Two More Weeks and We'll Be in Spain

Well, it took 14 weeks and some help I enlisted from my new friend Paulette at Senator Ensign's office, but I FINALLY got my passport with my married name back in the mail.

Now I just have to get in shape, brush up on my Spanish and to figure out how to stuff all of my belongings for 5 1/2 weeks into a backpack weighing no more than 15 pounds. No problem!

I Have the Best Husband Ever

The girls and I had originally planned to start our Book and Booze club (very sophisticated, I know, but I thought we could taste beers as well as wines) on the Sunday after Ashley and I got back from San Jose. However, after checking in with everyone only a few in the group had actually finished Eat, Pray, Love so I decided the best thing would be to postpone it, but I hadn't mentioned to Paul that we were changing the date.

I called him from the airport, and while I'd been away having fun he had bought 5 different kinds of wine and some cherries and other snacks for us and was about to clean the house. For all of the times I complain about different things in my life, times like these make me remember and appreciate that I really have it pretty darn good.

"Eat, Books, Ikea and Bonding" or my 18 hour trip to San Francisco with Ashley to Meet Elizabeth Gilbert

This week my wanderings lead me to San Jose and San Francisco to meet my new favorite author, Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote the the deeply personal memoir of her travels and inner transformation across Italy, India and Indonesia, Eat, Pray, Love. I picked up this book at Borders because of the cover, so simple and beautiful. As a former marketing student, I like to reward the geniuses behind good packaging and cover art by doing exactly what all moms tell their kids not to- judging books by their covers. To be fair though, even books with lovely covers have to pass the 2 page test with me. I was a little hesitant to read it because it was the story of a woman on the heels of her divorce. As a newlywed, this wouldn't normally be my subject of choice, but something drew me to the book. Maybe because I'd love to take off for a year and travel the world. Maybe I just love stories about personal transformation. Whatever it was, I'm glad I picked it up beause I fell in love with Elizabeth Gilbert's writing. She has a way of letting the reader behind the curtain, revealing the truth about her lonliness, joy and triumphs in a way that shows that she is just so...human. It was one of those books that feels like visiting an old friend their and remembering all over again why you loved them so much in the first place. I didn't want it to end, so when it finally did in my book withdrawls I went searching on Liz's website and happened to see that she was going to be at a Book Group Expo in San Jose, CA...only an hour and a cheap plane ticket away from me.

The wheels started turning and before you know it I had found the cheapest flight and a $75 off flight coupon on eBay. It was only a week away, but I called my friend Ashley to see if she wanted to make a girls outing of it. She was game, so at 4:30(am!) last Saturday we headed out to the airport for a quick trip full of books, authors, wine, chocolate, seafood and shopping.

The Book Group Expo was a pretty neat set-up. Each hour they hosted themed Literary Salons with a group of 3-4 authors on a mini-stage full of the kind of worn comfy couches and chairs you might settle into with your favorite book. Here are some highlights from the trip:

1. What a Long Strange Trip Its Been..
This was the title of the first literary salon with Elizbeth Gilbert(that's her in the center of the photo above with Ashley and I), Sara Davidson (author of "Loose Change" and "Leap!") and Po Bronson (journalist and writer of "Why Do I Love These People?" and "What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life?"). Like the proud book loving geek that I am, I had thought about some questions I wanted to ask Liz. I got a little nervous, but I ended up on the mike anyway asking the whole panel about the mentors they had had in their lives and whether or not they spent time mentoring aspiring writers. All of the authors gave answers that were positive and encouraging to me about liking to spend time reading manuscripts and helping other authors connect with agents. Liz said she didn't really have a writing mentor, but her mom had been her biggest source of encouragement, even encouraging her to send her work to Newsweek and the New York Post when she was 18. She also talked about having worked with Julie Powell, author or Julie and Julia.


2. Did I Mention Elizabeth Gilbert??
Well, we got to meet her at the book signing and she was just as friendly and gracious and easy-going as you might expect after reading Eat, Pray, Love. She told me that I have a beautiful smile! I told her that I really enjoyed her book and determined to get through at least one more of my questions for her, I asked if she had written most of the book while she was away in Italy, India and Indonesia or when she came back home. She said she wrote the bulk of it while she was there, journaling and such.

I wonder if it is weird for her after writing such a personal memoir that so many people who she has never met think that they are her kindred spirits.

3. Ikea
It was my first time. I was amazed at the size of the place. Ginormous. And everything was so cheap! I resisted most of the temptations because we were limited to the small bags we were carrying as carry ons, but I did get a cute $.99 spoon rest.

2. Checking Out San Francisco and the Environs

When the clock struck 2, we had had our fill of book nerd heaven and our eyes were drooping from only 4 hours of sleep, so we decided to hop in our rental car and head back to explore San Francisco. Neither of us had any specific plan in mind, so we headed for the Embarcadero and stopped when a little arts and crafts street market caught our eye.

We don't have a lot of stuff like that in Vegas. There was a guy with the most beautiful photographs of brilliant blue and red doors. And then there were the ugly jewelery vendors and the pretty jewelery vendors. We both picked up a little something from the pretty jewelery vendors tables. Then we explored the market across the street on the pier and reveled in the less than 100 degree weather and the fresh sea ocean air. We went to Pier 39 and stopped at Swiss Louis's overlooking the sea lions for dinner and some wine.

