Tag: Travel

Angst, Humor, Husband, London, Sad, Travel

Another Humorless Interlude – Hyperbole Will Return Shortly

“Anytime you suffer a setback or disappointment, put your head down and plow ahead.”
– Les Brown

Thanks, minions, don't mind if I do.

Kittens, I’m bitter.  Talking it over with Peregrine helped, as it so often does, to really organize my bitterness into manageable and coherent issues and I finally realized why I’m so disappointed – you know, besides the fact that my best friend and lover is moving to London without me.

The real problem is that I feel horribly left behind.  I gladly put J.’s schooling at the top of my priority list and considered my ambitions and goals on hold and never considered it a burden or bad decision.  I still don’t.  I can write from anywhere, but there are only a few really great schools for accounting and finance and I was perfectly content to go where he schooling took us, and wherever his jobs will too.   But suddenly, I’m not going with him anymore (and yes, I know I am eventually, but just indulge me in this mini sulk, alright?) and I’m not sure how that fits in.

I’ve delayed grad school or other academic ambitions, writing is hard when you can’t really devote yourself to it because you’re earning the bread/bringing home the bacon/whatever, and I’ve stayed an extra three years in my dinky university town waiting for him to catch up to me in schooling.  And now, the sacrifice I was willing and glad to make (and still am!) isn’t really paying out the way I thought it would.

I hear you now, “G’DUH, Small Dog.  Welcome to life, you whiner.”  You’re right, I’m sure, but that doesn’t stop the disappointment.

I’m grateful to have a job, goodness knows not everyone does these days.  I’m proud to be able to support my family and keep us out of debt while we finished up undergraduates, internships, and the first few years of marriage.  I’m ludicrously proud of J. and what he’s achieved and thrilled about where he got into school…

But what about me?

Yes, I’m perfectly aware of how selfish that sounds, but I can’t help it.  What about me and what I wanted and planned for?  Three years isn’t a long time in the grand scheme of things, but honestly it has seemed horrendously long to me.  I’ve been working a job that I can say I am grateful for and usually enjoy (and you can bear witness that the stories I’ve got out of it are amazing, eh, ducklings?), but I don’t want to be a police department receptionist for the rest of my life.  It’s a job without the possibility of promotion or progression.  Ditto really for the town we currently live in, and frankly most cities compare unfavorably to London.  J. really was the only reason I stayed where I am now…and he’s leaving.  I’m having a weird time processing that.

So, I’m bitter.  Six more months of slogging (yeah yeah, I hear you again, “Cry me a river, C.”) past when I thought I’d be moving on and forward with our/my lives/life.  It’s not the great tragedy I’m making it out to be, I know that, but it’s still not…what I planned.  And I hate having my plans messed up!

At the same time, I’m feeling a little smug that I’m holding up as well as I am.  I’ve only really whined to Venice, Peregrine, and Hennessy, and in the meantime I have packed up a third of my house to store (the reason for which you will just have to wait and see!), kitted J. out fully in sweaters and suits, researched places to live, made due when Her Majesty’s Government turned our plans on their heads, and generally kept on keeping on.  I’m tired, disappointed, but proud and damned effective.

Rant over!  Thanks for listening, kittens, you’re all sorts of awesome.  But you knew that.

Friends, Humor, London, Travel

Things To Do, Things To Do…

“I just got hit by a wave of sleepy.”
“Huh.  I’m scary hyperactive.”
– J. and C.

Today is J.’s last day at work.
This weekend is our last together in our first flat.
Four days left until we fly back to the East Coast.
Nine days until we’re in London.
Things to do: legion.
Gloom and sulking tendencies: alive and well.

However, a few phone calls with friends shows that they are going through their own sloughs and confirms that mine aren’t really that bad, just damned inconvenient.  I have not had a child I was babysitting urinate all over a several-thousand dollar harp in addition to having seizures.  No kids have conducted a drug deal in front of me resulting in arrest.  And good grief, Venice, you’re still laughing, smiling and going to work?  You’re a champ.

Packing commences this weekend.  Gah.

Humor, Husband, London, Travel

Such Sweet Sorrow, My Eye

“I would have to say loneliness is next to uncleanliness.”
– Janeane Garofalo

Today kick’s off J.’s final week at work, which means next week we head back East to see my parents for three whole days, which means two weeks from today we land in London…which means three weeks from today I’m back in the States, sans my husband.

