Travel Strategy Recap

I made it about halfway through the copyedits yesterday. I'm doing my own editing pass, re-checking the things the copyeditor changed, taking my last chance to make any other changes and fixing a few things the editor asked about. I may finish this round today, but the more serious tweaking comes in this part of the book. Some of the things I was worried about fixing just needed a line of dialogue or two added, but I think I have a scene that will require more serious reworking. Then I'll just need to go through the manuscript and insert the changes into my file.

My travel with a tote bag was so successful that I bought a new bag at Target yesterday (it was on clearance). My bag is good, but the form factor doesn't quite work. It's vertical rather than horizontal, and while you can put the straps over your shoulder, they're designed more to be carried by hand, and when the bag is full, getting the straps on the shoulder is a challenge. The new bag is about the same size and shape as my rollaboard suitcase, so it's a little bigger than my existing tote, and it has a detachable shoulder strap in addition to handles. Now to complete my traveling light ability, I just need to get a tablet so I don't always need to carry my computer. My other size/weight item is my travel-sized hotpot, since most hotel coffeemakers make water that smells and tastes like weak coffee, and that's not good for making tea. The hotel on this trip had the kind that uses pod packet type things in a slide-in holder, and the holder was separate from the coffeemaker in the basket containing the coffee pods instead of in the coffeemaker, so it looked like they actually remove the only part that touches coffee and clean it thoroughly between guests. On the last morning, when I'd already packed, I was able to make decent tea, so I wouldn't have needed my hotpot on this trip, but that's not the sort of thing you can plan for. My hotpot is about the size of a lunchbox thermos and isn't too heavy, so it's not too big a hassle to bring.

Since this weekend is a road trip, I can bring a real suitcase and full-size toiletries. Luxury! Though I probably will fit everything I need into a carry on-sized suitcase because that's how I roll. I just need to figure out what to wear. I generally dress up for conventions, mostly because I like wearing nice things and leave the house so seldom that I have to take advantage of every opportunity to wear something other than sweatpants. But while I have one new dress I haven't worn yet that I've got an outfit planned for, I'm drawing a blank on what to wear the other days because I'm kind of in a "I hate all my clothes" phase (and I might have put on just enough weight that not everything fits quite right, so I have to start being good after this trip).

And after this trip I can stop talking about travel strategy and get back to talking about books, writing, geeky stuff, etc.