I hate packing
358 days ago I put down the deposit for Keegan and me to head right back to Kaprun. The excitement had barely subsided and I was missing those bluebird skies and subzero temperatures.
Since Sunday I have been preparing the snowboards for their journey. For those of you that know me and how I prepare a snowboard, its a bit of a "rinse and repeat" method except theres not too much rinsing and more repeating. Base wax ironed on, base wax scraped off (getting my karate kid on) then zardoz (liquid teflon), then more wax ironed on, then more zardoz ironed in, then more zardoz ironed in (repeat about 5 times). The wax starts becoming a bit difficult to work with, but I know the board is going to absolutely fly down those slopes. The only time I've ever used more zardoz was in the great zardoz spillage of 2018 (or was it 2017 Matt?). Anyway, the finished products are here to see (and you can see the reflection of the curtains on their surfaces too)...
But yes, I hate packing. I've gotten better at it this year than last year. I'm putting that down to me getting my cycling gear ready the night before a club ride. So.. 7 each of boxers, normal socks, t-shirts, 5 pairs of snowboarding socks, 1 x impact shorts, 1 pair of knee pads, 2 pairs of gloves, 1 helmet, 1 pair of goggles, 2 pairs of snow trousers, 1 packed snow jacket, 1 jacket to wear on the plane. Bugger, forgot boots. OK I'll put them into the big snowboarding bag on top of the two snowboards that don't have any bindings on them.. Where the bloody hell are the bindings, ah yes there they are in the corner of the living room where I left them on Sunday, out of the way. Hmm I wonder how much the snowboard bag now weighs seeing as I only have 15kg for it. I know, I'll put all the stuff in. 2 snowboards, 2 pairs of bindings, two pairs of boots. Yes that'll do. Zip it up, get my luggage weighing contraption. Hmm wheres that gone to? I've not seen it since Feb 2018. Check the window sill. Yes! there it is. Yes! it still switches on. Right, how do I work it. Cant be arsed to read the instructions as its too late. I'll press "this" button. Ooh the batteries still work. Right, zip up the snowboard bag. Where the bloody hell are the damn zips gone??? Oh yes, I've already zipped it up. Right, I need to put the handle over this pressure switch on the baggage weighing contraption and pick up the bag. Oh FFS its turned itself off. Right get the snowboard bag ready to be picked up. Hmm alot of stuff shifted around in there when I put the bag onto its side, handle up. Switch on the baggage weigher. Pick up the bag. OK, 13kgs. Still under that's good. Put the bag back down. unzip it. where did all these damn screws come from? Oh blimey, they're from Keegans bindings (after checking mine). Right, there are no screws left in the base of Keegans bindings. I can see six screws (there should be 8). Time to start looking for the remaining screws. Double check the bindings to see if they're still in there. Nope. Great, they're "somewhere" in the damn bag. Found another screw, great, that's seven. Where the bloody hell is that last screw. I pull up the liner, nope its not there, I tilt the bag to one side hoping to hear a noise, nope. I check the bindings again. Nothing. A voice inside me wonders if 7 is a safe number of screws for bindings. I decide its not. I look down. Sure enough in the bag the final screw is there just staring at me, mockingly. Right! I get it, put it with its other screwy family on the Zwift sweat mat (because its black and I'll be able to see the screws). Go to the kitchen and get a freezer bag. Its the only thing I have that has a zip-lock on the top.
OK. So a mental check again. t-shirts, socks (both kinds), boxer shorts, jeans, jackets, snow trousers.All nicely laid out in the suitcase. Hmm something doesn't seem right here. There's something missing that I remember there being there last year. Oh bloody hell, the snowboarding helmet. I retrieve the helmet. Now I need to unpack the suitcase because the helmet when in the middle, stuffed with socks and pants to capitalise on the void where my noggin would go.Right, pack around the helmet. Right now thats definitely everything. I think.... I go to the bedroom, theres something in here I can feel its presence. Yep! my goggles. Right, where to pack those.
Now you're getting an idea as to the calm chaos that is my packing ideology. I've started to pack Keegans suitcase now also. He's smaller so his clothes weigh less than mine. I think thats everything of his now packed. pants, socks from a sock drawer that rivals the chaos in the worst jumble sale you can think of in which I found pairs of my own socks I was convinced the "sock monster" had eaten. t-shirts, trousers. now I find myself having a bit of a clothing clear out for Keegan as there are clothes in the drawer that he's not worn for ages and clearly are too small for him. So now I'm doing two things. packing for a winter sports holiday and having a wardrobe clear out.