I’m starting to get awfully depressed about the fact, but trying to buck up.  I’m useless if an emotional wreck and we’ve still got work to do in getting him settled in the UK…but I can’t promise I won’t collapse into a puddle of wimpy tears when I get home.  Dratted immigration law changes!

Small Dog...sulks.

I got really mopey last night as we cuddled on the couch watching movies – as evidenced by the fact that, when we ran out to get some frozen yogurt at the local froyo bar, I combined sour gummi worms with dark chocolate yogurt, a revolting combination.  Obviously my brain wasn’t working due to stress.  And then neither of us slept well, me because I was too busy trying to picture what it would feel like going to bed without J. by my side.  I can joke all I like about sleeping in the very middle of the bed when he’s gone (usually countered by J. claiming I already do anyway), but the prospect of actually not having him there for months is starting to feel…decidedly crappy.  To think, I used to like mostly being on my own!

Cheer me up, kittens.  It’s Monday and far to early to burst into tears at work.  What’s going on, good and bad, in your corners of the world?

Friends, Humor, Travel

Travel Wisdom: Scarlett
Learn to adapt.

“I’m in Armenia at the moment, where the plugs are a different shape, and for some reason, the standard American-plug converters don’t work with my laptop.  This would be a major crisis if the hostel didn’t have desktops with internet and Skype!  In the future, I will always obtain and triple-check adaptors and extra batteries for all my electronics BEFORE I hop on an international flight.”
– Scarlett, who is currently organizing a children’s orchestra in Armenia, and may or may not be jetting off to Africa to work in an orphanage next.  She also just finished a triathlon.  And what have you done with your free time recently?

Humor, Travel

Travel and Toiletries

“I’m tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep.  That’s deep enough.  What do you want – an adorable pancreas?”
~ Jean Kerr, The Snake Has All the Lines

We will talk about this next travel subject theoretically since it pains me a little and I’m trying awfully hard not to be bitter/depressed that J. is leaving in a month.  Well, so am I, but I’m coming back a week after that which just isn’t the same thing.

So, theoretically, when moving or traveling abroad for an extended period of time, you will save yourself a lot of time and money if you take your own toiletries, makeup, odds, and ends.  Depending on where you go the brands might change significantly and save you the headache of having to figure out (again) what products make you breakout, what acne medications you’re frightfully allergic to, or what not.  Also some countries currency exchange rate makes shopping for “luxuries” (you’ll notice the sarcastic air quotes, yes?  That’s because mascara is a necessity and not a luxury) prohibitively expensive.

Ladies: go through your makeup bag and get rid of anything past its expiration.  Yes, makeup expires.  And old blushes, shadows, mascara, and brushes can be a breeding ground for bacteria that can cause some truly nasty infections – which you simply don’t want to have to deal with abroad.  Clean out or replace your brushes.  Here are some good expiration guidelines.  Do a little research into your skincare regimen: how much does is cost where you live, how much will it cost where you are going, how long does it last?  Figure out if you should take a supply of your products with you.  For example, most drugstore facial care brands make me breakout so I use Clinique’s Three Step System, which lasts me nearly six months.

Next, figure out what you need to buy, and for heaven’s sake, use your experts!  As it turned out I needed to get rid of nearly all of my makeup (let’s not discuss how I found some eyeshadow that I bought back in high school…) and needed to replace it with a good brand that would last me a long time and not reduce my face to a bloated mess.  Luckily a lovely sales associate saw me wandering through the makeup section of Nordstrom and became my trusty guide.  I explained exactly what I needed and she produced a solution with the conjuring powers of a genie!  She showed me how to create multiple looks for day, evening, work, and formal occasions using just four shades of eye shadow, made recommendations on some other products, and alerted me to a future sale (so that I could get what I needed at a slightly later time for a lower price).  The ladies at Clinique did the same and let me tell you, ducklings, I left feeling empowered!

Gentlemen: same goes for your shaving kits.  Get ride of old razors, facial cleansers, and other products past their prime.  Replace them and, if prudent, stock up on spares and replacements for your time abroad.  Are there particular brands that you prefer (shampoos, athlete’s foot powders, hair products), if so take a reasonable supply with you – it will keep you from having to buy an entire medicine cabinet abroad and will get you through until you can find local brands or products you like.

