What I'll Miss on The Trip, or...Haikus to My Hair Dryer

We're leaving SF in less than four months. As Tom would say, "CRAY CRAY!" (I'm not kidding, he really does say that.) As the days tick away and we get closer to The Trip, I find myself appreciating little luxuries in my life and realizing I'm going to be without those goods. (And, before you get your feelings hurt - if you're reading this, it probably means that I'll miss you also...but this list is just for stuff, not peeps.)

Here's the list:

Clarence, my stuffed turtle that I have slept with nearly every night for 10 years. He's the perfect size and shape for a nighttime cuddle buddy and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Sometimes, I have to wrestle him away from Tom. He's part of our family. I'll miss him very, very much. I considered cutting off his head and bringing him with me...but Tom pointed out that everyone in the hostels would think I am crazy.

Baths. This week, I've been recovering from hernia repair surgery. I feel fine, but have really wanted to take a bath to relieve some of the tension in my back from being bed/couch-ridden during my recovery. But I can't take a bath because I still have stitches and steri-strips on the incision. I don't take a lot of baths, but it occurred to me the other day that I probably won't really take them at all on The Trip. And I think I'll miss them.

San Francisco/Northern California. I love it here. I moved here about 8 years ago with serious reservations. I was nervous - I'd never lived in a city. I wasn't sure if I'd feel comfortable. And now I can't imagine living in any other U.S. city. San Francisco repeatedly amazes me with it's people and beauty. I've been having a particularly wonderful love affair with NorCal over the past few weeks. We've been spending some time in the Russian River Valley and on the Sonoma Coast, and I've found myself repeatedly saying things like, "HOLY S#!+ WE LIVE HERE!" and "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS MY HOME!" I'll miss being in SF for a year (or so), but I know that, while I'm being a wanderer, my City by the Bay will be waiting for me.

Cooking. I like cooking....not all the time...but most of the time. I love planning a meal for me and Tom or for a group of friends, choosing the best ingredients, preparing each element. I have a lot of fun with big, fancy meals that take all day, and just as much fun from mixing a salad dressing in a Mason jar and concocting the perfect salad. And I won't really be cooking on the trip. True, I might do some light cooking in a hostel or homestay on the road, but I'm sure it will be more along the lines of Top Ramen than black-cherry and pepper-glazed lamb chops.

Getting water from the tap. No explanation.

My shoe wall
(excluding flip flops, boots and sneakers)

My shoe wall. Anyone who knows me understands that I am a shoe gal. I own a lot of shoes. I covet shoes. I stop strangers on the sidewalk to launch into long conversations about their shoes. I don't buy a lot of handbags (one every 2 years-ish), and I don't even buy a lot of clothes, but I LOVE buying shoes. And my shoe wall makes me happy. I've been known to sit and stare lovingly at my shoes, thinking about all the fantastic experiences we've had. I've even thrown away about 20 pair in the past 6 months and my collections is still impressive. On the trip, I'll have some flips flops and maybe a pair of flat sandals. Harumph.

My hair dryer. My hair is straight straight straight. It does not curl. It does not bend or wave. It does not pass go. It does not collect $200. It's straight. It's limp. It's fine. It's redeeming quality is that it's shiny. When I blow dry it, it gets super shiny and smooth and sometimes, when the stars perfectly align and I've made a recent sacrifice to the hair gods, I can get my hair to have the teeniest bit of body using the blow dryer and a round brush. That "body" in my hair  lasts, at a maximum, about 35 minutes before it's back to straight/limp/fine/flat/boring hair. So, I end this post with....

Haikus to My Hair Dryer

by Stephanie

Conair, I love you

I'll miss you while I'm roaming

My hair will not dry.

Love your heat settings

Your ions make me shiny

With my dear round brush.

No more waves for me

My locks will be limp and straight

One more pony tail.

Your retracting cord

I love the cold blast button

I mourn your absence.

Conair, I love you

I'll miss you while I'm roaming

My hair will not dry.

(I'll miss you, too, curling iron.)