a welcome distraction

passport... check
online check-in boarding pass printed... check
international cell phone service activated... check
hotel reservations... check
travel guides and maps... check
adaptor plugs... check
new memory card for camera... check
quart-size ziploc bag for carry-on liquids (argh!)... check
bags packed and ready to go... not quite :(

i had to skip my usual yoga class today just so that i could get some last-minute errands done before my trip to paris tomorrow morning. and now i find myself madly running around the room, trying to figure out what to squeeze into the small suitcase i've decided to take along with me.

so why not use a bigger bag?, you ask. since i'm trying to stay within a tight budget, i'm hoping that if i don't have any extra room in my suitcase, i won't spend gobs of money shopping for stuff i don't need. but i know darned well that my plan never works because i now have a garage full of extra suitcases i've bought during previous trips!

i know... just take that bigger bag...

by the way, i won't be carrying a laptop with me on this trip, so since i don't know if i'll get around to dropping by an internet cafe while i'm gone, this video snippet from tmz.com showing some lulu-clad yogis practicing in the middle of sunset boulevard will have to keep you amused for now. many thanks to brandon for sending this yoga humor my way, even if it did distract me momentarily from my packing duties :)

i'm going to miss the crazy yoga scene here in LA while i'm gone, although i am looking forward to practicing yoga en francais!

i hear my suitcase calling out to me, so for now, au revoir!