Ok, before I forget, I searched all over the net for a "recommended packing list for a one week trip to a tropical place" before we left. (As you may know. Did you notice that all of the google ads were coming up with solutions for "panic disorders"!) I found one in the back of a book in the Trailblazer series that reassured me that I could get by with a minimum of stuff to pack, but still didn't give me exactly what I was looking for. You know, that secret list that would give me everything I needed to do what I wanted to do and look good doing it. So for what it's worth, here's what worked for me:
My packing list:
flip flops (black- worn to airport, too)
tevas (for rugged terrain- black)
running shoes (not necessary if you don't run, or substitute a waterproof running shoe for both teva and running and save more space. If you plan to horseback ride or lava hike, be sure to take at least one covered shoe.)
hat- soft, packable (neutral tan color)
at least 2 swimsuits (mix and match is best- dark colors)
(I took 1 one piece suit for surfing- light blue print)
rashguard
board shorts
cotton shorts, knee length (dark brown)
2-3 cotton tissue t-shirts, short-sleeved (sea-blue, white, green)
1 loose fitting cotton t-shirt with surf logo (light blue)
1 light tissue cotton or performance t-shirt, long-sleeved (white)
cotton capri/pants (white)
knee-length comfy yoga shorts (black)
thigh-length comfy yoga shorts (black)
long-sleeved Indian-type cotton blouse (light blue)
long-sleeved sheer pretty print blouse/cover-up (green, brown, blue, tan)
sleeveless cotton yoga/athletic top (brown)
3 cotton camisoles (white, black, sea-blue)
(underwear, at least one pair for each day of the trip before wash day mid-way)
1 dark bra, 1 beige, 1 running bra
packable rain jacket (grass-green, super-light, packs to 2x4x5")
light wrap/sweater for the evening and the airplane (mine is bright blue)
1-2 pairs running socks
1 pair short black sockettes
My top five items:
-thin-strap black flip-flops with arch support (here's one source, mine are Reefs)
A little bit of arch support is crucial for day-to-day comfort. If the shoes are too spongy or thick, I also find that the rebound affects my knee injury. In Hawai'i, flip flops are appropriate for all but the most dressed-up affairs. I find thinner straps more versatile.
-knee-length, non-shiny yoga-type shorts (black)
-light-colored, long-sleeved Indian cotton blouse (light blue)
-reef-safe and UVA/UVB sunscreen
-at least two swimsuits (two-piece, mix and match)
What I wish I had:
Halter-style, good coverage beach/casual dress (maybe this one, maybe not, I wanted something soft and drapey)
Environmentally friendly mosquito repellant
Short skirt, wrinkle-proof (Prana makes this cool brown one.) It isn't really necessary with all of the other bottoms I brought, but I find I lean more towards pants and shorts, and sometimes I like to look a little more girly.
reef booties- easy to walk to rocky snorkel spots and comfy on the feet-- super dorky, though
What I brought that I didn't use:
2 pairs cotton shorts (light stone)
1 band-collar long-sleeved cotton shirt (white)
tan leather flip flops- these just weren't as comfortable as the black ones
printed cotton dress- wasn't very flattering on
nightgown
I wore a comfortable black cotton top with a light sweater (also black- travel can be dirty) and jeans for the drive to and from the airport, and I always bring a wrap of some kind because the plane gets cold. I take a structured purse/tote with a zippered middle pocket for the plane, and carry a small zippered wallet instead of a purse throughout the trip. When I don't wear shoes with socks to the airport, I bring little black sockies to slip on through security. These little sockies have also come in handy as indoor slippers and even reef booties to save my feet from fin rub blisters.
In general, the clothes I took were neutrals, with accents of light and dark blue and some green. My light long-sleeved tops were hip to fingertip length for rear coverage. Camisoles and undies or short yoga shorts double as jammies. Short yoga shorts went over suit bottoms to and from the beach.
I try to bridge temperatures by bringing light-colored, long-sleeved items and a few dark-colored, short-sleeved items, so that if it's a little chilly, the sun will warm me up, and if it's a little warm, I'll reflect the sun's rays and stay covered and cool. The temperature when we were in Hawai'i was very moderate, 70s to mid-80s, so I used the long-sleeved pieces more than I might have in hotter weather. The t-shirts I took were inexpensive tissue-tees, in colors that I think are flattering on me.
The only jewelry I took was my every day wear: silver hoops and a weighty silver choker with a white mother of pearl pendant.
