Kookaburra

USA Trip - first stop NYC

Ah New York City - lots of eating, walking and gawking. So much to see, too little time and energy. Jet lag hit hard - sleep not helped by siren noises during the night - sounds like someone plummeting from a skyscraper or a cornered cat.

Hit the highlights and walked pavement marathons - 80 blocks one afternoon. We learnt that while Manhattan may seem small on a map, it's still big in so many ways.

Highlights
* Mary Poppins at 42nd Street
* Harbour cruise
* open top bus tours
* catching up with friends

Tried some "different flavours" - cereals, gourmet Macaroni & Cheese at S'Mac, coal-fired pizza at Grimaldi's, gourmet PB&J, and Ben & Jerry's ice-cream - Cherry Garcia and Choc Chip Cookie Dough - yum

Eyed off 5th Avenue shops but pleased no one showed interest in expensive trinkets. Also just avoided Saturday's Union Square protests - arrived as people were being treated after being maced by police.

Been quite humid ... Only in last days has a little rain arrived.

Next stop San Francisco.

Virtual bedtime stories via LibriVox

On the road soon, well strictly on an aeroplane, as I head off across the world for business. My daughters and I are going to miss our bedtime story (we've been enjoying some Roald Dahl lately). It looks like I have a substitute thanks the free public domain readings of some good books at Librivox.org - I think I will queue up Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for them. Now to find something for my Thomas the Tank Engine fan.

Bose offers new noise cancellation tech in headphones

Right up there with microwave ovens and PVRs (like Tivo) in terms of 'life changing' is Bose's QuietComfort noise cancelling headphones. Expensive but well worth having for a frequent flyer as they virtually kill the 'roar' you hear on every plane. It's a real killer on a long, long flight like Australia to Europe (20+ hours!). The Bose 'phones make a real difference, bringing a real sense of tranqulity.

Now Bose have a new model - Generation 3 - lighter, more effective and with an optional cellphone interface. The last may be the real winner as sometimes the Bose 'phones are too effective.

jet lag adviser

Well in just a few days I will be whizzing off to the UK (and China) wedged in a narrow seat in a slim aluminium tube. I tell myself it could be worse - after all 'my lot' came to Australia from England in a leaky sailing boat in no doubt appalling conditions on a journey lasting many months. While they had to contend with scurvy I merely need to fight jet lag (something that seems to get worse as I get older wiser)

A quick scan of the great Googlesphere reveals some great resources - the best of which are clustered on British Airways. See here --> http://www.britishairways.com/travel/arrivelanding/public/en_gb?redirect=arrive_ready

There were once some homepathic jet lag pills that seemed to help (if you could remember to wake up every 2 hours to have one!) but it seems to have become hard to find -- ah here it is http://www.jetease.com.au/

Finally there is some suggestion that daylight lamps can also make a difference - devices such as the SunTouch Plus. Also meant to alleviate the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder - those mid-winter blues which are attributed to a lack of sunlight in the dead of winter.