Too. Much. Stuff.

For the past several weeks, I have been putting everything I own into a half dozen boxes. It started out simple; a few sweaters, some dresses, a bunch of books. And then, things got harder. Did I really need to pack, transport, and store shoes that were out of style? What about an old shelf that I purchased for $20 five years ago? How about that piece of "art" I made in an hour one afternoon that looks like I spilled orange paint on a canvas? The random half-used toiletries? The list goes on and on.

So now I'm standing in my room, surrounded by stuff that isn't quite worthy of going into a box, and isn't quite terrible enough to get tossed to the curb (or Goodwill). It's driving me a bit mad.

I don't ever want to deal with this again.

That's why I pledge to you, O' Internet friends, that:

• I shall never purchase anything just because it's on sale;
• I shall not store up half-empty little bottles of shampoo;
• I shall never purchase any home decor without knowing where I want to put it;
• In fact, I shall never purchase anything I don't truly want or need;
• I shall organize my receipts and other paper once per month;
• I shall donate unused "stuff" every 3 months;
• I shall never, ever (ever) move again.

Okay, maybe not that last one.

-R

Samsung Google Chromebook: First Review

We decided early on that it was going to be important for each of us to remain connected to the "real world" while we were on this adventure of ours, so we spent a significant amount of time weighing all of our technological options. 

Features we wanted:

• Lightweight and portable. We're going to be lugging these things across several continents. Every pound (or ounce!) matters.
• Cheap! Hopefully we won't run into any major issues on our trip, but we'd like to minimize the heartache if our devices get lost or stolen.
• Built-in webcam/microphone for frequent video-chats with friends and family back home.
• Storage for lots of pictures.
• Full-sized keyboard for writing blog posts and other stuff.
• Long battery life for long bus rides.

We considered a ton of different options. For awhile, I convinced myself that an iPad would be the best option. But I've heard it doesn't do well with some blogging sites, and with the cost of the keyboard and case, it didn't quite meet our needs for something "cheap." 

I was looking into the Asus Transformer for awhile too. It's supposed to be a mix between and keyboard and a tablet-- cool and functional. But the cost was the main deterrent. 

Thankfully, before I purchased any of these expensive devices, Tom did quite a bit of research on some options for us and came up with the new Samsung Chromebook.

The Samsung Chromebook. It's very thin and lightweight.

I was incredibly hesitant; I'd read some negative things about an earlier iteration of the Chromebook, and I wasn't sure how I felt about using only Google products. But the $250 price tag and awesome specs convinced me to change my mind.

I've been using the Chromebook for about 2 weeks now, and although it's not perfect, I think it'll be a great companion for our trip. Here's why:

• At about 2.4 pounds, it's incredibly lightweight. It also has a good battery life (I think it's between 6-7 hours, but I haven't conducted any tests or anything!) I really love that it's so quiet; for some computer-nerdy reason, there's no fan, which means so annoying whirring noise. And, unlike other computers, it never gets warm to the touch. It's kind of like a giant smartphone with a full keyboard and other goodies.
• It has everything I need. Unlike the iPad and other tablets, the Chromebook has all kinds of inputs to insert SD cards, USBs, etc. And I can easily find apps for most programs. I've even discovered a neat site that's helping me improve my Spanish in prep for the South America and Spain legs of our journey.
• One of my biggest concerns was that the Chromebook needs an internet connection for most of the good stuff. But recent updates mean that now I can write in a Google doc or use basic programs to edit pictures. This should be good for long bus rides!

All that said, there are still a few kinks and annoyances, some large, some small:

Very thin and fragile Chromebook

• It feels a bit fragile, likely because it weighs only 2 pounds and is made mostly of plastic. It's not a huge deal, but I do worry that it's not quite as tough and durable as it should be for long treks and bumpy bus rides.
• There's no Skype. There's no Word. Sure, there are very good Google substitutes (in the form of Hangout and Google docs) but it's not quite the same. I'd like to be able to pick and choose programs instead of being forced into the Google programs.
• There's pretty much no hard drive to speak of. I'm relying on Google Drive (which is automatically expanded to 100 GB for Chromebook owners) and my Dropbox account for saving most of my pictures and documents over this journey. I mostly trust "the cloud," but I do miss the hard drive safety net. And now that I'm using Google products for everything, I'm growing increasingly frustrated at the lack of integration in some of their programs. 
• The video quality isn't great. It's definitely enough for video chats with family and friends, but I won't rely on it for anything other than that. The camera doesn't even come close to an iPhone.



No delete key!

• No delete key. This is a minor, but frequent, annoyance. (I make a lot of mistakes!)  There's also no caps lock key, which is only an issue when I'm REALLY ANGRY about something.

Once I have experience using the Chromebook on the road, I'll update and refine this list. So far, though, I definitely recommend the Samsung Chromebook for people going on long-term travel.

