Thirteen Things about J. Lynne
- New panties — It’s like that old adage about your mother saying you should never leave the house without clean underwear because what if you were in an accident. Only this is to the extreme. I just want to make sure that if the plane goes down, no one is commenting on my raggedy undies scattered across the countryside.
- Blue Jeans — I don’t know why but for some reason when it comes time to travel, I only ever have one pair of blue jeans that fit and I can’t wear the same pair every day of vacation.
- Socks — The cats and the dog are involved in a conspiracy to hide all of my socks. I’m certain of it. I have like 50 pairs of socks and I can find 7 — not 7 pairs, 7 socks and they don’t match and I have some really cool, colorful, way out there socks or I did.
- New PJs — I just don’t want anyone to think I’m a slob. New PJs always look crisp and nice and I feel pretty and nice in them. For some reason after a month or two, my PJ pants and top always start to look really worn and faded and I just can’t stand the idea of going to visit family looking like that. Now if I could just find PJ tops for adult women that aren’t see-through or skin-tight — you know, something family appropriate, not something you’d wear to seduce Santa’s elves.
- A few coordinated separates — I buy a few clothing items that all match and are interchangeable so like I have five pieces of clothes that make 20 outfits. Usually I’m not that coordinated, but I have found that it helps make packing easier.
- Batteries — Everything needs batteries these days and I’ll need batteries for my iPod battery extender, my iPod portable speakers, and my Canon PowerShot S3 IS at least.
- Ziploc Baggies — In the 1 gallon, snack, and sandwich sizes. I don’t know how anyone else organizes their suitcase, but I have found that the best way is to use baggies. My make-up goes in one baggie, my medicine goes in one big baggie, jewelry goes in a tiny baggie, iPod connectors in a baggie, chargers for Palm and cellphone in another baggie, drink mixes in a baggie, and so on. I took nail polish once, but it ended up all over my clothes so I don’t do that anymore. Anyway, not only does it keep like things together, but it’s easier for the luggage searchers to see what’s what, especially if I use masking tape and a marker to label everything.
- Reading material — This year I’m investing in audiobooks to listen to instead on the flight and while knitting. I find they engage my brain, help me focus, and don’t cause cramps in my hands. With the fibromyalgia, I’ve discovered that the position my hands have to be in to hold a book causes sharp pains in my hands so I can’t do it long.
- Laptop case — It seems like every year for the last few years, I’ve gotten a new laptop case for each trip. This is because there have been such great improvements on the organization capability of laptop cases as well as the look and style. For England, I got a backpack laptop case which could also carry clothes and other amenities. This year, I purchased a more lightweight backpack laptop case which better protects the laptop and also has a well-protected camera case for DSLR cameras and their extra lenses — and though my camera isn’t a DSLR, it’s very nice and has accessories including extra lenses. I really didn’t want to check my camera, so this was the best option for me.
- Cat food — I have one of those big autofeeder things for pets where you put the whole bag in and as the cats eat, the food comes down and fills the bowl so it’s never empty so they can gorge themselves all they want. It’s the consolation prize since I have to leave them alone for so long — 11 days this time.
 If I could figure out how to get 2 cats and a dog on the plane, I would take them all, but at least I know that the cats can take care of themselves and the Puppy Godmother will check in on them a few times.
- Prescriptions — I have to make sure all of my meds are filled or refilled before I leave. My parents live in a small town in the middle of no where. My cellphone doesn’t even work there half the time. The odds of me finding a CVS there or in a town near there are very low and I don’t want to have to go through the hassle of trying to transfer a prescription in the middle of the holidays in the middle of no where. Besides, it’s just a good habit to get into.
- Twizzlers — There is no way I’m going to get through the stress of airport security, flying, and my family without comfort food. Two family packs might get me through the 11 days. Maybe.
- Extra therapy sessions — I’ll need a therapy session right before I go and one when I get back. First, I’ll need to prepare myself for the people who love me in very stressful ways and then I’ll need to vent about how they just never change and they still don’t treat me like an adult. Of course, my therapist will make suggestions on how I should handle situations to make positive changes, but she doesn’t know these people.
 She wasn’t there for the last whole family holiday where my Aunt stood up and told my Uncle he was the reason she was in therapy. Though admittedly, this will be a smaller group, that just means there are less people to focus the dysfunction on.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Great list, I have several of those things on my “to buy” list before I go out of town as well. Happy TT!
Heh. That’s quite a list.
I get round the sock issue by never wearing pairs.
Two TTs this week, one at Raven’s Roads and one at Raven’s RV.
You know what - I LOVE audiobooks. I still read books - both paper hand-held ones and ebooks (with my Ebookwise 1150), but audiobooks are such an easy thing to have on my little MP3 player. I also listen to them in my car.
Have a fun trip! Thanks!
Happy TT-13!
Smiles,
Holly
http://theabundanceplace.com
Holly’s last blog post..Red Hot Passion!
I always make sure I have something dreadfully bad to read. Like a chick lit novel and a People magazine.
zenmomma’s last blog post..Blog a Holiday Hug
I keep a running packing list on Excel with different sheets for each trip. Then, when I’m repeating a similar trip I already have a starting point and just need to update.
Robin’s last blog post..Well that was unnecessarily stressful
I love this list. I need extra therapy sessions just to get on a plane (fortunately no planes this year). And family holidays are always stressful. I am going to follow the policy of “Answer blandly.”
Leaving my pets stresses me out more than anything. We have a petsitter come by and I still feel so guilty I can hardly leave the house. But this is my secret. No one in my family knows why this is why I resist visiting.
The idea of audiobooks is a good one. I need to try that. It would keep me from getting distracted and prevent neck cramps.
The Flatland Almanack –Damozel (adorable animals behaving oddly)
Damozel’s last blog post..Journal for 13 December 2007—Christmas is Back. Sigh.
Hey…..me too going on a vacation and I agree on most of the things you have listed here…
I went ahead and purchased 2 blue jeans
and some undies and socks…but still I feel I need more of them 
About the changed airline rules….tell me about that….I have to stow everything in my suitcase and am keeping my fingers crossed that I may get the luggage immediately once I unboard the plane…
Hope you have a good time!!
Happy TT!
Thank you for reminding me. We are going away next week and I need to see to several of those before we go.
Have a great time!
nicholas’s last blog post..Thursday Thirteen #36
Sorry, I’m only getting round to visiting your TT today!
Lime & Violet is one of my favs. You can find their website here: http://limenviolet.com/
I was going to say that when I travel now I go onto iTunes and download a whole pile of podcasts. They’re free and there is a really great variety. There are a couple of really good knitting ones, that you might enjoy listening to while doing your own knitting at the same time
amypalko’s last blog post..Ever-Increasing Circles