Ferberize

Who uses it: Parents and pediatricians
What it means: Using the techniques of Dr. Richard Ferber to train your baby to go to sleep at night.
How you can use it: When changing your own nighttime routines.

Thanks to Jen Lechner for suggesting this term.

One of the drawbacks of living alone and working for oneself is that the day has no natural end. No one else turns off the television and says, "I'm going to bed now." No one else turns off the bedroom light, and there's rarely the motivation of the early-morning alarm.

It's lucky for me, then, that my internal clock sends me to bed at midnight -- except when I'm reading something I don't want to put down. The book I was finishing last night was so compelling, and so surprising, that I kept reading, and stayed up until sometime after 2:00. This morning I didn't get out of bed until around 8:30, and now my whole day's schedule is askew. Plus, I may need a nap. I feel like a cranky child. Where's my nanny, dammit?

It's nice to be home again, though. All the mail waiting for me today was good: packages, invitations, an issue of Entertainment Weekly, and a notice that my credit card company had raised my limit. Postmaster Jerry said, "You came back early! Walking your dog today?" "Yep, he's outside," I said. I feel reassured -- and only a little freaked out -- that my neighbors pay such close attention.