This week, I've been quietly preparing for a 10 day trip to California. Which means, I've been packing-and unpacking-and repacking for a week. The inside of my suitcase is a sight to behold. I'd like to give a shout out to American Tourister for inventing these rad space saving bags that are basically ziplock bags that you remove all the air from and the contents shrink down to tiny parcels. I got eight long sleeve t's in one bag. In another, 4 t's, 2 tanks and two sets of pj.s Really. The space saved was so significant, I'm rolling with my small suitcase and a carry on instead of the big suitcase I usually take for week or more trips. During all this packing I learned something about myself. I don't own any practical shoes or socks. JPO was over last night and totally disapprovingly sniffed at my shoe offerings,"You'll break off that heel in the streets of San Francisco" and "don't you own any plain socks? One's that don't have monkeys on them?" I have alot of fancy vintage pumps that are as uncomfortable to walk in as they are fierce to gaze on and a variety of colored sneakers. Besides that, there isn't much to choose from. Most days I wear the same pair of black mocs. The shopping mission, I was given by JPO for this trip is a nice pair of flat dressy shoes. I also want to buy some new jeans, since mine are getting way too loose since I've lost a few pounds in the past months. I'm not going all the way to California to shop, of course. The main reason, is to see my friend, ME, who is my longest running friend. We're getting close to the 20 year mark. Yikes. When I first met him in ninth grade, I was wild about him along with a gaggle of other nerdy girls at our school. Not much has changed. We're still pretty nerdy and I still think he's pretty much the best thing going. I think the secret to our friendship is that we never dated and we live 3,000 miles apart. ME called me in July to tell me he was dissolving a lengthy relationship and looking to buy a house. He said I should come and help him find a house. As luck has it, he found a house already, so I can focus on suggesting fun stuff like furnishings and paint colors. I'm piggybacking some business on my pleasure trip by attending the Society for News Design conference in San Jose. I'm hoping to learn more about design and how to build a stronger relationship between photo and art departments. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do to occupy myself for a free week in the Bay area. On the short list are tours of Alcatraz and Chinatown (dim sum included), Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose, SOMA, shopping Hayes Valley, spending a fortune at Amoeba Music, drinks at the Carnelian Room, Supergrass or The Trashcan Sinatras on Tuesday night, sipping tea at Imperial Tea Court, hanging off a cable car, browsing A Clean Well Lighted Place for Books, and maybe finding somewhere safe to leave my heart. This trip breaks from tradition and reason probably in that, I'm not travelling with Cyndemouse. We pretty much go on all our vacations together-Seattle (2x), Portland, New Orleans, Montreal and California last summer. I decided to go on this one alone to see what it's like. Forced aloneness. I'll probably hate it. I hope I learn something from the experience. Next trip, I'm planning on rolling with the Mouse. I'm thinking about Prague/Vienna, Glasgow, Detroit, Vancouver and Iceland as possible destinations. I've made myself a California comp to listen to in the days before I leave. It includes Able Glass Note-Poem Adept, songs titled California by Phantom Planet, Joni Mitchell and Rufus Wainwright, California Stars-Billy Bragg and Wilco, California Sun-The Riveras, Going to California-Led Zeppelin, I Remember California-REM, Bird in a Cage-Old 97's, Metarie-Brendan Benson and some songs from The Laurel Canyon soundtrack. Well, I'm off for a four hour nap (what else is new) before I have to get headed to the airport. I've got all my travel superstition items in order-Hanuman medal, stuffed Grover and I'm ready to go. Once I had to fly without Hanuman and I almost cancelled the trip. This is the kind of stuff Cyndemouse tolerates about travelling with me that other people would probably call me out on my freakiness for. Have you heard of another grown woman that requires a stuffed toy and a Hindu god to board an airplane? I think not. Off to the land of sunshine and cable cars. Let the adventure begin!