Things I've realized...

I'm leaving today for a short tour supporting my friend Amos Lee in the South.  No, not the South of Japan.  No, not South America.  The good ol' U.S. South!  It's very rare that I get to tour through these parts, so I'm pretty excited!  I think it's been about 5 years!  As I began to pack up my bags again for the road, I started reminiscing about how I packed for my 2 month trip in Japan.... and there were a lot of things I've realized since then.

LESSONS LEARNED ON HOW TO PACK FOR LIVING 2 MONTHS ABROAD 

A.K.A.

"WHAT NOT TO BRING"

For one, I brought way too many "activities" to do for fear of boredom:  Every free moment I had, I wanted to go outside, to see friends, to exercise, and yes, to shop!  My sewing project, my mini midi  keyboard, my recording headphones, my sketchbook and colored pencils all took a back burner on this trip.

Secondly, out of the 30 or so DVDs I brought with me, I only watched "Pom Poko", "The Office - UK version", and "Still Walking".  Then guess what I did?

                               
I bought Season 6 of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and a few episodes of "Flight of the Conchords" to watch on my iPad.  Yes... instead of watching the DVDs I dragged all the way with me to Japan, taking up so much space in my suitcase, I bought TV show episodes and watched those instead.  The pattern I noticed is that when far from home,  and at the end of a long day, I crave comedy.  NOT movies such as "Sophie's Choice" or "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" (2 movies I actually brought with me).

   

Thirdly, I brought way too many books.  The only things I read on this trip were "The Dharma Bums", and lifestyle magazines I picked up from Tsutaya or Tower Records.  Again... instead of reading what I brought with me, I bought more things to take home.

Fourthly.... I brought way too many Lara Bars with me!  As if I thought I'd be stranded for hours with no food and low blood sugar or something!  I brought them with me everywhere, but never wanted to eat them ever.  I was constantly sampling new snacks and treats left and right.  And who needs an energy bar when you can eat onigiri from any convenient store on practically every block?!  So I had about 20 of those to take back home with me.  :/

I also brought way too many vitamins.  Or maybe I just didn't take enough vitamins.  I did not buy more vitamins.

Oh, and I brought too many postcards with me in hopes of writing back home.  In fact, by "too many", I mean 1 too many, because in reality, I mailed 0 postcards while I was in Japan.  And why would I bring my own postcards when I can get fun ones from there??  I approached it all completely wrong....  (I did buy some super cool postcards designed by Yurio Seki!)

For this tour, I'll leave the "projects", survival snacks, and one-too-many books at home, and save some space for more goodies to bring back home.

Love,
p.a.