Cars, clothes, and cats cross the country

6/22/10 Shirt, socks, and, yes, underwear, trashed

Those most faithful among you, Dear Readers, may remember my three-part downsize of professional attire (click here, here, and here) way back in August. It was one of my finer moments: rather than bring back dirty clothes from a conference, simply downsize them while at the event. (Although, it is not advisable to actually downsize them during the event.)

I've decided to apply the same principle to driving trips of over 2,000 miles.

Today was the penultimate day of our cross-country journey.

Side note: Have you noticed how I try to work the word "penultimate" into as many posts as possible? I just think it's fabulous -- so random, yet so specific. I wish not to insult anyone's intelligence, but in the off chance that any of you, Dear Readers, are not completely clear on the definition of said word, please leave the blog immediately to look it up on Dictionary.com. It does NOT, as I once so foolishly thought mean "Super-Ultimate." The true meaning is so much cooler.

The drive has gone remarkably smoothly, especially given that we are transporting a five-month old child and two very active kitties. All three seem to be taking the journey in stride. Chase has it pretty bad, being strapped backwards in a chair for ten hours a day, but at least he gets a stretch and a meal every few hours. The cats have basically been confined to their two-cubic-foot crates for a dozen hours or more. It's remarkable, when we release them, that they don't immediately claw our eyes out. Then again, maybe they're just biding their time...

I have it easiest of all. With coffee by my side, the GPS doing the navigating, and AC full blast in my face, I simply need to keep the vehicle between the lines as we pass the farms of Pennsylvania... and Ohio... and Indiana... and Illinois... and Iowa... and Nebraska.

Holy crap, do you realize how much farmland our country has? I need to eat more vegetables.

Despite the ease of my role, at the end of the day, I still exit the ol' Yoda Mobile (please note the sexy XCargo carrier mounted on the roof -- and watch for it in a future post) in serious need of a shower. Thus, tonight's downsize of my trusty Guy E. Rowe Elementary School t-shirt, as well as my socks and underwear is probably for the best.

And, my colleagues in Oxford Hills, please rest assured that I have many other items of clothing that shall serve as reminders of my time there. But, after today's ride, this t-shirt needed to go.