I’m heading off to a conference today. I’ll be gone until next week in an attempt to get smarter. I like going to these things. I’ll have 4 days of not speaking to anyone that I don’t want to talk to. If a lecture is boring me I can go and find another one to listen to. I have free Jo Dee Messina concert tickets if I want to go to the show. This is as close as I get to decadent.
I’ve also decided that I’m going to dress like a girl. In my real life I judge my work clothes on their ability to repel blood and other bodily fluids and/or how much I’ll care if they are ruined by said fluids. I’m packing slacks and (gasp) a dress with fancy (but comfy – lots of walking) shoes.
Whenever I pack to go on a plane I’m reminded of stories that take place on buses or trains in developing countries. There is always a line in there about little old ladies who have packed full meals in their bags. I’ve turned into those characters. It isn’t my fault. The airlines don’t care to serve food anymore unless you buy it. Even if I was inclined to pay $5.00 for a airline sandwich, I can’t because they don’t have any vegetarian options. So I pack food. The SO laughed when we went to Colorado because I had a carry-on bag full of snacks. He hadn’t flown lately. He was properly grateful when he realized the sorry state of refreshment and the prices in the airport. For the flight today I have a bag of Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Combos. Those can entertain me for hours. I also have a few 100 calorie bags of white cheddar popcorn. I also have snacks for the ride back packed in my suitcase. I’d start to wonder if I’m being excessive but my SIL can lay out a banquet from the contents of her purse at any time. She’s diabetic and needs to eat in a hurry sometimes but she’s obviously concerned that she’s going to find herself in the modern day equivalent of the Donner Party and she’s going to be prepared.
I also put lots of thought into my entertainment options. My brain gets fried at conferences after 8-6 or later of medical lectures. My books are properly stress-free. Chick-lit only. I’m updating the movies on my IPod if even reading is too much. I also am doing something a bit odd. I’m taking my Colorado vacation photos and an assortment of paper in an attempt to make a scrapbook while I’m gone. I’m doing this because I might see my mother a few days after I get back and she’ll want to see pictures. I feel morally superior when I have my scrapbooks done in a timely manner. I say this because she doesn’t get hers done for years. They are beautiful and extravagant but she hardly remembers going to the places she’s making scrapbooks for. I always made fun of her for that but now it is causing her problems. In 2006 the parents, the ex, and I all went on vacation. She has the scrapbook half done. She has a bunch of pictures of the ex posing with her at the Grand Canyon. She says she’s still going to finish the book even though she’s mad at him. I pointed out that if she did it in a timely manner then she wouldn’t have this problem. She told me to shut up. I like making her grumble by handing her scrapbooks of trips I just went on. That probably makes me a horrible child but I can live with it.
