I remember those HOURS lying there in the dark, commanded to go to sleep, but not sleepy. Nothing to do. Is there anything more frustrating than being forced to waste time?? That's why prison is a bad thing-- that sense of your life passing by IS the punishment!
Nowadays I have my Pocket PC or some other light-up electronic gizmo. I get through whole novels by reading until I'm drowsy and then putting the book down one second before I fall asleep.
So, I was tortured when I was less than nine years old, by being made to go to bed and be bored, but when I was nine, Daddy got me one of these :-)
I played multiplication games in the dark for hours and hours and hours. Dataman certainly got some math facts into the old brain cells, the painless way.
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/TI/Dataman.htm
http://www.handheldmuseum.com/BooksMagazines/Cat-Sears_78/Sears78_2.htm
