Every day I fall a little more in love with Lin Chao. First she tells T to let Chris have a hand in the wedding planning, like choose shoelaces.

Then she tells crazy exploding guy to maybe go read People or something. From now on, whenever anyway acts all crazy I'm just going to say: Go read a People or something! Oh, and drink a little Gatorade.

Y'all I got THE nicest letter from a woman on my notify. She's 40, lives in Austin and manages a BBQ place. If it's the Salt Lick, I might have to move in with her.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Answers

Morning.

I'm soooooo tired. And playing golf later. But happy, because Dora in Word's Diminish wrote a paragraph in her journal saying exactly how I feel on the whole Yates issue.

I need a real update at some point.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Just enough time to say good morning to my favorites.

We made it, y'all.

And we don't hate each other. Too much.

More later. I miss y'all.

Also: Martha Stewart King, Jr. I died.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

oh, just teasing us with her prescence. Or however you spell that.

Mike - do you want to give us update dates or what? How's it gonna work fool?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Yeah, that might be good. When's good for (each of) y'all ... or does it not matter? Will anyone be out of town or otherwise indisposed while I'm gallavanting around The Continent?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Unfortunately, not I. When do you leave?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

A week from tomorrow.

Ask me if I've even bought a backpack. Or hiking boots. Or, indeed, anything at all.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

If you haven't bought hiking boots yet, don't. You won't have time to break them in. I actually didn't even bring mine to Spain - I wore a pair of comfy Clarks and my running shoes most of the time. Oh, and my Tevas when it rained. Is there someone you can borrow a backpack from?

Johanna has the coolest pack lock - ask her what kind it is - I forget. The little bottles at the container store are great for shampoo. And - this may sound girly - I worship Dove Daily facials. They foam up and make your face feel all clean (because believe me, it will feel filthy all the time, even if you're a boy who might not be inclined to use Dove Daily Facials). BUT, the best thing about Dove Daily Facials is that when you use it to wach your face in the shower, they are so sturdy that they can double as a washcloth, and your soap will get all nice and lathery, and you don't have to tote a nasty-ass damp washcloth with you from city to city.

Seriously, if you only take one recommendation, go buy yourself some Dove Daily Facials. You can stick them in a ziplock bag and no one will suspect that you have a marketed-towards-girls product. They are just the best Europe thing, ever.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Oh, and Mike. Two words: Gore-Tex.

For Christmas, Chris gave me the most wonderful North Face Parka. It's all Gore-Texed out, and I tell you, it SAVED MY LIFE when we were in Portugal and it did not stop raining. It doesn't matter if it's a pullover, a parka, a windbreaker, or what, but trust me on the Gore-Tex. My friend Dee and I were the only two in Portugal with Gore-Tex, and we were also the only two who didn't have to use my little clothesline every night.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Oh - and go to Rick Steves.com - they have great packing tips. Rick Steves (my travel hero - and his tapas crawls just kick ass, plain and simple) goes to Europe for like, three months with one tiny bag.

If you want, I can mail you my Rick Steves book for Spain, and my Eyewitness Guides for Madrid and Barcelona.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Damn -- that all rocks. Thanks!

I'll get the Dove Daily Facials, for sure. Hey, I'm secure enough in my manliness to buy something marketed towards women.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

I got my pack lock at Galyan's, I don't remember the brand. But it was stretchy and Sara and I used to it to lock our packs together and then lock them to something immobile so while the bags themselves were still pilferable, no one could take the actual packs. Highly reconmmened. Espeically if you're going to do any overnight train travel. Y'all can all lock your packs together and worry less about someone walking off with them. It was hard enough to get through the hallways with ONE pack, let alone 2 or 4.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

So I'm leaving at 3, and I'm off tomorrow to shop for Europe. Besides a backpack, Gore-tex and the Dove things, what do I desperately need?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Are you leaving on Sat.? You need a day bag - liek a small backpack or messenger bag (I reconmmend messenger, that way you can keep it in front of you or to the side and hold on to it. Nothing more annoying than wearing a backpack on your front.) You'll need a money belt and then just the normal stuff, I think.

