Post-travel Minimalism

After spending a few days at my parents' house and then turning around and spending a few days in a hotel, I seem to have entirely forgotten my housekeeping skills. For instance, last night I found myself surprised that I didn't have a bowl for salad. I guess I forgot that one has to wash dishes every so often. And then there's the problem with the bed not being mysteriously made while I'm out of the room. I was trying to make a grocery list, and I couldn't remember any dishes I know how to cook. Though much of that has to do with summer, as most of my cooking is of the cold-weather variety. In the summer, I seldom do a lot of cooking. I might cook some meat on the electric indoor grill, but otherwise I eat a lot of fresh fruits and salads. But I may also be either coming down with something or just mildly under the weather because the thought of food, in general, isn't very appealing at the moment.

I spent yesterday obtaining groceries, and today I don't have to do anything that requires leaving the house, so I'm going to really dig into reviewing the book I've been working on. I've re-read the first 100 pages, but this is the part that's already been heavily rewritten. Soon, I'll get to the new stuff. I'm a little surprised by how much I'm liking it so far, and not just the characters and the story, but the writing itself. I'd like to at least have a read-through done and some notes on what needs to be rewritten before I get copyedits on the other book, which likely will be early next week. So far, all my notes have been reminders of things I need to incorporate later in the book.

I'm already looking forward to having both these big projects off my plate for the time being because spending time in hotels gives me cleaning urges. I love the minimalism and simplicity of a hotel room. I'm such a terrible slob at home, but I'm a neat freak in a hotel. Everything has to be put away before I leave the room, and it's so restful to return to a clean room. I really wish I could get that feeling at home, but it's going to require getting rid of a lot of stuff. I may do a massive cleaning/organizing project as a way of clearing my head before I dive back into writing. At the end of the project, I'll allow myself a bit of a "staycation" to enjoy it.

Speaking of minimalism, last night I think I figured out that I can fit everything I need for DetCon into two tote bags. Yes, wheels are handy at times, but when you're competing for overhead bin space, it can be good to have bags that can be shoved into random spots or put under the seat. I managed four days in one of these tote bags when I was traveling by train, and that was in cooler weather that required bulkier clothing. This trip is four days of convention and two travel days. I shall have to test this before I plan further. I doubt I'll ever get to the point of being able to go around the world with just a backpack, but it would be nice to get close to that ideal.