Luggagitis

I suffer from Luggagitis.

Yes it’s true.

What is Luggagitis you might ask? Well, it is the inability to be able to pack light when I travel. It’s a curse. I always seem to over pack, no matter where I go. Even if it’s just an overnight stay. I pack for any possible occasion that may arise – I make sure I have some kind of outfit/shoes/bag/underwear/jewellery to match , so that I am always prepared, but this ends up with my luggage overflowing, me stressing over weight restrictions and being charged at the airport – and no room for possible purchases on trips! It is stressful. I hate it!

I must admit, I am getting better over the years, not much, but I have made a slight improvement….so I am determined, for my upcoming trip, to break free of this disease and pack minimal, light and with only the bare essentials….no….really…I will! I have a plan……

It all starts with the shoes.

Shoes are the heaviest/bulkiest part of the packing. So I figure if I can narrow this part down, the others things should be easy! Right? It’s all about mixing and matching and, as we will be doing a LOT of walking, comfort. So I have narrowed it down to 4 pairs:

Black Sketchers
Black Boots
Black and Silver Sandals
Black Thongs (Flip Flops)

I figure black goes with everything, and it keeps all possible occasions covered. All these shoes are comfortable, the latter 2 are thin and light and will pack well and I will wear my boots on the plane…..leaving room to buy more on holiday (along with bags and hats – my downfall).

So that’s the shoes done – which pretty much means I can’t take any clothes that don’t go with these shoes! So the clothes plan – well that is going to be where, hopefully, the mix and match theory comes into play! I am going to try, like in the magazines, to take a small amount of items that can be mixed and matched to create a multiple amount of out fits – and will take up hardly any room in my suitcase. Throw in a jacket to cover possibly cool weather, and anything else I can buy on the trip. I guess the great thing about going to/from the US is the luggage allowance is so much better!

So, this is the plan to avoid another case of Luggagitis. Will it work? Will I be tearing my hair out? Will I actually be able to make a decision about what NOT to take ‘just in case I need it’, will I end up letting my husband pack for me? Stay tuned to find out…..the holiday is still 4 weeks away, but these are things I need to start planning now to avoid complete meltdown hours before boarding the plane!

Wish me luck!

Quotes

While I was re-discovering my love for the early years of Hollywood a few weeks back, I also stumbled across some great quotes from the legendary Charlie Chaplin. So I thought I would share them with you, as well as some other quotes I enjoy…..

‘A day without a laugh is a wasted day.’

‘Through humor, we see in what seems rational, the irrational; in what seems important, the unimportant. It also heightens our sense of survival and preserve our sanity.’

‘Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long shot.’

‘All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.’

‘I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician.’

‘I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood. If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator, then I question whether it has fulfilled its purpose.’

‘Movies are a fad. Audiences really want to see live actors on a stage.’

‘Actors search for rejection. If they don’t get it the reject themselves.’

‘I went into the business for the money, and the art grew out of it. If people are disillusioned by that remark, I can’t help it. It’s the truth.’

- Charlie Chaplin

‘Don’t dream it, be it’ – Rocky Horror Picture Show

‘The prettier the flower, the further from the path’ – Stephen Sondheim (Into The Woods)

‘The trouble is Charlie, that’s what everyone does. Blames the way it is, on the way it was, on the way it never, ever, was.’ – Stephen Sondheim (Merrily We Roll Along)

‘Art, specially the stage, is an area where it is impossible to walk without stumbling. There are in store for you many unsuccessful day and whole unsuccessful seasons; there  will be great misunderstandings and deep disappointments….you must be prepared.’ – Anton Chekov

‘Build a stairway to paradise with a new step every day, tap your troubles away, sing you heart out and everything will be beautiful at the ballet’ – Tim

‘Ladies and Gentlemen take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice.’ – Dr Sidney Freedman (M*A*S*H*)

‘The slotted spoon doesn’t hold much soup’ - Stephen Sondheim (Into The Woods)

‘Out flew the web and floated wide-

The mirror crack’d from side to side;

“The curse is come upon me,” cried

The Lady of Shalott.’ – Alfred Lord Tenneyson

‘Wind’s in the east, there’s a mist coming in, like something is brewing and about to begin…’ – Mary Poppins

‘Often we allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. We lose many irreplaceable hours brooding over grievances that, in a year’s time, will be forgotten by us and by everybody. No, let us devote our life to worthwhile actions and feelings, to great thoughts, reall affections and enduring undertakings.’ – Andre Maurois 

‘If you reach for the stars, all you’ll get is the stars, but we’ve found a whole new spin. If you reach for the heavens, you get the stars thrown in’ – Mary Poppins

‘Time heals everything’ – Jerry Herman (Mack and Mabel)

‘You may know what you need, but to get what you want, better see that you keep what you have’ - Stephen Sondheim (Into The Woods)

‘I’d rather regret the things I have done, than the things I haven’t done’ – Lucille Ball