My bags are packed, I'm ready to go....

After a week in San Francisco, I'm just about ready to take off tomorrow. I'm getting excited.

I was kind of dreading going away again. I think it was part fear and part having just returned from a trip, but I am over the dread and I am ready.

I'm looking forward to finding out more about Amsterdam's history and culture - what kind of health care program they have, what kind of food they have, what it is like to be in a place that has something closer to my idea of freedom....

Then off to Spain, where I am anticipating sun, wine and a very rich culture. Seville is the heart of Spain in my imagination - I don't know if it is true - but I expect to be surrounded by the spirit of flamenco and robust, strong-willed people. I want to experience their enjoyment of life.

I was able to get down to one backpack. I was going to take more because it seemed like I needed more options about how I was going to present myself, but then I decided it didn't matter. I will be wearing jeans or shorts, and t-shirts, and maybe a jacket. That's it. I don't need to do more. Traveling, I will be free from any of the social expectations about how a person should dress. It makes me realize how complicted people's lives are when it comes to clothes, well, unless they live in a place where you always wear the same thing, either because that's the custom or it's their only option. It feels nice to move slightly more in that direction, but as I write this I think I could probably leave a few t-shirts and a few pairs of socks behind. I might just open that bag up and take a few things out.