Friday, June 10, 2011

Prologue: To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Yes, it's that time again, when I relieve my vacation virtually and take all my e-pals along for the ride. If you're not a fan of travelogue, stop back in a few days, when we'll have returned to our usual fiber content.

Thursday, May 19

We had a later flight than usual, leaving around 11 pm, so we tried yet another logistical iteration in our eternal quest to arrive in England with at least some sleep. We got up as early as possible- at 5 am in my case- so as to assure we would sleep on the plane. Additionally, I tried to eat my meals on a UK schedule, as my digestion is often confused and upset by the time change.

I'm happy to say that this method worked brilliantly for me. I was yawning by the time we went through security, and as soon as I settled into my seat on the plane, I wrapped up in a blanket, tucked a pillow under my cheek, and was asleep before we took off. By prearrangement, JT waved off any attempt to give me dinner, and I slept most of the flight. Mind you, it wasn't great sleep, sitting in an airline seat, but it was far better than I'd ever achieved before.

Alas, but JT did not have the same good fortune. He always has trouble sleeping on planes and while he did manage over two hours, he was significantly tireder coming out. It's clear that the method we tried last trip works best for him- to sleep as late as possible the day we fly, and resign himself to not sleeping on the flight. The sleep he gets in the morning is just way more restful for him.

The really unfair part is that I'm the one who can peacefully knit or read for hours and enjoy the opportunity to do nothing else, whereas he's the one who finds travel boring. However, at least we have at last figured out the optimal methods for both of us, and these will no doubt be of great utility on future trips.

Other than our scientific evaluation of optimal sleeping strategies, the flight was completely uneventful, just the way we like it. And when we arrived...but that's tomorrow.

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