Thinking about packing

This is one in a series of boring posts,  which I hope you will find helpful about how I pack for trips so that I'm ready for anything and nothing gets wasted.  First you need to think about your trip and I give you several questions to think about before you start the process.

I wish I could say I’m a packing pro, but I’m not.  My conferences and meetings do not happen in boardrooms or ballrooms. I don’t possess a navy or black suit with three contrasting silk shells. I’m more of a skirt and sweater girl, but even that can be pushing it depending on the meeting I’m attending.  I saw more cargo shorts and polo shirts at my last meeting than business casual attire.

These days I’m doing more leisure travel which can be even more vexing in terms of packing.  I’m not confident I’ve picked the right mix of clothing types.  Will I sweat through every t-shirt I bring and what happens if I get a blister and need to swap out shoes? What if I get cold or too hot?

The great thing is most of the places like I go are in the first world and thanks to globalization – I’m likely to be within spitting distance of a GAP, so I can replenish my wardrobe if necessary.  Better yet, I can subscribe to the weather alerts for the places I’m visiting to get a better idea of what to expect on the ground. 

So, here are my rules to pack efficiently for a trip to the first world.  It takes time and a few iterations to get it right, just like product/market fit.  My objective when it comes to packing is to make sure that everything I bring get used during the trip.

Before starting to pack ask yourself these questions:

What is your packing goal for this trip?

Are you checking luggage?

How are you traveling? Will you be moving around or staying in one place long enough to dry your smalls over night?

Are you participating in an activity that requires event-specific apparel and shoe wear?

Are you the kind of person that can eat a ripe peach wearing a white t-shirt and have it remain white?

Are you averse to washing out smalls in sinks if necessary?

Are you okay wearing the same shirt or pants two days in a row?

Are you comfortable relying on hotel bathroom amenities and leaving your own stuff at home?

Are you planning or willing to buy new clothes on your trip?

How much electronic/craft equipment will you be bringing along with you?

Once you answer those questions – you can start thinking of the most efficient way to pack for your trip so that you can feel confident in your choices and not get cranky when you find you packed five pairs of socks and no smalls.

The first of the month

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Jul 10, 2015 at 4:27pm PDT

Hello September!  I managed to post each day last month - even if it was a photo with some terse comment.  This month I plan to do better - really!

I'm looking forward to a long flight with a new tapestry and some Orphan Black - now available to download on your i-device or a-device as long as you are an Amazon Prime member. I'm not sure if it will work if you are overseas, but like with many things, VPN is a great solution.

I bought a new suitcase this week - my old girl had over a million miles on her and it was time to trade her for something a little sleeker. I'll give you a report soon. Everyone has their issues with their bags and packing. I seem to have a great way to pack but at the last minute, I start to panic. Mostly this revolves around accessories and shoes.  

No one cares, but I know that you do and you can make yourself crazy.

Off to change out purses again and look for a pair of shoes to go with my purse.

Summer's End

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 31, 2015 at 12:25pm PDT

It was chilly this morning when I started in Portland and by the time I got to Wapato, it was roasting (relatively speaking). I love the high highs and the lower lows we're having these days. What I do hate is the darkness. In the winter, I love the first time it is still light at 5:15 pm and it feels amazing to be gardening at 7pm in April. By July, we're in a summer light rut - we have had so much of it, we stop taking it for granted.

 As I swept up have the branches from our big sycamores out front today, I realized that the light is fading so much earlier. While our house is light and airy most of the time, the front rooms don't get a lot of evening light - so everything feels dark and hopeless inside even as early as 6 pm these days.  I was happy to put on my jacket to sweep and prune just to be in the light.

I'm not looking forward to the next fifteen weeks of shortened days and weaker light. I'm trying to spend as much time outside as possible to soak up as many photons as possible. Its a coping mechanism, but it works.

Happy September.

