Since we’ve spent the majority of the past week in a couple of different hotels, this question got me thinking — what’s a luxury that I always want to have with me on trips?
Several things came to my mind, but I don’t think they truly qualify as answers. Allow me to give you a bit of insight into my thought process here… and hopefully we’ll arrive at some sort of conclusion by the end.
I first thought of music. It’s true that I often bring an instrument with me on trips, but I didn’t this time. The heat in Orlando over the last week was absolutely ridiculous, so I was worried about my guitar’s safety while stowed in the car. My deodorant actually melted in my backpack while we were parked at Disney, so I’d have to say it was a wise choice to leave the instruments at home. On top of that, music isn’t really a luxury. Music is a necessity. It’s a basic human right.
Noise cancelling headphones, maybe? Those are nice and definitely fall in the luxury category. They’re fantastic when you’re walking around a Walmart or trying not to disturb others in your hotel room, but I don’t always bring them.
Books? I always bring reading material with me, but books aren’t a luxury. Books are education. Again, we’re in the realm of necessities.
My laptop? This may have been a valid answer a few years ago, honestly, but having a computer with me now is work, not luxury. Writing is part of what I do and I need a way to accomplish that.
Coffee seems like it would fit the bill, right?
Selene and I really love our fancy coffees. For quite a while, we’ve been toting our Nespresso machine around with us on trips. In fact, one year I even got her a camping version that doesn’t require electricity (and sadly, I still haven’t figured out how to operate) so that we’d never be without the sacred brew.
But this still doesn’t answer the question. Over the past several months, my coffee drinking has slowed way down. I’m much more likely to wake up in the morning and just drink a bottle of water. I guess that means I can live without coffee — at least for long periods of time.
So what is it then? Pillows? No. Soft sheets? Again, no. I was wracking my brain. It seemed like there was no answer in sight.
And then it hit me like a two-ply ton of bricks.
There is one thing that towers above all others — One seemingly small item that can speak volumes either to luxury or economy.
Toilet paper. I hate cheap toilet paper.
Good morning and happy Monday, friends!
This past week was insane. I’m way behind in everything, but it’s all been so worth it. Summer Magick Fest was a blast and we’re a little sad to be back at home.
We had never brought the kids on any festival trips before because… well, quite frankly, they say that they want nothing to do with it. This time, however, Selene’s father was having a birthday party the same week as Summer Magick, so we had this wonderful entanglement of events that required all of us to be darting back and forth across Orlando for a few days.
We left on Wednesday morning and stopped in at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the day.
We spent that night at some random hotel (which actually turned out to be really nice) that Selene miraculously found for like $15. I kept asking “what’s the catch?” I still haven’t figured it out to be honest with you. The next morning we stopped for brunch at the Polynesian resort for some brunch!
And then we relocated to the DoubleTree Hilton Orlando for the remainder of the week, which is where SMF is hosted.
Friday we had to pop out and see the folks for lunch. Saturday night was the birthday party, so we had to pop out again. The rest of the time we were in and out of workshops. I taught my Fluid Condenser class on Saturday and had way more of a turnout than I anticipated. I ran out of handouts! I’ll have to print extras next time.
As expected, the kids spent pretty much the entire time just hanging out in the hotel room.
You’re not going to get the whole festival experience from this post, though. I’ll be writing up an entire recap this week just to talk about how awesome Summer Magick Fest 2024 was — you can expect that in a couple of days.
There was an ENORMOUS response to our prison ministry book drive. We got two big boxes and one large bag of books. Between the four of us, our luggage, and the books, we had zero extra space in the car for the return trip. I’ll be posting a pic of the collection pretty soon, but really we’re just so grateful for how the entire community came together to show their support. We’ve also gotten some inquiries from other people who might want to start their own ministry, which is amazing, and we’ll be here to help however we can.
Now that we’re back at home, it’s time for me to catch up on my writing schedule. I’ve got my next three months of M3 episodes planned, but I’m also way behind on my video editing. Luckily, a week or two of late nights will remedy that situation.
More is coming soon! Stay tuned.
Aerik Arkadian 
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