- R

I did not receive payment of any kind in exchange for this review.

Farewell for Now Party

Thanks to everyone who came out to our going away party. It was great to see everyone on our last weekend in DC for a while. We spent the morning running last-minute errands, the afternoon with old friends for a baby shower, and the evening at the haunted house where I've lived for four years... can't believe it's been that long, actually. At one point in the night we got a whole crew of roommates (past, present, and future) to line up and take a picture together. Before leaving, we're going to tack it next to the Polaroids of roommates dating back to the 90's which are still pinned to the kitchen wall. Here we are, the whole photogenic lot of us:

There is a game table in the living room that we bought back in 2006 or 2007 for a party. We've used it ever since and have had many friends sign it. So Rachel and I left our mark:

And, with that, here are some pictures from the party. Unfortunately, we only remembered that Rachel had her new camera later on in the evening, so we didn't take as many pictures of everyone as we would have liked.

Roommates

Luckily, Jim brought his flint and steel to start the fire

Thanks again, everyone. We'll miss you guys.

Oh, and when we're gone, remember the advice that someone lovingly scrawled on the game table years ago:

Just PM us if you need the number.

- Tom

Packing Escapades

My Kelty Pawnee 50L pack

We leave for our adventure in t-minus 25 days... and somehow, only one thing is keeping me up at night: will I be able to fit all of the stuff I need in this tiny little backpack?

Of course, the answer has to be yes. One of the reasons I chose this small pack is so that I'll be able to walk around for a long while without the weight getting to me. So, if I can't comfortably carry it, it's stays at home.

My family and friends aren't helping much. "Rachel, are you bringing a straightening iron, or just your blow-dryer?" "You're not bringing heels? "Are you going to be wearing the same thing in every picture?"

Yikes. Now my vain side is been threatening to come out and trample reason. And yet, I'm too much of a wimp to carry a huge pack across half the world. So, my internal packing wars continue. I'll post an update with a detailed list once the battle finally ends. Let's hope it ends soon.

-R

The Big Agnes and Other Packables

Since we plan to do more than just a bit of walking during our travels, I'd like to keep my pack as light as possible. We traveled to Belize a year ago, and I vividly recall arriving on an island with too-heavy-for-even-an-elephant packs on our backs and searching for a hotel. It only took an hour, but even that was too much in the heat and going on little sleep -- we had to take multiple breaks. Since we'll probably have full days of walking around wherever we go, I'd like to avoid that experience again by only taking the essentials.

That's tough when you're packing for long-term and you'd like to fit in a sleeping bag and tent with all of your other belongings. We recently bought a 2-person ultra-light tent (the Big Agnes) and it only weighs 2 pounds with the stakes and poles! We set it up in the house and it looks pretty sweet. The only thing I'm worried about is fitting our packs in there with us, but I guess we'll figure that out on the road.

This is what I tentatively plan to cram into my pack (note that Rachel's packing list is much different than my own):

• Day pack (one of those small Adidas bags)
• Rain cover
• Sleeping mat (we'll probably throw this out after the first leg of the trip to Patagonia)

• Tent (Big Agnes!)

• Sleeping bag (my folks got us some nice ones for Christmas, down-filled, small, and only 1 pound)

• Headlamp

• 3 Ts

• 1 button-down long sleeve shirt for our tango nights in Buenos Aires

• 4 underpants (apparently, ExOficio travel underwear stays stink-free and drys easily after washing in a sink...)

• 3 pairs socks (one for feet, one in the bag, and one out to dry)

• 1 pair UL pants

• 1 pair shorts

• 1 pair gym shorts

• 1 bathing suit

• 1 pair Teva trail-runners

• 1 pair flip-flops
• 1 pair Merrell barefoot runners

• 1 fleece

• 1 rain jacket

• 1 wide-brim hat (I burn easily)

• Kindle

• Computer

• Toiletries (deodorant, bar of soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, shampoo, disposable razor and shaving oil)

• Sarong or ShamWow (use as towel)

• Medical stuff (Tylenol, rehydration salts, nail clippers, antiseptic ointment, band-aids, sewing kit)

• Misc: String, rubber bands, ziplock bags, trash bags, safety pins (for pinning clothes to the back of the pack to dry)

• Camera, charger

... and that's it!

I'll modify this list as we go, toss things, leave things, and so on. I haven't even purchased the pack yet, so we'll see what I actually have room for (and what I'm willing to lug around on my back), when I line it all out on the floor.

Cheers,

Tom

It's Official!

Our tickets to Santiago, Chile have been purchased, and our travel fund grows just a little bit smaller. We've been talking about this trip for quite awhile... and now, we have one more month to get our lives in order before we flee the country for most of 2013!

Santiago, Chile