Sunday in Portland Wrap Up

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 30, 2015 at 6:22pm PDT

Number of cups of coffee consumed: 5 (all decaf)

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 30, 2015 at 1:45pm PDT

Number of waxed mustaches spotted: 6
Number of books purchased: 6

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 30, 2015 at 6:22pm PDT

Number of tasty meals: 2.5
Number of not so tasty meals: 0
Number of needlepoint canvases purchased: 5
Number of dogs I played tug and catch with today in a needlepoint shop: 1
Number of rain showers experienced: 3

All in all not a bad Sunday.

I'm a wedding pie convert. 

Happy Saturday. 

September Goals

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 28, 2015 at 6:28pm PDT

My goal for August was to post every day to this blog and also to log my food everyday. I am doing pretty well on both fronts. Nothing has changed on the food front - I eat a lot, exercise some and would make my naturopath very cranky if she was to peruse my food logs.

So, what should I do for the month of September? I have travel, schedule changes, more stress and unlike some people hate chunky sweaters and boots.

Food challenge? Actually eat seven to ten servings of fruits and veg a day? Possibly.
Writing challenge? Perhaps post usable content?
Brand challenge? Stop being so schizophrenic and drill down to what I want to achieve with my writing?
Mood challenge? Try to not be so cranky?
Health challenge? Attempt to get over six hours of sleep?

SO.MANY.THINGS.

Do you think I'm up for it?

Now off to confess my eating indiscretions - thanks Alaska Airlines fruit and cheese plate.

Overshare

Because I'm going to Dinner with @uffda111 later tonight, I've decided to be good today 🍅🍏🍇🍆#berkeleylandia

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 27, 2015 at 2:02pm PDT

I took myself out to a lovely lunch today at the Cafe at Chez Panisse. It was my first visit since they remodeled and the rooms felt much the same to me, much like eating in a Berkeley home with all the wood, hard benches and the feeling that you are suspended in the trees.

What I did not love about my lunch as listening to the conversation carried on by the ladies lunching next to me.  I was not trying to listen, but the seats are quite close together and I was entertaining myself, so I had a book but not much else to keep me occupied. I suppose I could have live tweeted it like the woman who documented to a couple breaking up on her flight she witnessed in real time.

I heard more about polyps, mammograms, ungrateful and directionless adult children (hmm) and the tribulations of being the spouse of a trial lawyer that I had anticipated when I sat down. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure my conversations would bore you to tears, but I am not likely to discuss my upcoming colonoscopy while dining in a public place, especially when sound travels and we're sitting cheek by jowl.

For me it was also a reminder that polite conversation should avoid politics and polyps, especially while dining in public spaces.

Lunch, by the way was outstanding.

Today

Office view #berkeleylandia #theyearthatis2015 #2015yip #100daysofsummer #238/365

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 26, 2015 at 11:54am PDT

It is so late in the evening and I've given up on having anything useful to say. I'm out of words.

Maybe something will come to me tomorrow - after I review abstracts, find an electrician, meet with roofer and attend conference call. Maybe it will happen after I take myself to lunch at Chez Panisse where it is impossible to make an OpenTable reservation for one (WTF?).

Looks like the weather is changing at home. I could feel a change on Monday. I'm reaching for my down jacket for early morning dog walks and gym visits.  I love and hate it, but I have to learn to accept it. Fall is coming.

3/4 of the year is over. I'm not sure what the last quarter brings, but I'm certain something will change for the better.

To the South

In Berkeley for a few days....

Niche #berkeleylandia #walledgardens #thecomfortablefamiliar

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 25, 2015 at 2:29pm PDT

It was fine day for fig picking.

Some Fig #berkeleylandia

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 25, 2015 at 2:26pm PDT

and then some lemons ....

Home grown #theyearthatis2015 #2015yip #100daysofsummer #berkeleylandia #237/365

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 25, 2015 at 5:15pm PDT

I so very much missed the sunsets.

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 25, 2015 at 8:16pm PDT

I'm glad to be back.

The Comfort of the Familiar

The croquet pitch at the Four Seasons Lodge at Koe'le is one of those familiar places for me. 

