I’m realizing that I haven’t packed for a gig away from home in over a year, and I”m a bit overwhelmed. (Relocating to Virginia for three months is a completely different sort of packing…)
So many gadgets to pack (laptop, iPod, steamer, my new roll-up piano!) along with their accompanying chords... I have pocket folders filled with papers: Barber translations and notes on ornaments, Figaro translations (for drilling), paperwork for the company (contracts, schedules, etc.), note cards and bank envelopes. I think about which comforts of home to take - slippers, a few pictures - and which to leave - big fluffy robe, kitchen knives (essential on longer gigs; I can’t cook without them!). Which books to pack is always something I stew over, although on this trip it’s easy: my Barber score! Not much time for recreational reading these days...
I used to have little zipper bags with various categories of travel stuff in them - a mini-pharmacy, various groups of toiletries, cables and chargers - but a year and a half at home has dispersed all of their contents. Today I’ve been reorganizing, regrouping, in order to make the packings and unpackings of the next few months go a bit more smoothly. I found my “airplane survival bag,” which has such travel necessities as an eye mask, ear plugs, lotion, toothpaste, Zicam and various other meds, even an extra set of earphones. A well-stocked bag, but obviously put together back when I did more traveling!
One good thing about moving into a whole new environment is that no one there has seen any of my clothes! So even though I was feeling a bit “meh” about my wardrobe these days (I somehow managed to get through January without hitting a single sale!!), everything will be new in the eyes of my new colleagues. Granted, it’s cold enough in MI that I’ll be mainly concerned with warmth, but style will always be an aim, so I’m taking my plaid corduroy pants (Free People, for those who care). Add some silk long johns underneath and I’ll be warm and stylish! Although it looks like it won’t be much colder there than here, with the major difference of SNOW! I’m looking forward to a real winter, I think, although I’m not crazy about driving in it…
I’ve been alternating packing binges with study sessions, and I’m feeling pretty good about things. I’ll still be up all night, though, ‘cuz I can never sleep the night before I travel…
Back to work! More from the Great Lake State in a few days!
2 comments:
What with the temperature only in the mid-20s, you should be fine. Exactly what Arctic wasteland are you packing for?
Yes, yes, I see that now. But you know full well that last week it was 4 degrees!! And snow? We've seen hardly a flake here in the city. Arctic wasteland, here I come!
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