12 June 2000

Quote: "Be not half-assed."

--Seen on a bumper sticker in Montrose

Tonight, I'm finishing the last bit of packing before throwing the toiletries together in the morning and being completely ready to head to London.  I'm down now to the fun stuff -- which books should I take along, do I take a pair of tennis shoes, etc.   Backpacking has taught me well, because I always start with everything I consider "essential" when packing, and then get rid of about half of it.  This leaves me with plenty of room, so that in the end I can decide which "luxury" items really need to go.  Whether I'm out in the woods or in one of the world's great cities like London, I absolutely despise carrying extra weight! 

I always like to take along a "serious" and a "fluffy" book for long trips.  For the serious book, I've settled on Rousseau's Emile, or On Education, which I haven't picked up since comps and have never read completely and carefully.  I can't decide on a "fluffy" book -- maybe I'll settle with one of Nathaniel Branden's several works on self-esteem.

So, the journal goes on hiatus for about a week and half while I venture off to London.   Not to worry -- I'll be keeping the old-fashioned paper variety while I'm travelling, which will get digitized and published here when I return.