Live from Terminal 3

Well, the day has finally arrived. Here I am, sitting in the Fort Lauderdale International Airport. I guess if someone asked I would say I'm excited, but I might be lying to them. I'm a little nervous, overwhelmed mostly. Eventually this day was bound come around. Shit's getting real. I have life insurance. Need I say more? Here I go- so long sweet summer.

I was able to packed, crammed might be a more accurate adjective, my life into 47.4 lbs. Getting to this point was no simple task. I have a lot of life. I'm a decently seasoned traveler- I know how to breeze through security and have FINALLY mastered the art of only packing what I will need. But have I mentioned that I don't know where in the continuous United States or Canada I'm going yet? That kind of throws a wrench into the whole thing. What if I do need this sweater, or long sleeve shirt, or sweatshirt I mean- I am the only person ever to be COLD in the heat of a South Florida summer. What if I get sent to Canada? What do they even wear there? I mean come on, you never know when you will need a splash of Lilly or a black beaded clutch...

But I did, black beaded clutch not included. I have separated all my outfit elements (bottoms, tops, unmentionables) into separate jumbo ziplocks for easy access and outfit creations. All of my are divided in the same fashion. Therefore, my big black bag, when opened, is just a series of labeled bags. My idea is that this will keep them in better shape than digging through my whole bag each day just to find a T-shirt. Tools that I'm thinking will prove to be vital-

In 50 lbs or less: So, here I sit, patiently awaiting my flight into O'Hare and watching intently as the man a table over from my lip syncs and bobs his head to the Aretha classic, Respect. Oh.... he just did a horizontal snap across the face.... great start to the day.

Girl with baggage.

The big question, how do I pack for months on the road? I don't know. Otherwise, I suppose I wouldn't pose the question. But that's something that I hope, okay will be forced, to tackle in the next few weeks. Traveling itself can be less than glamorous. Normal and sane people tend to hate the packing part of traveling and like to focus on the traveling part of traveling. Not this nerd, I like it all. Not saying that I'm really all that great at it, I always leave at least one important thing at home.

I'm my excitement to get started in the packing phase of my adventure; I pulled together a few things, the bare essentials, which get me excited about the packing part of traveling. Bringing a versatile wardrobe, eliminating unnecessary cosmetics, adding a few “comfort” items, and of course, a few wildly impractical things added in there, because that’s just how I roll sometimes.

In 50 lbs or less: I can be low maintenance if I have to. It's all relative really. Toss me some skinnies, something black or navy, my well loved curling iron, (not while it's hot!) and some mascara and I'm ready to take on the world.

A Modern Mobile Nomadic Life

Nomads are historically groups of people who do not settle down for long periods of time but rather move from place to place, usually in search of food or work opportunities. This sounds to me like the current phase in my life. Culturally, there are three different types of nomadic people.
The Nomadic Hunter-Gatherers. These are the people who moved around in order to follow the food that they were chasing. I can't say that I'm well suited to a lifestyle of chasing wild game or herding sheep from location to location. So, it might be a bit of a stretch to classify me in anything that has the term "hunter" in the title. Unless you want to count my recent move to South Florida in order to continue my hunt for the illusive Charlie Bird.
The Pastoral Nomads. These are people who have several different homes and move between them throughout the year depending on where the best resources are at any given time. I could classify myself into this category. It does rather accurately describe my living situation- I tend to avoid filling in location, current city, or city/town when prompted. It's a very loaded question. Hmm... Iowa, Fort Lauderdale, or Chicago. How do I define home?
And finally we have the Peripatetic Nomads. This is the type of nomad that moves about from one place to another but is in search of work instead of food. Typically, these are tradesmen and they may travel together or individually. I'm going to go ahead and tag myself in the peripatetic category. Come July I will be living the peripatetic nomadic lifestyle. Pack up my gear, and wander from place to place for work. Be that extension, recruitment, or a chapter visit. I will be in search of work, and from what i hear- food as well.

I will be a nomad.

In 50 lbs or less: Okay, so I'm not totally a nomad, at least not yet. I prefer denim and cotton to deer skin and will always choose tofu to wild game. But I will call myself the Modern Mobile Nomad partaking in an ancient, exhilarating and ever changing lifestyle.