Jetlaggravation

Articles from Boomer Magazine in Richmond, VA

Jetlaggravation

Wednesday, 23 June 2010 09:46

Each morning for the past week, we’ve gotten up an hour earlier. Now, after an incredible amount of effort, I’ve denied my true nature and have become an early-early bird. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. both yesterday and today. We will be leaving for Vienna in two days so we have gradually switched over to Austrian time (or whatever the name is for their time zone). There is a seven-hour time difference, so we’re getting our stomachs and sleep schedule sorted out before we leave on our trip. Going to bed extra early has proven to be the most difficult challenge.

The interesting part of this schedule shift is watching early (early) morning television programming. The commercials are much shadier. Prepaid credit cards and personal injury lawyers abound. Believe it or not, but during this time period, MTV actually runs music videos. In a sleep-deprived state of mind, the frequent infomercials seem much more compelling. I find myself wondering if I really needed a shark steam cleaner or the magic bullet food processing system.

The quiet world outside is dark and asleep, except for my 24-hour gym. I’m afraid of what I’d find there at 4:00 a.m., so I just stay home and sort socks. I wait for hours for the Today show to begin.

Everyone thinks we are absolutely crazy to attempt the time shift before we travel abroad. We always receive the same advice. “Just stay up when you get there.” Somehow this never works out and we wind up taking a nap, or oversleeping four hours the next day. The result is usually never acclimating to the local time until it is time to return back home. If you have the flexibility in your schedule, I highly recommend pre-planning your jet lag before your trip. Let me know if you ever do — and if you buy a magic bullet while you wait for dawn.

Special note: This was previously written. To reduce the risk of robbery, blogs, Tweets and Facebook posts should never state in real time that a person is out of town.

Becky Reil is a lover of art, architecture and good food. Traveling with her husband and friends is her favorite way to enjoy all of her interests. She ate her way through thirteen countries and has several trips planned for the near future. Local food is her passion, and she will reluctantly share her "secret" sources for sausage, beef, grits and produce. Becky is constantly working to enlarge her fabric stash and enjoys quilting and collecting textiles. A graduate of Radford University, she has worked as an Art Teacher and as a Job Coach for disabled persons.