Watching replays of Corner Gas this morning. I think the Comedy Channel is running them 24 hours a day over the New Year.

The one on right now is where Brent goes on vacation, a staycation. He is sitting right at the gas station, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, but ignoring everyone. He even sends postcards from Dog River as if he was sending them from exotic locations.

If you were taking a vacation like Brent how would you make sure no one knew you were actually home? Could you hide in plain sight? Write yourself into the ultimate staycation.

I remember luggage from the old movies. Big trunks, body size standing up and deep enough for a couple of bodies. Inside were drawers and a full closet with a mirror.

When I started planning for my first big trip as a kid I wanted one of those. My Mother and I went shopping for my first luggage (of my own!)  I was looking for one of those big trunks. Even though I had no idea how I would cart that trunk around on my own, I was already having the adventure of  planning everything I would pack into it!

I didn't find a big trunk. But I wasn't disappointed. I got a new suitcase, vintage 1970's, blue, with tiny wheels. Mine was pretty plain and practical, none of those handles that extend out, no extra pockets on the outside to stash secret treasures or books to read. It's long gone now. On some kind of trip of it's own I guess.

Later, I wanted a suitcase like my Grandmother's. It was plain brown with a broken handle. It's only real charm were stickers from all kinds of places. I don't know if she had been to all of them herself or if some came from other family and she kept adding to them that way. I do know that she came from Ireland as a young woman and went out to BC as a married women with her husband and children. After that she moved back to Ontario again, when I was already born or at least heading that way.

We went on family trips, sometimes my Grandmother took trips with us. I never noticed her getting stickers for that suitcase then, but I was just a kid. There was a lot I didn't notice and a lot I did notice. We were in dozens of US states up and down starting from Ontario and ending up back there eventually. We took drives out to BC in a big, huge camper which we delivered to Red Deer, Alberta and then took the train the rest of the way. She may have added more stickers to that suitcase all along the way.

She's been gone awhile now. I don't know where the suitcase is. I never would have dared to go looking through her things, it just wasn't something I would have felt right to do and I know she liked to have her things left alone. I don't have any truly firm beliefs about what happens after we die. But, if we get to choose I think my Grandma would be keeping up with what we are doing and yet, I hope, she takes a few road trips too. Pack up her suitcase with the essentials and enjoy her sense of adventure forever.

Flickr: Vintage Luggage

Go Nomad: Travel Chic: How to Refurbish Vintage Luggage

The Queen of Re: Vintage Luggage as a sculpture.

You've been vagabonding around, exploring other cultures, other planets and learning a lot of new and interesting things. The most interesting thing was on the planet you visited just last Spring the natives had some custom where if a woman and man touched skin to skin they became promised in that planet's version of marriage. Since then you've had a really interesting alien guy following you around, declaring himself to belong to you forever.

Kind of nice in a sappy, romantic way. He's not so bad really. He pays his own way too. Once he learned you are from Earth he began learning all your customs too. So now he opens doors, buys flowers and even makes attempts at writing poetry to your eyelashes. It's not all bad. But, he does get in the way. After all, you weren't planning to take on a partner any time soon. There are so many more planets to be explored. He really wants to make a home, with you.

So what do you do with him?

The Poverty Jet Set is another name for 21st Century bohemians. A rag tag group of artists, travelers, writers and filmmakers riding the bad-ass pirate ship of life with a parrot on our shoulders and a little "yaaarrr, matey" in our cheeks.

The Poverty Jet Set is a term coined by Douglas Coupland, one of my favorite writers of all time. In his ahead-of-its-time 1991 book, Generation X, he defined the term:

A group of people given to chronic traveling at the expense of long-term job stability or a permanent residence. Tend to have doomed and extremely expensive phone call relationships with people named Serge or Ilyana. Tend to discuss frequent-flyer programs at parties.

Vagablogging- Vagabond blogging.
World Hum- Travel dispatches from a shrinking planet.
BootsnAll- Resources for the independent traveller.
Lonely Planet
Traveler's Tales
Women traveling around the world.

Looks like the Thumbs Out site is not happening until 2008. Getting a really early start on the website though.

Vagabond best represents this freedom to explore the world. There's an indication of a person's stirring within them to see sights beyond their physical self. Spirit describes the soul within, the mysteries of God, the hauntings of the afterlife, the animation of the wind, the unknown that seems to move us and take our breaths away.

Found that in the "About Me" Section of a blog today. I really like it. :)