Forget anything?
One of the reasons I pack so far in advance of our vacations is that I really don’t like to forget anything. I try to think of every possible scenario and what we might need. I make list after list and check them off as I go. I almost never get everything checked off until the very end because I always think of one more necessity that will make the trip a success. I used to do this the old-fashioned paper/pencil way but now I’ve gone digital. I use my iPhone and iPad for every task. My favorite app for list-making is Dropkick. It’s clean and clear plus it syncs between both devices seamlessly. And it has checkboxes — I love checking off checkboxes!
I have to clarify that we really didn’t forget anything… that I can think of so far. However, Norman is always misplacing little things — most notoriously his Apple headphones. They go missing for days hidden somewhere in an unidentifiable jacket or pants pocket. A couple of days ago, he went to the Apple Store with the specific purpose of acquiring a new set of headphones for our trip. The ones he had weren’t working so well and he is always able to charm them into exchanging anything that doesn’t work. As we were preparing to leave for the airport, he realized once again that he couldn’t find them. Since someone was picking us up to drop us off at the CalTrain station for our journey to SFO, we didn’t have time to look in every nook and cranny. I promised Norman I’d buy him some at the airport.
We intentionally arrived at the airport very early so we could just hang out and relax before our flight. Once we settled in to a spot near an electrical outlet (surprisingly not so easy to come at such a large airport), I sent Norman off to the electronics store to pick out some headphones. He was gone for a long time and when he finally returned, he came back a Rasta man with the coolest pair of headphones ever! They’re called Smile Jamaica In-ear Headphones from the Bob Marley Jammin Collection. (http://www.thehouseofmarley.com/in-ear-headphones/smile-jamaica-in-ear-headphones.html) Not only are they really cool looking, but they block out external noises and sound terrific. On top of that, they’re made out of really unique Earth Friendly materials. As soon as I tried them out, I had to have a pair too but, of course, I didn’t want the exact same color. I did my own shopping and discovered they did, indeed, have another version. So Norman has the Rasta ones with the green earbuds and I have the Fire (appropriate if you know me well) ones with the red earbuds.
The first exciting purchase of our trip — Bob Marley headphones. Now we are ready for… Ja-maica mon! But wait — we’re going to France.
Paris and Beyond 