Wait for it.....

I'll be posting soon, I promise. Maybe, if I'm super quick, I'll post pics of the wardrobe I'm sort of sewing! Meanwhile, I got my flight info: I leave

FOURTH AUGUST!!!!!

and I have been living in my parents' basement for the past 3 or 4 weeks. You could say I'm ready to go. But not ready to go. But so ready to go!

On Packing (Chapter the Second)

I did it. I emptied out my closet. I have a basket of clothes to give away, a smaller basket of clothes currently in use, and a loosely-packed suitcase of clothes going to Abu Dhabi with me. And I gave away one purse and a few pairs of shoes.

I tried to decide between two *very similar* pairs of brown heels, but to no avail. I really like them both.And one pair I've only worn once or twice since buying them. So that leaves me about 10 pairs of shoes to pack. I think I need to get that number down further, or add another piece of checked luggage. And I really don't want to do that. I reallywant to get in under the luggage limit.

Sigh.

Sure, some shoes should be an obvious donation: the knee-high black boots, the tap shoes, the truly awesome gold glitter Dorothy shoes... but the less practical shoes are the pairs I love best.

In addition to the impractical shoes, I have 2 pairs of flip-flops, a pair of sandals, a pair of ballet flats (with sequins in order to alleviate the sensible-ness) and, sigh, a pair of Crocs. Those are the shoes I wear to work now. They may stay behind, as they are aggressively practical, with no whimsy allowed. (I admit they are comfy though. Even for a retail job.) Also a pair of running shoes and a cute pair of knock-off Chucks.

Other than the terrible shoe dilemma, I have a narrow bookshelf of journals, some stuff that needs to go into a scrapbook (I need a scrapbook), my computer, a few toiletries, and some miscellany. I think I can cull my small book collection to five without too much angst.

Put like that, this packing thing shouldn't be so hard. Ask me next week, though, and I bet I'll be about an inch further along the packing trail than I am now. And there's still the issue of putting stuff on memory sticks, ipods, nooks. And backing up my computer, which I'm not totally clear on. AND downloading a VPN.

And solving once and for all the shoe dilemma.

Maybe next week.

On Packing.

No, I'm not packing yet. But I am always (yes, always) packing in my mind. Every single time (again - yes, every single time) I pick something up or put something away or, more likely, don't put something away, I think, would I pack this?

I don't even have to have a destination in mind.

It's just how I work: that which I really value, those few Things I think I can't live without, is what would come with me if I had to pack tonight. Destination: unknown. Suitcases: two. No excess baggage charges allowed. What would I take?

Would the container gardening book make it into my luggage? It didn't last time. How about that second laptop I still haven't sorted out? Or those belly-dancing scarves replete with coins to jingle while I practice? More to the point, which shoes will make the cut???


This article on CNN discusses this conundrum. And while not everyone is as into simplicity of living as I am, for those of us planning to move overseas, simplicity is your friend. You really don't need to bring those Le Creuset pots with you.















*image from realsimple.com*

Abaya.

Akifah Abaya

I think this is the abaya I want before I go. Encompassing, but with some teal. And then I could get a black shayla to go with, in order to tone down the quantity of color... Plus, it's on sale. $30ish. Win.

Aarah Abaya

or this one.

Aidah Abaya

or this one, were I an all-around smaller person.




















all via http://www.eastessence.com/

Half an Update

from September 2010 

Questions...answered. Work dress = floor length skirt (or loose trousers, but I'm going skirt), top w/sleeves past the elbow. Cover the chestal area (no cleavage...that means turtlenecks for me!). They say dress shoes, but I've read sandals. Just not flip flops. Yay.

I started transferring a few pennies into my savings account. That may have been stupid; I may have to take them right back out.

Now I'm getting my background check done. I asked which I should get (Teach Away said state or county was fine) considering I've only lived in my current state for a few months and will be getting my ID here in a few days, then decided on my own to go ahead and get another FBI background check done. It's less than $20 and takes as much time as anything else. It's actually cheaper to have the FBI do my background check than the state of South Carolina. Ridiculous, much?