i don't leave for Europe for about a week but while time is being spent with friends and family it does feel as though i am sort of like a piece of luggage that has somehow missed its final connection and is being rerouted every few days. of course i am better off each day i am in a new place versus this illusive piece of luggage that is actually worse with each day of travel and mishandling. speaking of luggage, i have never been one to worry about my luggage. two reasons- first i usually carry on so whatever i have is with me and second because i figure whatever i check i can afford to lose. HOWEVER i am now borderline paranoid about my luggage for this trip because i cannot carry on all the contents in my backpack. again 2 reasons- pocketknife/other sharp items and liquids. oh and the size limit, yes the backpack full of stuff will definitely exceed the "all carry ons must be able to fit easily into the narrow rectangular tool placed beside the podium" (this by the way was obviously designed by someone who believes we all travel with a leather suitcase a la a traveling salesman). and so, this leaves me with no choice but to check something, probably a small bag of items i can reasonably afford to lose. at this point i am not sure what those items would be but i will have to figure it out because i will not be checking my beautiful new backpack, the sleeping bag, my hiking boots or other items that took an incomprehensible amount of time and energy to find. maybe i am being dramatic. hmm, no no i am not. i spent serious amounts of time researching, reviewing, perusing, purchasing and/or procuring many items for this trip and i cannot imagine the a mad dash through Paris to replace said items. surely it would be laughable for the Parisians though. jeez, if there was ever a trip for the my baggage to go missing or be re-routed to the mountains of Mongolia (did you know they have 3 major mountain ranges?), this would be the one.

until another day...