I'm going to get this thing up and running again because I now have a pretty decent reason to. I just finished graduate school and bought a round the world plane ticket. Time to log my adventures for the viewers at home! I'm technically still in Ithaca, NY, technically still obligated to complete and defend my thesis, and technically not finished with it yet. But this program I'm using refuses to cooperate, so I may instead embrace the null hypothesis: landscape architects can't just figure out the intricacies of hydrological engineering without any guidance or even reasonably developed software manuals.
Back to life... I should be working right now. Just a few more days. The trip won't begin for another week but I'm getting pretty excited as time winds down. I have acquired a few items to make the experience a bit more comfortable and memorable, all of which must fit into a backpack when I walk out of this apartment for the last time to start my one way journey away from this town. These items are fantastic, compact, and very exciting to behold. They also continually remind me that this is really happening and it isn't far away. I'm planning a light and fast journey and I'm trying to pack accordingly. The things I'm bringing with me include:
-a super compact 45 degree sleeping bag (stuffs to 6"x9"!)
-a super awesome bivy sack that packs to the size of a water bottle (this is the bag I'll be sleeping in whenever I land outdoors for the night - keeps the bugs and the rain out!)
-a rain cover for my pack
-anti-diarrheal medicine (take that, India)
-an epi-pen (worry not, Mother!)
-DEET-loaded insect repellant
-a new (but very flimsy) pair of sunglasses that will probably break as fast as my last pair
-several changes of clothing but basically the bare minimum
-Camp Suds (a true miracle product)
-shampoo, soap, tooth paste, etc.,
-a sketch book
-my scuba certification card, and
-the coolest thing of all: a Nikon D60 w/ Tamron 28-300 vibration control lens (I've had it for about 36 hours and despite my total lack of features knowledge I think I'm in love)
Not to be materialistic or anything, but two months out of a backpack should be way cooler because of those things. In four or five days I'll be totally worry free for two months. I can hardly wait.
posted by Matthew MacLeod @ 7:50 PM
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