Thursday, September 20, 2012.
Packing Day. Bosco's.
It's the day before we travel, and that means trying to remember everything. The closest I've come to a foolproof way for doing that only worked for the extended campouts Jude and I undertook with the Boy Scouts a decade ago. Everything we needed for those adventures was packed into a few rucksacks. But none of those things--flashlights, tent stuff, sleeping bags, water bottles, insect repellent, etc.--were needed at any other time. We could just leave them packed, and when it was time to head out we'd grab and go.
Not so for two-week cruises. The only way I get prepared is to write down everything I need on a list as it occurs to me. I keep the list next to the bed, so that when something occurs to me in the middle of the night, I can write it down instead of staying awake worrying that I will forget it again. Nothing worse than starting a trip with a sleep debt.
Neither of the Marys had begun to pack yet. Mary Ann discovered (as she inevitably does) that she doesn't have sufficient clothes for two weeks during which are four major dress-up events. But that's her problem, and even if I wanted to help I couldn't. The most worthless opinion in the world is a man's about his woman's couture.
As for Mary Leigh, she hasn't even come home yet from her extended stay on the Tulane campus.
After the radio show, MA and I took a break for dinner at Bosco's. We went mainly for the sake of convenience. Bosco's is near KT Automotive--one of those amazing garages you hope you know when your car goes on the fritz. I had a wheel problem, one I suspected would require a lot of time and expense to fix. But they called after three hours and said it was done, and at a much lower bill than I expected.
At Bosco's, we had redfish with artichokes and mushrooms, a couple of salads, and a side of green beans for the two of us. What's the deal with green beans lately? Lots of restaurants seem to be serving them as a side dish lately. They're usually even cooked enough to throw off an aroma, which I find to be about two minutes past the point where they stop squeaking.
I was in bed by ten-thirty, with all my bags packed and ready for a five a.m. departure tomorrow morning.
