Timing your vacation so that you finish the last of your fresh food before you leave is difficult, maybe downright impossible. We haven't been to the grocery store in close to two weeks. We thought that our last food purchase would last until we leave. Perhaps we were wrong.
Last night, our empty cupboards (and no motivation to cook) sent us to a local burrito restaurant. Lunch was a scraped-together pasta/sauce combination, but we wanted better for dinner and ended up spending more than we probably should have at the local primo grocery store, considering we got only chicken wings, guacamole, and sushi.
You expect to dine out while on vacation. But the pre-vacation dining out, from the time when you run out of food until you leave, is an unexpected expense. Last year, before our wedding, I refused to eat anything that wasn't home cooked in the days leading up to the big day out of fear of food poisoning (have I mentioned I'm a bit of a control freak?). Apparently, I've loosened up, not to the point that I'm loose but maybe I'm closer to the rest of the population.
And here we can see one of the many benefits of being a control freak.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Packing, planning, and reuniting
I've been quiet but not inactive--here's what's new in my world.
Bought euros.
Last we checked in, I had just purchased euros, or was about to, anyway. Waiting a day lost us $12. If the writing thing doesn't work out, it's good to know that I can always become a currency trader. "Buy, buy, buy! No, sell, sell, sell! Greed is good!" Gordon Gekko, eat your heart out.
In other currency news, the dollar is continuing its rally, so we should get an even better rate on ATM withdrawals once we arrive. My hopes are high for our exchange rate for Germany, too. Perhaps a European vacation next year is not out of the questions...but no decisions until after Germany and Christmas.
Packing and planning.
We're mostly packed. My don't-pack-anything-in-our-checked-suitcases plan has gone down in flames, to the point that we have to go buy a luggage scale tonight to make sure that our checked stuff doesn't exceed the 50-lb, per-bag limit. Tonight I'm going to peruse the suitcase to see if we can cut anything or perhaps pack smarter.
I found out the dangerous news that B, because of his airline status, is allowed to check 3 bags coming home, which brings our grand total of check-able bags to 5 (a total of 250 lbs. worth of baggage), not to mention our 2 carry-ons and 2 personal items (I tend to stretch the usual boundaries of personal item allowances). This benefit is not going to help me exercise restraint during my shopping excursions. It might also necessitate using one of those rolling luggage carts to make our way up to the check-in counter and, possibly, buying more luggage while we're away. On the one hand, glamorous ("Wow! Those people have so much luggage! I wonder if they hire people to hold umbrellas for them?"), but on the other hand, a total pain and an invitation for those with more restraint to mock (been there, done that).
We also had a grand success with the airline and were able to switch our connecting flight for the way home to a direct flight (for FREE! Am I good or what...), which means we'll arrive home in the afternoon instead of the evening and won't have to clear customs in Philly with our 12 bags of luggage.
Speaking of packing and planning, we bought season 1 of Mad Men and put some of the shows on B's iPhone for plane and train entertainment. Neither of us has seen the show (we don't have cable, and it's on AMC), but several people have recommended it. We also bought enough snacks for an army--bringing snacks cuts down on the food bill and allows us to eat whenever, wherever--very important. We got trail mix, flattened banana, mango with some kind of spicy rub (for B's enjoyment), pretzel thins, sesame sticks, and of course a ton of Larabars, which never fail to perk me up. If you haven't tried them, I highly recommend Cherry Pie--it's my favorite flavor.
Reunions.
Today I received an invitation to my high school reunion, which will be held this November. To reunite or not to reunite? I'm planning to attend, though I'll have to peruse my yearbook before I go. The class president sent me a list of names for whom she still needs contact information, and I couldn't put a face to 25% of the people--and we only had 120 kids in our class. I've kept in touch with approximately 3 people from high school, so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone's been up to.
Bought euros.
Last we checked in, I had just purchased euros, or was about to, anyway. Waiting a day lost us $12. If the writing thing doesn't work out, it's good to know that I can always become a currency trader. "Buy, buy, buy! No, sell, sell, sell! Greed is good!" Gordon Gekko, eat your heart out.
In other currency news, the dollar is continuing its rally, so we should get an even better rate on ATM withdrawals once we arrive. My hopes are high for our exchange rate for Germany, too. Perhaps a European vacation next year is not out of the questions...but no decisions until after Germany and Christmas.
Packing and planning.
We're mostly packed. My don't-pack-anything-in-our-checked-suitcases plan has gone down in flames, to the point that we have to go buy a luggage scale tonight to make sure that our checked stuff doesn't exceed the 50-lb, per-bag limit. Tonight I'm going to peruse the suitcase to see if we can cut anything or perhaps pack smarter.
I found out the dangerous news that B, because of his airline status, is allowed to check 3 bags coming home, which brings our grand total of check-able bags to 5 (a total of 250 lbs. worth of baggage), not to mention our 2 carry-ons and 2 personal items (I tend to stretch the usual boundaries of personal item allowances). This benefit is not going to help me exercise restraint during my shopping excursions. It might also necessitate using one of those rolling luggage carts to make our way up to the check-in counter and, possibly, buying more luggage while we're away. On the one hand, glamorous ("Wow! Those people have so much luggage! I wonder if they hire people to hold umbrellas for them?"), but on the other hand, a total pain and an invitation for those with more restraint to mock (been there, done that).
We also had a grand success with the airline and were able to switch our connecting flight for the way home to a direct flight (for FREE! Am I good or what...), which means we'll arrive home in the afternoon instead of the evening and won't have to clear customs in Philly with our 12 bags of luggage.
Speaking of packing and planning, we bought season 1 of Mad Men and put some of the shows on B's iPhone for plane and train entertainment. Neither of us has seen the show (we don't have cable, and it's on AMC), but several people have recommended it. We also bought enough snacks for an army--bringing snacks cuts down on the food bill and allows us to eat whenever, wherever--very important. We got trail mix, flattened banana, mango with some kind of spicy rub (for B's enjoyment), pretzel thins, sesame sticks, and of course a ton of Larabars, which never fail to perk me up. If you haven't tried them, I highly recommend Cherry Pie--it's my favorite flavor.
Reunions.
Today I received an invitation to my high school reunion, which will be held this November. To reunite or not to reunite? I'm planning to attend, though I'll have to peruse my yearbook before I go. The class president sent me a list of names for whom she still needs contact information, and I couldn't put a face to 25% of the people--and we only had 120 kids in our class. I've kept in touch with approximately 3 people from high school, so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone's been up to.
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