I'm having a break now to type this and vent online. the packing will be finished tomorrow. I have 3 bags (2 suitcases and 1 snowboard bag) that can take quite a bit. I want to pad out the snowboard bag with clothes so things don't move around so much in there but dont want to go above the maximum limit. It'll all be worth it in the end thats for sure. The weather forecast in Kaprun is looking awesome
Since Sunday I have been preparing the snowboards for their journey. For those of you that know me and how I prepare a snowboard, its a bit of a "rinse and repeat" method except theres not too much rinsing and more repeating. Base wax ironed on, base wax scraped off (getting my karate kid on) then zardoz (liquid teflon), then more wax ironed on, then more zardoz ironed in, then more zardoz ironed in (repeat about 5 times). The wax starts becoming a bit difficult to work with, but I know the board is going to absolutely fly down those slopes. The only time I've ever used more zardoz was in the great zardoz spillage of 2018 (or was it 2017 Matt?). Anyway, the finished products are here to see (and you can see the reflection of the curtains on their surfaces too)...
But yes, I hate packing. I've gotten better at it this year than last year. I'm putting that down to me getting my cycling gear ready the night before a club ride. So.. 7 each of boxers, normal socks, t-shirts, 5 pairs of snowboarding socks, 1 x impact shorts, 1 pair of knee pads, 2 pairs of gloves, 1 helmet, 1 pair of goggles, 2 pairs of snow trousers, 1 packed snow jacket, 1 jacket to wear on the plane. Bugger, forgot boots. OK I'll put them into the big snowboarding bag on top of the two snowboards that don't have any bindings on them.. Where the bloody hell are the bindings, ah yes there they are in the corner of the living room where I left them on Sunday, out of the way. Hmm I wonder how much the snowboard bag now weighs seeing as I only have 15kg for it. I know, I'll put all the stuff in. 2 snowboards, 2 pairs of bindings, two pairs of boots. Yes that'll do. Zip it up, get my luggage weighing contraption. Hmm wheres that gone to? I've not seen it since Feb 2018. Check the window sill. Yes! there it is. Yes! it still switches on. Right, how do I work it. Cant be arsed to read the instructions as its too late. I'll press "this" button. Ooh the batteries still work. Right, zip up the snowboard bag. Where the bloody hell are the damn zips gone??? Oh yes, I've already zipped it up. Right, I need to put the handle over this pressure switch on the baggage weighing contraption and pick up the bag. Oh FFS its turned itself off. Right get the snowboard bag ready to be picked up. Hmm alot of stuff shifted around in there when I put the bag onto its side, handle up. Switch on the baggage weigher. Pick up the bag. OK, 13kgs. Still under that's good. Put the bag back down. unzip it. where did all these damn screws come from? Oh blimey, they're from Keegans bindings (after checking mine). Right, there are no screws left in the base of Keegans bindings. I can see six screws (there should be 8). Time to start looking for the remaining screws. Double check the bindings to see if they're still in there. Nope. Great, they're "somewhere" in the damn bag. Found another screw, great, that's seven. Where the bloody hell is that last screw. I pull up the liner, nope its not there, I tilt the bag to one side hoping to hear a noise, nope. I check the bindings again. Nothing. A voice inside me wonders if 7 is a safe number of screws for bindings. I decide its not. I look down. Sure enough in the bag the final screw is there just staring at me, mockingly. Right! I get it, put it with its other screwy family on the Zwift sweat mat (because its black and I'll be able to see the screws). Go to the kitchen and get a freezer bag. Its the only thing I have that has a zip-lock on the top.
OK. So a mental check again. t-shirts, socks (both kinds), boxer shorts, jeans, jackets, snow trousers.All nicely laid out in the suitcase. Hmm something doesn't seem right here. There's something missing that I remember there being there last year. Oh bloody hell, the snowboarding helmet. I retrieve the helmet. Now I need to unpack the suitcase because the helmet when in the middle, stuffed with socks and pants to capitalise on the void where my noggin would go.Right, pack around the helmet. Right now thats definitely everything. I think.... I go to the bedroom, theres something in here I can feel its presence. Yep! my goggles. Right, where to pack those.
Now you're getting an idea as to the calm chaos that is my packing ideology. I've started to pack Keegans suitcase now also. He's smaller so his clothes weigh less than mine. I think thats everything of his now packed. pants, socks from a sock drawer that rivals the chaos in the worst jumble sale you can think of in which I found pairs of my own socks I was convinced the "sock monster" had eaten. t-shirts, trousers. now I find myself having a bit of a clothing clear out for Keegan as there are clothes in the drawer that he's not worn for ages and clearly are too small for him. So now I'm doing two things. packing for a winter sports holiday and having a wardrobe clear out.
I'm having a break now to type this and vent online. the packing will be finished tomorrow. I have 3 bags (2 suitcases and 1 snowboard bag) that can take quite a bit. I want to pad out the snowboard bag with clothes so things don't move around so much in there but dont want to go above the maximum limit. It'll all be worth it in the end thats for sure. The weather forecast in Kaprun is looking awesome
Comments
Post a Comment