1000 miles seems pretty far, but they got planes and trains and cars, I'd walk to you if I had no other way.

Plain White T's, you know my brain. I'm taking a break from packing, been rolling and re-rolling clothes all night trying to get them to fit into my backpack. Packing is the worst part for me, I hate it. Plus I know I've bought things that aren't going to fit so I'll have to send them home - boo!

Hehe look at little chubby baby Russell in the photo behind me - such a cutie!

The one thing I never pack in my backpack is this hoodie. At first because it wouldn't fit, but it's become the hoodie I travel in now. I mean, I know I'm constantly travelling, but I mean my plane/train/bus hoodie that stays with me and my carry on luggage. There are conventional uses for it, y'know like keeping me warm when the aircon is too high or it's nighttime on a Greyhound bus from New York to Boone. Or to sit on if the seats look a bit suspect. But on that same Greyhound ride, I zipped it up around my legs and used it so I could change my underwear. Believe me, when you're on a bus for 24+ hours with very little sleep and food, changing your underwear is a simple pleasure that you wanna grant yourself. I think I've done pretty well on the packing though, although there's some stuff in the drier that still needs to be put in there, and obviously the stuff I need day-to-day can't be packed until Tuesday night. I'm actually looking forward to my 9 hour train journey. I like trains, and I enjoy the actual travelling part of travelling as much as anything else! I like having my iPod in and to look at the scenery blurring past me, it makes you feel important and insignificant all at the same time. 

I've been looking for things to do in Houston too, and found that on Monday 5th September there is an event called the 'Free Day of Yoga' in Mentil Park. I guess we know where I'll be Monday! It starts at 8.30am with a group meditation, then at 9.30am there's an hour and a quarter class with Raye Lynn Rath followed by music and food! There's also a free day in the Museum District at some point too. I've also found some sleeping pills to aid my 14 hour flight from LAX to Auckland, recommended by Shannon, because sleeping on planes is not something I do well... I don't like to sleep through dinner in all honesty. I don't even think airline food is all that bad - it's a free meal guys, c'mon. So I'll go buy those tomorrow, along with sending home excess clothes and books. 

TOMORROW I GET TO PLAY A PIANO - I AM PSYCHED. 

Oh, I bought this today too, because I enjoy conforming to the "I'm British so I love the Beatles" stereotype, not merely because it's true. It's also a cute shirt and I got it a size up so it's baggy and comfy and lovely. Only after Emma had helped me understand Juniors sizes though. You would assume if something said it was juniors it was for kids, no? Apparently not, it is actually generally teen clothes, but the sizes are in odd numbers - 3,5,7,9 etc - rather than conventional 'grown up' even sizes. So Emma explained to me that being a  US size 8 makes me a size 9 in Juniors. Very confusing for us foreigners... and angering considering all the cute clothes I've stayed away from because I thought they were for kids. 

My day tomorrow looks like this;

- Wake up mid morning
- Yoga
- Shower and get ready
- Pack clothes from the drier
- Ask Gerald to take me to the Post Office, again
- Some kind of contact with home
- Andrea's picking me up at 2pm
- Play the piano for a bit
- Go into New Orleans with her, Walter and baby West
- Have an awesome time
- Refresh myself on netball rules
- Sleeps ready for a super busy day on Tuesday.

... I do love lists.