On many days, I wore my swimsuit top throughout the day, so make sure yours is supportive and flattering, and take at least two so you'll always have a dry one. Big prints are more obvious than solids or narrow stripes if they show through a shirt or cover-up. I like a halter style that ties. If you're driving around the islands, you may change elevation and temperature, so I always threw the rain jacket, an extra layer, and the tevas or tennies in the car just in case.
Don't forget: sunglasses, sunscreen, music (airplane headphones if you have them from another trip), a good book for downtime. Waterproof bandaids and antibiotic ointment. Hand-sani.
Remember, when you are curious, compassionate and joyful, you look your best. (Thanks, Susan Sarandon for that quote.) Have a great trip, wherever you go!
Note 3/26/11: This trip was to the Big Island of Hawai'i, where the climate is much more diverse. For trips to other islands, research the climate tendencies of the side of the island you'll be visiting. For example, the Lahaina-side of Maui is much warmer, and you'll end up wearing more light colors, strappy dresses and thin cover-ups. You probably won't need your raincoat.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Happy Birthday Grandpa and Remembering Those Who Have Served
Today is my Grandfather's birthday! Happy Birthday, Grandpa!Unexpected rain and snow, and a long, long day yesterday are keeping them at home today, but there will be cake for sure. Grandpa has always had a sweet tooth. A day without cake, or something sweet, is not a day at all! Even better with butter!
I wrote about my grandpa around this time last year, as he has always been involved in preparations for the annual Memorial Day service at his local cemetary. I think that post deserves a re-read today.
******
Yesterday, I heard this story from Susan about a plane trip she was on last week:
Just before departing from Chicago for Detroit, the plane's captain came out from the cabin and tucked his hat underneath his arm.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today we have the honor of transporting Staff Seargeant ____ to his final resting place in his home town of Detroit. Please join me in extending our deepest gratitude and condolences to his family, who are also with us on the plane in First Class. When we land, I would ask for your patience in remaining seated and allowing them to exit the plane first so that they may accompany their son."
When the plane landed in Detroit, there was not a sound as the family quietly deplaned. A military battalion came forward on the tarmac to receive the casket. The lines of soldiers in their pressed, gold-trimmed uniforms saluted in turn as it passed.
Every single passenger on the plane waited and watched, silently, many crying softly, as the family walked slowly, quietly along with the soldiers, their arms draped over one another's shoulders.
This took about a half an hour. Not one person complained, tried to make a cell phone call, or shuffled their luggage. Each and every passenger on the crowded flight waited quietly and reverently. All the whirling details of their lives stopped for just a short while, as they contemplated the sacrifice that this soldier and his family had made.
The captain returned to face the passengers, hat once again tucked under his arm. He thanked everyone for their patience and cooperation. Susan couldn't tell this story without once again being moved to tears by the sadness and tenderness of the scene: the quiet dignity of the family, the respect of the captain, and the hushed reverence of the people on the flight. We couldn't help crying with her. I still can't tell it without choking up.
On Memorial Day, for just a few minutes, put aside the little things that make up the day and consider our national "holiday" on the most personal level. Each life lost is a son, a father, a brother, a sister, a wife: a family grieving. Whatever the "reason" for a war, if there is one, whether it is just or unjust, whether it is for oil, or land, or power, brave people go to fight for their countries, their families and their homes. Some never see home again.
This day is for them.
This day is for them.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Post You've All Been Waiting For
Ok, vicarious vacationers, here it comes. I'll try to keep the descriptions brief. We had a very nice time, no one got a sunburn, and we ate lots of fresh, locally caught fish.
The volcano on the island of Hawai'i was going off, so we had lots of mellow, overcast days. They call it "vog" there- volcanic fog.
Sorry, no pictures of us surfing-- who would hold the camera? We had so much fun doing it that I am devising a plan to take surf lessons before the year is out. Somewhere warm...
My friend Kristin's husband Ken nailed it when they caught me buying mangos at Trader Joe's the day we got back: I am still in tropical denial. I bought a pineapple and some mangos that day, and I have only put on shoes other than flip-flops to go to the gym. I think by tomorrow I should be back to normal.
One of the many cool flowers and plants seen from the lanai of the house in Kealakekua, on the Big Island. Avocados practically dripped from the trees, pineapples ripened on their...um, pineapple bushes (?) and one day Mike found a just-fallen coconut in the yard, husked it, cracked it, and we shared the flesh and juice. Brightly-colored geckos hid in the cracks in the deck, coming out to sun in the afternoon. Breakfast and a couple of dinners were eaten on the lanai, surrounded by the rainforest.
