Short intermission

There will be a short pause in blogging, as I'm away for three days from tomorrow. My mother's moving house and I'll be helping out. I've just about packed my travelling-light bag.

Packing my bag reminded me of one of those really old, very slightly humorous lists which has been hanging about the Internet since before Google was a glint in Larry Page's eye. Entitled "Cool Things About Being a Man", it includes the observation that 'a five-day vacation requires only 1 suitcase'. It's a stereotype, but from my partner's reaction when I said I'd be taking one small piece of hand luggage on my coach journey, I think it's one with a nutritious kernel of truth.

Along with the fact that I don't have to factor in any extra hair-drying time after my morning shower (my profile picture illustrates this point more directly than mere words), I think the ability to travel light is, in general, one of the great things about being a bloke. A small sports bag. Three pairs of socks, ditto underpants and three t-shirts to wear. A compact sponge bag with the bare toiletry essentials. The trousers and outer clothing layers I'll be wearing will be good for three days. Light and portable, even allowing for an airport thriller and a portable CD player with some music CDs and an audio book to guard against the possibility of in-coach boredom. No worries. Sorted.

I'm sure that there are women who travel as light as I do, with as little fuss, but I believe that they're in a minority. Men may start wars, have less emotional intelligence and die earlier, but, in general, the ability to travel light without the fuss and bother of hauling great trunks of clothes and other mysterious feminine accessories around is one of the great life-skills and joys of being a man.

Abnormal blogging to be resumed as soon as possible.