Sedatives and guilty pleasures.

It’s late, I’m tired, and I should have been in bed an hour ago, except it’s hard to fall asleep when Sam’s not here even if I take a sedative. Around 10:30 I had a very hot shower, watched two recorded episodes of “Hardcore Pawn” and ate peanut butter with a spoon ... three guilty pleasures and lots of fun when you’re home alone. Incidentally, if you like screwball TV shows, nothing beats “Hardcore Pawn.”

This is basically an ongoing series on TruTV about a gigantic pawn shop in Detroit owned by a Jewish man (Les Gold) and his two kids. The weirdos that walk into that store are beyond belief, trying to pawn everything from sex toys to grandma’s dentures to caskets. Even better, at least once a day their beefy bouncers have to drag a screaming low-life out to the parking lot. “Hardcore Pawn” is television at its very best. I think I even like it better than “Operation Repo.”

Our winter storm is getting closer as I write this. There’s already sleet falling in Fort Worth, which means all that frozen crap will hit Mesquite sometime within the next hour or two. We’re actually expecting half an inch of sleet followed by three inches of snow. And lots of wind.

I know this doesn’t sound like a very big hoo-hah to those of you who live in a fun climate like Chicago, but winter weather drives us crazy here in Dallas because we’re not equipped for it. We have no plows, no road salt, and no ability to drive on anything that’s slippery. The whole city basically goes to hell in handbasket until everything melts. Schools and businesses are closed, public transportation stands still, highways shut down and the airports cancel hundreds of flights ... even if we only get an inch or two of snow.

Here’s an amazing aerial photo of Dallas’ famous “high five interchange” after last week’s winter storm. Please note: IT’S DESERTED.

FYI, the “high five” in north Dallas includes 37 bridges on five levels connecting Interstate 635 (the LBJ Freeway) and U.S. 75 (North Central Expressway) plus assorted service roads headed in every imaginable direction. The interchange is an amazing feat of engineering that can make you dizzy if you don’t know where you’re going. You have to pay attention all times. Do NOT try to unwrap an Egg McMuffin, for example.

I’ll post more in the morning and let y’all know how the storm is progressing. Sweet dreams.