Sign and tiki from Miloli'i, "the last Hawai'ian fishing village" which was the subject of an Israel Kamakawiwo'ole song. The tin-roofed town sits on the blackened rock of a lava flow. Mike and I drove down to see the beach on a Sunday, and families were having barbecues at home. We felt like stupid tourists, intruding on their privacy ("Excuse me, but can you tell me where the nearest Starrrrbucks is?) so we drove quietly out.
How teeny is this gecko? Soooo teeny! Just thinking about him makes me talk in a tiny voice.
Mmmm. Mmmm. Poke! This is my absolute favorite thing to eat when I am in Hawai'i. Raw ahi, green onion, soy and seaweed. I like the cucumber and white onion variety best, but the fish above was particularly fresh and beautiful.
My, that's a smoking caldera you have there...
The radically diverse microclimates of Volcanoes National Park above.
This is a piko puka. ("Pee-koh poo-kah," try to get yer Hawai'ian on.) Piko= "umbilical cord" and puka= "hole". (People who remember the 80s: puka shells are little shells that have holes in them. Worn by that curly-haired guy from Eight is Enough, and Leif Garrett.) The Hawai'ians believe(d) that the root, or the soul of the person, otherwise known as the umbilical cord, should rest in a special place in order for their offspring to have a fortunate, or long, or good life, so they would trek way, way up on this mountain to a field of flat lava rocks called Pu'uloa, which is now inside Volcanoes National Park, to carve out a special little spot for each one. I didn't get whether this was for the whole umbilical cord, or just the little black bellybutton thing (ew!) that falls off after the baby has fully set and dried.
Each and every hole was carved with another little rock. Some of them are circles within circles, others are in the shapes of animals with circles or dots inside them, and others are just patterns of lines and circles, made by a family, or even generations of a family. There are 23,000 petroglyphs at Pu'uloa, and 16, 000 of them are piko pukas. Sixteen-thousand babies. Sixteen-thousand bellybuttons is a lot of bellybuttons. It's sort of a nice thought though, that the parents would go to all that trouble to make sure their kid got off to a good start.
Big beach, big toes. This is at Big Beach, on Maui, just around the corner from Little Beach, where most people wear no clothes. After a tiger shark bit someone last year at Makena beach, right up the road, I'm less willing to let my freak flag fly in the water over there.
Ahhh, our favorite beach. The view from our lanai at Napili Bay. (When you go to Hawai'i, not only do you have to spell Hawai'i with an okina in it, but you are also required to say lanai a lot. If you fail to say lanai enough, you are sacrificed at a luau.) This is a great little beach, though it can get crowded. I can still feel my feet in the sand and hear the ocean's rhythmic hiss. Aloha!
The volcano on the island of Hawai'i was going off, so we had lots of mellow, overcast days. They call it "vog" there- volcanic fog.
Sorry, no pictures of us surfing-- who would hold the camera? We had so much fun doing it that I am devising a plan to take surf lessons before the year is out. Somewhere warm...
My friend Kristin's husband Ken nailed it when they caught me buying mangos at Trader Joe's the day we got back: I am still in tropical denial. I bought a pineapple and some mangos that day, and I have only put on shoes other than flip-flops to go to the gym. I think by tomorrow I should be back to normal.
One of the many cool flowers and plants seen from the lanai of the house in Kealakekua, on the Big Island. Avocados practically dripped from the trees, pineapples ripened on their...um, pineapple bushes (?) and one day Mike found a just-fallen coconut in the yard, husked it, cracked it, and we shared the flesh and juice. Brightly-colored geckos hid in the cracks in the deck, coming out to sun in the afternoon. Breakfast and a couple of dinners were eaten on the lanai, surrounded by the rainforest.
Sign and tiki from Miloli'i, "the last Hawai'ian fishing village" which was the subject of an Israel Kamakawiwo'ole song. The tin-roofed town sits on the blackened rock of a lava flow. Mike and I drove down to see the beach on a Sunday, and families were having barbecues at home. We felt like stupid tourists, intruding on their privacy ("Excuse me, but can you tell me where the nearest Starrrrbucks is?) so we drove quietly out.
How teeny is this gecko? Soooo teeny! Just thinking about him makes me talk in a tiny voice.
Mmmm. Mmmm. Poke! This is my absolute favorite thing to eat when I am in Hawai'i. Raw ahi, green onion, soy and seaweed. I like the cucumber and white onion variety best, but the fish above was particularly fresh and beautiful.
My, that's a smoking caldera you have there...
