A meandering trail through the woods that doesn't quite make it to grandma's house

Pre-packing is the mental event of getting ready for a trip. I feel like I have been in my head a lot lately and thinking about everything I want or have to do before we leave on Friday is no exception.

Primarily, i have to go buy a pair of jeans. If we weren't going north, I could do without a new pair of jeans well into December. This will involve going to the mall. I thought when I left on Saturday that I would not be going back until next Wednesday when I go back to JCP. It is different going for shopping than it is going for work, but it is a fine line of distinction. I should have gone this weekend as the jeans I have grown partial to were likely on sale with everything else at Macy's, but I have been making art and time got away from me.

Art is the other thing I have to do before leaving. I have two projects that absolutely must be done before Thursday. I think it is under control. Maybe.

I suppose if I really give these pre-packing matters heavy consideration, it is time that I want. I want the time I have for pleasurable pursuits to equal that of when I was not working. This does not equate to not wanting to work really, but sort of. Ideally I want the unemployment I was receiving at the time. I want to be paid to stay home. I better get a lottery ticket on my lunch today.

The knitting forum I favor has a lively discussion going on about this very thing (in a roundabout sort of way). There is a new blog linked to the left called yarnstorm. I like the woman's view. She really gets it and is enjoying life. I appreciate that their might be less pretty slices of her life that don't make it to her blog, but I really think she gets it.

She has a book just released in the UK called "The Gentle Art of Domesticity". There was a less than flattering review, an attack really (IMO) or criticism of her way of life, more than a critique of the book itself. This spawned debate ranging from how we treat each other as women, to feminism, to Martha Stewart. It was a little insane. And all I want to do is get the book. I wonder if it is scheduled for a US release.

What knitting am I going to take on the trip? That is the pressing question in my mind at this moment, a good thought to close on.