Where are you going again?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

I second all the above, Mike. I would add that you probably will need a lot of money to put in that money bag. To buy pres-nits for MATH, of course.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Espana, Frances y Italia.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

And, uh, you'll need something to put the Burberry in.

A money belt is essential - you'll need someplace to put your ticket back home. And little Nalgene bottles for contact solution, etc. You can buy shampoo in little bottles, and liquid Dove (I love Dove) in little bottles, too - CVS usually has a wide assortment. The Container Store has a great backpacking section full of handy things, like a little clothesline.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

And Mike, when you go to the Prado (as I'm sure you will) just block out the whole day. It takes a while. And when you get there, go to the gift shop first thing so you can buy the guide (en Ingles) that explains the galleries, has maps, and also gives you a good synopsis of the major works that might otherwise leave you saying, "The hell??"

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Oh, you didn't just say that! Damn. Now I'll have to go to the Container Store, and then I'll be broke and have no money for the trip.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Now, Mike. When you go to the Container Store, you have to be realistic. I've been where you are standing. Leaning in a doorway. In your mother's black dress. Loliiiiiiiiiiita...

Wait - that's Suzanne Vega. We're talking about the Container Store. Anyway.

They have some cool-ass shiz-it there, for sure, but only get what you need. Me, I'm fond of the Eagle Creek money belt and the Eagle Creek mesh bags. They're great for holding your toiletries, film, etc. - little things that could easily get lost in your pack, so it's best to keep them together. They have Nalgene bottles there, and they're worth the extra 50 cents because they really, truly do not leak. I liked my little clothesline, and since you'll be there for three weeks, you might want to invest in one, along with a teeny bottle of Woolite. Or a Nalgene bottle of Woolite.

I also bought a good little camera bag - it held my point-and-shoot, but it also had a little pocket where I could put my passport, cash, and whatever else - that way, I didn't have to carry my messenger bag with me when we went out at night.

Messenger bags - I have a nifty Manhattan Portage one, but my friend Kristie Cobb has this kick ass Adidas messenger bag that she's used for her past two trips to Europe. I covet that bag. It's so practical - you can sling it over your front or back. It's ambidextrous like that.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

What exactly is a messenger bag?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

They're kind of a cross between a backpack and a regular one-shoulder- strap bag.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

So not a fanny-pack type thing?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Oh, no, baby - there's no need for a fanny pack.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Thank God. I'm not that secure in my manliness.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

A messenger bag is the one that you usually throw over your chest.

And put your passport and credit cards in your money belt too. For SURE. And either sleep with it on or put it in your pillow case, that's what I did.

Oh, don't forget a towel and a plastic bag to put said towel in.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

I actually brought a ratty towel that I didn't mind throwing away - that way, I had more room in my pack to bring thigns back. Like Burberry. And with the wonder and glory of the Dove Facials, you don't even have to worry about a wash cloth.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Thanks, y'all! I'm out. Back Saturday!

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

And I'll be out Saturday-Wednesday. Keep me informed with your update-while-you're-gone info, though...

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Oh, you guys are going to FL pre-4th?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

Yep - that's then most people will be there. We're driving down at 8 Sat. morning and coming back Wednesday evening.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

I would give anything to lay on the beach this weekend. Ah well. I have to do all those fun birthday things, like renew my license and registration.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

I need to change my car tags in August. I'm using the tags from my old VW, but I need to swich them to this car. I didn't do it earlier because in Georgia, you pay the taxes on your birthday, regardless of when you bought the car. If I had registered the car in March, I would have paid taxes then, and again in August. So, I'm waiting until August. I'm also going to go ahead and register the car in Cobb County - that way, I won't have to do that again in May. And change my driver's license, and all that. Thankfully, you can do that at Kroger. And in May, I'll just have to do a name change.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001