Conventional wisdom has it that traveling West to East is harder on the body than going East to West, but for the large part, I find the reverse to be true. Often, I overcompensate for the time shift by staying up into the wee hours while on the East Coast, with 1 and 2 a.m. bedtimes being common. Last night, following the conclusion of the A's game, which wrapped up around 1:00 Boston time, was no different.For me, the struggle comes after the coast-to-coast travel when I arrive home. Today, that was exacerbated by our being forced awake at 5:30 East Coast time to just barely make our flight, which means for those of us in California, I've been up since 2:30 a.m., not a good thing. And my body has never taken to sleeping on flights, so while others dozed, I read and listened to the iPod.
Upon arriving home, the travel and lack of sleep caught up with me. After unpacking, we found the A's on TV again, for a 1 p.m. start. But I couldn't make it through the fourth inning before my body gave in to the jetlag, and I zonked out on the couch, eyes fluttering awake only to see the final score, and Huston Street shaking hands with Jason Kendall to close out the 5-2 win over the Mariners. Funny how even subconsciously, I wanted to be sure the A's had won.
This isn't the first time the East to West travel has caught up with me. On other business trips, I've come home, only to struggle through the 10 o'clock primetime of CSI or Law and Order. Makes me look like a wuss. But it's just the way it is.
On the flip side, it is amazing, even in this modern age, to have seen both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes, in the same day. Flying from Boston to Chicago to San Jose will do that for you. I'm still in awe with some of the modern amenities we all take for granted.
Listening to ''Shivers'', by DJ Armin van Buuren (Play Count: 12)