If I were a normal sized gal, I'd have an easier time packing.

 

My doctor has been telling me for years that I must lose some weight.  This has been one of the hardest things to do, given that I no longer burn off as much fat as I once did with my everyday activities.  An unfortunate byproduct of this is that my clothes take up more space in a carry-on than they should - especially in Marian mode.

Over the past few days, I have been trying to squeeze a week's worth of clothes into a single carry on bag, with any overflow going into a small backpack.  It was a little easier for me when I had a bag from Mystic Seaport which could be expanded at will.  (It was a great personal item to take on a plane.)  But I think that it migrated to RQS's place - and that I don't have it when I need it.  AARGH!

Sooner or later, I'll have to learn how to minimize what I pack.  But my makeup and toiletry kits take up a lot of precious space - something I wouldn't need if I traveled as Mario.  At least, I'll be traveling as Marian on this trip, and not needing to present as Mario for at least 7+ days.  I can finally get my nails done!!!  

Hopefully, I'll be able to drop a few pounds before next summer's trip....

Switching Handbags - something all women do from time to time.

 

Normally, I carry my personal items in a bag similar to this.  Being able to wear a handbag makes things so much easier for me, that I have started to hate having to use pockets when presenting as a male.  Yet, I'm not out to say which is easier, as pockets reduce the number of things one must hunt through to find the things one wants.

Today, I received a small Crossbody bag that I can use to hold my essentials while traveling.  Why is this important?  I don't want to be rummaging through a small backpack (my personal item) to find things when at the airport.  Instead, I want to carry a small bag to carry things such as my driver's license, cash, and my cell phone that I can stuff in my backpack when I no longer need access to them.

Although it will feel very awkward at first, I expect that I will find this bag very useful when I travel en-femme, and flying with only a carry-on.  But if I'm checking bags, it makes much more sense for me to carry my usual handbag, as this gives me much more flexibility when I arrive where I'm going.

Let's hope that this isn't wasted money....

 

 

 

PS: I ended up changing my wallet too.  See why in future posts....

I'm preparing to travel, and I'm missing things

 

Since I started to clean out the clutter in my apartment, I kept stumbling into the compression bags that I use for travel.  Today, I looked for these bags and couldn't find them.  AARGH!  I knew where things were in the old clutter.  But I don't know where things are in the new mess.

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Right now, my apartment has a vacant space where a sofa used to be.  Things which would normally be near the sofa have been pushed away, so that the new sofa can be put in place.  But this gets in the way of me accessing those compression bags.  In the game of Jenga, I'm caught between a rock place.  No matter what I move, I lose.  In the case of my apartment, if I move something, I will lose track of where it is.  And I am already upset that I can't find the costume jewelry I had in the bedroom that I moved as part of the electrical work done over a month ago.

Luckily, I sorted much of what I need for travel into two easy to find bags, and much of the stuff I will need for the trip is already in my "Go Bag".  But I think I will repack things when I get back from RQS's place, as I know that my backpack should be treated as a personal item.  This way, I can stash my pocketbook in the backpack (or in my carry-on) and retrieve it when I land in Chicago (or when I return to New York).  

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My upcoming trip will be the first one I take with RQS as Marian.  This will be a very interesting trip, as the women we're meeting in Chicago only know me as Marian, but know of Mario's existence.  Let's hope it all goes well.