The night before the big trip

I'm packing, cleaning, and packing. Will I have everything I need for my trip? Maybe not, but it doesn't really matter because this is America and we have Walmart, where you can buy practically anything you might need. All items meet (but rarely, if ever, exceed) minimum American standards and sell for a low price that ends in .97. Examples of items that are available at Walmart include dental hygiene products, neon colored (and non-neon colored) bathing suits, posters of teen heartthrobs, books about Jesus, Windex, gift wrap, pacifiers, garden supplies, alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. They do not, however, carry books or CDs with profanity. You have to go to a real book and/or music store for that.

What's most important is that I have my audio entertainment prepared for the endless hours I will spend alone in my car.

Here's the run down:
1. Audiobooks: Black Boy, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Great Gatsby (I've already read it, but I'd love to hear it again), Their Eyes are Watching God, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Mouse and the Motorcycle - that's right, I have some Beverly Cleary action going on! I'm hoping the copy of On the Road that I ordered from the library will be in before I leave tomorrow.

2. The Great Courses audio course entitled The United States and the Middle East: 1914 to 9/11 - that should take somewhere around 20 hours to complete. I plan on listening to it only when I am at my most alert.

3. 22 Tara Brach podcasts

4. My iPhone/iPod with all of my music (now including the entirety of the recent Phish shows at Merriweather and SPAC) and a charger and an FM transmitter

5. A book of my favorite CDs, for when I want to hear music that's better quality than I get using my iPod and the FM transmitter

I think that should hold me over.

Back to packing now.

Danielle :)