Sweden, 2010
My BFF Margaret and I were enjoying a brain-fried-blurry post-master’s thesis trip to Gothenburg and Stockholm. Our hostel room in Gothenburg – which was lovely – had no windows, so when we turned out the lights to go to bed, it was PITCH BLACK.
On one particular night, we turned out the lights and then I remembered that I had forgotten to take out my contacts. No problem, I thought to myself, I am a pro at taking out my contacts without a mirror. I clicked on my cell phone for a biteen on light, grabbed my case, and took care of business.
The next morning, I discovered that it wasn’t taking out my contacts without a mirror that was the challenge: it was getting them into the contact case in the dark that was the challenge. And I had failed. Miserably. One of my contacts was stuck to the outer side of the case, completely dried up and ruined.
Oh shit.
I had to spend the remainder of our trip wearing glasses, which yes, was doable, but was also very annoying in the bright sunshine.
Before. UV protected!
After. Squinty.
Vancouver, 2012
I was in Vancouver for my brother’s wedding. I had just gone out with my sister-in-law for her bachelorette party. We had snacks and wine, and it was a great time, but being that it was also the same day I had flown into the city, I was pretty tired, so I cut out a bit early to get some sleep at the hotel. I went to bed around midnight, ready to sleep the night away.
At about 1:15am, I was awoken by a brutal noise. The fire alarms in the entire high-rise hotel were going off. Shit, was this for real? Do we bother evacuating? I consulted my mom and as we started to hear a lot of movement in the hallways, we decided yes, we had better get out of the building. I ran to my suitcase quickly to grab what I needed, and discovered that my “I think I’m forgetting something” feeling when I was packing was spot-on: I had not packed the following:
- Glasses
- Jacket
There was no time for me to put on my contacts, and it was late July, so how cold could it be? I grabbed my phone to be safe and we took the stairs into the back alley, where I froze my blind ass off for at least 30-45 minutes.
Brutal.
These are just two of many, many times I’ve “learned” to always pack a back-up. I say “learned,” because it’s clearly not sticking.
xA
P.S. Other things I’ve forgotten to pack include pyjamas (which I am notorious for forgetting), deodorant, and the one trip where I decided one pair of shoes was enough, and the one pair of shoes I brought had heels. SMRT. And you?
