Yesterday, I was so zonked that I could barely stay awake until quittin' time. Since I got to work uncharacteristically early (8:10am!), I could have left at 4:40pm, but I stuck around until 5 doing nothing productive. I'm tempted to say I did nothing but that's not true. I cleared out my email box (80 new messages!), made some calls, changed my voice mail…oh, whoops, still need to do that…,worried about travel arrangements, printed out things I need to read, and generally got things ready for today.
After work, it took an hour to get home when it should take no more than 30 minutes. I don't understand that. True, I stopped to pick up some food along the way, but how could that have taken 30 minutes? I suspect that my slower than normal walking times contributed to the late arrival.
When I got home, I ate right away, fed the cat and looked at the tv. But all I wanted to do was sleep. At 8pm, that's what I did. I read in bed for about half an hour and then I fell asleep. This was against all of my recovery from jet lag principles, which say to force yourself into a regular schedule and stick to it. Even though I woke up at 1:30am (and fell back asleep until 5:30), I feel much better today than yesterday. That fuzzy, lead-foot feeling is almost gone. All I needed was a very long (drug-free) night's sleep.
Tonight is my first (sigh) kickball game of the season. Hopefully that will tire me out sufficiently for another long rest. I will most likely skip the post-play drinking (shudder). Instead, work-friend, Nina and I may go for a drink before the game. After all, I arrived at 8:15 (!) this morning and the game isn't until 7:15, 2.5 hours after quittin' time. What else is there to do in all that time, work? I think not.
It's good to be home but I still feel disconnected from my life here. Maybe it's because before I get a chance to settle back in, I'm off to New York on Friday for four days of professional conference. I'm looking forward to it but the timing isn't perfect. Work is paying this year, my friend, JenA, is bunking with me and it’s in New York, which is about as good as it gets. Heck, I'll even be in the same time-zone— what more could I want?
Grateful for: good sleep.
Showing posts with label jet lag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jet lag. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Lessons
I pride myself on my ability to pack light. Compared to Spesh, who can go to Canada for two weeks with a tiny backpack, I'm an amateur. But for a middle-class American, I'm a pro. I went to Israel this year with a medium-sized rolling suitcase and a small backpack. In the old days, I could have carried on the suitcase, but this trip allowed only one piece of "hand baggage" on the plane. Still, with these two pieces, I was relatively mobile. My backpack was big enough to hold my computer and other on-plane necessities. The computer could go in the big bag for in-country travel and I could have a light, easy to carry around-town bag. The system worked.
Where I failed though, was in my clothing choices. I had three items I never wore (two shirts and a sweater) and more that I only wore once. That's a disaster. I completely misjudged my clothing needs. Of course, I had to dress for two completely different environments: the ultra-orthodox enclave of my brother and the contemporary world. I'd decided that in neither world would shorts be acceptable attire, so I packed none. That was a fine choice. My slacks, dress and skirt got a reasonable work out. It was the tops that I planned incorrectly. That sweater? What a joke. It was much too warm to ever consider wearing it, even though it's cotton. The long-sleeved tee was for sleeping if it got cool. It never got cool. I could have used another sleeping tee and some lightweight long sleeves. Oh, and fewer pairs of tights. More knee-highs. Lord knows how anyone could ever wear hose in that heat.
Oh, and when you buy a dress a size too small, expect to be slightly uncomfortable the entire time you wear it, especially while seated and especially if wearing a shirt underneath it. I felt slightly ridiculous in my dress, which is lovely but snug. It probably didn't look ridiculous, but I didn't fit in. It's very hard to match the dressing customs of this crowd. The basic rules: covered up to the collarbone, skirts and dresses with hems ten centimeters below the knee and sleeves below the elbow. (And only skirts or dresses for the women.) So what if it's almost 100 degrees? Keep covered! Whew. Makes me hot just thinking about it.
