The only thing I'll miss...

Contrary to what my students might tell you, I abide by a strict one soda per day rule (unless there's a restaurant involved... but hey, rules were meant to be broken). The kids seem to think I can always be found with a Dr. Pepper in hand, but I promise I pack one in my lunch, and I only take it to class with me if it is a) still cold and b) not finished. That said, my addiction to this delightful treat is something I'm going to have to face head on in the next :: gasp :: 4 days!

As such, I am officially lifting the one soda per day rule, and allowing myself to have as much Dr. Pepper as I want between now and the time I leave the ATL at approxmiately 10pm Sunday night. Does anyone know if you could feasibly check a case of soda? Would the pressure make the cans explode? Also, for the record, I prefer Dr. Pepper from a soda fountain first, followed by cans and lastly (and only in the most dire of circumastances) will I select a plastic bottle.

Expect more on packing later this week!

Summer in Oxford

I'm headed to Oxford this summer for my fourth summer with the Bread Loaf School of English (though they'll tell you third summer, but I blame that on WVU... I digress).  I've become obsessed with trying to figure out precisely how little I can pack while maintaining an adequate amount of wardrobe options and dealing with the fluctuations in weather.  Expect thorough debates over exactly how many pairs of socks I'll need (tentatively 4), and whether the hemp or leather Rainbow flip flops make the cut.   I don't want to be bogged down by lots of stuff - and I don't want to wind up with the dorm room disaster that has plagued me (though particularly in Asheville) each summer.  This is to say that I'm hoping to live comfortably while I'm there, but not wind up with possessions that make the trans-Atlantic jaunt just for the heck of it.  

This is just a sample of what my room in Asheville looked like on any given day, so you can understand why thinking through what I'm taking is playing a prominent role in my preparations for the summer.