Peg Herring's Blog - Posts Tagged "packing"
"Bound for Malice
It's been done before, and I know why. Bloggers need topics, and a trip is an easy one. So for the next week or so, I'll tell you about my preparation, travel, and experiences relating to Malice Domestic in Washington, D.C.
Today is Planning What to Drag Along Day: clothes, books, and assorted miscellaneous items.
We'll begin with clothes. Here is my process. I think about the things I will be doing on the trip, and carefully lay out an outfit for each activity. Travel clothes will be comfortable but coordinated. Appearance clothes will be chosen to hide my figure flaws as much as possible. I always pack a black sweatsuit (which my son calls my Ninja suit) to wear around the hotel room. It's non-tight everywhere and modest enough that I could wear it to breakfast or down the hall for a bucket of ice. Then the extras get added: sweaters and/or jackets in case the weather turns cold, an extra, neutral colored top in case of an accidental stain on a planned outfit (it has happened before), and jewelry to match appropriate outfits.
Then it's on to shoes, my nemeses. After thirty years of standing/walking on concrete school floors, there is no such thing as a shoe I can comfortably wear all day, so I shoot for best available, knowing that at the conference I'll change halfway through the day to give my poor feet a break.
There. The clothing choosing is done, today's task complete. However, I know myself, as Socrates said I should. When I am actually on the road and it's too late to change my mind, I will hate every one of these outfits and ask myself why I made such stupid choices.
Except the Ninja suit. That I always like.
Today is Planning What to Drag Along Day: clothes, books, and assorted miscellaneous items.
We'll begin with clothes. Here is my process. I think about the things I will be doing on the trip, and carefully lay out an outfit for each activity. Travel clothes will be comfortable but coordinated. Appearance clothes will be chosen to hide my figure flaws as much as possible. I always pack a black sweatsuit (which my son calls my Ninja suit) to wear around the hotel room. It's non-tight everywhere and modest enough that I could wear it to breakfast or down the hall for a bucket of ice. Then the extras get added: sweaters and/or jackets in case the weather turns cold, an extra, neutral colored top in case of an accidental stain on a planned outfit (it has happened before), and jewelry to match appropriate outfits.
Then it's on to shoes, my nemeses. After thirty years of standing/walking on concrete school floors, there is no such thing as a shoe I can comfortably wear all day, so I shoot for best available, knowing that at the conference I'll change halfway through the day to give my poor feet a break.
There. The clothing choosing is done, today's task complete. However, I know myself, as Socrates said I should. When I am actually on the road and it's too late to change my mind, I will hate every one of these outfits and ask myself why I made such stupid choices.
Except the Ninja suit. That I always like.
With Malice Aforethought
Day Two of Preparing for Malice Domestic: Now it's time to be sure I have all the non-clothing stuff covered.
I have packed bookmarks and books, business cards and copies of relevant documents. I have my passport (I know where D.C. is, but we may return through Canada, so there.) I have two suitcases: an on-the-road dufflebag and my official Malicewear suitcase. So what's left to do?
I need to make sure that my laptop has everything on it that I might need while I'm gone. I tend to forget to bring things like passwords and email addresses, and when I need to get into a site or contact someone, I can't. I know, there should be a file somewhere, and there probably is, but it won't be up to date and it won't be easy to find. Schedule that for this evening, while I watch the Tigers lose yet another game.
My panel is on the history of sleuthing, but I'm not the moderator, so I just have to discuss. That I can do. I should review the questions the moderator sent once more, though.
Then I have to make sure my S.O. can find things like cat litter and peanut butter, and I think I'm good to go!
I have packed bookmarks and books, business cards and copies of relevant documents. I have my passport (I know where D.C. is, but we may return through Canada, so there.) I have two suitcases: an on-the-road dufflebag and my official Malicewear suitcase. So what's left to do?
I need to make sure that my laptop has everything on it that I might need while I'm gone. I tend to forget to bring things like passwords and email addresses, and when I need to get into a site or contact someone, I can't. I know, there should be a file somewhere, and there probably is, but it won't be up to date and it won't be easy to find. Schedule that for this evening, while I watch the Tigers lose yet another game.
My panel is on the history of sleuthing, but I'm not the moderator, so I just have to discuss. That I can do. I should review the questions the moderator sent once more, though.
Then I have to make sure my S.O. can find things like cat litter and peanut butter, and I think I'm good to go!
Packing for Magna--with Very Little Method
I've tried being organized, laying out things a week in advance in order to not be last minute about what I will take to a con. It never works.
Whatever I've laid out, a week, a day, or even half a day before will become my most hated items of apparel when the time comes to actually put them into a suitcase. "What was I thinking? Those pants make me look a mile wide!" "And that necklace never hangs right." "Those shoes are sure to hurt after an hour."
Better to wait until an hour before. Forced choices tend to become efficient ones: these pants never wrinkle, this necklace goes with anything, and shoes don't matter anyway if the pants are long enough. And if I keep smiling, no one will care if I end up with one taupe stocking and one suntan.
Whatever I've laid out, a week, a day, or even half a day before will become my most hated items of apparel when the time comes to actually put them into a suitcase. "What was I thinking? Those pants make me look a mile wide!" "And that necklace never hangs right." "Those shoes are sure to hurt after an hour."
Better to wait until an hour before. Forced choices tend to become efficient ones: these pants never wrinkle, this necklace goes with anything, and shoes don't matter anyway if the pants are long enough. And if I keep smiling, no one will care if I end up with one taupe stocking and one suntan.
