4.07.2015

the packing list | Joan Didion


note to self: before packing for a trip, ask the all-important question: "what would Joan do?"

***
TO PACK AND WEAR:
2 skirts
2 jerseys or leotards
1 pullover sweater
2 pair shoes
stockings
bra
nightgown, robe, slippers
cigarettes
bourbon
bag with: shampoo
toothbrush and paste
Basis soap, razor
deodorant
aspirin
prescriptions
Tampax
face cream
powder
baby oil

TO CARRY:
mohair throw
typewriter
2 legal pads and pens
files
house key

“This is a list which was taped inside my closet door in Hollywood during those years when I was reporting more or less steadily. The list enabled me to pack, without thinking, for any piece I was likely to do. Notice the deliberate anonymity of costume: in a skirt, a leotard, and stockings, I could pass on either side of the culture. Notice the mohair throw for trunk-line flights (i.e. no blankets) and for the motel room in which the air conditioning could not be turned off. Notice the bourbon for the same motel room. Notice the typewriter for the airport, coming home: the idea was to turn in the Hertz car, check in, find an empty bench, and start typing the day’s notes.”
—Joan Didion, The White Album

6 comments:

  1. So glad we don't have to lug typewriters around any more! I approve of everything else on the list, except for the cigarettes...

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    1. indeed! i love that you can get a real glimpse of the young JD through her list...

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  2. I have a permanent packing list too because I'm so forgetful. Unfortunately it's not so much stylish things as it is stuff like phone charger, toothbrush, passport, boring stuff that I'm always scrambling for the last minute!

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  3. ha! i actually wonder if she had one of those portable typewriters. it must have been clunky regardless.

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  4. Love her shirt she's wearing. Her list is utterly pragmatic, too.

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  5. I love Joan Didion and this list. It always makes me feel some wanderlust. I wish I could travel more!

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