The radically diverse microclimates of Volcanoes National Park above.
This is a piko puka. ("Pee-koh poo-kah," try to get yer Hawai'ian on.) Piko= "umbilical cord" and puka= "hole". (People who remember the 80s: puka shells are little shells that have holes in them. Worn by that curly-haired guy from Eight is Enough, and Leif Garrett.) The Hawai'ians believe(d) that the root, or the soul of the person, otherwise known as the umbilical cord, should rest in a special place in order for their offspring to have a fortunate, or long, or good life, so they would trek way, way up on this mountain to a field of flat lava rocks called Pu'uloa, which is now inside Volcanoes National Park, to carve out a special little spot for each one. I didn't get whether this was for the whole umbilical cord, or just the little black bellybutton thing (ew!) that falls off after the baby has fully set and dried.Each and every hole was carved with another little rock. Some of them are circles within circles, others are in the shapes of animals with circles or dots inside them, and others are just patterns of lines and circles, made by a family, or even generations of a family. There are 23,000 petroglyphs at Pu'uloa, and 16, 000 of them are piko pukas. Sixteen-thousand babies. Sixteen-thousand bellybuttons is a lot of bellybuttons. It's sort of a nice thought though, that the parents would go to all that trouble to make sure their kid got off to a good start.
Big beach, big toes. This is at Big Beach, on Maui, just around the corner from Little Beach, where most people wear no clothes. After a tiger shark bit someone last year at Makena beach, right up the road, I'm less willing to let my freak flag fly in the water over there.
Ahhh, our favorite beach. The view from our lanai at Napili Bay. (When you go to Hawai'i, not only do you have to spell Hawai'i with an okina in it, but you are also required to say lanai a lot. If you fail to say lanai enough, you are sacrificed at a luau.) This is a great little beach, though it can get crowded. I can still feel my feet in the sand and hear the ocean's rhythmic hiss. Aloha!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Some Pictures to Tide You Over While I'm Gone
Tide? What the hell does that mean, anyway? Remind me to post recipes for tzatziki and white bean dip when I get back.
One Week, One Bag
Ah, the joy of packing. Here's what I know: 1) I will attempt to create a multitude of outfit possibilities a la Glamour magazine, and 2) I will end up wearing less than a third of what I take, not including bathing suits.
I think about the features I've seen in magazines over the years about how to look fabulous on a week's vacation wearing only what you can stuff in a carry-on-- and can't remember a word. I pack demure, light-colored, long-sleeved skin-savers, crisp capris and carefree scarves (ok, maybe not "carefree" scarves), and within three days in the heat and humidity, I am strapless, sleeveless, and pants-legless, going to the grocery store in a swimsuit, cotton dress and flip-flops. And that's how I spend the remainder of my vacation. Calmer, tanner (sorry to Iga, and to my face) and less worried about how far from the mark of beach beauty I may be. As long as I stay far away from mirrors and any plate glass windows lurking near the scorching sidewalks, I'm good.
So I start out with oh, a pair of shorts, three light overshirts, a couple of t-shirts, five pairs of underwear, two bras and three swimsuits. Two pairs of socks. Running shoes and two pairs of flip-flops. Tevas. (Almost forgot those!) That covers strolling, hiking, and running, as well as walking on rocks to get to a snorkel (snorkle? snorgle? blbbblpp?) spot. Rash guards for swimming and surfing. Paddling/surf shorts for kayaking and surfing. A sweater or wrap for chilly evenings. (All 30 minutes of it.) Oh, then what if my pedicure chips? Nail polish. What if I get a sunburn? Aloe. Lotion. And on and on.
And then I ran out of time and had to go to bed because I had to get up at four in the morning. Don't hate me because I am going on vacation.
Here are some people who are better packers than I am: One Bag One World,
Pack light and happy
In honor of Mothers' Day: If famous people had had Jewish mothers.
Happy Mothers Day MOM, GRANDMA, Kristin, Karen, Tani, Tyla, Angela, Seena, Ann, Enza, Jen, Heather, Ali and anyone who in my bleary-eyed haste I have forgotten (forgive me!). You are all an inspiration to me. Keep fighting the good fight.
I think about the features I've seen in magazines over the years about how to look fabulous on a week's vacation wearing only what you can stuff in a carry-on-- and can't remember a word. I pack demure, light-colored, long-sleeved skin-savers, crisp capris and carefree scarves (ok, maybe not "carefree" scarves), and within three days in the heat and humidity, I am strapless, sleeveless, and pants-legless, going to the grocery store in a swimsuit, cotton dress and flip-flops. And that's how I spend the remainder of my vacation. Calmer, tanner (sorry to Iga, and to my face) and less worried about how far from the mark of beach beauty I may be. As long as I stay far away from mirrors and any plate glass windows lurking near the scorching sidewalks, I'm good.
