dragging out the suitcase....

ok, so between loads of laundry i sorted through the pile of suitcases that dwell below the basement steps...and found one that still has a retractable handle and wheels that seem to roll freely......i must now drag out the vacuum cleaner, as this particular model was at the bottom of the pile and is covered with flotsam of unknown origin......and now i must sort through my current favorite tops and bottoms.....and decide upon a coat (the black or the orange....?)....these are heady decisions indeed.....i will likely live in the same outfit for days anyway.....and must keep my extra clothing to a minimum so that i have room in my suitcase for bottles of mustard.....or whatever....note to self- still have plenty of lavender honey, so leave that on the store shelves.....i have the newest anne lamott book grace: eventually, further thoughts on faith...ms lamott is a particularly progressive church-goer....and i greatly appreciate her perspective as i struggle to attend a church that gets more conservative every day....i stay because i believe that these folks need to see liberal faces and hear reasonably liberal voices......as opposed to reading the fear-mongering that comes from that evil bleached-blond columnist ann.....ah well.....as i type i have foccacia bread rising....a real flash from the pastt....i am taking some suppers to people tomorrow, and that bread just seemed the thing to take along......i must say that there are elements of my former life that i miss.....kneading bread ranks up there.....i also miss the interaction with people....but i digress from this trip.....i bought memory cards at office depot....2 gigs for $24...such a deal i bought 2......might start over with my music collection and maybe include a broader range of genres.....at the very least i can take a few more pictures than the 16 meg card held.....so much more to do this week.....make copies of our passports.....clean out my purse and my wallet......figure out where to stash the euros i bought at farmer's bank.....finish putting together my moleskine reference book/diary...i did find a nice metro map to paste in.....despite the weeks of french-on-cd i feel much less prepared for this trip than trips past......i can work on that book on the plane if i can remember to put my gluestick and kiddie scissors in my quart-size ziplock.....1 week from today i will be in paris, eating supper at some lovely location, savoring a carafe du vin blanc a la maison.....it is that vision that will sustain me through the week to come.....