California Countdown: 7 days

So I’m starting to get excited about our trip to Los Angeles – it’s hard to believe we’re going in one week. I’ll believe it when the airplane touches down at LAX.

Here in Boston, yesterday felt a bit like spring, and I enjoyed bumping into Colin Turner on my jog to Jamaica Pond. In our running class at night, we talked about nutrition, cooking, and CSAs, which was delightful.

So now, I’m just trying to make a list of everything I want to pack for our eight days in LA, SF, SD, and TJ.

Passports – crucial to getting in and out of Mexico. Ben Hulley and I are looking forward to a Xolos soccer game in Tijuana, and I want some quality tacos.

Computer– I want to get my ancient MacBook Air checked out at our local computer shop before we go, just to make sure it’s optimized for the trip.

External hard drive– I have a Seagate which is rather old but it should work.

Shur SM57 Microphone and Focusrite Scarlett interface– so I can hook up to my computer and record quality audio.

FM10 Nikon Camera, with 2 extra rolls of film – thanks to Ed Grazda for turning me on to old-fashioned photography.

Canon EOS Rebel Camera – It’s almost 10 years old, but still works well most of the time for video and photos. I also want to bring my mini-tripod.

IPhone and charger and cable to sync up – the packing list is starting to get long

Violin – this is a must, even more than the technology. I could travel with just my violin and phone if need be. Hopefully Ben Sigelman has been practicing on his banjo and electric cello. I know Anna Levitt has been practicing her fiddle.

Notebooks – several, including legal pads, and my music notebook. Don’t forget pens and pencils.

Clothes – as few as possible. Don’t forget swimsuit and floatation device.

Klean kanteen – water bottle. California can be hot.

New running shoes – this needs to happen! My old running shoes are full of holes.

Compass and maps – just in case.

Keys, Wallet. I don’t think I have any Pesos right now so I’ll have to exchange money to get into the Xolos game.

Baseball Cap – I think i’ll go with the Cincinnati Reds hat, although I could also wear extra Joe’s Boston Red Sox cap. We’ll be going to Dodger Stadium so we’ll probably be buying Dodger’s hats. And we might go to the San Francisco Giants, Oakland A’s, and San Diego Padre’s stadiums, so we might be coming back with a bunch of hats. Come to think of it, maybe I won’t wear a hat. I’ll just buy a Dodgers one once we get to LA?

Toothbrush, floss – yes.

Medication – including melatonin for sleep, even though it is efficacy is controversial. A systematic review of meta-analyses of randomized trials showed that melatonin results in a statistically significant but small improvement in sleep latency and total sleep time, but it’s not clear if the effects are clinically meaningful.

Narcan nasal spray – Sadly, you never know when you’ll need to help reverse an opioid overdose

Vaccine card – yes

Gifts – for family/friends. Need to work on this one.

Margo – sadly, no. Our dog will be staying on St. Rose Street with our neighbor / friend Nan, and her dog, Granola.

Below, a video where I try to learn Stuff Smith’s version of the song, Ja-Da. Thanks for reading my blog entry! If you enjoyed this blog post, please feel free to leave a reply or share with others. And remember, my website is always free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK_FVNyChpQ&t=299s