So I start out with oh, a pair of shorts, three light overshirts, a couple of t-shirts, five pairs of underwear, two bras and three swimsuits. Two pairs of socks. Running shoes and two pairs of flip-flops. Tevas. (Almost forgot those!) That covers strolling, hiking, and running, as well as walking on rocks to get to a snorkel (snorkle? snorgle? blbbblpp?) spot. Rash guards for swimming and surfing. Paddling/surf shorts for kayaking and surfing. A sweater or wrap for chilly evenings. (All 30 minutes of it.) Oh, then what if my pedicure chips? Nail polish. What if I get a sunburn? Aloe. Lotion. And on and on.
And then I ran out of time and had to go to bed because I had to get up at four in the morning. Don't hate me because I am going on vacation.
Here are some people who are better packers than I am: One Bag One World,
Pack light and happy
In honor of Mothers' Day: If famous people had had Jewish mothers.
Happy Mothers Day MOM, GRANDMA, Kristin, Karen, Tani, Tyla, Angela, Seena, Ann, Enza, Jen, Heather, Ali and anyone who in my bleary-eyed haste I have forgotten (forgive me!). You are all an inspiration to me. Keep fighting the good fight.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Aloha!
Holy moly, I can't believe it's May already. May 4, in fact. I am SO sorry for being a lax poster. Have I been busy? Yes, I suppose. The last week just went by so FAST.
We are leaving on Friday for Hawai'i to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We try to go on a trip every year, so it's the same thing we did last year on our 9th anniversary, with a few changes. This time we are checking out the Big Island, which we've never been to, and trying out an inter-island flight. We had a bit of a scare a couple weeks ago when Aloha Airlines went bankrupt and we lost all of our reservations, but we managed to put the trip back together and stay on schedule on Hawai'ian. Snagged the last two seats on at least one flight.
The shopping is done, lodging arrangements are made, cars are rented. Swimsuits, check. Sandals, check. Hat, check. Sunscreen has been purchased. We've been trying to locate "reef safe" sunscreen for sale here, but it looks like we'll have to buy it there. We've used Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database, to try to find the least toxic options for lotions and bug repellants, too. Looking good.
I swear this time I'm going to pack light, calculating how many things I need to bring for half the trip, with a trip to the washing machine in the middle. Usually, I pack my bag a couple of days before and then spend the next 48 hours stuffing miscellaneous items into all of the crevices as I encounter them, so that in the end my suitcase requires the sit-on treatment to be zipped shut and would explode like a joke can of snakes if one of the fragile zippers failed. I really am going to try to do better this time. I mean, how many t-shirts and pairs of shorts do I actually wear when I'm there? I pick my favorites and the rest of the stuff hangs in the closet. If only I could know in advance what I was going to feel like wearing the most. I suppose I could narrow the choices of what I feel like wearing by eliminating half of it.
The hardest part is always what to wear on the plane, and how to make that work. We arrive at the San Francisco airport at some ungodly hour, in the cold and fog, and walk to a bus with our luggage, requiring pants, shoes and jackets. We then get into a freezing airplane and arrive five hours later in Honolulu, sit an hour and land in Kona 30 minutes after re-loading, where it will be a humid 80 degrees. I always want to be comfortable and also look respectable enough that I stand a chance of being bumped to first class should the need arise. But I don't think I ever quite manage. Maybe I should buy a pink velour tracksuit and some giant sunglasses?
You know, I'm a bit insecure about writing right now, because I came across a book titled, No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog and it made me nervous. (I guess this guy at rickyslunch.com hasn't read it. And he's pretty damn funny.) I do write about what I have for lunch, and also sometimes breakfast. Are you bored? In case you were curious, the second hemp protein powder smoothie was pretty good. (Apparently it's the "gold standard of plant protein"!) So good I bought a whole container, and I'm telling you, if I have that for breakfast, it lasts right up to lunch and I feel energetic and not hungry. My smoothie is usually yogurt, soy or non-fat milk, frozen strawberries, and this new stuff. I feel like I'm putting good, healthy fuel in me. Am I boring you?
