06 October 2010

The Fiasco Known as the time Otterpop flew on an airplane to Kentucky-Packing like a champ.


Organization is not one of my strong points. Neither is vampire slaying. Or balancing multiple cans of Fresca on my head. There are just some things some people are better at than others. You want to hear me sing along with every single song on Black Mountain's Drugonaut EP? Done! A strong point! Folding laundry? Shamefully poor.


Usually when I travel, it involves throwing everything from the dryer into one of my many totes, putting some dog food in a ziploc, and throwing the dogs in the back of the car. We're good. We're so down with that. The toothbrush is somewhere, and who needs a hairbrush? Boots go with everything, and there should be a spare pair of sneakers under the seat.


But we're going to Kentucky. Daniel Boone drinking mint juleps. On an aeroplane. Foreign territory. This has to involve packing. And a suitcase with limited space. Can one take off boots to get through security and hold an Otterpop and a computer at the same time? There are compromises here. If I can find a midnight ghost tour of a haunted plantation house, are plaid slip on Vans appropriate footwear? Do top competitors go out drinking at night in skirts not skorts or do they retire to their non-sleazy motels at an early hour to get enough sleep to run their best the next day?


These are things we don't know. Making packing a quandry. Can sporty pants be worn out in public? Could I exist for a week in Kentucky without my security boots? What if John Doe is on my airplane and I'm wearing fleece? What if there's a super cool wardrobe code that top dog agility competitors all have and that you need the secret handshake to get the pdf?


Righty-o. So you know what you can't really go wrong with? Whatever was in the dryer and a black Small Fast Kick Yer Ass Shirt. Goes with everything. I'll be easy to spot. Just look for the wrinkles.

14 comments:

OBay Shelties said...

Good luck! I wore my Team Small Dog shirt to Germany for the World champs and there was another Laura who knew you. :-) Guess which one that was? LOL

team small dog said...

Thanks for sportin' the small fast colors! I hope they helped you be the super star of small fast ass kicking! Hey if Bernadette is wearing my shirts then maybe I am ok without knowing the secret handshake!
I need that Laura to come back here and help me with my crappy front cross timing! All this European gallavanting you top competitors do!

Amanda said...

Sadly, I am in Group A. But I will still look for you in your TSD shirt! My PVP shirt has a tuxedo graphic on it (we have two black-and-white dogs, ergo our moniker is Tuxedo Junction).

Have a safe trip, and I hope to bump into you and Otterpop!

Amanda and Tika

maryclover said...

I will not be there, but I will be sporting my new "Be Nice Don't Bite" hoodie for all my "we didn't make it to nationals either" agility friends to be envious of.

I've been to Louisville a few times and I can honestly say that if you were hanging with the "we didn't make it to nationals either" agility friends you could easily wear sports pants out anywhere with us as well as go drinking in the evenings before you have to be functional the next day.

I know you are a proponent of the GDHS (BTW what's with all that finger shaking?), but you should know that The 3-7 System of handling was created in a bar in Louisville. You can find us on FB. It is a much easier system to follow than GDHS, but then again only one of it's creators will actually be in Louisville for the big show, so maybe that's not much of an endorsement.

Good luck and just FYI my couch in the basement next to my laundry room looks just like your closet.

team small dog said...

The finger shaking just gets shaked at me when I'm about to do a front cross on a straight line I thought was crookedy! Or add an extra double pointy finger. Maybe that looks like finger shaking!

Everybody do the handling system they want! I just don't want to be no rule breaker, me myself and I! So if you catch me, just nudge nudge, and point-Straight Line!

We will pack lots of sporty pants!

Elf said...

I'm guessing that USDAA Nationals clothing in Kentucky will be just like USDAA Nationals clothing in Del Mar and Scottsdale, which is you pretty much wear what you're wearing and maybe you have a clean shirt in case you have a chance to go back to the hotel before meeting your friends for dinner at the bar & grill but frankly no one cares because they're all so tired and really ready for bed so half the time half the people don't go out to eat in the evenings at all.

The only important thing is to make sure you have black pants, shorts, or skort to wear when you make it it the finals! I carried black pants with me for all 7 years I went to nationals and one year actually got to wear them, in a surprise finish that so shocked me that I almost couldnt' gain consciousness to put them on!, so you never know!

P.S. Amanda: There's yet *another* Tika in agility?! Jeez, I really do swear that I made the name up, but apparently lots of other people knew about the name already.

Liz said...

Wait, special black pants what? This is intriguing. Does Otterpop need black pants too?!?!?

Please elaborate.

Elf said...

It has always been in the premium in years past. I didn't look at it this year because I'm not going. But I'll bet it's in there somewhere! (And check out photos or vids from prior years' finals of anything--you won't be seeing any blue jeans or tan khakis there! And you can betcha that USDAA isn't providing the bottom part of the finals uniforms. For example, here's our Team final photo.) Oh--apparently black leggings are OK, too! For example: http://www.usdaa.com/video/Decaf-Luka.wmv

Elf said...

AND here's a bunch of bay team links about USDAA Nationals stuff, including photo album links and like that, which might or might not be useful. http://www.bayteam.org/wiki/Portal:USDAA_nationals

Elf said...

P.S. Otterpop already has black fur pants, and all that matters is the black, not the material or style, so I think she's good to go.

Lisa said...

Good Luck...don't forget to have fun

Ellen said...

Elf, there were two women on the Schooner trip Terri and I took who were from Kentucky. They pointed out to me that they were the only one in the entire boat who had to take their shoes off. Why? Because they wore *heels*. Heels on a boat? They laughed and said I'd have to be from Kenn. to understand. Nevertheless I wouldn't worry about it this is agility and not high society as far as I know.

Elf said...

Other Ellen: I had the same experience on a sailing trip in the SF Bay with a woman from Silicon Valley. Heels?! I don't know whether she was more surprised that heels didn't work or we were more surprised that anyone would show up for a sailing trip in heels. So I don't think it's necessary to be from Kentucky--In any case, a large portion of the people who'll be participating in the Nationals won't be from Kentucky anyway, so i think that's mostly moot.

team small dog said...

I am bringing my black skort. Just in case.

All this Kentuckiness makes me think I really MUST have my boots there.