OK, so maybe the dying metaphor was over the top. Well, how about a disaster? We were watching the local news, the local news, mind you, when there was a graphic report about a volcanic eruption in Reunion, which just happens to be one of the places we’re supposed to stop. No one dead, apparently (NBC Nightly News didn’t even bother to mention it – guess it doesn’t rate like Obama’s dog) – but the local broadcast noted that guests at several resorts had been evacuated. They had pictures of the lava too, which weren’t half bad for those who haven’t seen the “War and Peace version” at Reykjavik’s Volcano Show.
I guess packing for a trip, like running for a lifeboat with your prized possessions after the ship has struck, reveals your priorities. It’s now a bit before midnight, and we still aren’t completely packed. Actually, in truth, we’re hardly packed at all, except that I DO have three boxes of books and papers stowed away in our rented car and ready to go! Mary, as befits a B-school graduate, has pretty well taken care of business, but has only advanced enough in the packing sweepstakes to have piles of clothes scattered throughout the hall. Whatever, this is bound to be better than our first trip to Jerusalem. On that occasion – for those of you who haven’t heard the story – she got food poisoning at a restaurant dinner the night before, and Mr. Tucker and “the bad builder” (the unlicensed one) and I were throwing everything she’d put out into suitcases the next morning, unaware that we were packing both the “take” and the “reject” piles. Now that was an interesting departure.
I wouldn’t put this in the same league, only by the time we get to bed late and wake up early for our multistate drive down to Georgia, we’ll both be jetlagged out of our tiny minds. Which is why that’s all you’re getting tonight!
Showing posts with label packing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label packing. Show all posts
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010: BLOG # 2: WHY TRAVELING IS LIKE DYING
There’s a lot closer connection between death and travel than we’d like to think. This has certainly become apparent in the days before departing for our cruise. First, we’re now thinking of things which need doing, but which have been left undone. But are we doing them? – Well, a few.
There’s a lot of list-making, accompanied by the realization that you really can’t take it with you – at least not all of it. The fridge has been “excavated,” with lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) individuals being given what remains in good condition. An attempt has been made to tidy the place. People, some of whom may actually be interested, have been notified. We’ve seen the doctor…. We’ve been prayed for …. People have called up to find out when we’re going …. (You see what I mean.)
The one thing we haven’t done – and this just goes to show the close proximity between the two topics – is PACK! Yep, that’s on the schedule for tomorrow. We had visions of sending “suitumcases” off in December, when – for a fee- Holland-America will pick them up and deliver them to the ship. But that would have been too easy. We love a challenge – and we know who we are. So the day before our departure (we astutely planned an extra day to getting down to Fort Lauderdale for exactly this reason) will be spent doing what we should have done a week ago. Pack. Ah yes, there was that storm …. But we all know it wouldn’t have made any difference if the sky had been clear and blue, right? At least we didn’t imagine that we could fly down with all the various knickknacks we’d be taking. So what some guy from Nigeria almost did in Detroit over Christmas will, fortunately, not put the kibosh to our schedule. Now that’s foresight!
The one point of interest was the car rental. We put it off, and could only find rates quoted in the $150 a day range. That was before Mary tried playing around with pick up and departure. Charlottesville airport to Fort Lauderdale, about $150. But Charlottesville to Fort Lauderdale airport, more like $30. And where do you pick the car up? Charlottesville airport. Go figure … (we’ll be hitting the sack to be ready for tomorrow’s “packathon.”)
There’s a lot of list-making, accompanied by the realization that you really can’t take it with you – at least not all of it. The fridge has been “excavated,” with lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) individuals being given what remains in good condition. An attempt has been made to tidy the place. People, some of whom may actually be interested, have been notified. We’ve seen the doctor…. We’ve been prayed for …. People have called up to find out when we’re going …. (You see what I mean.)
The one thing we haven’t done – and this just goes to show the close proximity between the two topics – is PACK! Yep, that’s on the schedule for tomorrow. We had visions of sending “suitumcases” off in December, when – for a fee- Holland-America will pick them up and deliver them to the ship. But that would have been too easy. We love a challenge – and we know who we are. So the day before our departure (we astutely planned an extra day to getting down to Fort Lauderdale for exactly this reason) will be spent doing what we should have done a week ago. Pack. Ah yes, there was that storm …. But we all know it wouldn’t have made any difference if the sky had been clear and blue, right? At least we didn’t imagine that we could fly down with all the various knickknacks we’d be taking. So what some guy from Nigeria almost did in Detroit over Christmas will, fortunately, not put the kibosh to our schedule. Now that’s foresight!
The one point of interest was the car rental. We put it off, and could only find rates quoted in the $150 a day range. That was before Mary tried playing around with pick up and departure. Charlottesville airport to Fort Lauderdale, about $150. But Charlottesville to Fort Lauderdale airport, more like $30. And where do you pick the car up? Charlottesville airport. Go figure … (we’ll be hitting the sack to be ready for tomorrow’s “packathon.”)
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