I've been lagging on This Week in The Garden posts and Vegetable of the Week this year. The garden has exploded with flowers. The trumpet vines are going, the pink dogwood is done and the white ones are budding up and getting ready. There are lilies and irises and azaleas like crazy. You are not getting any pictures because I set the camera to take really giant pictures so that I can blow them up, and I needed to consolidate. Until that was done, I was reluctant to add to the load dragging down my processing speed. I have a boatload of pictures on my computer. A Titanic-load.
Oh look! Abbie has updated the appearance of her blog! They grow up so fast-- pretty soon she'll have flash animations and her own google ads. This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. If you get busy, if you don't blog, if you don't sit down at the computer and read gofugyourself and neatorama and dooce and icanhascheezeburger every day you will get behind and have to catch up. Which leaves you staring out the window over the screen at the waning light, wondering where all your garden photographing hours have gone. Then in three days you will have to go on vacation and there will be no hope for you. Am I boring you?
Go here: Make Magazine
We are leaving on Friday for Hawai'i to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We try to go on a trip every year, so it's the same thing we did last year on our 9th anniversary, with a few changes. This time we are checking out the Big Island, which we've never been to, and trying out an inter-island flight. We had a bit of a scare a couple weeks ago when Aloha Airlines went bankrupt and we lost all of our reservations, but we managed to put the trip back together and stay on schedule on Hawai'ian. Snagged the last two seats on at least one flight.
The shopping is done, lodging arrangements are made, cars are rented. Swimsuits, check. Sandals, check. Hat, check. Sunscreen has been purchased. We've been trying to locate "reef safe" sunscreen for sale here, but it looks like we'll have to buy it there. We've used Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database, to try to find the least toxic options for lotions and bug repellants, too. Looking good.
I swear this time I'm going to pack light, calculating how many things I need to bring for half the trip, with a trip to the washing machine in the middle. Usually, I pack my bag a couple of days before and then spend the next 48 hours stuffing miscellaneous items into all of the crevices as I encounter them, so that in the end my suitcase requires the sit-on treatment to be zipped shut and would explode like a joke can of snakes if one of the fragile zippers failed. I really am going to try to do better this time. I mean, how many t-shirts and pairs of shorts do I actually wear when I'm there? I pick my favorites and the rest of the stuff hangs in the closet. If only I could know in advance what I was going to feel like wearing the most. I suppose I could narrow the choices of what I feel like wearing by eliminating half of it.
The hardest part is always what to wear on the plane, and how to make that work. We arrive at the San Francisco airport at some ungodly hour, in the cold and fog, and walk to a bus with our luggage, requiring pants, shoes and jackets. We then get into a freezing airplane and arrive five hours later in Honolulu, sit an hour and land in Kona 30 minutes after re-loading, where it will be a humid 80 degrees. I always want to be comfortable and also look respectable enough that I stand a chance of being bumped to first class should the need arise. But I don't think I ever quite manage. Maybe I should buy a pink velour tracksuit and some giant sunglasses?
You know, I'm a bit insecure about writing right now, because I came across a book titled, No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog and it made me nervous. (I guess this guy at rickyslunch.com hasn't read it. And he's pretty damn funny.) I do write about what I have for lunch, and also sometimes breakfast. Are you bored? In case you were curious, the second hemp protein powder smoothie was pretty good. (Apparently it's the "gold standard of plant protein"!) So good I bought a whole container, and I'm telling you, if I have that for breakfast, it lasts right up to lunch and I feel energetic and not hungry. My smoothie is usually yogurt, soy or non-fat milk, frozen strawberries, and this new stuff. I feel like I'm putting good, healthy fuel in me. Am I boring you?
I've been lagging on This Week in The Garden posts and Vegetable of the Week this year. The garden has exploded with flowers. The trumpet vines are going, the pink dogwood is done and the white ones are budding up and getting ready. There are lilies and irises and azaleas like crazy. You are not getting any pictures because I set the camera to take really giant pictures so that I can blow them up, and I needed to consolidate. Until that was done, I was reluctant to add to the load dragging down my processing speed. I have a boatload of pictures on my computer. A Titanic-load.
Oh look! Abbie has updated the appearance of her blog! They grow up so fast-- pretty soon she'll have flash animations and her own google ads. This is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. If you get busy, if you don't blog, if you don't sit down at the computer and read gofugyourself and neatorama and dooce and icanhascheezeburger every day you will get behind and have to catch up. Which leaves you staring out the window over the screen at the waning light, wondering where all your garden photographing hours have gone. Then in three days you will have to go on vacation and there will be no hope for you. Am I boring you?
Go here: Make Magazine
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