HoW much!!!???

The Access bill arrived today. Gulp. And nearly everything on it was bought on the 10th August when, in the company of my daughter, I went to York for a day's shopping. Clothes shopping.

Now, anyone who knows me will know I don't do clothes: I am a natural-born scruff and wear nothing but jeans 95% of the time (daytime that is - I wear nothing at all at night), so this Access bill, with its list of purchases from M&S, Ecco, Debenhams, H&M and Long Tall Sally is a rarity. And in fact, although I thought I'd be buying clothes to try and look as thought I was someone who made an effort when visiting friends, many of them were not at all suitable for a visit to New Orleans. Some of the books might be, probably will be, and on other dates the haircut was essential, as was the battery for my car.

But it's a bloody big bill.

And it was also a highly enjoyable day

HoW Pile

Of course, the pile of packing so far is basically books, and I'm getting slightly anxious, as some of them look awfully thin...  What if I read them all in the first couple of days?  It's going to be a long trip there, three flights & fifteen hours flying...  I'm wondering if I should stick the old faithful, battered and bent copy of Lord of the Rings in, that's always good for 3-4 days... 
I did choose these books as a selection of American fiction, although not necessarily typical of Louisiana or New Orleans itself.  I have recently read Anne Rice's "Feast of All Saints" but wasn't all that impressed, found it a little slow until around 75% of the way in, and the characters basically not particularly sympathetic or interesting.  If anyone else has read this I would be interested in hearing your opinion.  I just finished James Lee Burke's "Black Cherry Blues" which suited me far better, the characters jumped off the page at you, and the descriptive parts added mood and didn't slow the pace.

Of course, I could just interact with everyone instead of reading ;)  But I'm guessing there will be bookshops in New Orleans in case of emergency...  so here goes with the first HoW haiku:-

Pages like cloudy

veils, hiding my lack of words

with others' writing.

HoW Packing

Don't get me wrong, I am getting pretty excited about the trip, but there is one thing looming in the way of me enjoying the anticipation... Apart from my work wondering if I can fly to Detroit for a meeting on 30/31 August, come back to Germany on 1st, and then I would have to turn around & fly back over the Atlantic the following day.  

No, it's not that that frets me, it's packing.  I hate packing.  Ideally I would just pick up the things below (maybe for this trip, my camera & laptop too, and a few essential books for the journey, stuff them in my hand luggage, and when I arrived at the hotel, magically, the things I would want to wear would be in the wardrobe (whether I possess them now or not!), and favourite and familiar toiletries would be in the bathroom.

I often end up packing, not the night before, but the morning of the travel itself.  I reason that you're going to forget something you want anyway, and I've never forgotten anything important... you can always buy toothpaste, contact lens solution, clean knickers etc.  I once left my driving license in Chicago O'Hare airport, at the check in desk, only discovering that it was missing when I tried to hire a car in Atlanta... but that's another story.
I guess I don't like depriving myself of things by putting them in the suitcase too early.  I might want to wear that t-shirt one more time before I go.  My organisation ahead of trips is usually just about sufficient enough to ensure that all the clothes I might want are washed by the night before so they are mostly dry by the time I shut the case.  And even more deprivation with books, not being able to pick up and read that one, because it is in "the pile".  I have planned well this time though, with my recent trip to the UK I have around ten unread ones, not counting the four I plan to take with me.
And my "last minute things" bag which is basically toiletries... but now I am wondering... should I put nail varnish in?

HoWling limericks

We arrive after dark at the Doubletree
And partake of a nightcap with double D
He says he’ll be shaven
And we’ll be behavin’
Too knackered to down more than two or three.

Next day J and I will explore
Return for a drink about four
Unpack all our notebooks
Refurbish our good looks (!)
And go down to watch near the door.

I’m sure we’ll both recognise Gita
(So much have been longing to meet her)
No doubt she’ll be coming with Mike
Who, fuck knows, I’ll probably like
(Tho’ my language might be more discreeter)

Michael DJ Brown, in his thinking Rodin pose
Borrowed shirt of yellow, blue .. or rose?
I wonder will his visage sometimes frown?
I don’t believe he’ll really put us down
Just astound with the perfection of his prose.

Her email says “You’ll find me at the bar”
And I’m sure none of us’ll have to look too far
But it might be hard to seize her
Though we’ve seen pics of Teresa
‘Cos everyone will be there, that’s for sure.

Shauna says she isn’t socially aware
And never knows exactly what to wear
I suspect we are all equally cussed:
But what we’ll have between us all is trust
And we wouldn’t do a deed that isn’t fair

Grey says she’ll waft in, like mist
(I hope that by then I’m not pissed)
We’ll none of us talk like we write
(That we might would sure fill me with fright!)
But this How meet is not to be missed.