there's a little story my parents love to tell about me packing to spend a summer with my grandparents in arizona. i don't know what my mom was thinking when she let me do all the packing by myself (cuz i was five)(mom, is this story true?), but lore has it that when i arrived in Hot & Arid, that all i had was a suitcase full of books. (i'm pretty sure this story is true).
to this day i still do it. and when i say to this day, i do indeed mean this day. i'm writing from southern california, having zipped on down the coast just a few hours ago. starting tomorrow my dad and i are heading east east east for a quick five- or six-day trip into the great land of amazing shades of tan and olive. and i just unpacked a few things, getting ready for bed and all and i thought, good lord what in the world is making this side of the bag so dang darn heavy?!
five books and two journals.
(and i only packed six hours ago, so you'd think i would remember.).
and i'm thinking about getting a sixth because (this is where i lose all credibility, you roll your eyes and move on to the next blog on your list of clicks) oprah (yeah, i know, i told you) named one hundred years of solitude (oh shoot, or was it love in the time of cholera) as the book of the month. and i've tried. lord knows i have tried to get through a marquez book and i have failed. failed like a lame-ass, good-for-nothing, no-reading, trash-talking, trailer-parkin', montel-watching, republican-voting, english-minor wannabe. but, i'm ready to give it another go and jump in and make myself read it. and i will like it.
but back to packing. i'm going to tell you why i am a lousy packer and it is not the obvious answer of "because you pack at the last minute." yeah, i do pack at the last minute, but after living with and/or near my family for well over 30 years now, i've noticed that they do it too and have decided it's just genetics doing its thing.
but, how i suck is, i seem to only pack for the weather i am currently experiencing ("weather" can also include current inside temperature.). i knew it was supposed to rain in arizona. i got on the internet. i checked it out (mid 50s and wet). yet, i could not bring myself to pack a sweater or even a long sleeved shirt. okay. at the last minute i threw a long-sleeved shirt in, but only because i thought i needed an extra clothing option. it was a beautiful day today. and warm. and lovely. and i just couldn't get in the winter mood.
okay. now you can roll your eyes and click on to the next blog. good grief. long drives leave me chatty. carry on.
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