My default mode has always seemed be nocturnal. Even as a child I was loathe to go to sleep before midnight, much to the annoyance of terrible childhood happenings. In middle school I would stay up all night (on weekends and holidays) watching Nick-At-Night TV programs like 'M.A.S.H' (greatest show of all time), 'Mr. Ed', 'The Patty Duke Show', 'Donna Reed' and 'Dobie Gillis'. The unadulterated escapism of these shows was unparalleled and fueled a nostalgia in me for 'simpler times' that never really existed outside of a sound stage (refer to the movie 'Pleasantville' for a very accurate portrayal of this syndrome). I would also watch whatever infomercial happened to be on (it was usually one for a 'Pocket Sandwich Maker') when Nick-At-Night went off the air at about 3am. It was quite a feeling of exhilaration being awake while my parents slept. The night was expansive and full of potential for dreams and schemes. I reveled in the solitude and wrote lame but heart-felt angsty poetry and read sassy magazine during the boring TV shows, like 'My Three Sons'.
I can't help thinking about that feeling now as I sit here at 2am, my full-spectrum lamp burning bright, listening to Cat Power with 'A Few Good Men' muted on the screen. I've recently ended up on a completely reversed day/night sleep cycle which entails my going to bed around 6am and waking up around 11am or noon. Right now I have about 5 straight hours of writing and reading ahead of me and I feel like I own the night -- as if these hours are somehow more innately mine than any daytime hours could ever hope to be.