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April 20, 2009
"I blame the jetlag..."
Monday. Ah, devil jetlag. And I have had some lately.
It's a disturbance of one's circadian rhythms. It makes you hear, think, say, do and even see odd things. You forget things. You insult store clerks while trying to be friendly. You are irritable. To others, you just seem "out of it". Your wife thinks you are acting strangely. So does your girlfriend.
Jetlag first attracted the attention of science in the "behavior" of plants. In 1729, French astronomer Jean Jacques Ortous de Mairan studied heliotrope plants to determine if the opening and closing of the leaves was simply a response to the sun:
To do so, he confined a plant to the dark. The daily rhythmic motions of the heliotrope's leaves persisted even in the absence of sunlight.
So maybe jetlag is ingrained and strong--but is it harmless? I have friends who travel all over the world for a living. They loathe and battle it. Like other forms of mild mood swings, it may even be a source of inspiration. But trust me--I've done it--it also makes you buy weird things. See Tara Bradford's piece last year in Paris Parfait. I've purchased things in Europe, South America and Port Austin, Michigan that make the below item look like a useful and best-selling household appliance.
Bradford photo: 1920s Guignol puppet theatre which folds up like a suitcase.
Posted by JD Hull at April 20, 2009 11:59 PM