Over the holidays I read Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In the movie version, Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly character opens the door, wearing a sleep mask perched above her eyebrows. As unusual as this may sound, I’ve been a sleep mask connoisseur since my 20s.

Without going into details—yes, I know… that’s where the juicy parts are—my first marriage led to chronic sleep problems. Short of a sleeping pill and a sleep mask, or Vegas blackout drapes, it’s still hard for me to get to sleep.

The first sleep masks I bought were the best. I still have them. They’re soft, black silk with two, slim elastic strings you can’t even feel. While Holly Golightly’s sleep mask is adorable, I wouldn’t buy one like that. Here’s the skinny on sleep masks:

• Masks with braid or lace around the edges look great, but dig into your face.
• Your hair gets caught up in masks that velcro or tie in the back, and if the mask slips off, invariably it takes your hair with it.
• Unless your head is smaller than a prize-winning tomato, masks with wide elastic bands make you feel like your head is caught in a vice grip.
• Many masks—made in China—are padded with something akin to the fiberglass insulation in your attic. You’ll itch and scratch and windup getting out of bed to scrub your face. So much for sleeping anytime soon.

For the last two months, my sleep mask has come in handy. Since my master bath is being remodeled, I’ve been sleeping upstairs where the street light outside is bright enough to use as a reading light. About remodeling… How hard is it to remove a combination ceiling exhaust fan and light and replace it with a small chandelier?

This task has taken five guys, two days to complete. (For my realtors… Remember the flutter sound we kept hearing in the fan over the toilet? After the fixture was removed, I stuck my hand up through the ceiling… What’s this? Buried treasure? No. It’s the plastic packaging for the closet door handle and an empty beer can, but wait… There’s more! My fingers can’t quiet grasp it… Maybe if I stand on my tiptoes… Got it! A mummified mouse carcass! You can tell where the plastic packaging rubbed its skin off every time the fan came on. Flutter, flutter, flutter… )

Now to the gecko. Geckos are fast. This one was a dull brown and stopped in front of Sam’s bed. Before I could react, it’s tongue darted up sleeping Sam’s nostril. In one lickety-split, lightening-fast motion—more catlike than dog—Sam sprang straight up. I’m not sure which hit the ground first. Sam or his… poo! Poor Sam. He landed with a look of absolute surprise and humiliation.

Happy New Year, Dear Friends! I value and appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for being a part of my life and for reading 1010ParkPlace!