Desynchronosis

Wikopedia says that jet-lag is physiological, not psychological as suggested by Opera on her visit here yesterday. 

Attitude my ass.

I mean, I guess it would be different if you could charter a plane instead of travelling economy.  Opera probably has a tread-mill on her jet.  Even the guys in the front of my plane could stretch out.. First and Business .. I wish!  Mary and Kymme tell me it’s the only way to go..  real cutlery and free drinks… I wouldn’t know about that.  I have spent weeks, maybe months now on narrow seats, with broken trays, used magazines, and very limited foot room.  And the Cheap seats require you take the milk run: it took me three days to get back.

How can doing nothing can be so exhausting?

Besides being sleep deprived and alone with your thoughts for 30 hours, you breath in used air, share one toilet with about 300 others while listening to babies crying and the guy behind you hacking up god-knows-what.   We are lucky to make it out alive!

And all of this has nothing to do with the actual jet-lag: desychronosis.  Wikopedia tells me that the recovery rate for zipping through time zones is about one day per zone, and it makes no difference which way you travel, ie: east to west or visa-versa.

Jet lag is caused when you upset your circadian rhythm, which is our 24 hour body clock.  While our clocks are internal, they self adjust by the external environment: mainly light.

Light.. so important to us!    

The world has 24 time zones.. one for each hour of the day.  Some countries play around with the borders a bit.. political.. geological.. geographical.. why not?  But at 3 PM here in Kununurra it is 11 pm in Vancouver.. the day before.  That is an 8 hour time difference. 

Or is it 16 hours difference. 

Anyway..I need either 8 or 16 days to get over it.. and it’s only day three. 

Or is it day six? 

I left last Friday.. and it is Thursday today.  But I arrived on Monday.. well maybe Sunday if you count landing in Darwin.  But I still crossed another time zone after spending the night there before flying here.. it goes back another 1 ½ hours as you cross into WA from the NT.  Not one hour, or 2 hours.. 1.5. 

I think they do this to confuse us even more. 

And while it is Thursday here.. it is still Wednesday in Vancouver.. I think. 

In RAK it is just 10:00 .. but that is AM.  Who know’s what day that is.. I think it is today.. Thursday.  It is actually easier figuring out time when you are there though.. it is almost the opposite of Vancouver.. the same as Calgary.  Right?  Is Calgary ahead or behind. 

My interview was for a job near RAK: Abu Dhabi.  It was initially set up for Tuesday at 9:15.. Toronto time: something different.

I figured as we were a day behind, that I would be interviewed for a job I really would like to have a shot at, after flying for 30 hours and not sleeping for even longer.  Not good.  The woman agreed that we could move it ahead a day.. to Wednesday.  Better. 

But it takes more than a day or two to get over jet-lag.. and no sleep.. and going from about +5 to +40 degrees.. and the calm and quiet of Madeira to .. Vas.  And then I remembered I had enrolled in a first aid course..

Anyway.. I did the interview.  We weren’t a day behind, we were a day ahead.. I think I forgot I would be in Australia… or else I was thinking that they would be ahead.. 

Toronto is 13 hours different.. or 11… I am still confused: but bless my Mac!  I set my world time clock to Toronto time and Voila!  Once I had the right day I managed to stay awake to take the call..

Physiologically, Jet lag causes irritability (What was with Opera being so fresh after her flight here?!), anxiety (I had a job interview!  Helloo!  Nothing to do with jet-lag!), and memory loss. ( I had somthing else to say here...) 

I think they should add confusion to the list.  However, ..

I did pass the interview! 

They tell me they'll be sending me a formal invitation to another interview in Sydney.. sometime in the next month or so.  Insha’allah. 

I hope they do.. 

Wonder what time it is in Sydney.