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Published: October 14th 2010
The day before my departure.
Preparing for a trip is a complicated, drawn out process. At least for me it is. Perhaps it has something to do with all those "packing lists" my mother gave me as a child, or the secret terror I feel about forgetting that
one little thing...That I will arrive in a foreign land without a pair of flip flops or my mini-hairbrush, and the whole thing will be ruined. Perhaps it's just guidebook overload. Whatever the psychology, the process takes me a long time. There is so much to consider, and worse, one must make choices.
What do I absolutely need, what can I live with out, do I take enough for the whole trip or can I buy more over there, can I still use these meds even though they expire this month...
The hardest part is picking a book. You only get to bring one because there isn't a lot of room, it must be something you can part with when you are done, and most importantly, it must engross you. Last time I went abroad, I read "Oliver Twist" and it took me forever. Not that it wasn't wonderful, but I wouldn't necessarily call the whole thing "engrossing." I am fairly sure this choice had something to do with Masterpiece Theatre and the the fact that Tom Hardy played Bill Sikes...but that's another story...at any rate, I have left this most important decision up to the last minute, and will most likely go with the first sensational book that I find at the airport "Hudson News." Aw well....
Finally, a confession: lately I have been participating in questionable behavior. If any of you have seen the show "Hoarders," you know what I am talking about. I find myself going on long, solo shopping trips. I spend hours in those big box stores buying things that I would never, in my right mind, seek out: mini-flashlights, combination locks, sample sized shampoo, quick drying underwear, embarrassing "just in case" medications...All these little treasures are brought back home, laid out on my floor and unwrapped, sorted, and packed away in clear baggies. Then, discovering I have forgotten to buy something, I go out again where I inevitably see ten more things that I need to have. They are brought back home, laid out, unwrapped, sorted, and packed. I estimate that each one of my little sprees has cost me between 20-60 bucks. I am hemorrhaging money, and I haven't even left the ground. But one thing is certain: I will be the most well prepared traveler the world has ever known.
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Kip Pierson
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Surprise for you.
You had a secret admirer last night at the bar...other than me. And he left both of us a gift. A free aerial view plane ride tour of Alaska. SERIOUSLY. No joke here. All we have to do is make it to Alaska.