Seasonal Affective Disorder

I like to go for walks alone at night. I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned this about ten million times, but I'll just repeat it once again. The first semester I was at USC, my drawing class was at night, and the professor told us to go out, pick a spot on campus, and draw it, because the lighting is much more dramatic at night. I promptly became addicted to wandering around at night, because everything is so pretty, and the sun doesn't get in my eyes, and people are way, way less likely to randomly speak to me. But mostly it's the "everything is so pretty" part.

Also, I need a lot of exercise. Like, a completely ridiculous amount. Walking and running is time I use to think. During the summer, when I was at the coast house and had nothing to do but study and work on the house, I used to go for a 7-mile run in the morning and a 9-mile walk at night. This is also the reason why I feel I need a dog - it makes an excellent excuse. Normal people do not need two 7-mile walks per day. People look at you funny when you tell them that you do. But, of course, it's totally not me that needs a 7-mile walk, it's the dog. Really. I feel, like, totally put-upon that I went and got a big dog that needs soooo much exercise.

You see where this is going, right? See, winter here was great for me because I could go out once it got dark at, like 5:30 and be out for hours and hours. It was fantastic. I could walk 12 miles in the dark and be back before 9 pm. But now the sun doesn't even go down until 9:15 pm, and it doesn't get dark enough for me to go out until nearly 10 pm. And, although I don't have classes anymore, I still have to get up at a reasonable hour because I have meetings to go to and research to do for my dissertation. I am going quietly insane from lack of exercise because I cannot justify staying out until 1 am every night. And the sun rises at 5:10, so morning isn't any good either. I'm not willing to get up at 4 am. Bring back the ridiculously short days, dammit!