Minimalist Packing

I really enjoy the concept of minimalist packing. It keeps you from feeling weighed down when you travel. It frees up time and mental energy. When you return home, there is not a mountain a laundry to do.

There are lots of resources on the web, but here is my take on traveling light from my last week long trip:

From upper left, clockwise: shorts and shirt, shorts and shirt for pajamas (but could be worn to go for a walk/exercise), flip flops, grey leggings, snack bars, a magazine and notebook and my Kindle, chargers (phone, Kindle, camera battery, and headphones), shoes, comb, Tide to-go, 3 pairs socks, 4 pair underwear, swimsuit, jacket. Not pictured are deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, face cream, sunscreen, and camera. All of this fit neatly in my small backpack with room to spare. I wore a lightweight dress which was my primary clothing except when hiking or sleeping (or swimming, obviously!). You can buy "travel dresses" from REI or various websites, but you can save a ton of money by locating one with similar properties at the thrift store or Ross. A good dress for travel should be lightweight, a dark color, a conservative cut (so it works at a variety of places), and a high percentage of synthetic fibers (except nothing strecthy). Most synthetic fibers will dry much quicker than natural fibers. Just think of the shorts and skirts that dry the fastest when doing laundry at home and try to find a dress (or pants/shirt if you are a guy) in a similar material. Quick dry is important because then you can wash them in the sink, hang them up, and have them be dry within in a day.

My husband and I did a similar minimalist packing experiment when we went to Ecuador. That time we did invest in REI pants. That was the best clothing investment ever. After the trip, I wore those pants to do hundreds of hours of field work in rough conditions. They held up beautifully and are only just now getting too worn out to travel with (unfortunately, I snagged myself climbing over a wire fence and got concrete adhesive on them).

LA

I went to Los Angeles and back twice within two weeks. Once by train and once by plane. That was fascinating because you realize just how different the perspective is between the modes of transportation. The train gives you a sense of the vast distance. However, since it was a clear day and I had a window seat, the plane gives a sense just how much the great American desert was shaped by water. I love flying over the southwest US! The terrain is utterly breathtaking from the air. I still prefer the train, though. Air travel never leaves me feeling relaxed and happy like train travel does.

If you find yourself in LA, here are some recommendations:

1. Eat at a restaurant called Lemonade: http://lemonadela.com/. Healthy, fresh, and utterly delicious. I would also recommend Cha Cha Chicken in Santa Monica and Poquito Mas in Burbank.
2. Hike in Griffith Park. It is not strenuous hiking, but make sure you bring good sneakers and water.
3. Avoid the 405. The stories are true. It is a tedious nightmare even at non-rush hour times. The other freeways were no worse than Austin at rush hour and the city streets are surprisingly easy to navigate.
4. Expect people to run red lights and then honk at you for being a careful driver. Those folks are a bit impatient. However, they do let you over if you have your signal on.
5. Talk to people. While I love Texas and her people dearly, I think LA residents may give Texans a run for their money in terms of friendliness.
6. Stay at Safari Inn in Burbank (http://www.coasthotels.com/hotels/usa/california/burbank/coast_safariinn/overview) or Vagabond Inn in Pasadena (http://www.vagabondinn-pasadena-hotel.com/). I was particularly pleased with Vagabond Inn seeing as it was the nicest $70 hotel I've stayed at anywhere in the US. Clean, secured hallway at night, free parking, free wireless, free breakfast, and walking distance to lots of restaurants.
7. Visit the Cal-Tech campus if you are in Pasadena. It may not be worth a trip on its own if you are on the opposite side of town, but it is a beautiful campus. Also, if you peek in the windows as you walk around you get to see labs that the rest of us can only dream of playing in.
8. Don't listen to the reviews for Corner Cottage in Burbank. The breakfast burritos aren't really all that. It was fun to watch them make them in mass, but pretty much any breakfast burrito I've got in Austin has been better.
9. LA is cheap to visit. Hotels are reasonable, food is cheap, activities and entertainment are often free. I'd always heard it was expensive, but aside from real estate, it is very reasonable.
10. Use the Metro Rail. It is easy to use and quite efficient. I went from the airport to Pasadena which involves transferring to 4 different lines. Even with the transfers it was easy and fast. The trains run frequently and there is enough to do within walking distance of the stops that there is really no need to rent a car if you are just going to LA for fun.

