Daily LA diary 2: a never-ending jet lag

As I’m currently two weeks in to this trip, I figured I had it all down to a T. I know the cool coffee spots (Intelligentsia and Bottega Louie), the best lunch places (Urth Cafe and Forage) and bars (Teddy’s and Cha Cha) so I’m practically a local, no?

Well… not exactly. Because as much as I try to adapt to all things LA, my body is still in one time zone and my head is in another. Establishing a routine for eating healthy (as if I do that back home, who am I kidding here) and sleeping on time has been the biggest challenge so far.

With Skype meetings often planned at midnight LA time – when Europe is just getting started – I constantly find myself staying up until two or three at night. Now I’ve always been a night owl, getting by on too little sleep for as long as I can remember, so I thought I could easily manage. But as it turns out, to take on a new town you’ll need all the extra energy you can get. And a permanent sense of jet lag isn’t exactly helping.

After some internal debate (it must feel sooo good to doze off with just one tiny pill) I decided not to cave at the endlessly long isles of sleeping medication at CVS. Man, there’s a lot you can get without a receipt here. But it’s one thing to be addicted to ear piercings, sleeping pills is a whole other level. Instead I looked for a natural solution to combat my ‘issues’. Those being; under eye bags, a constant craving for high-calory foods and an overall sense of fatigue.

Living a healthy lifestyle is a big priority for many people here, so without even having to try I bumped in to a top-of-the-bill juice bar. Quite literally so too; their magic mixtures of slow juiced fruits and veggies range from nine to twelve dollars a bottle. All in the name of good health and cute package design though, so I’m taking all that’s left on my bank account there tomorrow. (My wild guess is that that will get me two-and-a-half smoothies. Oops). Designer vitamins, enzymes and minerals, I’m coming for ya.