Big Trip

So, many of you have heard that I am off to California and to Michigian to promote FWTI and my forthcoming book. I am traveling to PantheaCon and ConVocation, respectively.

I have already had the anxiety dreams. I miss a plane. I get lost in the airport (don’t laugh, you don’t know me that well, yet… ;). I don’t have enough room in my luggage. I loose my luggage and am forced to travel in the $1 bags I buy from my grocery store to keep from using plastic bags…I am in the airport toting around like 50 of those bags filled with my stuff.

As far, fetched as all that sounds…I started packing today and to my horror I have discovered that my biggest suitcase, my smallest Suitcase and my carry on suitcase just might not be big enough for all the stuff I want/need to bring. I stood in front of my suitcases looking down, feeling satisfied with myself and started remembering all the things NOT in them. I am a witch after all and I have two plastic boxes of witchy things that were NOT in my suitcases. Let’s not forget my cingulum, wand, athame and other ritual gear that is all neatly laying inside my altar and need to come considering I have already booked rituals to do while I am gone. One of my purses has to go in my suitcase and it is NOT packed yet. My daytimer has to get in my carry-on and it is NOT packed (sitting on my desk at the moment). My crochet – the plan to keep me calm in the air – is not packed yet. How about snack foods – nope I haven’t even bought them! Then I went to the bathroom and looked at the back of the bathroom door. There neatly hanging ready to be packed is my toiletry bag – the kind that rolls up and has four compartments? It is the biggest unpacked thing I've got and probably one of the more important things, considering that no one wants to learn from an unkempt person who smells. Disgusted with myself, I came in the office to write this and saw charging away preparing for my departure – my camera.

So I did what any other girl would do, considered the feasibility of one more bag.

Now the reason this should be funny is this: I am no girlie girl. I like clean sophisticated lines. I like organization. I think this is part of my problem. I run scenarios through my head. I am also kind of cheap considering this entire trip is coming out of my (I do mean Stone's) pocket and I think of things like: What if a publisher asks me to a nice restaurant? I need to have a cocktail dress and my cocktail dress is blue I should pack those matching shoes and purse. On and on and on it goes! What about ritual – Do I pack the winter ritual dress or the summer ritual dress? Better pack both I am going to California and Michigan…isn’t that like visiting winter and summer in the same two weeks? There is a masquerade ball in Michigan, Becky brought me a costume and who knew it would take up one side of one suitcase? What if I catch a cold and then want Dayquil? I have some Dayquil right here. I should take it too. What if I get so riled up I can’t sleep? I need to have some sleep aid with me.

Seriously, I went out and bought a nail/bolt/screw box out of the hardware section of Target (OK – two). I have neatly organized all emergency medicines in it. It is going in my carry on. I took the other one and organized my jewelry – I am a pagan. I have lots of jewelry. I even packed a broken bracelet hoping to meet some nice pagan jeweler who could fix it for me.

I was worried that I would stand out as a Southern. At least now I know I will stand out as an eccentric, overly organized southerner. I am going to make my ancestors so proud.