Flying Out of New York, What Do the Lamas Do?

You know, there has been some talk lately about which electronic devices can be used on a plane and which devices cannot. There has also been some talk about turning all electronic devices off during take-off.

Well, I don't know what the true story is and if there are any universally adhered to policies for electronic devices on planes. I have however flown regularly for the past 12 years. And, I do try and always fly with Cathay Pacific or one of its partner airlines. There are two reasons for this. The first, Cathay flies most of the routes I need to travel. Secondly, Cathay offers great, GREAT, service, as do most of their partners. But, back to my initial point which I haven't yet even started to make.

So, I have used a set of Bose headphones, electronic headphones, for years. They were purchased exclusively for air travel. I'm sure they will work perfectly fine off the plane as well. For me they work great! A friend tells me that the Sony also work well. Regardless, I recommend them to anybody that does a lot of air travel. How they work is - aside from reducing background and foreground noise - they reduce the airplane buzz in your head which more importantly reduces jet-lag. That is the unofficial scientific explanation.

However, back to the point. I have never been asked on Cathay Pacific to turn off my headphones during take-off or landing. On one occasion flying on American Airlines between New York and San Fransisco, prior to take-off, I was asked to both turn them off and to take them off my head.

Now, what is most interesting is that on my most recent flight, which I am writing about now at over 30000 feet, I was not asked once to turn off my Ipad which I was using right up until the end of final taxi immediately prior to gunning the engines and taking-off. I would have continued to use the Ipad but I opted to close the cover and put it down simply because of the shaking of the plane. I was of course still wearing the Bose headphones. So, there you have it, my point. Rules are rules as long as they are enforced or people continue to believe in them. That is the substance of it - my point.

Now, with safety aside, on another topic of some importance, it is nice that Cathay has brought back the beef tenderloin for one of the meal choices in business class on the New York to Vancouver flight. For awhile, and I can't remember for how long, but, they were experimenting with food all too much for my liking. I was fortunate tonight. They bumped me from coach seating up to business class. A class to which I am not completely unaccustomed, yet not guaranteed.

I'm sure there are ways to guarantee business class seating. Aside from money of course. I have a friend who would likely know the particular Catholic saint responsible for arranging such things. Unfortunately Tantric Buddhism does not upgrade and modernize their deities as quickly and as efficiently as the Catholic Church modernizes their saints.

For Tantric deities, if I was to take a guess as to who could assist with business class accommodation, then it would likely be some form of a wealth deity, probably peaceful, but with the added feature of a red body colour - adding a little expediency to the mix - as colours have meaning in Tantric Buddhism.

To their credit, the Catholics have books which describe all of the different saints and especially which particular saint is best suited for each and every special human need and condition. Tantric Buddhism, however, does not. In the interests of keeping up with the Roman Catholics and modernization in general, Tantrics should upgrade and offer deities, cataloged and organized, assorted for all daily human needs and conditions. Towards this common good, surely there must already be a 'Terma' out there, hidden or discovered, that addresses such things as air travel.....what do the Lamas do?

(Written Tuesday night, 20th of December).

Jet Lag

It is 4:00 in the morning and I can't sleep. I did manage to get about 15 minutes a couple of hours ago but that was it. The image above is my idea of jet lag and sleeplessness.

I would have turned the TV on to use that to try and lull me to sleep but alas the box works but the cable has shut off. I fear the bill has not been paid. In the past this was a regular occurrence here in New York up until about three or four years ago. As many as three or four times a year the cable would go off because of lack of payment. No, I don't pay the bill. The cable comes with the apartment. I will have to check into it - pardon the pun. Hopefully the internet won't stop working as well. It and the cable are bundled together. However in the past only the cable TV would go down and the internet would stay running. How curious!

Now I am up and typing. I did a little work already and plan to do more - a few outline pages for HAR and then some cataloguing. I also put up two postings of updates onto the HAR News page this afternoon.

Back in New York City

Here we are once again in New York. The flight seemed a little long this time returning from China. The movies on the flight were good. A number of them were new releases that I hadn't yet seen. I really have to space out my flying so that they have time to change the movies. No, I don't sleep well on airplanes. My head stands above the headrest and if I stick my legs out too far then people trip over them and wake me up.

There was a lot of turbulence during the crossing of a certain section of the Pacific. A flight attendant asked the cabin crew about it and was told it was a patch of very high cloud that caused the shaking. I don't mind flying but violent shaking will scare the hell out of anybody. Aside from that it was a smooth flight.

Heading Back to New York

Well, the fun couldn't last forever. It was a good but quick stay in Vancouver and even briefer at the cabin. I spent time with some friends and completely missed others. The weather was very nice and it is always nice to sleep in my own bed either in Vancouver or the cabin, although the cabin was a little crowded.

Who knows, I may be back in Vancouver sooner than most think. If the apartment landlords where I stay in New York decide to redo the apartment roof in the next month or so, then I'll be back in Vancouver. I am on the top floor and it was shear hell last year when they did the building next door. I can't imagine actually living in the apartment while they take 2-3 weeks to redo the entire roof. Can you imagine the dirt and debris falling each day from the ceiling? Can you imagine the noise and irregular hours, working through the weekends? That isn't for me, better to be free and travel home to a noise free environment without dust, dirt and bricks coming loose and falling from the walls.

In New York anytime they say a job will take a week or two then it means it will actually take several months. You should hear New Yorkers talk about this stuff - it makes them crazy!

Back in New York......

They say it snowed in New York this morning, April 8th, in April! That's a far cry from the 90 degree weather in Delhi. I do prefer the snow rather than the Delhi heat with the dust, dirt and bugs. Arrived back in NY just after 1:00 p.m. today and cleared customs and the Delhi-like taxi ride into Manhattan around 3:00. A good friend told me about a natural (yea right!) sleep regulator that is good for jet lag and adjusting to time changes - melatonin. It is available from any health food store. Well it seems to work, not always, but often enough. It helps. Take it with caution. It appears to effect people differently. I have never taken more than two small capsules once in a 24 hour period just prior to sleep.

Thursday Morning: Well, it doesn't all seem quite like a dream just yet, although it was a very full trip with many meetings. A lot was accomplished and it is now time to try and bring many of the discussions into reality. Off to the office after a small stop at my favourite Belgian breakfast restaurant.......