3. Good Old Fashioned Girls Bonding Time
Sometimes this is just what the doctor ordered. For me, having real conversations and spending time with girlfriends is nourshing to the soul. Definitely one of the biggest highlights of the trip was getting to spend it with one of my best friends.

Camino Packing List

I will be continually updating this post as I add things I have forgotten. First and foremost, my objective is to pack as light as possible. I cannot let myself take any more that 15 lbs. including the weight of my pack lest I die of exhaustion along the way. This is my pack to the left (yay!). Its an Osprey Aura and I would highly recommend it if you are in the market. It is lightweight and has a great cooling system.

Paul and I have done a couple of trial treks with our packs loaded up out at Red Rock. Man, this is harder than it looks. We noticed some weird things like that our hands swelled up while walking. Not sure what the deal is with that, but it seemed to lessen the second and third time we were doing long treks.


Jessi's Packing List

• Pack (3 lbs. 2 oz)
  
• 2 pairs of pants
• 2 T-shirts
• 3 pairs of socks
• boots or hiking shoes
• Second pair of shoes for the night time (I'm checking out some Crocs sandals I found at Sports Chalet. They are super light and comfy and don't take up much space)
• Silk sleeping sack
• travel pillow
• pajamas?
  
• humpback poncho (it will cover you and your backpack!)
  
• my journal
• paperback book
• sunscreen
• guide book
• camera & charger
• necessary meds
• bandana (s)
  
• hair ties
• compass/GPS?
• hair brush
• passport (also scanned and sent to our email address in case of emergency)
• tickets
• freshette (funnel and tube contraption to help girls pee in the wilderness without having to squat)
• camel back belly for water
• quick dry towel
• washcloth
• soap (buy in Spain)
• tissues
• travel shampoo
• travel conditioner
• deodorant
  
• small amounts of makeup
  
• moisturizer
• plastic bag for clothes during shower
• shower curtain hook or caribiner to hold shower bag
• small length of string and clothespins for hanging clothes to dry
• small rock from Vegas to leave at the Cruz de Ferro
  
• mp3 player (trying to find a cheaper version that takes batteries to avoid carrying my iPod and charger)
• Ear plugs
  

Plus, I will take some extra things to wear in transit and for our first few days in Pamplona and for after we arrive in Santiago. We can send packages to ourselves at the end of the Camino. These will be:

• Jeans
• nice shirt
  
• another casual shirt

Am I forgetting anything? Most likely yes, but I shall keep adding to this.

Ahhh, memories...

I just read what is quite possibly the funniest blog I have ever seen about a preteen book series. Tiff, who writes this gem, the BSC Headquarters ,is "revisiting her awkward(est) years one Baby-sitters Club book at a time."

If you ever read these books growing up, you have got to look at this website. Seriously this cracks my sh*t up! I imagine if Stephen Colbert reviewed the BSC series, the result would be something similar to this blog. She waxes nostalgic with her wry commentary on the fashion and toils of the BSC that brings back memories of a time when hypercolor t-shirts and plastic pink flamingo earrings were the height of 13 year old sophistication. And a time when my ten year old self lived vicariously throught the 13 year old Claudia, Kristy, Stacey, Dawn and MaryAnn. I remember when I was 10, I totally wanted to be Claudia Kishi minus the poor spelling and the spandex tights outfits.

To Run or Not To Run?

So, now that we'll be in town for the festival, I have been having a mental debate with myself as to whether I actually want to get my running-challenged butt out there in the street with those scary horn wielding beasts...maybe I can wear some body armor with my red neckerchief.

Here's how the battle of my wits goes: I sort of want to run with the bulls, but on the other hand I think that is totally crazy. I could get trampled or my eye gouged out, not even be able to start the camino that we have planned so much for. BUT on the other hand where's my sense of adventure? It really is a once in a lifetime experience...

I turned to my girls on the Nest travel board hoping some of them could share their experiences. One of the girls came to my rescue and quelled some of my fears. She did the run in 2001 with some girlfriends and random Canadian guys whom they met in the bar the night before. They started about 1/2 a mile ahead of the bulls, got a two-minute warning to start running. Once they reached the stadium end point (where I've actually been before), they heaved themselves over the wall where they then had a great vantage point to watch the rest of the people and the bulls go by. She did say it was still scary as hell.

Scary as hell aside, getting a 1/2 mile head start sounds like the perfect way to run, but manage some of the risk. And probably help our Moms sleep better at night too.

Run Toro Run!

Last week in my TESL Assessment class the girl who sits next to me who always has interesting adventure and travel stories was talking about wanting to run with the bulls in Pamplona in July. July? My ears perked up. When in July? She wasn't sure, but I rushed staight home to my computer after class to find out when the San Fermin Festival is July 6-14!! I will finish teaching my summer class July 6th and the 8th is our estimated departure date for Espana!

Pamplona is actually a few cities on from Roncesvalles, the intended start of our camino route, but after talking with Paul, we decided to start from Pamplona so we can enjoy the festival for a few days and then take off. Plus, it turns out I need to be back a little earlier before the start of fall semester to do some training on some software I will be teaching with anyway. So now we are down to about 400 miles. That shaves off about 25 miles or so, but I figure we can make up at least a few miles on the bull route =).

After consulting my veteran peregrino friends on the Santiagobis group, I found that we can pick up our pilgrim credentials at either at the diocesan offices near the cathedral or the Albergue de peregrinos.