Jacques, our previous basset travelled between Berkeley, Seattle and Northern B.C. for the first seven years of his life. He hated the flying and the kenneling that accompanied it. However, as soon as he arrived at his destination - he went straight to his water bowl and then to his bed for a nap. Ernest does the same thing - water, sniff around and nap, no matter how long it has been between visits.

There is something about having a well worn routine and a familiarity with a place that makes going and coming easier.  For some, it may be going to the same cabin every year or visiting family and knowing you'll be in the guest room with the really loud wallpaper.

This week I'm revisiting my old familiar, in a different capacity than before. It should be interesting and challenging and I'm clinging to the hope that there will be a little sliver of fun as well.

Sunday Wrapup

Can-Mari #theyearthatis2015 #2015yip #235/365 #100daysofsummer

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 23, 2015 at 9:10pm PDT

That is what we call Can-Mari - Seattle style.  Please note that some foods are much better in theory than in practice - Chioggia Beets for one, deviled ham is another.

I'm looking forward to the week ahead with some travel, a lot of work and hopefully a change of scenery that will lift me up.

To the north

#thgram #tothenorth #casabeagle

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 22, 2015 at 8:32pm PDT

Missing this view and the relative silence that comes with it a lot.

I'm plowing through errands and such at home in preparation for a busy week ahead.
I can't believe September is around the corner and with it - the last quarter of the year.

Happy Saturday.

Canning it

It's not kinfolky around here. Not pictured -salsa, poire belle Hélène And dried peaches. Tomorrow there will be more peaches to dry and one more batch of salsa. I'm knackered. #100daysofsummer #232/365 #2015yip #theyearthatis2015 #f52gram #canvolution

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 21, 2015 at 9:49pm PDT

What I accomplished today in the world of preserving -

Dried Peaches
Salsa
Plum-Apple Chutney
Poire Belle Helene - pear and chocolate spread
Tomato sauce

The damage -
one minor cut to my hand

The upside -
no pepper burns
no cracked jars

I love and hate canning this time of year - it is warm during the day, but the time the last batch of salsa that goes in the canner, it has cooled off enough to make it pleasant to be in the kitchen. I'm happy to say that after tomorrow's  next batch of salsa and the remaining peaches, I'm done preserving until the apples come in and we're inundated with another crop of tomatoes.

Last year, we did a pretty decent job of eating through most of our stuff. I'm starting to distribute the last of the marmalade and jams from earlier in the year and I'll make some effort to enjoy the remaining stash from 2014. This year, my goal is to have nothing go to waste.

In my desire to Kon-Mari my stash and make my canning a more pleasant experience (read: no longer dread), I'm thinking we'll skip peaches and canned tomatoes as neither give me joy.  Salsa gives TH joy and is easy to make and I would stand each jar of chutney up so that I could admire it before diving in and devouring it.

Summer's bounty

Ack. #nofilter

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 20, 2015 at 10:19am PDT

The harvest and preserving season is upon us and this year I promised myself not to get carried away. 

Easier to say than done.

I see salsa making in my weekend plans and peach drying and some plum chutney.

Don't get me started on the tomatoes.

Weary

Closed. #dailyernest #bassetsofinstagram

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 19, 2015 at 10:25am PDT

We grow weary of the weather and talking about it. Apparently tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 70s and I have a date with some mildewed squash leaves and quack grass.

Thank goodness.

Around the bend - the editorial calendar

The Garden at Great Dixter is a good place to take a nap, but it is not Paris. Highly recommended. 

I had some choice things to discuss today, but since today is nearly over and I just got around to writing, it is going to wait.

Maybe I need to start writing earlier in the day. Maybe I need to stick to my awesome, yet slightly out of season editorial calendar.  Why do I even need an editorial calendar?

Patterns are good. People like to know what is coming. The notion of expecting the unexpected is a in theory, much like when you hike and come across a marmot, but you knew that a waterfall was around the next bend because you were bright enough to look at the map before setting out. 