Amtrak

We took the train to and from Los Angeles this past week. It was awesome! I love trains, so I may be a little biased. If you have never taken a long trip by train, you should try it at least once. Here are some tips:

• Book a roomette if you are making an overnight trip. They are great. During the day you have two chairs facing one another and at night they convert to bunk beds (surprisingly comfortable beds at that). There is a shower and three bathrooms in each sleeper car. All of your meals are included. You have plenty of privacy when you want it and your own temperature controls. Coach looked pretty rough by comparison. I used to travel coach on Amtrak as a kid, but never overnight. It did not look fun.
• The dining car food is pretty good. They feed you plenty, so leave the snacks at home. I would bring a large water bottle and consider refilling it or buying a new one at the stops. I was more thirsty than usual and the bottles of water they give you are tiny and disappear pretty quick (our sleeper car attendant started rationing them). There is perfectly drinkable tap water, but the way it is pressurized means that more water ends up on you and the floor than in a cup or water bottle (and regular sized bottles won't fit under the spigot).
• Get out and walk around at the "smoke stops". It feels good to stretch your legs. Don't stray too far because they will leave you. We heard stories from our attendant about near death experiences of people clinging to the side of a moving train. The station at Tuscon is great both inside and out, so definitely check that out if you stop there.
• You don't need to bring much to do. You get three meals a day where you sit with other people and chat (it is mandatory to share tables at meals). It was fun to meet new people from all walks of life. We met a reporter, a professor, a lead dealer, a freelance writer, and a copper mine blast technician. They were all nice and I really enjoyed learning about their professions, where they were from, and where they were going. I finished one book, but other than that enjoyed the scenery and talking.

Birth Control

Kids: I love them! I enjoy meeting other people's kids. I wish there were more kids in the family to play with at holiday gatherings. However, there are so many wonderful things about not having kids. Young people out there, think long and hard before you decide to have children. Take responsible steps to ensure you only have children when you want to.

Lots of people talk about how wonderful having kids is. Some people even get incredibly upset when they can't have kids. Let me point out but a few of the great things about not having kids:

1. You have a lot more free time.
2. You have more money to do fun things.
3. You can watch dark comedies whenever you want.
4. You can wake up and go to bed whenever you feel like it (within the constraints of your job).
5. If you don't feel like cooking, you can have wine and cheese for dinner.
6. You can have a smaller house.
7. You can have 2-seater vehicles.
8. You have much less responsibility.
9. You have much less stress.
10. You feel bad when you neglect your cat, but they can't send you to jail for it.
11. Your house stays cleaner.
12. You can be alone with your thoughts on a regular basis.
13. Your carbon footprint is smaller (if that matters to you).
14. You are not contributing to overpopulation (if you think that is an issue).
15. You don't have to deal with anyone until after you've had coffee.
16. You have less laundry.
17. You never have to deal with head lice.
18. You never have to deal with morning sickness (or other unspeakable horrors of pregnancy).
19. If you are married, there is much less to argue about.
20. You get to choose how you want to make the world a better place with the time and money that would have gone into raising children (not all reasons are selfish!).

This isn't an anti-kid rant. This is just some encouragement to find happiness in yourself first. Children can't complete you (neither can a spouse). You will only be truly content when you can be happy with yourself.

Whatever choice you make on this issue, just make sure it is your choice. You can find happiness on either path.

Houses

We are going through the process of getting our house ready to sell. This was the first house we ever owned. Here are some reflections and advice for those young folk who may be pondering purchasing a house:

1. The house you live in is not a very good investment. You might get lucky and buy when the market is down and sell when it is up, but not many people are that lucky. Also, owning a house requires a lot of money in maintenance, upkeep, and upgrades. Real estate investing is a great way to make money, but I would recommend doing so with homes/land that are not your primary residence.


