Warning: May abuse intelligence
Friday, 19 October 2007. Soapbox.
Forgive the somewhat rambling nature of this post, but since taking a 'proper' job in the Media Industry means 'shift work', I'm suffering from lack of sleep. Over the last four months I've been working a five day blocks of day shifts and night shifts. Although I dislike working nights immensely, it is part of the job and I just have to live with it.
The first night is generally the easiest, you start to feel sleepy about 3ish, but then a burst of energy comes shortly after and away you go till the rest of the shift. The second night is the worst, you've used up your 'energy burst', and from that point onwards, its not so pleasant.
However, one of the problems of working nights is actually sleeping during the day. Driving home at seven in the morning, has meant that I get to enjoy some lovely sunny mornings on the M3 listening to John Humphrys roasting the Minister for Trade and Industry about something or other.
To get to sleep during the day, I've found Nytol, "One-A-Night" sleeping tablets, which are "clinically proven night time sleep aid".
What tickles me, is the note on the back of the box: "WARNING: May cause drowsiness". Well bugger me Sherlock! The half moon on the front of the box, the motif of Zzz's on the back to indicate cartoon sleeping, and the tagline "clinically proven night time sleep aid"... I would never have guessed it was going to make me drowsy.
I remember fondly the day I found the the warning "contains nuts", on a tin of Sainsbury's peanuts. Who can forget when a woman in the US, was awarded $2.9 million when she burned herself with hot coffee from McDonalds.
Its very sad that we have such a climate of compensation culture, that companies feel that warnings such as these are even necessary.
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