The other thing I brought on this trip was a plastic water bottle. I was curious to see if I could bring an empty bottle through security. Turns out you can. What's the point? After you get to the gate, you can fill it up at a water fountain and take it on the plane. However, make sure you empty it before transferring to the next flight because you'll probably pass through another security checkpoint. I drank my water before getting to my checkpoint and was able to keep the bottle. On my way back, the bottle raised no eyebrows in Tel Aviv. In Heathrow, where I changed planes, I overheard the security folks discussing whether or not it was empty but they didn't say anything to me and the bottle got through. There you go--a practical tip for the next time you fly.
Jet lag is a funny thing. For the last three nights, around 8:30pm I get very, very sleepy (that's about 3:30am Israel time). I fight to stay awake. As it approaches bedtime, I start to wake up (11pm here is 6am in Israel). I've been taking a pill every night to make sure I'm good and sleepy by 11pm. Falling asleep has been easy but I wake up around 4am, even though the room is totally dark. I sort of fall asleep again, but not deeply. I hope I get another hour or two of sleep tonight or work tomorrow won't be much fun. Heh. Who am I kidding? Nothing would make the first day back fun, but it would be good to stay awake. Hell, I might even make it to the gym. Hmm, probably not--maybe I'll walk to work instead. That's the ticket.
Grateful for: adjusting.
Where I failed though, was in my clothing choices. I had three items I never wore (two shirts and a sweater) and more that I only wore once. That's a disaster. I completely misjudged my clothing needs. Of course, I had to dress for two completely different environments: the ultra-orthodox enclave of my brother and the contemporary world. I'd decided that in neither world would shorts be acceptable attire, so I packed none. That was a fine choice. My slacks, dress and skirt got a reasonable work out. It was the tops that I planned incorrectly. That sweater? What a joke. It was much too warm to ever consider wearing it, even though it's cotton. The long-sleeved tee was for sleeping if it got cool. It never got cool. I could have used another sleeping tee and some lightweight long sleeves. Oh, and fewer pairs of tights. More knee-highs. Lord knows how anyone could ever wear hose in that heat.
Oh, and when you buy a dress a size too small, expect to be slightly uncomfortable the entire time you wear it, especially while seated and especially if wearing a shirt underneath it. I felt slightly ridiculous in my dress, which is lovely but snug. It probably didn't look ridiculous, but I didn't fit in. It's very hard to match the dressing customs of this crowd. The basic rules: covered up to the collarbone, skirts and dresses with hems ten centimeters below the knee and sleeves below the elbow. (And only skirts or dresses for the women.) So what if it's almost 100 degrees? Keep covered! Whew. Makes me hot just thinking about it.
The other thing I brought on this trip was a plastic water bottle. I was curious to see if I could bring an empty bottle through security. Turns out you can. What's the point? After you get to the gate, you can fill it up at a water fountain and take it on the plane. However, make sure you empty it before transferring to the next flight because you'll probably pass through another security checkpoint. I drank my water before getting to my checkpoint and was able to keep the bottle. On my way back, the bottle raised no eyebrows in Tel Aviv. In Heathrow, where I changed planes, I overheard the security folks discussing whether or not it was empty but they didn't say anything to me and the bottle got through. There you go--a practical tip for the next time you fly.
Jet lag is a funny thing. For the last three nights, around 8:30pm I get very, very sleepy (that's about 3:30am Israel time). I fight to stay awake. As it approaches bedtime, I start to wake up (11pm here is 6am in Israel). I've been taking a pill every night to make sure I'm good and sleepy by 11pm. Falling asleep has been easy but I wake up around 4am, even though the room is totally dark. I sort of fall asleep again, but not deeply. I hope I get another hour or two of sleep tonight or work tomorrow won't be much fun. Heh. Who am I kidding? Nothing would make the first day back fun, but it would be good to stay awake. Hell, I might even make it to the gym. Hmm, probably not--maybe I'll walk to work instead. That's the ticket.
Grateful for: adjusting.
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