New Year’s Resolutions…

It’s an age-old tradition that no one really sticks to. Well, at least, most of us don’t. But, in the spirit of idealism and purpose, I do my best to keep them, anyway. Less about things like “Lose 70 lbs” or “Gonna run a mile every day” and more about things I actually plan on making true this coming year.

Too bad I don’t even remember what resolutions I made last year. Oh well.

Anyways, my resolutions are…

1. To get a job and become financially independent.
2. To finish Nekohime.
3. To finish Code:NASU.
4. To learn enough Japanese to pass the JLPT2.
5. To build my own computer.
6. Something I don’t want to talk about.
7. To find a use for the Beast’s Index.
8. To set up my own, fully-functional server.
9. To actually use my car.
10. To create a literary work (probably fanfiction or a short pilot story).

…I wonder if I’ll even be able to do one of them.

Having stayed up all night once again, I’m reminded of how much I hate seeing the sun rise, merely because it tells me, “You’ve been up too long.” But, as a veteran of many an allnighter, I know what to expect! The stages of ups and downs. At least, for me.

Stage 1: The Tired. You want to sleep, but you’re trudging away at something.

Stage 2: The Second Wind. You suddenly feel a burst of energy. Not quite 100%, but good enough to do most things. Even get some inspiration and crank out some creativity! Lasts for maybe an hour at max?

Stage 3: The Lull. Your Second Wind has faded away. You still try doing stuff, but you’re getting progressively slower. You start thinking more about sleep. Or caffeine. Your body slouches and you try to relax yourself so that you can siphon enough energy to your head to keep on truckin’.

Stage 4: The Third Wind. This is fairly short. You’re not very perky, but you feel a lot better than the Lull. Your mental capacity is about the same as The Tired, though.

Stage 5: The Haze. Your brain doesn’t like what’s happening now and wants you to stop what you’re doing, close your eyes, and sleep. Little or no real work can be done. You have trouble focusing. You have trouble connecting thoughts. Walking to different places takes a stronger effort. You’re preoccupied with the dull fuzziness in your head.

Stage 6: The Fourth Wind. Pretty useless. You’re pretty much aware you’re screwed up, and you have only a handful of minutes to actually do what you need to do.

Stage 7: The Delusion. Your mind is starting to lose it and shut down. You might start remembering stuff as your lymbic system starts shuffling away memories while you’re still awake. You might start having daydreams without realizing it. You have trouble keeping balance. Your hearing is shot, either being too loud or too soft or too disconnected. Your depth perception is fading. Colors begin to annoy your eyes. Comprehension is a lost skill.

Stage 8: The Fifth Wind. Silence. Disconnection. Peace. Many of your brain functions have shut down, so you’ve stopped using them to keep you from causing a headache. You’re in a state of plain existence, waiting for whatever to come next. Unfortunately, you can’t really sleep, since your brain seems to have shut down “voluntary sleep” processes.

Stage 9: Unknown. I fell aleep right before it. Or right at the beginning.

I wonder what’s at Stage 9…