the perimeter check frequently, but these aren't dreams I have.  This is my brain going sixty miles an hour in all directions, and usually about stuff that is so irrelevant that I have no idea why it even got in there.  It's not worry, or planning the project I am going to do when I get up, it's little stuff like the names of people I haven't seen, talked to, or even thought about in years.  Or the name of an actor in some 1940's western that played a part I could relate to.  There is a figure in geometry which is a strip of paper, or some other flexible material, that is twisted once and attached at the open end.  I think it is the moebius strip which if followed with a finger is unending.  My brain is like that, it just keeps on looping back on itself.  In addition to making me crazy, it is exhausting.

[Grandpa Shooter]

Been a long long time since I've seen the mini series but perhaps the falling under the train bit was to symbolize how the coming of the railroad was destroying the last vestiges of the old frontier.

Never thought of it that way, but if I thought it was symbolic of something, I doubt it would be that.  The musings of my mind on the series made me go on ebay and buy a hard bound edition of the book to see if that is how Michener killed him off, or if the TV folks decided he needed to die.

[fifth_column]

  Oh I do the perimeter check frequently, but these aren't dreams I have.  This is my brain going sixty miles an hour in all directions, and usually about stuff that is so irrelevant that I have no idea why it even got in there.  It's not worry, or planning the project I am going to do when I get up, it's little stuff like the names of people I haven't seen, talked to, or even thought about in years.  Or the name of an actor in some 1940's western that played a part I could relate to.  There is a figure in geometry which is a strip of paper, or some other flexible material, that is twisted once and attached at the open end.  I think it is the moebius stip which if followed with a finger is unending.  My brain is like that, it just keeps on looping back on itself.  In addition to making me crazy, it is exhausting.

I'm no expert, and I don't experience this myself, but this sounds like a pretty good description of adult attention-deficit disorder.

It might be helpful to try some mindfulness practices; meditation, yoga, etc. In looking up examples of mindfulness practices I came across: https://www.mindful.org/

[230RN]

  Oh I do the perimeter check frequently, but these aren't dreams I have.  This is my brain going sixty miles an hour in all directions, and usually about stuff that is so irrelevant that I have no idea why it even got in there.  It's not worry, or planning the project I am going to do when I get up, it's little stuff like the names of people I haven't seen, talked to, or even thought about in years.  Or the name of an actor in some 1940's western that played a part I could relate to.  There is a figure in geometry which is a strip of paper, or some other flexible material, that is twisted once and attached at the open end.  I think it is the moebius stip which if followed with a finger is unending.  My brain is like that, it just keeps on looping back on itself.  In addition to making me crazy, it is exhausting.

It can be surprising how stuff you eat can do that to you.  Beware of "flavoring," "hydrolyzed vegetable fat protein," and a host of other misleading terms which are actually related to MSG. (Monosodium glutamate.)  This stuff will stimulate your brain so it goes a mile a minute as soon as your head hits the pillow. Remember the expression "RTFM?" Well, I say "RTFIngredients."

For what it's worth, two slices of dark toast sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with cinnamon and ginger, covered with honey, and sprayed again with olive oil, relaxes me.  I haven't isolated the effective ingredient or what --maybe it's just the ritual, but if I hit the rack within a half hour of that, I drift off easily.

Terry, 230RN

Edited for correction  shown.