And then I fell asleep for 24 hours, just about.
I should do a witty, deep, moving post about writing while being a foreign culture. Or how cultures change, or something.
But I straight up just came off 30 hours of travel, in the increasingly unlivable conditions created by airlines. And I slept close on to 24 hours. And I’m exhausted, depressed and vaguely out of it.
Which …. I wish to apologize to my characters, particularly Skip Hayden in No Man’s Land for dropping them head first into the most comfortless and weirdest situations EVER.
I’m sorry guys. In my defense, you’re young and healthy and have far less issues than I have.
I swear every joint in my body hurts, including joints I didn’t know I had, just from being squished and flown around at altitude.
So I’m not going to write a post about how weird it is to write another culture or be in another culture. I’m instead going to tell you to to feel a little compassion for your characters. I mean, sure, put them through heck, to write the story, but pat them on the head now and then and say “there, there, I know how tough you have it.”
Mad Genius Club 
12 responses to “The dog ate my homework”
Even the best transoceanic flight, when the ride is smooth, the other passengers quiet, and the luggage makes the connections along with you, is draining.
Having just come back from two weeks in England, take your time!
Sleeping on the way over (economy class) was like trying to sleep in a coffin in a wind tunnel. Awful. I thought BWI in Baltimore was big. Heathrow made it look like our local, small, friendly Harrisburg airport.
We crashed the entire first day in London.
At the Agatha Christie convention, we caught Covid (as did plenty of other people). What can you do besides learn what English drugstores are like? And stay outside?
Then another awful flight back (coffin inside a wind tunnel) and another full day of recovery from the flight plus regaining our health.
Best wishes to you and sleep as much as you can.
Shaped eye masks are a real blessing.
The best advice I have received for flying through time zones, and flying in general are:
1. Water, water, more water. The cabins are totally dehydrating, the terminals are dehydrating, ad nauseum. So more water than you think you need, more water than you want and it’s best (I know..finding bathrooms is hard!) to do it throughout the trip, not just at the end.
2. Every 20-min to half hour of the flight, clasp your hands together, fingers intertwined for 5 minutes. It helps to reset your internal clock somehow to the new time zone, so you get little to no jet-lag. (Probably doesn’t help with just not sleeping, or being worn out from the exercise, but it does help with the other, so you can go to sleep at the new destination on time.)
I know, weird stuff, but I have used them and they worked for me.
At least Skip got a girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever the heck you call that with hemaphrodites…
Yes. He got a girlfriend/boyfriend/like substance.
Some authors worry about meeting their characters in a dark alley. [Twisted Grin]
Or, as Lois Bujold says, when in doubt, figure out the worst thing you can do to the character — and do it. 😀
You’re probably running into your altitude issues again. Airplanes are only pressurized to the equivalent of 10,000 feet, so take the altitude problems you had in Denver and double them.
Something you might want to think about is getting a Finger oximeter ($20-50) and keeping an eye on your levels. If you see them getting low consider supplemental oxygen. Your doctor may be able to arrange an altitude test too.
A generator is expensive around $400 but a less expensive tank isn’t allowed to while flying. You’ll likely need a prescription to get it on a flight.
https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/traveling-with-oxygen
I’m in Portugal? Altitude is sea level. And I recently had a sleep study and use a CPAP while sleeping.
I was suggesting that for when you are flying or at higher altitudes.
Altitude caused issues don’t always clear up quickly once you have returned to higher pressures, several days is not uncommon.
oh
flying…. I’ll have to endure it. Is all.
Such an adorable puppy will always be forgiven. 🙂 I hope all goes well in Portugal.