Bladder Envy

June 12

It was really depressing to turn on this laptop. I am writing this entry on the flight from Tokyo to Taipei. The clock on the computer, still set to central time, just changed to 6:00 am. I have actually been successful in adjusting my body to the 13 hour difference. On the flight from Chicago to Tokyo, after the meal I took some sleeping pills and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to sleep. The results were decent. I probably took 3 naps at one hour apiece. Unfortunately, now it is 7:00 pm local time and I am trying to stay awake long enough to get in the airport and get through customs. Still, I think I am handling the adjustment better than most would. With a good night's sleep tonight (aided by more sleeping pills), I should be ready to go tomorrow to explore Taipei for a day.

As many of you know (or if nothing else, as a few of you know very well), I have a tiny bladder. Just the sight of liquid has me running towards the bathroom. The twelve hour flight to Tokyo was brutal for my bladder and my kidneys. Since it took so long to book the flight, the selection of seats was limited to say the least. I ended up getting the middle seat somewhat near the back. The people next to me were both young Asian guys. The guy in the aisle seat never said a word the entire flight save for ordering food and drink. But boy, he was good at consuming liquids. Every time the flight attendants came by he'd get another can of something. Meanwhile, my decision to get another drink was based purely on how much that would speed up the process of me running to the bathroom.

You know that uncomfortable feeling that you get when you have to nudge the person next to you so you can leave your seat? Yeah, it ain't fun. Well, on this flight it was even worse. On the twelve hour flight the guy in the aisle seat didn't use the bathroom until the last hour. It was a truly breathtaking experience to witness. Unfortunately, that just amplified my tiny bladder even more. I felt bad for the guy every time he had to move for me. I got really excited each time the guy in the window seat needed to go, because it gave me an excuse to go as well. Ah, the joys of flying.