on the road again

It's quite odd packing for a 2.5 week roadtrip while also anticipating being home again in 2.5 days. While I never again want to do a roadtrip in which I abandon my car and fly back in the middle of it for a funeral, there are certainly upsides to the itinerary (that of course don't outweigh the massive downside of attending a freaking funeral) - knowing I'm coming home again on Friday means that I don't have to worry about unloading the dishwasher, and if I forget something, I'll be able to pick it up when I'm home. That made packing substantially less stressful, which is good - packing for mountains, plains, deserts, and cities is quite challenging.

Anyway, today was rather hectic; I kicked it off by going into the gym to see Alyssa, who reassessed me before my trip. Technically I only lost two pounds, although we agreed that I was retaining water and had actually lost closer to five; better, my body fat percentages are dropping dramatically, and my overall strength is improving in tandem. This is all a good thing - if I were doing this on my own, I would probably be going to the gym rarely and starving myself instead, so while my weight would be dropping, I wouldn't really be any healthier. We agreed that I would do my best not to get off-track in the land of interstate fast-food, and that we would hit it v. hard when I get back. Alyssa's version of 'v. hard' and my version are probably two different things, but hopefully we'll meet somewhere in the middle without killing me.

After the gym, I came home, took care of a bunch of stuff, then ran over to my old office to see Gyre. We've been trying to get together for a couple of weeks, and I wanted to see him before I left because of everything that happened with James + the fact that Gyre's wife is expecting - she's due in June, but she could very well deliver quite early based on what happened with her first two pregnancies. So, it was good to catch up; I scheduled 45mins on calendar, but ended up staying for an hour and a half. After he escorted me to the door (but failed to prevent me from stuffing my purse with a couple of beverages for the trip), I got my car washed, came home, started packing, and didn't get very far.

Then, I had to scurry out again for a romance writer function. Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes as Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle, was speaking at Kepler's bookstore tonight, and she invited a bunch of local romance writers to have 'high tea' with her at a tea shop near Kepler's beforehand. It was such a lovely gesture, and she was truly wonderful; she introduced herself as soon as I walked in, seemed to introduce herself personally to everyone who attended (probably 25 or 30 in all), offered to answer questions in the smaller group before the talk, and paid for the whole thing. It was both a lovely gesture and a v. savvy move; by having tea beforehand, she ensured that all of us would show up to the event at Kepler's, thus showing an independent bookstore that people will turn out for romance events. In fact, when I showed up at Kepler's, it was clear that they really underestimated the crowd - they ended up having to set up over twice as many chairs as they originally had out, which was awesome.

I invited Heather (aka dear respected madam) to attend the speaking event at Kepler's, and she was waiting there when I arrived. I think she quite enjoyed her peek into the weird and wonderful world of romance novelists, and I enjoyed showing her what my secret double life is actually like. After the talk, she and I adjourned to Cafe Borrone, where she had a late dinner, I had a latte, we shared dessert, and we had a v. long, leisurely conversation about all that has happened in the past week. It was great to catch up before my trip, and while I'll see her again at the service on Saturday, this was obviously to be preferred.

Then, I came home, packed like mad, wrapped up loose ends, and am now ready for my trip. Driving means it's pretty easy to just toss a bunch of stuff in the car, which means I way overpacked, but that's no big deal. So tomorrow I just have to shower and load up the car and I'm on my way! Wish me luck, friends; barring disaster or oversleeping, I should make it to eastern Nevada/western Utah by tomorrow night. Goodnight!