Both genders, if you have prescriptions of any kind, talk to your health care provider and get a supply to take with you, or have them recommend a generic brand that accomplishes the same purpose that you could find abroad.  I have eczema on my scalp that requires a medicated shampoo for flare ups, J. uses a specific facial cleanser to prevent breakouts, so we’re making sure he (not I…hiss…) has a supply to take with him.

Consider this a slightly more frivolous yet equally important lecture on taking care of yourself abroad.

Humor, Travel

Crunch. Time.

“Voyage, travel, and change impart vigor.”
– Seneca

And, ducklings, I’m feeling vigorous!

Let no one tell you otherwise, it is impossible to do everything last minute and you need to give yourself a large bit of time to pack, sort, store, fret, freakout, regroup, and finalize travel plans.  Anyone who says differently doesn’t have your best interests at heart and should be shunned.

We’ve started the packing process for the house and although it’s turned our office into a right mess, it’s good to have a head start.  The original plan was to drive to my parents house and leave most of our things with them, but Her Majesty’s government sort of derailed our original plans and now my lovely in-laws have kindly agreed to put up some of our boxes instead.

I boxed up all of our books, and yes it pained me a bit, but why else did we invent libraries?  I have boxes of china that I’ve owned for years but never unpacked – out of fear of what my klutziness will do.  They’ll be put to use once we have a house with a dishwasher and cupboards without bending shelves and doors that don’t fall off, but need to be stored in the meantime.  We still have a few repeat wedding presents in our spare room closet that we need to get rid of (three grills!  We were given three grills!), and some odds and ends, but I think we’ll be able to condense everything down nicely.

J. is off in a month and a half and so we are also doing some last minute shopping to outfit him (which makes it sound like he’s going on safari).  A few new shirts for dressy occasions and interviews, another pair of khakis, and most importantly a new suit.  I’m a bit envious as all my favorite stores just came out with their fall styles and I’m craving, despite the heat, but I’m soldiering up.

Although, regardless of how much in advance you shop, expecting this sort of trip is just setting yourself for disappointment.

Finally, and I can’t stress this enough, minions, start shopping for travel early!  We found an amazing deal to get to London as well (although now we’re going to have to buy me an unexpected return trip a week later, but thanks to early planning, the financial burden of it is going to be highly manageable).  We’re also looking for deals for Christmas as the plan is for J. and I to meet up halfway at my family’s house on the East Coast.

This could all be done last minute (if we were masochists) but by doing it all in advance, we’re saving time, money, space, and stress.

Friends, Humor, Travel, Weekend

The Play’s the Thing

“Lord, what fools these mortals be.”
– William Shakespeare

The Shakespeare Festival was delightful as always!  Margot, Wrench, J., and I saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and enjoyed every minute of it – a fabulous production!

But it must be said, this vacation wore me out.  Hours of driving (though J. took care of that), ridiculous desert heat that meant we couldn’t be outside for long (me especially since I overheated stopping at a gas station to refuel!), and the brief scare of our Check Engine light turning on in the middle of bleeding nowhere.  Late night conversations, movies, entirely too much ice cream and candy, and way too much money spent eating out.  All very fun, no doubt, but exhausting just the same!

Yesterday was an academic break which meant I didn’t have work, so I tried to repair damages to my house as best I could.  But in spite of a load of laundry, two dinners made and frozen for the coming week, the whole house vacuumed, dusted, the kitchen cleaned, the floors all mopped, and grocery shopping, I didn’t get half the things on my To Do List done.  By the time J. got home I threw my metaphoric hands in the air and we escaped the remaining chores to go see Harry Potter 7.2 before crawling into bed.

How was your weekend, kittens?

Humor, Travel

Doctor’s Orders

“Health is not simply the absence of sickness.”
– Hannah Green

When prepping for a tramp abroad, ducklings, it’s important to get your health in order as well as your house.  There is nothing fun about getting sick in a foreign country where you may or may not know how the health system works so do your research (speaking as a girl who sprained her wrist in Turkey and was a little, ah, surprised at their hospital system).  Find out well in advance whether or not you qualify for a nationalized service plan or if you should get traveler’s health insurance to cover you in the event of a mishap.  For the best results, long before you go, get the basic preventative work.

Get your teeth cleaned and ask for a fluoride treatment for extra protection.

