Sleep is a wonderful thing. I slept 6 hours last night, deeply and without waking, then two more restful hours. I can tell when I've slept well, because I wake up with a peaceful resonance that tells me all the mental bits are in place. I don't know how to describe it, except that when I haven't slept well, I'm groggy and not very coherent.

Last night had the perfect ambiance, and I'm feeling great today as a consequence.

The secret to sleeping well is to have the room dark and quiet and cool. Not at all easy to do when your partner likes to have every light shining brightly in its socket; the tv tuned to CNN and Larry King Live; and the thermostat set at 80 degrees so that clothing is optional.

Talk about opposites!