Top ten things I miss while backpacking

Uh, so, my blackberry ran out of batteries mid-way through this little trip. So rather than seriously take notes each night, I occupied my mind by compiling various top-ten lists for your reading enjoyment.

In no particular order, a list of things I miss while backpacking......

1. Coffee, even mediocre swill like Starbucks. 10,000 leagues better than the cowboy coffee or cold green tea I have available to me.

2. Wearing different articles of clothing other than the pair of shorts, same t-shirt, rain gear, jacket that I've been wearing for months. Specifically, I miss the smart looking sweater with tie combinations I used to wear to work. Inevitably, I'd choose a really hot day on which to wear this particular ensemble and after frantically biking to work (see item 7) I'd arrive damp with my hair dripping like a palm tree just after a monsoon. Great stuff.

3. Television. Yes, scorn me if you will, but I miss tv. And I'm not talking about biggest loser or rock of love, I'm talking about daytime tom clancy or star trek movies on amc. Resist, if you dare, but I cannot. Or, for the exceptionally geeky reference, it is futile.

4. Pizza. Even though philadelphia has pretty uneven pizza, its still better than zero pizza.

5. The new york times. For all its shortcomings, and there are plenty, I miss the daily paper. It is a peculiar fact of Americana that one is unable to procure a national newspaper in one of its otherwise remarkably charming small towns. The best I can often do is the hungry horse news. It's strange bit of parochialism. At least miss the electronic version that I scan on my computer. There is a blackberry version, but, let's be honest, reading anything on a BB sucks. Its like reading a novel on a series of business cards.


6. Crossword puzzles. Related to the previous item. I've begun to rip them out of local papers, however in another peculiar idiosyncracy of small towns, I've found all the crossword puzzles in community newspapers are all extraordinarily easy. Like, 15 minutes easy. And I'm nothiund special at xwords. You'd figure, if anything, itd be the other way around. More free time in small towns, more time to work on the daily puzzle? I don't know, either way, they aren't a lengthy diversion.

7.Riding my bike. Drives ride. Long, leisurely rides, riding with my ipod in the city, dodging cars as I frantically pedal, late for work. I miss cycling. However, I don't miss the constant fear of getting doored. Even while camping, not having touched a bike for months, I have violent, bloody red nightmares about doors opening in my face. End to dooring!

8. Yoga. I do. I need organized stretching. My hips are tight.

9. The belgian cafe or Rembrandts or the good dog or sugar moms, or mcglincheys, Philadelphia bars

10. Elevated beds. The hardest step of each day is the one that gets me up off the floor of my tent. If I could carry a cot that weighed less than 20 lbs, I would. Think about it. Its the difference between waking up and having to get up even further, or getting up and easing down. And if you are like me and my first 6 months in philly, sleeping with a mattress on the floor, two words will change your life: box spring. For now, I feel your pain.