How do you know your limits until you reach them?

I was working all week last week in the office/design/dayjob/freelance gig... 9-5 ish. More like 10 to 7. (but Melo wakes up at 7)

Thursday and Saturday nights I'm still bartending. I do the day thing 10 to 4 and then 4 - 2ish at the bar

The other bartender needed last Friday off to go to a funeral and I just couldn't say no - so we switched her Friday for my Saturday...

Soooo last Friday, after working 14 hours the day/night before and on about 5 hours sleep I do the day gig again 10 - 4 and then to the bar.

It was pretty busy all night, which is WAY better than it being dead.

The restaurant started emptying out at around 11:30, so I was thinking OK... I'll be home by 1. I can do this.

Then I find out there is a reggae party coming in... at 12 am. The rastas start showing up. The sound system changes and it's dancehall time. I kind of want to die, but you know what everyting is irie. suck it up.

by 2am I'm on redbull # 3. Still thinking I can do this. I'll sleep when I'm dead.

by 3am I'm texting Vaz... desperate and freaked. Everyone is smoking trees and I'm feeling like I will pass out if I drive home. Strange stream of consciousness texts... I can't drive home. I'm dead. I'll take a cab and train it in tomorrow to pick up the car. I'm tired. I'm delirious. I can't sleep in my car. I can't drive home...

by 4am people are not really drinking... but the boss still is. I'm cleaning up in slow motion hoping by the time I'm done we can go.

5 am I'm in my car. I have to move it because it can't stay in its spot the next day. I decide fuck it. I'm driving home. I don't want to search for an other spot. I don't want to stand on the corner with cash in my pocket trying to hail a cab when lots of people know I'm a bartender. I don't want to sleep in my car. I'll just drive.

I down a redbull and head off.

I don't know how I got home, on autopilot for sure. Somewhere between Manhattan and Queens tears start streaming out of my eyes everytime I glance at the digital clock on the dash. By the time I'm home and in bed I'm having a complete and utter melt down. I don't remember being that tired, even during the first 3 bootcamp months of Melo's life.

Sobbing I just need to sleep. Melo is going to wake up in 2 hours. I'm so tired. I just need to sleep.

22 hours awake/19 hours of work is my absolute limit. Never again.