If you can, get a blood work up.  Find out what, if anything, is lurking in your chemical makeup.

(Gentlemen, avert your eyes) Ladies, get a pelvic and breast exam.

Are you on prescription medications?  Figure out how you’re going to continue to get the meds you need, whether it’s by utilizing the resources available to travelers in your land of destination, or by taking a large supply with you.

Have your dermatologist check out and moles, freckles, lesions, sunspots, or anything else that you weren’t born with.  99% of them will be harmless and the remaining 1% will be treatable if you catch the problem early.  If you have eczema, boils, psoriasis, cysts, or acne, it can and should be treated.

Get an eye exam and update your prescription as needed.  Replace any eyewear that is scratched, broken, barely balancing on the ridge of your nose, or otherwise past its prime.

If you have orthopedic shoes or other bracing, shaping, or corrective gear, make sure it’s in good condition, and still doing its job.  If you need to update any of it, do so.

If you have more personal issues of depressions, anxiety, or any of their tricksy cousins, make sure you are equipped to care for yourself.  Whether that means having a few visits with a trusted counselor to get some coping techniques for the stresses of the move, sorting out your medications, or just making sure you’ve got a support system of people in place.  Anyone who tells you psychological problems don’t have physical symptoms, you should just “suck it up,” or “it’s all in your head” is an idiot.

Now all of this takes time, and money.  If finances are a worry, there are programs like Planned Parenthood, free clinics, student health centers, and physicians who are willing to do pro bono work.  Take advantage of your resources.  Start working through your appointments a few months before you head out to give yourself time to diagnose and treat any trickiness that turns out.

Finally, and I can’t stress this enough, address any health concerns you have with a physician.  I don’t care whether it’s chronic headaches or the alarming tendency to pass out every time you turn left.  I don’t care whether blue snot is draining out of your ears or sometimes you just feel an odd shooting pain in your elbow.  I don’t care if you have hemorrhoids or hair loss, acne or agoraphobia, stress or smallpox.  I don’t care.

Why, you ask?  Because you are entitled to feel well, whole, healthy, happy, well-adjusted, fit and equipped.  You do not have to suffer through pain, anxiety, and discomfort, and certainly not without fighting back!  Take care of yourself, kittens.

Humor, Travel

Travel Wisdom: Accessories, Darling

“Accessories (i.e. new/vintage and affordable changeable bags, scarves, belts, jewelry, shoes, hosiery) can make or break a piece and change it up seasonally. It’s very, very hard to have any style without paying serious attention to accessories; too easy to focus on the major pieces then wonder why you look dull.”

– Caitlin Kelly again for the win!  Find her day to day writing at the Broadside blog, or her book out just this year (linked to it here).

Humor, Shopping, Travel

Time to Shop

“Know first, who you are, then adorn yourself accordingly.”
– Epictetus

Traveling posts return.  After you’ve gone through your closet and gotten rid of at least a third of it (stop hyperventilating, it’s going to be fine.  Fine, here’s a paper bag), you may become aware of a few glaring holes in your wardrobe.  And you should correct them – see, I told you there would be shopping.  Do you – or your husband who will be living there for 5 months without you – have a winter coat or rain gear?  Do you have a plethora of heels but no nice, casual shoes for day to day?  The clued up traveler recognizes when an item is necessary, but is also smart about obtaining it.  Here are your rules for shopping:

  1. Take a thorough inventory of what you already have, you don’t want to spend money on an item that you already own.  Or one that you, frankly, don’t need.
  2. Using that inventory, make a list of what you need to get.  Stick to it.
  3. Never buy something on sale that you wouldn’t buy at full price.  And never buy something at full price if you can find it on sale.
  4. Be honest in sorting things in the categories of “Need” and “Want”
  5. Stick with your own style, with one or maybe to exceptions.  You don’t want to kit yourself out in stuff that, upon reflection, you don’t actually like.
  6. Shun impulse shopping.
  7. Quality over quantity.  It is better to buy items that will last you a long time than spending more money replacing them over and over again.
  8. Shop wisely.  Is a sale coming up?  Wait for it.  Are there coupon or free shipping codes?  Use them.  Do your research, lots of companies use Facebook, Groupon, and email offers that you can use to save money.  Seek them out.
You're prepared. Shoulder your guns and go forth, minions. Everything in moderation though, eh?