In Just a few Hours

My train departs in a few hours, and I am frantically trying to pack everything I will need for the next month. Anyone who knows me also knows I do not travel light. Even for a weekend I pack an entire suitcase: three pairs of shoes, about fifteen pairs of socks, three or four pairs of jeans, shorts, at least five shirts, and all the products I could possibly need. How am I going to fit all of this in one duffel bag? I have resigned myself to seven pairs of underwear, and ten pairs of socks (I am going away for a month). To top it all off, I realized last night I did not have the proper suitcase, a problem I luckily fixed with a short visit to a 24 hour store.

Everyone says traveling on a train carries with it a certain feel of romance and adventure. I am really wondering, though, whether traveling with a few pairs of underwear and socks is romantic and adventurous. I also wonder what I will do without Internet, as Amtrak has not reached the era of full modernization. Well, here I go off to St. Louis, where I arrive at 7AM tomorrow; I have no idea what I am doing once I get there, as I know no one in that city. Unfortunately, I will not be able to meet a familiar face until I reach Los Angeles on Sunday, where I will be staying with my high school friend, Grace, and where I will be able to shower after two-and-a-half days. In the meantime, I will resort to baby wipes, hand sanitizer, and cologne.