Friday, May 13, 2016

after-travel hangover

I got home Wednesday evening, slept well last night, have no unavoidable demands on my energies today or tomorrow. But I am definitely feeling the after-effects of the trip.

My brain keeps going into loops. For a while there, it was playing big band dance tunes from the 40s sung by smarmy, anonymous crooners.

In the Seattle airport, I had to ride the inter-terminal shuttle around its loop twice because, although I knew I wanted the C terminal, I kept "aiming" for the B terminal. And I kept confusing "being home (in my home country)" with "being home (in Portland)", thinking the Seattle airport was the Portland airport and trying to orient myself to the layout at PDX.

My IQ is definitely down today around 50 points, as thoughts meander in and out of focus like butterflies. I've started a checklist of tasks to be done, but I keep forgetting which one I'm supposed to be doing at any given moment. Establishing priority ordering is completely beyond me. I tried meditating, and I suppose any effort in that direction has its benefits, but my attention swooped in and out of dream sequences, probably due to sleep deprivation.

I'm writing this in hopes of exorcizing all this disorientation.

It isn't working.

OK, let's just write off Thursday and hope for improved clarity on Friday or Saturday. There are at least three blog posts about the time in England that I've got started in my head. Such as it is.

3 comments:

  1. But you did it! You made the trip, and it sounds as if it went well. It's not so surprising if you're a bit disoriented. I think coping with travel as it is now is very challenging indeed--for anyone. There are too many details to deal with, and don't all airports look alike? And isn't each one of them confusing?

    Glad you're back home!

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  2. Agree with above. Plus there is the additional huge outlay of mental energy involved in meeting and interacting with all the new in-laws and taking all that you saw on your trip You "gave at the office!" and now are in recovery mode.

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  3. Ah, so you left some of yourself in England? Perhaps a few of those missing IQ points? Not to worry, they'll come to find you shortly, and you'll be all back together again. If you're still craving sleep, perhaps that's when they'll re-enter your psyche?

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