Packing is the worst.

I leave in officially five days. I celebrated my last night in Spokane with some homemade pizza and a decent amount of wine. Gonna miss the Parental Unit. The last couple days have consisted of harassing said Parental Unit, packing, and tying up all the last loose ends here in the States: car insurance, health insurance, vaccinations, errands and even more fun. I keep waiting for my brain to freak out, but it still feels like the trip is a ways in the future. Some abstract thing that is happening to future-self. False. It is very much happening to near-future-self.

My packing strategy for previous trips has always been "if you think you might need it, bring it!" This doesn't work for an eight month trip. I have to carry all this crap around with me. I have about 1/3 as much space as I wish I did. Sigh.

This is how my packing went:

Start with some wine. Jump into sorting through and organizing all your clothes you didn't organize when you moved all your stuff to your parents house.

Then take some time out to pet the little cotton-ball. She hates packing as much as you do, and she has been moping around shooting sad glances in your direction.

Get down to a pile of stuff that contains all of the things you wish you could bring. Man you'd be so prepared! Ha. Too bad the clothes alone don't fit in your backpack.

Sort through all the clothing types. Get rid of clothes that aren't versatile, aren't durable, wont dry quickly and many other important practical reasons. Ok, this is looking like more controlled chaos. Time to organize and bag the toiletries, medications, and sunscreen.

Spend an entire afternoon evaluating the versatility of your packed wardrobe. Eliminate redundancy. Make sure all the colors work together. Argue with self. Complain to Parental Unit. Take a walk. Remove more stuff. Repeat.

Voila! We have a packed bag. I know that my list probably contains much more than the seasoned backpacker, but I can always get rid of (and/or acquire) more stuff in Asia! Or talk myself out of some more stuff in the morning. Here is the final list:

Main bag:
2 Shorts
3 Pants
1 Skirt
1 Dress
2 Long-sleeved shirts
1 Rain jacket
1 Tank Top
5 Shirts
1 Scarf
4 Headbands
1 Swimsuit
1 Pjs
3 Pairs long socks
2 Pairs short socks
9 Underwear
3 Bras
1 Towel
1 Dishtowel
1 Sheet
1 Pillowcase
1 Plastic poncho
1 Hat

Antibiotics
Electrolytes (in case of illness)
Advil
First aid kit
Sunscreen
Mosquito repellent (DEET!)
Tums
Probiotics (in case of illness)
Frisbee
Bowl and spork
Leatherman
Headlamp
Toiletries
Earrings
Large plastic bag
Clothesline
Combination locks
Duct tape
Sewing kit
Tiny pillow

Merrell sneakers
Chaco sandals
Black flats
Canvas slip-ons

Carry On Bag:
DSLR camera & lenses
Battery charger
Extra SD card & battery
iPhone & charger
Kindle & charger
Acer Chromebook & charger
Headphones
Book/sketchbook
Small daybag/purse
Wallet/cash/passport
Extra contacts
Glasses
Sunglasses
Anti-bacterial
Waterproof bag for electronics
International outlet converters
Waterbottle

I know that this list isn't particularly thrilling, but I will use this list to reflect on the wisdom (or lack there of) of my packing in future posts. But I'm done! That counts for something! Now it's time to head over to Seattle right? So I get to reward myself by hugging all my friends and eating all the food I won't be able to eat for the next eight months, right??!!?! Right.

Still wondering when my brain will realize this is actually happening. It started to get more serious after saying my first goodbye to one of my best friends last Sunday. It's feels much more of a 'see you later' than a 'good-bye.' I'm curious if I manage to make it all the way to Thailand before fully accepting the trip has started.

Once again: if you want mail, fill this out!

Hey Laurel! How's packing going?!