Editorial calendars set patterns– whether it is a Tuesday travel post or a weekly series of productivity hints that culminates a set of recommendations.  As a reader, you may have an inkling that Tuesday’s post may feature my suggestions for dining in Paris, so there is that waterfall you are expecting and sometimes you get the marmot that appears out of nowhere, like where I would go to take a nap in Paris when my hotel room is too far away.

I’m working hard to get to the waterfall over marmot in terms of creating interesting content without boring you to death or myself because I am struggling to figure out what to write.

When I walk the dog, talk to TH or look at my pathetic lawn (blog post soon), I get ideas for things that I would like to write about. Unless I write them down on paper or send myself a message immediately, those thought vanish into thin air only to be retrieved when something random comes up.

This is not the best way to operate.

So, back to an editorial calendar I go – nothing seasonal or kitschy, but something that works for me as a way to set patterns so that you can expect to see that marmot frolicking in the waterfall around the next bend.

Blue Monday

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 17, 2015 at 8:06pm PDT

Happy Monday. 

My Mac picked up some weird malware that hijacked my Chrome browser and it took me nearly two hours to figure out how to tackle it. I’m not sure I did the right thing, but I reset my Chrome settings, installed some malware software remover  that was recommended. I ended up ditching Chrome and removed the application. I may go back to it, but not until I’m certain everything is copacetic.

While I was trying to extract myself from this irritation, I realized that I could work unplugged and get more done with less (distractions). Why do we have this deep seated need to read status updates for things that only serve to muddle up our thought processes?  Why bother checking mail on your laptop when you can do it on your phone and be done sooner.   Why bother checking your mail at all?

Many companies are abandoning email all together and using tools like Slack or Hipchat to communicate internally and share assets via these services. I’m still not convinced that this is a way to conduct all communication or work, but how lovely it would be if you could unsubscribe from threads of conversations that you don’t really need to be part of  or tell the world you are away with a emoticon of a sleeping koala bear?

We tend to say the same things when we’re communicating by email as when we talk to our colleagues. While some things bear repeating, if this information was delivered quickly via a internal messaging system, questions could be answered quickly and succinctly and we could use that five minute water cooler conversation talking about solutions instead of setting up the scenario or problem we’re trying to solve.

Why is it that we’re so fast to answer a text and so dread answering email?

I’m going to try this unplugging while working for the rest of the week – maybe I’ll see a rise in my productivity or at least a decrease in my dislike for the sharing aspect of the web.

Miles from our home

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Aug 16, 2015 at 9:03am PDT

I never get tired of this image, this falling down outbuilding around milepost 93 towards Ellensburg. I drive by it a few times a year and every time I appreciate it even more - no matter the season, no matter how fast we're going.

My guess is that most of us have place much like this - whether it is seeing the wind turbines in Altamont, the Space Needle as you drive from the south into Seattle,  the first sight of the Battersea Power Station on train towards London, a house or garden that we pass daily that reminds us that we're nearly home.

These are the places that remind us where we're rooted and where we want to go.

I'm not going to lie to you. I have been a lot of places this year and I still have the hankering to leave again, somewhere familiar but somewhere I can always find something new to discover.  There is comfort in the familiar, no matter how far from home we are.

Happy Sunday.

The wanting, the waiting

A photo posted by Nazila (@nazilam) on Nov 11, 2014 at 1:09am PST

Waiting room - Terminal 2F, Aeroport Charles de Gaulle, November 11, 2014.

I'm in love with these chairs and want them.

 I also realize that although I want them, I don't really need them.

They are the same ones that one sees in Parisian parks, so they are even more lust-provoking in my heart and mind. They are also on sale - but not the exact style I want. So I'll wait, somewhat patiently until the right style comes along.

Waiting is hard. Waiting is something I'm terrible at and waiting is something I need to learn to be better at. I'm not of the mind that all good things come to those who wait, because that is not the way the world seems to work now.  It is more like the "early bird acquires the worm and fires all the worm's besties and shelves the worm's technology".  Its a worm eat worm world out there.

I'm glad this week is coming to an end.  I'm looking forward to the following week and hoping that it brings less waiting and more action.