I was falling, paralyzed, out of control, and hurtling straight towards the ground. Right before impact, I awoke with a jolt.  Never a pleasant way to wake up and to make matters worse the roaring sound combined with the flashes in my window and the deafening booms made me immediately aware of the raging storm going on right on the other side of the walls of my apartment.  The storm makes it hard to tell whether it is still night time but a quick glance at my watch tells me that it is 4 am and my sleep has once again been interrupted.

Ever since my childhood, I was always a deep sleeper.  Storms would rage during the night, dogs would bark, but I would always wake up the next morning none the wiser of the events that went on while I was conked out.   Growing up as the youngest of 5 brothers, I guess I had to be if ever wanted a good night sleep.  But lately, my nights have become frequently interrupted.  Eventually, i gave up tossing and turning trying to get back to sleep and started to leave my apartment and retire to the roof of The Meridian to look over the slumbering city.  Something about looking out over the dark city on the empty roof under the stars is deeply cathartic and puts me at ease.

The other benefit of looking out over the city during the night is that you start to see things.  The routines of night time workers.  The scurrying critters that only come out at night.  And every once in a while, some things you're not supposed to see.