Question of the Day Will This Suitcase Zip Up?

http://halftheclothes.com/travel-tips/rtw-packing-list/

Great practical advice from a female nomad. She’s also a low maintenance ‘Peppermint Patty’ type of traveler which resonates with me. And because I now like to stay in one place and be a temporary resident as opposed to my previous backpacking days I found her packing list helpful yet flexible.

For example, I skip the hair dryer and the only things I take that plug in are my electronics. Why worry about drying your hair with hot air when you can simply step outside into the beautiful Mexican sunshine and stroll into Centro to have a daily walkabout? Anyway, San Miquel de Allende is in a semi desert locale so daily hair washing is too drying.

Last winter, I visited my favorite Mexico City trained hairstylist in Centro, Juan of  Coiffeur  who cut my go-anywhere-do-anything multi layered shag haircut which basically looks the same combed or uncombed and is long enough to put up with funky hair clips or elastics if I want to. No part style so root regrowth is camouflaged nicely and the three shades also are chosen to blend in with that pesky Arctic Blonde/Gray growing in!

Btw, this the ‘before’ picture from Christmas Day in Mexico City. When I arrive in San Miquel de Allende and get my body and soul glued together after going through four, count’em four airports I’ll post an ‘after’ selfie wearing my latest pair of four dollar Mexican RayBans!

Viva Mexico!

Transportation from and to San Miguel de Allende

http://www.mexicospanish.com/transprt.htm

Am getting right down to the nitty gritty of the final arrangements and details concerning my arrival at Leon International Airport on Halloween night. Have run through countless combinations and permutations but this year I will not be departing from Victoria International Airport. Mainly because it’s a terrible airport to sleep in with an early, early departure time.

Last year the airport terminal security guard took pity on me and I crashed out in the Mothers’ Room on a hard plastic couch with the florescent lights blazing! I was tired so I did fall asleep but this experience is not to be repeated. I don’t mind sleeping in airports per se but definitely not Victoria International that basically closes from midnight to five a.m. when Starbucks reopens.

Fortunately, I still possess the very useful jypsygrrl talent to be able to sleep anywhere with the help of an opaque sleep mask and even though I’m not a morning person I can generally stumble up the ramp of an early morning flight and continue my sleep on board the aircraft. I simply pluck out my leopardgrrl sleep mask and nod off fairly oblivious to everything and anything until the landing announcements come on!

Who cares about the tepid coffee and five cent micro mini bag of the ironically named Bits & Bites? Not me…

Have used a variety of carriers from Alaska to United but this year I’m flying Delta Airlines that still has one free checked piece of luggage! I’m only taking one purple suitcase, a backpack and a laptop in a case but I’m liking the idea that I can check my backpack if necessary and pay the supplementary fee.

Btw, thus is Suki, the Wonder Poodle of Hammond Bay who has been keeping a very close lookout on the packing proceedings for the last month my suitcase has been open! A week ago, she was even burrowing to the bottom to retrieve a forgotten doggy treat!

I think that Suki wants to be a snowdog!

Here Comes La Calaca! | San Miguel de Allende | Atención San Miguel

http://www.atencionsanmiguel.org/2014/10/24/here-comes-la-calaca/

The clocks went back last night in Mexico to end Daylight Savings Time so I’m taking this opportunity to once again pick up my retirement/ lifestyle blog that may very well be an actual e and print book by this time next year!

I’m meeting with my prospective publisher one more time on Monday to learn more about the file sharing capabilities of very useful app called DropBox.

Then it’s off to San Miquel de Allende, my second time winter home arriving just in time for the two days marking Dia de Muertes!

A charming newly released movie called ‘The Book of Life’  now in theatre takes place in Mexico during this two day event. The first day honors the angelitas, the babies and children who have died and the second, the other adult family members.

26 Virtual Companies That Thrive on Remote Work – FlexJobs

http://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/25-virtual-companies-that-thrive-on-remote-work/?utm_content=buffer1faaa&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

As I count down the days until my return to San Miquel de Allende, Mexico more and more location independent ways to top up my teachers’s pension are appearing in my travel ‘radar.’

And now there’s even a gizmo that you can attach to your smart phone to collect money from credit cards! It’s called Squareitup and more information on this useful gadget will be forthcoming.

Challenge: Time to Ger Serious About Daily Blogging!

http://goinswriter.com/blog-challenge/

Suitcase is now out. Here’s a good 21 Day Countdown project as I continue to get ALL my ducks in a row!

Daily blogging on here and my new Artist Way site, http://www.continuingtheartistway.wordpress.com.

These will be my two main blogging sites from now on. The challenge is really to start and keep up the daily blogging and on the fly posting!

How to Live Your Best Life – The Essential Guide for Creating and Achieving Your Life List

http://marelisa-online.com/how-to-live-your-best-life/ebook.php

There’s a pitchman for Dos Equal beer that is dubbed the most interesting man in the world. One of his truisms that does ring for me is
…It’s never to late to beef up your obituary.

It’s a tongue in cheek remark to be sure but with an element of truth for this aging boomer. Since losing both my parents I have been acutely aware of my mortality. Experiencing Dia de Muertes in Mexico has changed my attitude quite radically because as we know the Grim Reaper is coming for us all; no exceptions. Or as Jim Morrison of the Doors once said, ‘No one gets outta here alive!’  He was only 27 alas, when the Reaper came for him and I passed that early milestone a long time ago but still…

Just what is it that we want to experience, where do we want to visit before it’s our time? Notice I made no mention of what was in my shopping list because one of the great things about being retired is that your material needs lessen quite substantially and it’s ALL about the experience not the accumulation of more and more stuff as perhaps it was in our ‘previous’ full time working life. The stuff matters less and less as we downsize/rightsize our remaining worldly belongings to the point where we own the stuff, the stuff doesn’t own us.

Which brings me to include and consider this ultimate Bucket List sorted into categories! This is a super nova collection of what I would I’d term enhanced life experiences for the retirement years. Naturally, all of them are not going to be of interest but just the prospect of really leaving almost NO stone unturned in ‘beefing up my obit’ is of serious interest!

Which is good because at the moment as I’m getting ready to head to Mexico for my fourth winter I still have to deal with finishing the organization and storage if the’stuff’ that I believe is still relevant for my retirement life on both sides of the border.

Best thing ever? It’s a down loadable ebook that takes no space at all in my suitcase and I can read on the smartphone in my hand or better yet on the Tab Galaxy I’m hoping to receive in the mail from the Toronto Dominion Bank before I head south!

Watch “Most interesting man in the world – (Jonathan Goldsmith)” on YouTube

It’s October First and the Countdown starts to prepare for my second winter in the most interesting colonial highlands city in the world; San Miquel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico!

Viva SMA!

And yes, I’m positive that TMIMITW has a villa there and his fridge is well stocked with Dos Equis cervezas!