travels with my pants

Yesterday was one of those twixt days.

In this case, twixt traveling and living my Melaque routine.

It would not be accurate to say that the day caught me by surprise.  I have known for a couple of months that I would be leaving on Wednesday for Mexico City and my cruise.  But I have not given much thought to it.

When I looked in the refrigerator, I knew it was about time to leave.  I didn't have much in there.  Even though some things will need to be dumped.  Like the large jar of Miracle Whip that will turn into an Alexander Fleming experiment while I am gone.  And the pickle relish that already has.

The only big item in the refrigerator was some left over grilled chicken that I have been using for sandwiches.  But I was rather tired of the same fare.  A quick reconnoiter around the kitchen counters revealed an overly-ripe tomato, one clove of garlic, and half of a red onion.

That was good enough for me.  Out came the small sauté pan and a bit of olive oil.  In went the chopped onion, garlic, tomato, and chicken.  And, voilà, with a bit of marjoram stirred in, I had a perfectly serviceable lunch.

It would have been better on pasta.  But I have been getting enough carbohydrates with my recent sandwich binge.  I didn't need any more with pasta.  And what would have been a good pasta sauce turned out to be fine on its own.

Fortified, I started looking at getting packed for Wednesday morning's flight.  My usual routine is to stack my clothes (and other items I think I will need) on the guest room bed.  I usually then grab half of the clothes and put them back in the closet -- knowing full well that I will never wear all of them.  No matter how long the trip is.

This trip is a bit different.  I need to pack my city clothes for Mexico City in addition to packing the various costumes I will need on the cruise.  So, I worked backwards.  I included all of the things need to be allowed in polite company.  My blazer, wool slacks, and a couple of dress shirts.

The casual stuff?  It got the Simon the Zealot treatment.  Half went back into the closet.  The nice thing about an extended cruise is that there are laundry and dry cleaning services on board.

After paring down, one suit case would have been sufficient -- and I could have saved the $760 (Mx) additional baggage charge on AeroMexico.  That is what I would have done, but for one inconvenient truth.

In Mexico City, I will be picking up my white tie costume after my final fitting.  And its bulk could not have been crammed into the remaining space in a single suit case.   Considering the cost of the outfit, it will probably want its own first class seat to Barcelona.

So, the house is closed up, and I am on my way to vulture the museum culture of Mexico City and to learn if there is anything yet to be learned in declining Europe.

I suspect I will have tales to tell during the next few weeks.