Leaving For Las Vegas

Although we will be gone a mere four days, packing always feels like an ordeal. Where's a matching pair of black trouser socks? What happened to Michael's travel sized shaving cream? Do we have enough change for bus fare to the airport? And why do I do this the night before we leave?

I ought to be something of an expert on packing, I suppose. And I am, in fact, pretty good at the packing light thing. That, naturally, makes me cringe when I see Michael loading up with game console cables and controllers and bachelor party gag gifts. Are we really going to be able to carry on all this junk? But this is the difference between packing for travel and packing for an event such as a brother-in-law's wedding. As Michael is the best man, he's been plotting the bachelor party for weeks and, being the perfectionist that he is, this means accumulating plenty of potential entertainment in the form of movies, games, and gags to fill up the evening - this after he has already planned a trip to a hookah bar and comedy club. I did convince him we should purchase the wedding gift in Las Vegas, however. Precious little that we would want to offer to the happy couple would fit neatly in a Rick Steves' suitcase along with our weekend wardrobe.

It will be a relief to be on the plane tomorrow, leaving the daily grind behind for a few days, heading for a celebration. Of course, just finishing up with the packing will make me feel a lot better, too. Speaking of which... I guess I'd better get packing!