(Re)Packing

If this trip to Sado doesn't happen SOON, I'm going to repack my luggage again for the millionth time. My friend keeps walking in on me as I'm rearranging all my clothes between the two bags we get to bring. I have to say that I'm proud of myself because I am bringing very little for an 11-day trip to a foreign country. It seems way too decadent that I get to divide my belongings between two bags. One bag is for the first 3 nights on our way to Sado Island, and a second bag is going to be shipped directly from the airport to Sado Island. No lugging up stairs or in crowded trains! That second bag has hardly anything at all in it besides omiyage. And the bag that we're going to be lugging around is really light and has tons of room in it for all the bachi and stuff I will accumulate along the way. It's just a glorified day pack.

I'm still trying to get rid of stuff, but since I'm bringing so little, it's hard to figure out which of the 3 tank tops I need to leave behind. Also helpful is that clothes these days are made out of high tech material that weighs nothing and is way less bulky than cotton. Also I have good experience from previous travel experiences so I'm perfecting the art of traveling light. When I went to Europe during college I brought along a couple of big fat books and a pair of heavy hiking boots. I never even opened the books and I wore birks the whole time. This time around I know I'm bringing one too many magazines (which I hope to pawn off on some other bored traveller) and I'm debating whether or not to bring a long sleeve t-shirt, since I'm always cold. I've discovered that in warm climates it's easy to get stuck in cold places because there is always an excess of air-conditioning. Last time I went to Hawaii I was freezing and when I went to Where'sWaldoMart I couldn't find a single hoodie. Can you believe that? Not one sweatshirt or long sleeved t-shirt was to be found. Not even a cheezy tourist sweatshirt. Tanks? Yes. Short sleeved T-shirts? Check. But nothing warm. Plus a long-sleeved tee may be some protection against the little flying biting things that we've been promised on Sado.

But I'm excited. This is going to be an awesome trip. I think that when this is over and I'm revisiting this trip in my mind, that I should be even more excited than I already am because that is how great and memorable this trip is going to be. I only get to do this once and why aren't I just savoring the fact that this hasn't happened yet and I still get to live it?

It's late at night. I can hear the tolling of the fog horn in the distance. Ashby Avenue is quiet. They're predicting heat wave here tomorrow, while on the other side of the country they're keeping a weary eye out for Hurricane Gustav. Tonight I got a pass to skip taiko rehearsal and it's funny that I hadn't even thought about that until just now. It's been taiko vacation this week. I've been enjoying the break so much that I even started playing my video game without feeling guilty that I wasn't practicing or preparing for something--very relaxing. Tomorrow is my last day here. I'm going to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit in SF with a friend and maybe get a bite to eat over there. It should be fun. Frida is awesome. Then I take a deep breath and plunge into this trip that I've been waiting and preparing for for a year.