What it's like to work nights

Simplest ever fruit cocktail.

In each pint jar:

1/3 c peaches
1/3 c pears
1/3 c pineapple
1/3 c grapes
Add extra fruit to the 1/2 inch head space if necessary.
syrup to fill, make sure all air bubbles are out.

Water bath 25 minutes.
________________________________________

Sleep. Most people take it forgranted. We sleep (or don't) on a regular schedule without thinking much more about it.

In the last few months a lot of the things I've always done have disappeared from my view. I never thought that working nights would play such havoc with my life.

You're awake when everyone else is asleep
You're asleep when everyone else is awake
Your social life is limited to an hour or two a day, depending on your schedule
You can't do anything noisy, smelly, or social during the night hours
You can't do anything outside that requires light
Your circadian rhythm gets all messed up
It throws off your eating schedule
What you used to eat just feels wrong because your brain knows it's not breakfast/lunch/dinner time
You need blackout curtains
If you need to do anything during your "normal" sleep time, you have to adjust again
People who are awake during the day call you without thinking
The doorbell should be outlawed
People come to visit and you never know
The "tech team" isn't available during your work hours
You can't rely on the sun to wake up
You lose access to vitamin D
Everything you used to do in 18 hours now has to be done in 5

I've been doing a lot of canning, because that's something that can be done at night. My garden suffers, I never see my friends, many of my hobbies are out of bounds because they're things that need to be done during the day. I can't use a hammer or do laundry when everyone else is asleep, movies are OK if I watch them in my room (and I inevitably fall asleep). I can still read, and write, so that's comforting.

Oh, and I just got my proof copies for Spirit and Dark Spirit! So I finished the first (and possibly only) batch of fruit cocktail. Tonight I can cheese, sour cream, butter and cream cheese, and tomorrow I read. :)