I listed 15 things last night but was just too tired to practice, and went to bed with the idea of getting a full 8 hours' sleep.
I woke up at 2:30 or so, and had time to do a haircut and a bath. My clippers have some adjustability to them and since they cut much better without using the "shoes" I don't use them. For some reason I had my adjustments mixed up and had them on the shortest setting and as I was cutting my hair, starting from the top, I thought, "Why's it coming out so short?" then realized my mistake. So I cut it super short all over. It still can't be beat for the price.
Then I did a full bath, which is a hassle but not that much of one, and something I should do every week. Such is life in Silicon Valley, you need to make far more than I do to have access to an actual shower. Joining a gym is one way to do things but that takes time, money, plus you have to convince the people running the gym that you're not just using it for the showers or they'll kick you out and cancel your membership. This is why I haven't joined either of the two gyms near me. It's easier to just get out the tub and scrub down with hot water (heated in the ol' tea kettle) and Simple Green.
I took off for downtown the usual time, my head feeling wonderful because with my hair this short I can feel every little breeze, and wondering why my neck was itchy. I'd forgotten to wipe the back of my neck with rubbing alcohol after shaving it. Luckily I carry wet wipes with me on the bike these days.
I deposited my check in the bank - it was dead-on the the penny this week - and then went to Whole Foods.
I got some asparagus, various Middle Eastern things like feta cheese and olives and such, and had that with some water, and it was quite a meal. After eating I took off for Walmart mainly for "Shout" for my laundry but got some other things too.
I got bubble mailers at the Amazon place on my way back, then fought the wind back here and put things away. I started right out again for H Mart and Ross and so on. I found some olives in Home Goods, but Ross was out of the sweat pants I'd bought that fit so well. I should have gone right back the next day and bought a second pair. I got some pumpkin seeds from Sprouts and checked their nut and seed prices in general.
Then I walked back to H Mart where I'd left my bike and went in, but since they were out of the diet soda I like to have on hand for when Ken comes over and all I could think of to buy was some garlic, I felt kind of silly just buying garlic. Then I remembered that I'd been thinking of getting a new saucepan and Lo and behold they were something like half price.
So I got back here loaded with all kinds of stuff and had over a dollar in change in my pocket which means I'm living my life right. It was 9:30 when I got in, the equivalent of being out until half past midnight in the before times. I used to be out that late, too. I'd get done at the bank and go to Whole Foods, eat and relax, then play a bit there and over by the Old Spaghetti Factory, often until midnight.
Now, being out at 9 is scarily late. I say scarily because of course the zombies were out when I was coming back. I narrowly avoided a zombess muttering to itself, dressed in the usual dark, muted colors complimented by filth. Even downtown, there are these nice bike lanes and still I had to veer over into the traffic lane and ride there to avoid a zombie in the bike lane. If Gavin Newsom can set up camps and put the zombies there, he can ride just that all the way to the Presidency.
I had plans for this weekend. This was the week I was going to join REI and buy the backpack I had in mind for the trip back to Hawaii. I could not find anything about how to join in-store, and figured it's probably online only. So I went online, added a membership for $30 to my cart, but could not go further because I was not already a member. I went around this way a couple of times and could not find any other way and although I wanted to be a member, apparently they don't want me to be a member.
The ever-helpful Google for reasons known only to itself but helpful to me, showed as other stores selling the brand of backpack I was kind of set on, that I doubt really do. One of them was even a company Fjallraven store; a competitor. However, I'd kind of heard of that brand and was intrigued.
I looked around on r/onebag and r/backpack and it seems like I could do a lot worse. And Fjallraven seems to be opposite in styling from Cotopaxi, the maker of the one I wanted to get from REI, as Fjallraven packs are all in dull, non-exciting colors while Cotopaxi stuff is rather garish. I guess it's all those times flying with a checked bag that I liked the idea of a bag that doesn't look like anyone else's, but I plan to r/onebag it on this trip.
It took a lot of thinking to get to the conclusion that just taking a carry-on is the way to go. It means my flutes will travel with me, but not a laptop as I won't take one, and my flip phone and its charger are small enough that if I take them, they won't take much room. I'll have to sacrifice my Swiss Army knife and a Swiss Army "rescue" knife that's super neat but that I have hardly used, never carried, and while it seems like a neat one for digging around in tide pools, a cheapo diving knife would be a better choice.
There are a ton of things that won't make sense to take with me, like my hair clippers and shaving stuff and all kinds of things I can just buy when I'm back home there and come out ahead of what checked bag costs are. The airlines charge for all kinds of things now. Having the pack I plan to travel with in my hands means I can put my flutes and things in and see how much I can carry. I can strip things down pretty far or I might actually get to keep a few things. It will also motivate me to get ready for the trip, mainly "Sie papieren bitte" things.
A passport takes months but if I give myself a year to get these things taken care of, I should have my papers well in order by the time it's time to go. But things like that, like a passport, are small and easy to carry. So beyond the flutes I should have room for things. I just need those papers in order too because depending on how crazy things get in this crazy country, I may decide it's a fine time, in 2025 or so, to take a vacation in somewhere that's not the US - it will be so much more touching to watch the second January 6th type thing happening from far, far away.
Getting back to weekend plans, the Fjallraven place is in Santana Row so I can just ride my bike over. And the pack they have that I'm interested in is quite a bit less expensive.
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