Hi.

I had a question in last Sunday’s Ask the Ethicist in the New York Times. See if you can guess which one!

I feel stupid. I blame jet lag, although it’s been almost a week. I don’t know how people do it, the hopping over time zones. Here is Scott the day after we got back, as he attempted to construct a sandwich: “I’ve been standing here waiting for my bread to cook. But it’s just sitting here, being bread.” That made sense to me, when I first heard it.

Comments

[jill]

I read it over the weekend - and when I first read it - I missed the physical part of therapist... and then I thought it really UNETHICAL... I too also loved the comment about the manicurist...

Now you are really famous!

[Craige]

Why would someone with a legitimate blog bother to spam other blogs with the exact same comment? I assume I'm not the only one who commented on this entry who also got a "Good post. Just passing through, I'm liking the blog by the way." from HumanityCritic? It seems kind of insincere. Am I wrong in thinking that?

As for food preparing itself and so forth, you never know what raw chicken might get up to when left alone. A lot more, I dare say, than bread would. After all, chicken is funny, whereas bread is not. (Otherwise, there would rubber bread sold in novelty stores.)

[o.girl]

"But more disturbing: who wants a financial adviser referred by a physical therapist? What if he contradicts the stock tips you get from your manicurist?"

bwah - what a great answer!! LOL

[Georgia Jones]

I THOUGHT that sounded familiar.

[shannon]

That sounds like my level of intellect currently with the 8 months of preg behind me. Be the bread.

[Mir]

Craige, I got that same comment, too. Maybe his insincerity is the point. Or--OH!--maybe he's Alice's physical therapist!!

[Anita]

I'm such a geek that when I read it, I KNEW it had to be you! ;-) Glad you're back.

[Marigoldie]

Recently while travel-tired I said: "There are plenty of doorbells and doors, to ring and knock on."

I don't even know what I was talking about, but I knew I'd said something pretty brilliant.

[Running2Ks]

That is just hilarious!

[laura]

I'm a little worried - how does Randy Cohen even KNOW your manicurist?

[victoria]

Ambien. This is how to conquer jet lag. Take Ambien. You can hop across time zones with impunity and lose not even one single day to jet lag.

[Alissa Marie]

I know just how you feel. I have to travel extensively for work and function normally after my flight. It’s such a nightmare sometimes. I feel like no one puts two and two together to realize that people do get Jet lag and you just need some recovery time. So, constructively, I am taking my children down to the Worlds Fair for Kids next spring break and I am going to relax and have fun. No demands no worries, just play time with my children. And I definitely will give myself a recovery day before heading off to work again!

[Torrie]

You had to ask if it was unethical?

I'm still creeped out from when you first wrote about it.

[edsbrooklyn]

Your story reminds me of when we were interviewing therapists for one of my children. The therapist talked to my husband and me about our lives, and after about a half hour said to my husband, "It sounds like (name of child)'s the least of your problems. Would you be interested in talking to someone? My husband's got a practice in Greenwich Village. Would you like his card?"

We promptly committed my husband and chose someone else to work with our kid.

[skape7]

Jetlag?? I call it being a mother!