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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Welcome to Packing For a Trip

I wish I had enough time and money to travel the world. I would love to say that I've been on every continent. If I had thought about it, I would have tried to travel more when I was still a student. Unfortunately I didn't. Now that I'm no longer a student, it's harder to find the time (and sometimes money) for travel. Most of my traveling time is used to go to visit family (or moving because I've been doing a lot of that too). I've also traveled for work, which carry an entirely different set of rules than when traveling for fun.


I prefer to travel by car. Though long road trips can be taxing, I can pack everything I need. I don't have to worry too much about what I pack (as long as I remember a change of socks that is) and I have plenty of room to fit all my luggage.

If I can't travel by car, then I usually go by train or plane. I like taking the train for short trips. There really isn't a lot of room for big bags unless you are going from one of the big stations, but it's a lot more relaxing and I can read while the train takes me to my destination. I traveled a lot by train when I lived in Maryland. It was convient. I've even taken the train from Washington D.C. to New Orleans. It took 13 hours and I hardly got any sleep, but it was so much fun.

Traveling by plane is probably my least favorite (I'm not talking about boats or ships today because I haven't taken many to far away places). There're a lot of hoops to jump through and it's very expensive. Packing for a plane trip is also a pain. I don't like checking bags because of the fees and horror stories about loosing luggage. It's always a risk that the flight will loose a bag, even if it's not actually that big of one.

Packing can be the biggest challenge of any trip. I usually make a check list for each day of what I will wear and then add one or two more shirts, an extra pair of socks, and a few other pieces of clothing just to be safe. I never know when I might have a fashion emergency. If I can get away with not having toiletries, I don't bring any with me.

If I'm traveling for work, I make sure I have very nice cloths (even while en route to my destination). I keep my laptop in an easy to get to location and I try to arrive early. Going to visit family is easy because they usually have anything I might forget at home (sorry mom but it's true). Though holiday travel can be difficult with how crazy everying is.

Traveling for pleasure is very different. I have a very long check list of things I need to bring with extra space in my bag for souvenirs and gifts I buy along the way. I can't forget anything because it'll be expensive to replace (like chargers or shampoo) or I have to do without entirely (my glasses for instance). If I'm traveling by plane I need to make sure I don't have any banned items and to remember to check in 24 hours in advance.

The list seems endless.

My mom just might be the master at packing bags for flying though. I don't know how she did it, but my sister, mom, and I lived out of one bag a couple of times. It was so we have an extra bag free for he things we brought on the road.

Traveling is expensive, but I'm always happy when I can. Whether to reconnect with family or explore a new place, I find I have a good time. Sometimes I learn new things, other times I'm just there to relax.

Until next week and may the wind always be at your back.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.


Sunday, September 18, 2016

Welcome to Fresh Picked Apples and Pumpkin Spice

Fall official starts next week guys! Who's excited? I know I am. Fall is my favorite time of year. There are bright colors everywhere, so many delicious things to eat, and of course Halloween! It's both nostalgic and a look towards the future.

It might drive me a little crazy how early somethings for fall start going up. Walk into any store that sells beer in August and you'll find an entire wall dedicated to the pumpkin beers (not that I should complain, so many different flavors). I started seeing ads for Halloween decorations in July. And pumpkin spice lattes are inescapable by Memorial Day weekend. It can be a bit of an overload.

So many different types of food in different shades of red and yellow.
Some days I want to stand on a corner handing out pumpkin flavored food. "And you get a pumpkin spice latte! And you get a pumpkin bread! Everybody gets pumpkin flavored things!"

It's amazing how we as a society have hyped up these fall foods and flavors. Sure all things Christmas are also inescapable (even before Thanksgiving) for a solid two months. I may occasionally want to bang my head against something when I hear the Christmas Shoes song one too many times.

Then it all suddenly ends. Banished into our attic spaces and closet storage until it is socially acceptable the next year to pull them out (roughly two months in advance of the actual holiday).

It's not that I don't think the celebration should go on forever, but sometimes the hype for the holiday detracts from the actual day for me. By the time I'm ready to celebrate, it's over.

I also might be a little guilty of celebrating too early. Making the first pot of pumpkin flavored coffee is always a treat and I love getting my first butternut squash of the season. Sleepy Hallow and Practical Magic are back on Netflix. I dig out all of the Vincent Price movies I can find. Suddenly ghosts and goblins are just as real as Santa Claus.

Maybe I like celebrating early because it seems so short. The time it takes the leaves to change their colors and fall to the ground isn't very long. The weather in the Mid Atlantic that allows the prefect balance of not too hot and not too cold seems to last even shorter.

Life is short and the things we enjoy in life can be even shorter. We all live busy lives that don't allow a lot of time to enjoy the things we love most. Maybe that's why we need Halloween and Christmas to last for nearly two months each (with a small detour for Thanksgiving in the US). It's to find that one moment where we can enjoy what we love most, even if it's not quite the right date.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. I'm off to eat some fresh made apple sauce (my first attempt, hope it's good).

Until next week.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Welcome to Rememberance

September 11th 2001 started out as an ordinary day for me, but it didn't end that way. It's been 15 years since the attack. Over 2000 people lost there lives that day. Many of the first respondents have gotten sick and passed away because of the toxic dust and ash that entered the atmosphere.

