Is There a "Jetlag Special?"

Last night I didn't get enough sleep. That happens a lot after Shabbat, especially in the summer when I've dozed off a bit too much in the long lazy afternoons. My body doesn't need tons of sleep, so my brain just refuses to turn itself off at a normal hour. I then get up in the morning feeling awfully jetlagged.  Think about it, Jetlag sans the expense of a flight abroad.

Last night was one of those nights. As we Gd willing draw to the end of My New Kitchen Saga and all the added stress it involves, falling asleep is even more difficult than usual.

awfully early
didn't sleep enough last night
coffee to rescue
#morningcoffeehaiku

To add to the kitchen renovation stress syndrom, when we arrived home last night I discovered that the freezer door had been left slightly open over at least 30 hours. Thankfully the food was still cold,  B"H. But it took until I woke up in the morning for me to see signs that things were refreezing.

Gd willing I'll be off extra early to the pool, in order to be home for the kitchen workers.

I once requested a "jetlag special."

On Being a Morning Person

I love the sunrise. I'm so happy that the front of my house faces east. The biggest mistake we made in planning the house was putting our bedroom in the back; it's like a dungeon. But the upside of that is that I just can't wait to get out of bed.

My body doesn't need great amounts of sleep, and frequently after about six hours it just wakes up. If I nap or have too inactive a day, I have trouble falling asleep. Today I awoke an hour before the alarm went off. I was on my second mug of coffee when I heard my alarm.

When I travel to different time zones, I combat jetlag by forcing myself, frequently with the help of lots of coffee, to go to bed at about midnight, and then my body wakes up about six hours later. Yes, that's on time for me.

This morning I had great fun photographing the sunrise.

And I'm sure that I'm one of the only 52Frames members who had an easy time getting the Golden Hour "extra credit" by photographing dawn.

"Magic Morning Coffee"
Luckily for me I kept waking up very early last week, with plenty of time to drink my coffee and photograph the dawn during "Magic/Golden Hour."

woke before alarm
got to see gorgeous sunrise
now drinking coffee
#morningcoffeehaiku

Psyched up for the pool
Today's another scorcher
Coffee cold and strong
#morningcoffeehaiku

rescued by coffee
sometimes sleep isn't enough
grey sky but still hot
#morningcoffeehaiku

Enjoying coffee
Wonderful Day Yesterday
but need much more sleep
#morningcoffeehaiku

Grey summer morning 
Cold brew coffee, jar, filter
No need for French Press 
#morningcoffeehaiku

ripe cold brew coffee
perfect for hot summer's day
yay, pool, here I come
#morningcoffeehaiku

Yes! Cold Brew Coffee
Perfect hot day summer drink
Must plan in advance
#morningcoffeehaiku

First Time "Single Purim" Day in 33 Years, but Three Megillah Readings

We moved to Shiloh, where Purim is celebrated for two days, two feasts, four megillah readings and two days of giving Mishloach Manot in 1981. So ever since we've celebrated two days of Purim. Our Rabbi has been hinting at a soon to be announced "psak," rabbinic decision to have us join Jerusalem and other old walled cities with only Shushan Purim. But it seems almost as far as the rule of the Moshiach.

This Purim I found myself in New York, rather jetlagged after the "red-eye" from Arizona Tuesday night, meaning Wednesday landing. I was so zonked I managed to fast until after the first megillah reading. See yesterday's post. 

Following my hostess's non-binding custom I ended up hearing the megillah two more times. We went to the regular morning prayers and megillah reading in her shul and then also went to the women's reading, which gave us three. That's not the four in two days I'm used to.

But to be perfectly honest, I fell asleep during that first reading--jetlag can do it to anyone--so I feel that the very competent women's reading made up for what I hd slept through the night before.

Sans Jetlag?

I'm afraid to say it, but here I am just three days after returning from Phoenix/Tempe, Arizona, a week's visit there, and I don't think I'm suffering from jetlag.

While there and now that I'm home, I'm just too busy to rest.  I've jumped straight into routine.  I had a short visit there, only a week, but there is a ten hour time difference.  My body didn't fully adjust to Arizona time.  I generally needed a cup of strong coffee each afternoon and didn't always sleep through the night.  But I did get up on time and pretty much functioned during the day.  I never napped, just dozed a tiny bit on Shabbat/Saturday afternoon.

Now I'm home and studied and worked as usual. I did take a sleeping pill the first two nights home.  But that's it.

I think I'm ok, bli eyin haraa.

Jetlag, Gevalt

This visit to the states has been more jetlagged than most of my recent ones.

I'm tired at the wrong times and now, close to midnight I have an energy spurt.

I brought some sleeping pills, which I had gotten for the previous visit, so now I must find them.  I took them the first night.  And I had a good night's sleep.  Since thenI didn't take any.  I kept alternating between good and short nights of sleep.

I usually get very tired early evening.  I even dozed off at the table when my sister and her husband had guests, not very charming or sociable of me.  Soon I perked up and rejoined the conversation.  No doubt they have all experienced something similar.  At least I hope so.

It's not worth getting aggravated over what we can't control.  No doubt I'll feel better tomorrow, the day before I go home...

I'm A Bissel Late In Posting The Losing Weight Carnival, Sorry

I hope to post the next Blogging About Losing Weight, the diet blog carnival today. I was supposed to do it last week, but even though sleep-wise I didn't suffer jet lag from my June visit to New York (7 hour time difference with Israel) I was a bit "down" and couldn't get myself to do much besides go to the pool and babysit.

I, also, went to my friend's 60th bash and to a wedding... Among other things...

It's not that I just played free cell and spider solitaire. Hmmm...

Re: The Jetlag

I went to sleep at a normal, for Wed. night, midnight, after watching (sans dozing) Law & Order SVU. I got up at a very normal 3:30am for the loo, and then I slept until my alarm went off around 5:30am.

Could I be finished with jetlag?

Yesterday, from noon till night, I was busy traveling and hardly ate at all. I cooked a good tofu lunch but couldn't eat, so I left it and ate it when I got home close to 10pm.

At 1pm I left my house to travel to my cousin in Neve Ne'eman, Hod Hasharon, by buses. It took almost twice as long as usual, but I had given myself enough time, and I got there with time to spare. Then we went to a funeral in Pardes Chana, which is in the north. Going home was a combination of riding back to Hod Hasharon, tremping and a bus to Ariel from Tzomet (junction) Yarkon. It also wasn't quick, but most important was that I got home safely.

Being busy is probably the best way of conquering jetlag.

jetlag update

Well, yesterday I didn't nap, and I went to sleep a drop later than my usual. Less than two hours later I suffered a period of wakefulness and then managed to fall back to sleep in bed--not going to the couch. Then I woke up before my early alarm and decided to begin the day.

Let's see how today goes...