Sunday, June 23, 2013

OMG PACKING IS SO HARD (And a potential hiatus)

Ughgggggggggghhhh you guys...I am teaching at a debate camp at Gonzaga University for a month.  That is not the ugh, that is going to be fun.  The ugh is the packing for a month of living in a furnished-dorm-apartment.  Dorm apartments are awesome in theory: your own bathroom!  A kitchen! Not having to walk around the dorm in a bathrobe while teenagers gawk at you!  The reality is, you need a lot of stuff if you're going to live in a place for a month, even more if you're not eating at the dining hall.

I am so mean without coffee right when I wake up.  SO. MEAN.  SOMEAN.  So I threw my office Keurig (one of the small ones) in a suitcase.  If I go, she goes.

BFFs.



As an inveterate list-maker, I've been working on what to bring for a month or so.  It's these last few days that are a real test of one's mettle, as you attempt to underpack instead of overpack (not gonna happen, overpacking is my default position).  I am not one of those people who can pack for a month in a backpack, washing my skivvies in the sink every night, see: here (not really, these people are expert packers, but the idea of wearing the same few things over and over just sticks in my craw).  The limiting factor WAS the two suitcase limit...but then I remembered Amazon Prime.

Why pack a hair dryer?  Prime it.  Curling Iron?  Prime it.  Mattress pad?  Prime it. Shampoo?  You know what's up.  Laundry detergent?  PRIME-A-PALOOZA.

If I had thought about this more, I probably would have just bought everything on Amazon and shipped it out there before I arrived.  Well, live and learn I guess.

Is anyone else out there weird about having your necklines match?  That is, wearing a V-neck cardigan with a V-neck dress?  Is that a super-Church-Lady thing to say?

Crewneck cardigan and V-neck dress?  I smell...SATAN!

Anyway, I hunted and hunted for a white cotton v-neck sweater.  I checked Banana, Gap, Ann Taylor (did snap up a black one), and of course Main Crew.  I reeeeeeally wanted their featherweight cotton cardigan in white, but it was all sold out.  I eventually got this one from the Crewlet:

What's your color, friend?

Somewhat reluctantly, because I need more of a true white than an "ivory" which is what this color is called.  Hoping it's another instance of a color misnomer and that it will be what I'm looking for.  Given that I'm leaving on Thursday, I had to ship it to the debate camp.  Will I be judged by a bunch of teenaged cool-kid hipsters for my love of preppy style or my willingness to shop the Factory version?  Stay tuned!

So during this month of high-school-debate-festivus, I'll be without my loyal photographer, which means OOTD snaps will be few and far between.  I'll try to do what I can, but stick with me through July and I'll be back much more regularly in August.
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7 comments:

  1. tiffany roseJune 24, 2013 at 2:07 AM

    OMG, packing for three days take me forever because I can't stand taking more than I need so I can't imagine packing for a month. I used to worry about having my necklines match but I've learned mismatched necklines are more interesting, at least that's what I tell myself. Laughing about white versus ivory or cream or whatever. Good luck surviving July!

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    1. DanielleJune 24, 2013 at 5:23 AM

      Thanks Tiffany! I am actually hoping it will rein in my (somewhat overboard lately) spending. Though obviously I doubt it, given that I can ship things there. The other nice thing is that there's storage for the summer folks who plan on returning--so I can leave the non-consumables that I've sent, plus a few of the things I'm bringing with me (fan, sheets, bath mat, towels). Not the Keurig though.

      On the color--yes I'm hoping the CFS's lower-end twin over at Factory has similar color "issues"--it doesn't need to be bright white per se but I'm hoping it's not a dark ivory. Fingers crossed!

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    2. DanielleJune 24, 2013 at 5:26 AM

      Oh and ditto on packing for 3 days being super hard...I travel to about 12 3-day debate tournaments a year and I'm getting better but it still always feels agonizing. I only let myself bring one pair of dress shoes usually and then plan my outfits all around those shoes. The nice thing about going for longer is that it's sort of more freeing (especially in the summer, bring ALL THE SANDALS!)...no debating about which sundress, just take them all, the end.

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  2. rebeccaJune 24, 2013 at 1:12 PM

    I too would pack my Keurig. And probably my Vitamixer. Where I go, they go. Have fun!

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    1. DanielleJune 25, 2013 at 5:54 PM

      Thanks Rebecca! Yeah, there was no way I was going to make it a month without coffee in my room. And I'm not even sure I know how to make coffee in a regular coffeemaker anymore...

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  3. wellfedfredJune 26, 2013 at 9:58 PM

    I don't leave home without a coffeepot and filters, I even have one for US use and another for 220 current. And I rarely can use the hairdryers most hotels provide, not enough heat or volume, so hairdryer(convertible) and flatiron come along too. Extra shoes, extra tops, extra undies, more extra shoes... I'm sure whole families moved halfway across the world with less stuff than I bring to one of Himself's college reunions. I soooo agree with your outlook, there's no point in committing yourself to be uncomfortablej before you're even out the door.

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    1. DanielleJune 28, 2013 at 11:48 AM

      Thanks Fred! As I was dragging 2 giant checked bags and a very large carryon (which I think weighed more than the checked bags) to curbside check in, I told myself "at least I'll be happy while I'm there."

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