#crosspost to dreamwidth

[kijiboop]

So, today I learned that I am too old for energy drinks. I'm 41. I got a free sugar-free energy drink from GoPuff yesterday and figured, what the hell, I'll give it a try. This morning, I missed my usual coffee, so I grabbed the Ghost from the fridge and started driving.

I drank about four ounces. It tastes oddly like Sour Patch Kids, which was the advertised flavor. Considering it's supposedly sugar-free, this concerns me.

I hit work after my 35-minute commute and I feel like someone fired me out of a cannon. This is terrifying. I can't hold still and I feel like I've been strapped to the back of a bucking bronco only I'm the bronco and my brain is the rider unable to cling on for dear life. I can't make eye contact with anyone. I'm spontaneously shouting "wheee!" when given new information. This is bad. I'm an adult and I'm acting like a sugared-up toddler.

Thankfully, my coworkers are all about the same age as me and recognize the signs of Bad Decision Making. They're giving me as much benefit of the doubt as they can while I shake-dump the remainder of the can down the staff room sink.

[vividstitch]

The two weeks before any major trip are, inevitably, when I analyze every permutation of possible activities/expectations/conditions and create a highly detailed list. I do try not to overthink things too much, these days - there were a few trips in years past where I went embarrassingly overboard (think hand-laminated flip-card driving maps, in the days before prevalent phone GPS) - though this purposeful under-thinking mostly expresses itself in the small, one-weekend trips to my in-laws being dealt with entirely on a last minute basis. “Ugh, we’re leaving in an hour, I guess I should pack some clothes or some bullshit uggggghhhh.”

Anyway, so every time a Big Trip is coming up, I try not to over-think. Then I give in to over-thinking, and just focus on not over-packing - it takes a deceptive amount of critical thought, after all, to come up with 7 good outfits using only 3 pairs of pants* - and once I hash out the fashion choices, I set myself to anticipating the smaller necessities: all that random stuff I can’t seem to go anywhere without, and whatever side stuff I’ve got my heart set on bringing to amuse myself. For some ungodly reason, this always always always involves the purchase of a few minor, often admittedly unnecessary gadgets or totes or miscellaneous whatsits. (If it keeps the travel gods happy and stops me being unreasonably frustrated with myself for not having something, I’m all for it. Besides, who doesn’t want a snazzy new carry-on tote? kyoooot.)

Last year my Vacation Bring was watercolors - it did make for a couple pleasant afternoons (and a nice gift for my Mom) during the trip I took without my husband, but I’ve now learned my lesson and will never fly with liquid paints again. UGH. The year before, it was crochet projects. The year before that, I probably had an embroidery bag with me. Before that, temari (praying any checked baggage investigators wouldn’t question the 4 inch long darning needles in my kit).

This year, I’m going minimal - unless I change my mind at the last minute (and, granted, I have 2 weeks left to do so) I’m not bringing anything craft-related. SHOCK! HORROR! HOWEVER WILL I LIVE!** ...I’m compensating by focusing on tech - charger 1. Charger 2. Car charger. Tablet. Music player. Aux cable. Headphones. Earbuds. Headphone splitter. Bluetooth speaker. Camera. Camera charger. Magnetic mini tripod. (As of today, four of the above are checked off the list of this year’s pre-trip whatsits. Can I stop buying stuff now?)

17 days left.

* not because I don’t own more pants, natch. Because I want to pack light, and my Mom doesn’t care if I run a little load in her washer mid-week. ;)

** The plan is that I’ll be writing. With music. In every spare moment. That’s the plan. Fingers crossed, people.

[metaphortunate]

enter Kevin

One thing about Ghostbusters’ Kevin: my friend C (@xatharine HOW DID I NOT REMEMBER YOU HAD A TUMBLR) pointed out, Kevin is not a feminine character being played by a man, at all. All his obnoxiousnesses are masculine forms of obnoxiousness. He’s so comfortable in his own skin, he’s completely uninterested in any inconvenience his weird spaciness may be causing his female employers! He’s got total confidence in his graphic design skills! And he’s got no doubts that he’s qualified to be on the team and be a real Ghostbuster! He was born to be a Ghostbuster, and being born is all it takes!