pack up your troubles

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I don't think I've specifically said this, but Robb will not be traveling with me to my father's memorial service. Thanks to that pesky spinal cord injury, he's not able to sit for more than about twenty minutes at a time. So that pretty much rules out flying to France.

I will be flying to JFK airport, where I'll meet my sister and her family. We'll all fly to Nice together. This is the same trip Martha and I made when we visited my father earlier this winter.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out what to pack. I'm trying to pack as few things as possible, because I suspect there's going to be no room for my stuff in the car. Still, I need to dress warmly. I don't want to burden my stepmother by needing to do laundry while I'm visiting, either.

I really truly hate packing. When my parents divorced, they came up with an arrangement that sounded equitable, but was in fact a total nightmare. Every month my sister and I had to pack all of our belongings and move them from one parent's house to the other's. If we thought we were going to need anything at all, we had to make sure we brought it along. All our books, all our toys, all our clothes, all our school stuff, it all had to be packed, every single month. My parents never seemed to notice what a burden this was for us kids.

To this day, I have issues with packing.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Just do what I do- throw all your clothes on the bed. Wear a velcro outfit. Roll around on the bed as wildly and randomly as possible. Anything that sticks to the velcro I take with me.

You probably think I'm joking, don't you?

It's nice if the clothes are generally clean. Try not to roll over the cat.

Robb will be a lot warmer than you will be, I bet. That California weather is dreamed of by people all over the world. So dont think you will over estimate how cold it will actually be in France in FEBRUARY. Take your heaviest coat, I suggest, by wearing it on the plane, and if you are unsure, just look up their local weather report online to see what's up.

How long will you be there for?


Annalisa
Grumpy Grinch said…
I can't decide what all to pack
Into my suitcase, front to back.
Blouses, trousers, skirts, and sweaters
Unmentionables and too-tight leathers.
A robe, a nightie, and some slippers
Hooded sweatshirts without zippers,
All demand to fly with me
Across the seas to gay Paris.
I'm allowed a single bag
Without a surcharge,
What a drag!
I tightly roll and firmly fold
As many clothes as it can hold.
Then strain to close the lid and zip
With grunts and puffs and much hardship.
I look down at bulging seams
And barely can control my screams.
I'll need to schlepp another box,
Cuz I forgot to pack my socks!
Anonymous said…
Grumpy,
I am totally in awe of your poetic licentiousness! I know at one time I compared you to Dr Seuss, but I was wrong. You've moved up a peg or two, to Ogden Nash!
-wassamatta_u
Kath said…
Sorry I haven't checked in before now, but I just caught up on your blog tonite. My thoughts are with you as you pack and travel. Lots of hugs. Kathy
Kristen said…
Coming through JFK eh? Care to get a drink if you've got a layover (either in transit hither or yon?)
Anonymous said…
I had a teaching colleague who suggested that the children of divorced parents should be the ones who get the permanent home, and the parents should be the ones that have to move in and out with their stuff every week. Who needs the stability more, the parents or the kids? And no more "I left my bookbag at my mom's house" excuses...

-Mama Bear

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