Four days away from the vaguely friendly skies

I cleaned out a couple more boxes of crap today. In the process I found the last two things I had been seeking: my laptop lock and my pajama bottoms. (I had thought the word was spelled "pyjama" but Firefox's spell checker disagrees.) The security wire for my laptop may sound obvious, but what are the jammies about?

Last year I called my friend Gigi before I went to Australia. I wanted to get some advice from her about flying across the Pacific. She has to take at least ten hours of flights to get back to her country of birth once every other year. Thus she has put up with the bigger hassles of such an itinerary. She is also far too graceful to do it without style. She unloaded lots of amazing details and I wrote them down:

1. Change into some sort of pajamas once you get on the plane. Between an hour and half an hour before you land, change back into your civies. This will prevent you from stewing in sweaty clothes while you stand in line at passport control for two hours: you won't have a chance for a shower but you'll feel human. Also, the plane can be colder than you expect and your legs will not be elevated: pajama pants will act like a blanket over your legs.
   
2. You will sweat a lot during a long flight -- airplanes keep low air pressure and low humidity. Bloody Mary mix provides salt. Don't drink too much of it, but it's on every flight (often just as tomato juice or V8) when you need it.
   
3. Avoid sweets. What good is a burst of energy when you're stuck in a seat for several hours?
   
4. Bring moisturizer for your hands and lip balm of some sort. This will help fight the drying out.
   
5. Bring a pillow case. Shove two airplane pillows into it.
   
6. Exercise your legs -- leg lifts, et cetera. Get your legs above your heart before you get on the plane.
   
7. You may wish to take a St Joseph's aspirin to avoid swollen feet.
   
8. Avoid alcohol for 24 hours before you fly.
   
9. Peppermint tea is a relaxant. Bring it and knock your ass out.
   
10. Melatonin can help fight jet lag. Take it after you arrive but not before. One milligram is usually enough.

I've written about some of my melatonin experiences, although I don't know whether I've posted them. I agree with the small dose and I'm tempted to bring one on the plane so that I won't pay attention. Then again, I really don't want to hallucinate on a plane over an ocean.

I'm half packed, which means I won't worry about much before I leave. I am tempted to purchase about €60 so that I won't have a problem getting food or non-charge items before I find a working ATM. Then I'm going to take a nap.