They really wanted to stay up 'til midnight

But they couldn't.

Martha even insisted she'd stay up all night long. I vetoed that, of course, being the responsible mom that I am.

She's sound asleep already. They talk big, but Mom knows how it's really gonna go.

Of course, Alice was asleep by 9:30... she's just too regular a sleeper to manage staying awake. Once the sun goes down, she starts running out of gas.

Isaac tried to make it 'til midnight too, but just couldn't swing it.

Neither could Rick.

Just me.

I love being awake late at night when everyone else is asleep... it's so quiet, and I'm at my most clear-headed time of the day. Don't ask me why; I wish I knew. I'm sure it has something to do with Circadian rhythms or biofeedback or some other gobbledygook. I have certainly tried to shift my sleep patterns to match the rest of the family, but it always reverts back to night-owlishness. Left completely to my own devices, I'd probably stay up all night and sleep all day. Maybe someday, if I ever get to be a professional artist and don't have to keep anyone else's hours, I'll do that. Paint all night, then sleep all day.

The weird thing is, I can get a full eight hours' sleep and still be sleepy during the day and have to take caffeine pills or drink extra coffee or something. Doesn't seem to matter how much I sleep at night. I'm just a night owl, plain and simple. Maybe part of it is my inherent antisocial tendencies; nobody talks to me late at night. I feel truly, completely ALONE, and I like it. Call me weird; I'd agree with you. I'd make a great hermit. Just make sure I have a high-speed internet connection, and that's all I need.

Okay, yeah, I'd miss my kids. So maybe I could be a hermit for, like, one week out of the year. Is that too much to ask?