wheeling along

status check - contemplative
background ambiance - "the west wing" - season one dvd

i bought a new piece of luggage today. the professional-looking yet incredibly versatile rolling carry-on. small enough to forgo the fears of checking luggage that will be resultingly lost in transit, large enough to hold a long weekend's worth of clothing, books and other necessities.

the power in this single piece of travel gear is deceptively intoxicating. for the past year and a half, my new england travel patterns have required little more than my bright orange ll bean backpack, left over from my college days. i haven't needed anything else - just throw the backpack in the backseat of the car and hit the road.

sure, such a backpack contains the potential for enjoyment, but a rolling carry-on represents travel beyond a car. it hints at airports, beverage carts and tray tables locked in their full and upright positions. it is just asking for staircases, concrete cracks and cobblestones.

i utilized a different carry-on on a regular basis during my various times in dc. during actf festivals, i cursed the luggage as it skipped and jumped on the sidewalk while i searched for my hotel. i was tempted to kick it junior year, but i'd already nearly broken my toe the night before the trip, so such a vicious attack would have hurt me far more than the witless luggage.

a couple of years later, i cursed the same piece of luggage as it refused to cooperate with the cobblestones of union station. time and time again, i tried to get it to understand - cobblestones meant trip home. it didn't get it.

my preparation of this vacation in washington leaves me feeling far more opimistic. i finally have a new carry-on. the idiotic earlier version has been thrown away and i couldn't be happier to see it go. this carry-on? strong and obedient, complete with a push lock handle and an zipper-concealed expansion feature that will cater to my slightly larger-than-expected packing needs. i've already tested this piece with the gravel in my driveway - it lived up to the lofty expectations i have placed on it. it will serve me well in dc and for the trips to come in the (hopefully) near future.

i'm sitting here, wondering what i'll pack in it, what i'll bring with me for my return to the mid-atlantic. how it will help me present myself on this first trip back - and what i'll pack in it for the return trip less than a week from now.

this new piece of cloth, plastic and metal holds infinite possibilities for its new, excited owner.