2. Never, ever buy a house in the suburbs. It sounds like a good idea, but I don't know of anyone who doesn't want to live either closer in to town or farther away in the country after living in suburbia for a few years. Suburbs are soul-sucking. You have to drive to do anything and you are still surrounded by people and their annoying chihuahuas.


3. Get one less bedroom than you think you need. There is no reason to have a guest bedroom. With the money you save on less square footage (in the price of the house, taxes, heating/cooling, and upkeep) you can put your family up in a nice hotel when they come to visit.


4. Don't buy stuff to fill your space. It is hard to have a lot of empty space when you first purchase a home. Learn to love the empty space. Acquire decorations from your travels and create art that pleases you. Save for furniture you really want and only get enough for you and those who live with you to use. Get rid of seldom used or unwanted items periodically.


5. Check the maximum height of foundation shrubs. If it is taller than your window sills, dig them up and plant them on the edge of of your property. Otherwise you will be stuck pruning shrubs every two weeks during growing season to keep them from blocking out the sunlight. You will also get a lot of blisters.


6. Plant trees and shrubs within the first year or two of owning the property. Pick the ideal locations based on what they will look like full grown. The faster you get them in the ground, the better the chance you will get to enjoy their shade and beauty instead of the next owner.

Taxes

I have been doing our taxes by hand for several years. Our federal income taxes are fairly straightforward. Aside from itemizing deductions, we are pretty textbook: normal jobs, own one house, typical investments. However, I am surprised that we always seem to owe money especially when we give away 10% of our income to a non-profit. In a way I guess it is a blessing to make enough to be in a position to owe money. Also, we own a lot less house than we could technically afford, so I'm sure the smaller property taxes and mortgage interest are a big part of why others who make similar money seem to always get a refund. That and the fact that when it comes to taxes children are little cash cows!

This year I took the plunge and purchased TurboTax Deluxe software to see if perhaps I was missing something. It turned out to be worth the $30 investment. Using TurboTax I reduced the amount we owed by $733. I had missed a reduction in income from stock losses (one company we had invested in went belly up so the stock was worthless) and a deduction from the sales tax we paid when we bought a car with cash last year.

For previous years, I doubt the software would have been worthwhile. This year it paid off. Overall, I would say that it is worth the money to buy tax software if you feel like you might be overpaying. Worst case, you are only out $30 (less if you choose TaxAct or H&R Block software).

Even without the financial benefit, it was nice to not have to read through the 1040 instructions and fill out the bizarre forms to calculate things like what amount of tuition I could deduct. Those forms are maddening (multiply by a percentage, subtract row 3 from 5, take the lesser of row 6 and 7, if row 4b is more than $80,000 use form X, and so on)!

Glasses

I had an eye exam back in January. My vision has been fine, but my glasses are two and a half years old and pretty well shot (I wear them every waking hour). The prescription changed only slightly. My eye exam was on a work day, so I came straight back to work without buying glasses. The following week I went to the mall to shop for frames. I was really disappointed. None were made in the US. None were particularly special. All were pretty pricey (I’ve noticed that the plastic frames that used to be the economy frames are now popular and cost as much as the metal frames). So, I decided to purchase online.

I had never purchased glasses online. I was extremely trepidatious. Part of my concern is due to my dislike of the hassle of returning products. I have a few co-workers who regularly purchase glasses online, but I think their prescription is weaker and therefore easier to fill.

I discovered there are two US manufacturers of a complete line of eyeglasses:

• Kala: http://www.kalaeyewear.com/
• Shuron: http://www.shuron.com/

A few others manufacturer a few frames or non-prescription sunglasses domestically.

I ordered one pair of sunglasses and one pair of regular glasses. They cost a lot more than Zenni Optical or other online discount sources. It remains to be seen if they are worth the cost. I have only ever purchased high quality frames. They last about 2 years of regular use with lots of outdoor activities. My current frames are technically still perfectly fine. I have never had loose screws or other problems. They are only “worn out” in terms of surface scratches.

The expression kind of captures my uncertainty

But, I am digging the shades!

I am still up in the air about the regular glasses. The nose bridge extends into my field of vision and is about to drive me batty. Glasses are Shuron Regis I and shades are Shuron Freeway.