So far as I know, it's just that the mechanism which keeps your body from responding to your brain's commands while you're asleep (and thus running and shouting and, say, pissing just because you dreamed you were doing it) hasn't shut down properly (much like Windows).

You just made me snort, Emily.

Fwiw, I get chronic heart palpitations. They suck, but my doc checked rhythms ekg and said it's just nerves.

So far as I know, it's just that the mechanism which keeps your body from responding to your brain's commands while you're asleep (and thus running and shouting and, say, pissing just because you dreamed you were doing it) hasn't shut down properly (much like Windows).

I think I read that it tends to be more common when you wake up out of a deep sleep. And then your half-asleep brain flips out and tries to figure out why you can't move, and it hardly ever comes up with pleasant theories like, "I must be buried in kittens!"

Someone theorized that a fair number of alien abduction stories spring from this, because a lot of them start out with people waking up and discovering that they're mysteriously paralyzed.

Someone theorized that a fair number of alien abduction stories spring from this, because a lot of them start out with people waking up and discovering that they're mysteriously paralyzed.

Yeah, I've heard this.

If only your other scenario was more common.

"I was abducted by kittens!"

my version of the night terrors came complete with not only the belief that I was awake and paralyzed but, also, that someone was on top of me.

Someone theorized that a fair number of alien abduction stories spring from this, because a lot of them start out with people waking up and discovering that they're mysteriously paralyzed.

There's also theories about how this contributed to strong witchcraft and demonic entity belief throughout human history because of this senation of some sort of person or presence being on top of you while its happening. People have even reported seeing someone on top of them.

my version of the night terrors came complete with not only the belief that I was awake and paralyzed but, also, that someone was on top of me.

Ugh. Poor thing -- though it's definitely not just your version. It's thought that that's where the myth of the incubus comes from.

Yay!

Truthout is now reporting that Karl Rove has been formally indicted on charges of perjury and lying to investigators. An announcement is said to be forthcoming from Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald this week.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald spent more than half a day Friday at the offices of Patton Boggs, the law firm representing Karl Rove.

During the course of that meeting, Fitzgerald served attorneys for former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove with an indictment charging the embattled White House official with perjury and lying to investigators related to his role in the CIA leak case, and instructed one of the attorneys to tell Rove that he has 24 hours to get his affairs in order, high level sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said Saturday morning.

Robert Luskin, Rove's attorney, did not return a call for comment. Sources said Fitzgerald was in Washington, DC, Friday and met with Luskin for about 15 hours to go over the charges against Rove, which include perjury and lying to investigators about how and when Rove discovered that Valerie Plame Wilson was a covert CIA operative and whether he shared that information with reporters, sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said.

[link]

eta:

Jason Leopold writing for Truthout tells us that Karl Rove has informed President Bush that he is to be indicted in the CIA leak case and will resign immediately:

Well, if it isn't Christmas in May!!! Merry Fitzmas, y'all.

Can't wait to see Jon Stewart's cabbage patch dance of joy.

Go, Ed Danvers...uh, I mean Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald. But he reminds me of Ed Danvers.

Hope this is right. But Truthout has been wrong on indictments before.