The Battle Against Drifting Off

I said I would write again after the evening was over, but here it is now and night has already passed. I was pretty tired after my nap, which I postponed until 1:30 because I'm shifting the times back a bit to space my naps around seeing a friend this afternoon. Being able to stretch naps like that is pretty cool. Imagine a friend asking you to hang out at three o'clock in the morning, and you replying, "Oh, sure. I'll just start my eight-hour block of sleep earlier so I'll be awake to hang out." People just don't do that. My naps are wonderfully flexible.
Anyway, here's a more in-depth status update for people interested in my polyphasic transition.
First slice (today that was from 2:00-5:30) was extremely difficult. I tried listening to an audio book, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I felt myself in danger of drifting off because I let my eyes close while I listened. So I gave up on the audio book and snuggled down into an armchair with a real book. I didn't know how I would make it those next couple hours. I drank some fruit juice because I hear that helps give an energy boost in those down times. But still every minute was difficult. My body was complaining about how I was keeping it awake. I had to keep moving and shifting in my seat, because something almost like pain would gather in my limbs if I stayed still too long. Very odd. Finally I stood up and walked around the room several times and stretched, trying to wake myself up more. It basically worked. By the end of that first slice, it was a lot easier to stay awake reading my book. Still, though, I was extremely grateful for my 5:30 nap.
Second slice is a lot better. At 6:00 when I woke up, I walked the dog. Again, it was very pleasant to get out in the early morning air and get some exercise. That worked up an appetite, so I had a banana milkshake and some toast for breakfast. My eyes feel tired, but my body feels ready to stay awake until my next nap.
My mood is still good. Usually when I lose sleep, I get a little irritable and grouchy. That was one of my mom's trepidations when she let me start this transition. Fortunately, I still feel generally cheerful and positive, especially in the mornings.
My concentration seems fine, but I don't really have a way to test it and get quantitative data. I'm focusing pretty easily on writing this, if that's any indication.