It’s been bloody hot here the past couple of days—and I’m packing. Yuck. It’s not difficult and I use a great packing list that ensures I don’t miss anything, but ironing clothes is hot work. Actually, I don’t know why I bother. By the time I’ve packed, driven to Perth, put the bags on to a flight to the other side of Australia, dragged them into a taxi and then into the accommodation, they’ll all be creased again anyway! Futile. OK, that takes care of the ironing 😉
Of course, I have to pack for at least two seasons and at least two ‘occasions’. It’s hot and dry here in Western Australia, it’s hot and humid (likely) in Brisbane where I’ll be working for most of next week, then there’s southern California where it could be anything, then there’s San Francisco/Bay Area where it may be cool and wet. After that is Portland, Seattle and Vancouver Island, where it’s likely to be cold and wet. I haven’t even thought what the weather might be like in Hong Kong at the end of March when I’m on my way home.
Oh well, one polar fleece jacket, jeans, and a couple of T-shirts should cover most of the traveling time, but then there’s clothes and shoes suitable for work… Decisions, decisions.
The worst thing is that MOST of my suitcase space is already taken up with electronic stuff (power board, power adaptors, chargers for this and that—if someone made a universal charger that worked with EVERYTHING, I’d buy it like a shot!) and with a couple of bottles of wine in a solid hard foam pack. Somewhere in there I have to fit shoes, toiletries and clothes… No, the wine does NOT get taken out! It’s a gift for some wine industry friends in California.
The laptop and many of the papers (maps, copies of passport, insurance policies, hard copy of my presentation, Sudokus etc.) all go in the carry on laptop bag.
Already I feel like a pack rat and I won’t even be loading it into the car until early Sunday morning. Then there’s the stuff I’ll be buying in the US… So I’ve packed another bag that I can flatten until I need to use it.
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 