Have you ever come slightly awake early in the morning — not fully conscious, just somewhat aware of your surroundings — and known that everything is just perfect: The sheets are smooth and soft beneath you, not tangled for a change, the room temperature and ambient light levels are optimal, and you don’t even have the urge to pee. After a moment, you begin to sink back into a deeper layer of sleep, like a U-boat that’s popped up for a look around and is now submerging into the cool, quiet darkness, and you can sense that you’re experiencing the most restful, contented sleep you’ve had in weeks…

And then the bloody alarm clock goes off and sends your heartrate into the stratosphere.

Yeah, that was how I started today. I’ve had a headache ever since.

Sigh.