Trip traditions

This is going to be just a little update since I'm leaving for yet another school trip. This is the last big one for my class - five days in New York. By now I've got a little routine down for these outings. I get distracted by other things, then stay up late packing and second-guessing what to wear. Tomorrow I'll go through the usual cycle of adrenaline, car napping, grogginess, grumpy exhaustion, and finally enjoying myself. Yikes, does that sound like the 5 stages of grief? I should really be happier about a free trip to New York, right? I think the underlying issue is that these trips are physically harrowing but also make me question how much I fit into ever aspect of my grad program. First years, you are about to head to London. Take note: it's a marathon experience of Darwinian proportions. You will not return the same.

Then again, I'm not to new to late night packing and travel prep. That's how my family always got ready for our annual summer drive to Chicago. Tonight I carried on another of my Mom's traditions, late night sewing. Sitting here hemming those jeans I bought at an outlet ages ago, I'm listening to the sleet and snow falling outside.It reminds me of a July night my last summer of high school, when I was up late packing for World Youth Day in Toronto while Mom patiently hemmed my capri pants.