Many people on social media sites have been posting about where they were or what they were doing when they either heard about or saw the live footage of the attacks. I remember being at school and having no idea what was going on. Which in all honest, was probably a good decision for the school to make.

My friends and I could guess that something was happening. Our teachers were on edge and there were a lot of early dismissals. We started with a class full of students and ended the day with maybe a third or a fourth still present. I am 100% sure that if someone had told me while at school what was going on, I would not have taken it well.

I didn't go home that day. Instead my mom had me go home with a friend. This friend's dad worked in the Pentagon and their family hadn't been able to get a hold of him all day. Thankfully they eventually did hear from him. Many families weren't as lucky.

There are a lot of things that I remember that happened in the days right after 9/11. I remember we didn't have school for a few days and that phone reception (both land line and cell phone) was unreliable. My mom, sister, and I stayed with my friend's family until classes started again. The news was constantly showing footage of the crash sites and missing people. Even though our parents tried to shield us from it, we caught glimpses of the news anyway.

It was scary, confusing, and difficult to process. I remember feeling a lot of confusing emotions and taking a lot of time to understand what had happened.

In the days after the attack, I went with my girl scout troupe to a hotel near the Pentagon to give out water and food to the families who were there. The hotel was the headquarters for the victims and families. When we arrived, my friends and I were swarmed by foreign press asking us tons of questions. It was very intimidating. Later we were thanked by the admiral (or general? I don't exactly remember their title, but they were very important) who was in charge. He was notifying and consoling the victims families. It felt good to help out, even a little bit.

As time went on, more and more security measures were put in place. Airports had a lot more metal detectors and restrictions. There were a lot more security personal in Washington DC. Places where I used to be able to just walk right in, suddenly had guards and metal detectors everywhere. I was a lot more aware of my surroundings.

September 11th 2001 was a major turning point in my life. I still remember a time when things were a bit more laid back (for lack of a better term). A lot of sudden changes happened and I was faced with emotions I had never experienced before.

There are many days were I wonder what our world would have been like if the terrorist attack had never happened. There are other days where I wonder what it would have been like if I had been older in 2001. Then there are the days where I wonder if something like that will happen again?

9/11 had a major impact on my life and I don't think I'll ever be able to forget.

Thank you for reading.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Welcome to the Sound of Silence

Happy holiday weekend everyone! The kids are heading back to school (if they haven't gone back already), outdoor pools are about to close, and the fashion industry tells us we can no longer wear white. Pumpkin spice has returned to coffee and sweet shops everywhere. In some places the leaves are already starting to change and I'm sitting here watching Hocus Pocus while writing this post.

It's a quiet weekend for me. Which means I have plenty of time to think, overthink, and think some more. Writing in my blog helps me organize my thoughts and try to make heads or tails of the crazy that is my life. This topic has been buzzing around in my mind for a while, but last night, before bed, I was kept up by a single question. What is the sound of silence?



I really like the song, The Sound of Silence, originally sung by Simon and Garfunkel and covered by Disturbed. I like both versions, but there is something truly haunting about the Disturbed version (I might get a little heat for that, but it's my honest opinion and I love rock). I was also inspired to ask this question because during my meditation and yoga practice, I am encouraged to maintain stillness and block out the surrounding noise. This can be particularly difficult in a noisy gym.

But in all seriousness, what does silence sound like? Its hard to wrap my head around. There's the metaphorical sound of silence. Where it is people who are silent for one reason or another on an issue (usually, but not necessarily, out of fear or political). Its one way to interpret the question.

Then there's the literal meaning of the phrase. Can silence have a sound? Isn't silence by definition the a sense of sound? 

Unless I suddenly become deaf or travel to outer space (because Ridley Scott taught us that in space no one can hear you scream), I won't find my answer. I'm sure I could (politely) ask, but would I be able to understand the answer?

Throughout the day, I am bombarded with different sounds. I love working to music or leaving the TV on while I cook and clean. I live across the street from a train station and I don't even notice the trains coming and going anymore. Crickets are constantly chirping as the sun starts to set and the three beagles downstairs make it impossible to sneak out of my own apartment (not that I need to sneak out, but they always announce my comings and goings and are super adorable). 

The amount of sounds I hear throughout the day can be overwhelming. I personally don't like going to concerts and haunted houses because the sounds can be too over stimulating for me. When I do find a quiet space, the noise is still there, but it's not as overwhelming. I am almost able to completely block out all outside noise, especially if I'm meditating.

One of my yoga teachers likes to talk about using sensory deprivation tanks. They showed one on the show Stranger Things to get El to the Upside Down world. My yoga teacher says that they get "visions" while in he tank. There isn't any light in the tank, but the mind will still create visions for them. I wonder if the same thing happens when in absolute silence.

Could the sound of silence be a peaceful mind? A sound that is still there, but still? Could it be phantom Maybe that's why I find this question so vexing. There are so many ways to interpret it. Some are positive, some are negative, and some are just neutral.

So what is the sound of silence?

I have no idea, but I'm sure it's different for everyone.