Again or Still?

I'm not sure if I'm sleep deprived again or still. After two back-to-back Clo'pens (one due to a crappy work schedule and the other due to an improper school/work/life balance), I thought I was back on track. I went to bed like a normal person Tuesday night and woke up like a normal person Wednesday morning. The seven hours of sleep I got weren't enough to catch me up, but I no longer felt like I was sleep walking through the day. I was still tired (even without the Clo'pens a six day work week tends to wear me out), but I was almost to my weekend and a good night's sleep.

That didn't happen. Yesterday morning I learned that The Tennis Channel would be televising the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open live Wednesday night. From Tokyo. At 12am. The second match due on court? Stosur - Sharapova. Now, I'm not too fond of Maria and her little balled up fist, but I do like Sam. A lot. My decision was made. I'd get off work at 11pm, drive home, shower, do a little homework, and settle in to watch the match, a perfect way to start my weekend.

It had been a few weeks since I'd seen Sam play. Since I'd seen any of the top ranked WTA players play. Thanks to the Tennis Channel, I have watched tennis every day since August 27. That includes re-run after re-run of various Davis Cup matches (or 'rubbers' as they call them) and re-run after re-run of World Team Tennis (which is actually kind of cool... the first time you watch it). I watched the guys play in Metz and the women play in China and Korea. No one top, top ranked, but tennis doesn't always require big names to be good. In any case, I was excited for Tokyo to start. Mostly because Sam would be playing, but also because it looked to have a competitive draw.

Plus I figured it would give me something new to watch. Assuredly the Tennis Channel would have coverage. Not so much. The first two rounds came and went and I was still watching World Team Tennis re-runs. Then I saw the ad for live coverage. Nevermind it would be the middle of the night. Live is live and I was excited. I checked my WTA app and learned that chances were VERY GOOD that they would show the Stosur -Sharapova match. Color. Me. Happy. And sleepy.

When I got home from work I checked my TV listings just to be sure Tennis Channel wasn't fucking with me. Nope. They were in the middle of what they called 'Quarterfinal #1' between Sara Errani and Nadia Something-ova (she ended up winning but I still can't remember her name) and said that they were planning to show all four quarterfinal matches live and in their entirety. Weeeeeeee! Stosur - Sharapova was Quarterfinal #2. Thank God, they were up next otherwise I'd have needed a nap. Turns out I took a little power nap in the second half of the third set of that first match. Not that it wasn't a good match, but after a six day work week filled with Clo'pens and sleep deprivation, I couldn't help myself. Besides I needed to save my energy for the real deal.

As luck would have it, I woke up just as Sam and Maria finished their warmup. It took me a minute to remember where I was and why, but I was soon back on track. Sam. Sharapova. Middle of the night. Quarterfinal match. Tokyo. I won't bore my readers with all the match details. Suffice it to say that it was exciting enough to keep me up. I kept saying if Sam fell behind, I'd go to bed. Not because I'm a marginal fan, but because I was TIRED. She never fell behind. She took the first set and fought her way through the second and got to a tie-breaker. Like earlier in the match,  I said that if Sam lost the second set, I'd go to bed. Not because I'm a marginal fan but because I was TIRED. And had an appointment at 8am that I had to be up for.

I'm not sure who was happier when Sam won the tie-breaker 10-8. On her fifth match point (Girlfriend can miss shots even I could make when she has a match point). Thank you, Jesus. Bed here I come. I didn't even wait around for the post-match interview. Now that's saying something. I usually don't miss those chances when it's Sam being interviewed. Still it was 3:30am Central Daylight Time and I had to be up by 7am. I'm sure I'll see it on Tennis Channel re-runs one day soon.

What did Sam's victory get us? A trip to the Semis and a date tonight at midnight. On less than four hours sleep. Sleep deprivation here we come. Still. Or maybe it's again. I'll probably take a nap in the late evening with my alarm set for match time, of course. I have nothing except school work tomorrow so I can sleep in. If Sam wins and gets to the final (which she has an excellent chance of doing), I'll do it all over again tomorrow night. Sure, I work Saturday at 6am but it's Sam and a FINAL. Now that's a 'Clo'pen' I'll happily work every day of the week.

So, is it still or again? I think I'm too sleep deprived to care.

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