The Master Packer

Day: Two Hundred and Seven

Photo taken on Thursday, February 24, 2011 in the bedroom doorway at 1111pm.

Do not let the clothes on my bedroom floor fool you, I still have OCD. There is an order to my chaos and clothes can not be put away until they go through a screening process of smelling, shaking, spraying, and folding. Naturally, this takes a ridiculous amount of time so if I don't have the time I just don't do it until I do have the time. I don't half-ass my compulsions and if you open any of my drawers, you will be shocked to find how "in order" they are and will be absolutely AMAZED that I fit that many articles of clothing into such a tiny space.

Dad likes to mimic my drawers by creating a tiny square with his hands and even though he's most likely making fun of me, I know he's impressed and totally sweats my ability to neatly fold a sweater into a jewelry box. The first time he lets me pack for an upcoming skiing trip he is surprised to find my small duffel bag heavier than his own suitcase. He stares down at my elementary school self and asks what I packed in there. I shrug. "My clothes for the week." He opens the blue canvas bag and finds I have packed more for a month than a week and instructs me to take some out. He knows then how efficient I can be with the compartments of a carry-on.

Fast forward twenty years and now to up the ante of my awesome superpower of packing I have Steve time me. As I scream out, "Time Check!" on my second trip downstairs to retrieve a pair of sneaks from the shoe rack, Steve lets me know I'm only six minutes in. I have to be setting some kind of record though I lose time as I search for a pair of jeans I could have sworn were not in the wash (they are). In exactly 11 minutes I complete the task of packing for a weekend trip down to Virginia and I am proud to say I only over-pack in the underwear department this time.