Packing a Suitcase: an excercise in procrastination

I think I may have managed to conquer the packing. It took most of the day, though, because according to my Twitter, I first started to “think about” packing my suitcase just before lunch yesterday. Here’s what I had by 10pm:

packing fail

packing fail

In fairness, though, that goldy/bronzey thing is my makeup bag, and it took me a LONG time to pack IT, because that’s just my travel makeup bag or The Travelling Makeup Bag, as I think I will call it from now on. THIS is my real makeup bag. I mean Big Ass Box:

The Sephora Case o' Doom

The Sephora Case o’ Doom

Distilling the contents of this into that was a long and arduous task, and I guess the fact that I found it hard to leave the comfort of my computer chair, where I spent many a pleasant hour yesterday reading blogs, tooling around on Twitter and doing anything, really to not have to pack, made it even harder. Like, look, this is Pinky:

My main man, Pinky

My main man, Pinky

Everyone say, “Hi, Pinky!”

Haha, I made you speak to a stuffed rabbit! Hee!

Pinky is my travelling companion. Well, other than Terry and my parents, obviously, but none of them are pink, and they don’t like being squeezed when I’m scared the plane is going to crash, which is all the time. So Pinky is like a kind of stress toy. He stands in for Ted, who doesn’t vacation with us. (He’s just at that age now, where he’s all, “You guys are lame, I want to party with my friends!” He’s going to Goa this year, apparently.)

(Note: Pinky came free with a handbag I got, and didn’t actually have a name until a moment of stress somewhere high above the Atlantic one year, when he was named in a hurry. And clearly I suck at naming things under stress. Another reason never to have children – I’d probably give birth and name it “Screamy” or “Bloody” or something.)

Anyway, several hours later, I ended up with a packing win, of sorts. This is one side of the case:

Suitcase: one side of

Suitcase: one side of

Pretty full, no? But look! Here is the other side:

Suitcase, other side of

Suitcase, other side of

Lookit all that lovely space! Space which I will be able to fill up with… oh:

"Take meeeeeeeeeee!"

“Take meeeeeeeeeee!”

He’s going to stay with Terry’s mum while we’re gone. He will be treated like a small, furry Overlord there, and will eat much better than he does at home. But I will miss him, and every time I look at his little face, I want to cry. So, moving on, let’s weigh the suitcase (minus dog) with the handy gadget Terry bought for this purpose:

The Weigh-In

The Weigh-In

You can’t see from this photo, but it came in at about 14 kilos, which gives me 6 kilos of shopping to bring back with me.  Yay! I win! Although not really, because GOD, shoes are heavy, and I might want to buy shoes… If I do, though, I will also have access to The Shoulder Bag With a Face:

The Bag With a Face

The Bag With a Face

Seriously, it has a face, no?

Ahhhhh!

It’s drooling at the thought of all of the lovely shopping it will carry. Or maybe it’s just planning to eat my head when I go to sleep tonight, who knows?

And with the packing of TBWAF (which is actually much bigger than it looks here and is a bit like a Mary Poppins bag) I was finally done:

Phew!

Phew!

Time on completion:

whoops

whoops

So it’s a good job I don’t have to get up, like, really early tomorrow or…. oh.

Now I just need to take stuff out, put it back, add more stuff, remove stuff and then, at the last minute remember that whoops, I haven’t actually packed any knickers/sweaters/bikinis/delete-as-appropriate, and we’re good to go.

Anyway, our flight is early tomorrow morning, so we’ll be staying with my parents tonight, because they live closer to the airport, and also, because it means we can mess-up someone else’s house when we get up at stupid o’clock tomorrow, rather than our own.  Assuming we make it there safely, then, I’ll see you on the other side!

"Buh-bye!"

“Buh-bye!”

Ted is waving goodbye. Also: is clearly drunk. GOD.

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COMMENTS
  • Awww, Rubin’s face! So cute!

    Anyway, I hope you have a fantastic trip! Soak up lots of sun for the rest of us!
    .-= Amanda Nicole´s last blog ..hide the karaoke machine =-.

    June 17, 2009
  • Kathleen

    REPLY

    Have a great trip!

    And those luggage scales are nothing short of awesome. I have one too and always manage to make my bags weigh in at 40-45 lbs (the max on the airlines I fly is usually 50 lbs/bag).

    June 17, 2009
  • Ha! My cats jump in my suitcase the minute I bring it out! They know I will be leaving!

    Have an excellent trip!
    .-= Kristabella´s last blog ..I’ll Show You Where To Wag That Finger, Sir =-.

    June 17, 2009
  • Have an amazing time you guys.
    Well done for getting all your packing done as well, might employ your services for when we go away next year – got a wedding dress and everything to get into the bag for god’s sake. And all in 20kilos. (seriously considering purchasing the additional 5 kilos for £30).

    P.S. You blogged about the TRESemmé samples looking for testers on hey-dollface – I got picked and received my trial products – will show them to you when you guys get back.

    Have fun.

    x
    .-= Mhairi´s last blog ..And More Shopping…. =-.

    June 17, 2009
  • love the shoulder bag! i have the same train case from sephora and the hardest part about packing is always the makeup!
    .-= sunehra´s last blog ..I’m not a spinster (yet) =-.

    June 17, 2009
  • Have a fantastic time, good luck with the luggage
    .-= Louise´s last blog ..just like a bought one! =-.

    June 18, 2009
  • Well done with the packing, I feel proud for you!!

    Have a great holiday, and make sure to fill us all in when you get back to we can live vicariously through you!
    .-= mysterycreature´s last blog ..Wedding revisited =-.

    June 18, 2009
  • Sophie

    REPLY

    Enjoy the trip!!

    June 18, 2009
  • Aw, I love Pinky!

    If I had to name a baby in the middle of childbirth, it would probably be called "YOUBASTARDHOWCOULDYOUDOTHISTOME."

    (Although I'm one of those 'cold', 'odd' people who don't want children, to quote that dreadful article).

    I'm stressing out about leaving my wee (real) cat and my wee (toy) cat when we go away in July. It's so hard to look at their little sad faces!

    June 19, 2009
  • Ha! Glad you got there in the end – I always take an age to pack too which is not good when you leave it to the last minute 😉 Hope you have a fab time 🙂

    June 19, 2009
  • You were smart to think ahead and leave room for shopping – I never do that!

    Enjoy the sunshine!

    June 21, 2009
  • you are my packing-soulmate. but with one difference: I make lists. Lots of them, re-write them and then still end up re-packing a dozen or so times:))

    also bag with face:maybe is imaginary cigarette? your handbag has an addiction!

    oh and looove your huge make-up box.;)

    June 22, 2009
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