I had a few electronic disastors just before and also on my trip, which require a small exercise in reconfiguration. It will take a bit of plugging in and typing and clicking, but also changing a few habits, which is much harder.
1. The DVD player gave up the ghost just before I left, so I bought a replacement at the duty-free. Fine, except the replacement includes a DVD recorder, with cables for connecting my VCR player/recorder, so I can now copy selected videotapes onto DVD, thereby preserving "Grease" and family movies for the next generation. More things to do in addition to albumising.
2. En route from LAX to JFK my PalmPilot gave up the ghost. I had synchronized it with my PC before I left, so the data wasn't lost, but it wasn't with me either. I managed to contact my NYC friends by email and even though they don't all know one another, I could patch together enough contact info to see all of my old friends at least once. Not to mention the museums, the concert at Carnegie Hall, the shopping, and best of all, the walking. New York was blooming and glistening just for me, and the PalmPilot's demise receded into the background.
3. Somewhere between LA and Tel Aviv my Israeli cellphone disappeared. It didn't affect communications while I was away, but kept me in phone limbo as soon as I returned. I don't have voicemail on my home phone's land line, so I could only receive or make calls when I was at home. How quaint!
So, yesterday I got a replacement cellphone, one in keeping with my fierce brand loyalty to Nokia. And a matching USB cable. Now I'm in the middle of exploring the Nokia PC Suite, which is rumored to enable me to download (upload?) the information from my PC into the phone, thereby obviating the need for a replacement PalmPilot. I'm saying a cautious "yea!", with fingers crossed that it will work.
These are ordinarily rather simple albeit tedious projects, but more dangerous to undertake while in the throes of jet lag. After a trip, I find that I become a kind of dolt for about two weeks, forgetting my train of thought in mid-conversation, and spacing out unpredictably whether alone or in company, regardless of how well I've slept. I visualize my brain wending its way across the miles at ocean liner speed, even as my body arrived at jet speed. The word "lag" fits perfectly, but it's not the jet that lags, it's my mind. At present, my body is about four hours ahead of the rest of me.
6 comments:
When you work out what the Nokia PC Suite does, can you let me know? I've had it on my computer for probably around 3 years but I've never actually used it. I'm not even sure what it's for ...
On the other hand, perhaps I, technologically bewildered as I am, am the problem, rather than the software ...
I infer that you're back home? Sorry to hear about the tech problems, but glad to hear that they didn't spoil your trip.
Do you find eastbound jetlag much worse than westbound? I get over flying to Canada in two days, but returning can take up to two weeks.
NC - So far I've determined in general what Nokia PC Suite does, but haven't yet succeeded in getting it connected to my phone. Apparently one must perform the steps of plugging the cable into the USB connection, downloading its driver, plugging the cable into the phone, and installing the PC Suite in EXACTLY the correct sequence, not to mention having the phone turned off and on at the (undocumented) appropriate times, for the thing to work. Gah.
Udge, Yes I'm home. I do indeed fin eastbound jetlag much worse than westbound. I can recover from a Tel Aviv-Los Angeles trip in two days. Returning takes me AT LEAST two weeks, sometimes even three. I'm finishing Day Four: the worst is yet to come.
Hi
Please consider writing news pieces or an op-ed for Jewrusalem: Israeli Uncensored News. We strive to present different views and opinions while rejecting political correctness. Ideally, we try to make the news "smart and funny." Thus, your input is very welcome.
Best,
Alex
www.jewrusalem.net/en
Glad you're safely back home. Sounds like your trip was good despite the electronics conspiracy.
Glad to know (from your comment on my blog -- and thanks for making it!) that you had a pit stop in my sweet town's world's busiest airport in 2006, both in terms of passengers and number of flights. Had I known in advance, schedules permitting, I would have met you there to say hi and treat you to great coffee and... if you would have wanted, a local delicacy: grits!
Post a Comment