Sleepless Nights...

The nights leading up to an Ironman seems to always be...well sleepless. You are constantly wondering if you have checked, double checked and triple checked making sure you have everything ready for the big day.  You have laid everything out, mentally walked through the entire race and are still convinced you will forget something even if the checklist is completely checked off.

He is in there somewhere!!!

For me personally, this causes me to struggle to get to sleep each night leading up to the race. This year I had a little surprise that helped take my mind off completely off of that. A damn cricket that just thought it was freaking hilarious to make it's annoying noise from about 9pm-1am every single night.

So I am out there at midnight trying to drown that cricket with the hose, walking up and down the front bed stomping around, which I am pretty sure my neighbors might think I am a bit headcase but nothing was working because as you get close to them the get quite. It is like they are messing with you. Once you walk away, they start right back up...

I finally resulted to just turning on a fan and music and as all three blended together, I was eventually able to fall asleep...but I have a feeling it was more because of the ungodly hour and pure exhaustion.

This here is from my bedroom window...my little buddy Jiminy...the little bugger!!!

According to wikipedia this is what the little guy won't stop doing. Apparently he is pissed off at the male next door and well wants the world to know...and keep me from sleeping.

Only the male crickets chirp. A large vein running along the bottom of each wing has "teeth," much like a comb does. The chirping sound is created by running the top of one wing along the teeth at the bottom of the other wing. As he does this, the cricket also holds the wings up and open, so that the wing membranes can act as acoustical sails. It is a popular myth that the cricket chirps by rubbing its legs together.

There are four types of cricket song: The calling song attracts females and repels other males, and is fairly loud. The courting song is used when a female cricket is near, and is a very quiet song. An aggressive song is triggered by chemoreceptors on the antennae that detect the near presence of another male cricket.

I just hope he finally figures out his beef with the dude next door and finally shuts up because I may go insane or at least develop a case of insomnia.