Kindle Linked

Funny word 'kindle'. I wonder how they decided on it. If this was BOGGLE I'd have come up with: lid, kin, lie, din, like, dine, kind, linked...

I got it last year for Christmas. So, one year on, it's been a gradual appreciation sort of thing. For some reason I took a while to start using it and loading books from Amazon. I started cheap and got some free ones. Noticed a few typos and that put me right off.

Then I bought some from the popular lists. Really enjoyed 'Labor Day' by Joyce Maynard and 'When I Found You' by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Now I'm choosing for myself, only spending a few dollars per book, and loving it! 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn was so good I've bought 'Dark Places' for another dose of tension and cleverness.

So it seems right that Kindle is an anagram of the word 'linked' - because its linked me to the reading world again. I have fresh enthusiasm - especially as it fits so neatly in my travel bag, is light to hold, easy to read at whatever font size I fancy, perfect for lefties like me, and keeps all the books I've read safe for ever.

Lizzie

Plane Sailing hopefully, with Cathay Pacific

Soon we are off again on one of those long two-flight trips from Auckland to London.

When it comes to booking flights I like those 'compare the fare' type sites. First I sort them in order of total trip time. There's nothing worse than a stopover that is between 4 and 12 hours long. Its a limbo sort of period where its not worth exploring or taking a nap, but its too long to just transition smoothly through the stopover. Next I look at price - if I can afford it, and its under 30 hours in total, I then check the travel departure and arrival times. For my body clock its better to leave late at night and arrive early morning at the final destination. The actual plane and airport time is a challenge for me, but I've developed a few coping mechanisms which might be helpful for others:

Mario - travelling light, carry-on only

1. I try not to be too frazzled before the trip begins by getting some early nights beforehand.
2. I travel light, carry-on only. This takes the stress out of mucking about with luggage (checking it on, lugging it around, reclaiming it, having it searched, losing it). Its amazing what you can fit into the 7 kilo carry on limit. Very liberating, and it cuts down airport time on arrival too.
3. Once I've boarded I avoid getting into deep and meaningful conversations with the person next to me.
4. Instead I create my own little mindful world - just one thing at a time. For example I might listen to my i-pod for a couple of songs. Then, when the meal comes, I eat slowly. After that I watch a movie. I take walks now and then, when the flight attendants aren't busy in the aisles. I do some stretching in the stand up area. I keep drinking lots of water. I read a few chapters on my Kindle, then I play an in-flight game. I don't keep checking the time or the flight progress.This stuff runs and reruns slowly until the first flight is over. I don't try to sleep; I just keep going through the sequence.
5. At the stopover I get really active, drink lots of water, and walk as fast as I can around the airport. Once I'm back on the plane I take a half sleeping pill, put on the eye covers, and sleep through most of the second big flight, usually waking up in time for breakfast before we land.
6. Once I land I try to get into some daylight as soon as possible, so my body can register what time I'm in. I try and stay awake most of the first day, then get an early night.
7. Finally, the noise cancelling headphones are a real bonus. We share a pair, so I add some periods of time with them into my first flight when I get my turn.

I'm sure many frequent flyers have their own patterns and methods - I'd love to hear them. Mostly this approach works for me; I've never really had jet lag and I've done heaps of flying. So, this time its going to be Cathay Pacific, via Hong Kong - I'll let you know how it goes...

Lizzie