Friday, March 16, 2018

approaching escape velocity

* I think I have enough clothing packed. Threw in a skirt at the last minute in case church on Sunday happens. (No one would look askance at me wearing slacks, but I prefer - from long practice - to wear a skirt).

I do still have to decide on shoes: tennis shoes, maybe wear the clogs (which would double as 'semi dressy' shoes) and maybe also carry a pair of Birks. I don't know.

* Books have been packed. Probably too many books, but I like to have a "safety book" (at least one more than I could read in the allotted time) just in case.

I didn't quite finish "The Cruellest Month" last night - 30 pages to go - but I might be able to read that before I leave. I want to know how it ends up, less for "who murdered the person" and more for "How is Gamache going to deal with the ugly situation where reporting someone for corruption is coming back to bite him?"

* Because of unpredictable temperatures in the sleeper, I also have lightweight pajamas, heavier weight pajamas (both in carry on that will be in the room with me), slippers, and one of those fleece blankets that folds up into a little pouch.

* "Comfort Ponies" have been packed.

* Yarn has been packed, as have the two in-progress sock projects. So I have yarn for a bunch of socks, the hippo kit, yarn for a shawl, and I also threw in a pattern for a unicorn/horse that an ITFF friend sent me for my birthday, in case I feel like I want to make more toys. (I think I will do this one as a plain horse, aka "Earth pony," and do it out of slightly-more-realistic colors. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it will be white with a pink mane. I don't know.)

* I got my meds and my mouthguard and my cosmetics and toothbrush and the hair pomade I use (there will be shampoo and conditioner there) and a hairbrush and the special-snowflake deodorant I have to use (hives - so I have to use an 'all natural' one with minimal scent or other ingredients)

* I have my ticket.

* I still need to go to the bank and also grab some water in case they don't supply it on the train. And I need to do stuff like set the automatic waterers for my plants and unplug some of the energy draining/heat generating appliances, and turn down the thermostat (though it's supposed to get hot here so I doubt the heat would be coming on anyway). And I need to figure out lunch, unless I grab a less-healthful option when I go out to the bank. (I do have frozen things I could defrost one of for a lunch at home....)

So I think I'm ready. I do want to do some clothes-shopping over break (I need another "transitional weight" dress or skirt, and maybe a new pair of lightweight slacks) and I need to get more of the "squeezy golden syrup" (it's reasonable at either the Fresh Market or Meijer's; it costs nearly double that off Amazon so it makes more sense to buy it up there and carry it back. None of the food stores I normally frequent currently carry it. (Oh, how I wish we had a proper import shop. In North Texas there IS somewhat of a Brit expat community so you'd think one would do OK, but....) I use it to sweeten my tea, and while it's not ESSENTIAL, it's very nice, and sometimes having nice things is nice, and makes life a little better.

My train is already slowly trundling towards Mineola, and I heartily hope it meets with no delays this go-round. (Last time it was delayed by many hours; I had to eat dinner at the burger joint in Mineola and then sit and wait forever. Though this go-round, if it was seriously, seriously delayed, I could delay leaving here a bit - that's one use of Daylight Saving time, I guess, you're less likely to have to drive in the dark in the evening....)

I have a couple of embargoed posts but otherwise I will be back in abouot a week.

1 comment:

purlewe said...

Safe travels!!