5/27/2006 - The Essentials
There are some cliches and stereotypes in life that are just plain offensive, and then there are some that are pretty spot on for some of us! Being female - and fairly proud of that fact  - I always tend to overpack whenever I go away. Whether it's a weekend trip or a two week holiday, my bags and suitcases always seem to take up more space and weigh more than everyone else's.
Packing is a very time consuming and strategic activity. One would think, that because I travel to a divelodge most weekends, that I'd have the routine pretty much organised and figured out already. Guess again!
Every week it's the same thing - I'll leave it until the last minute and then rush around frantically, trying to make sure I don't forget anything. Yes, I know that majority of my time will be spent underwater blowing bubbles in my suit, without having to worry about things like make up and clothing and hair styles... however, those periods between dives, where everyone hangs out together and socialises are the periods of concern; especially when that guy is there and I need to make sure I don't look like a frump. So what if everyone else is sproting sea-hair and thermals and trakkies with holes in the knees, I can't seem to let myself do that because he is there and God forbid he sees me with messy hair when I'm not in a wetsuit!
Terribly, terribly vain of me, I know.
However, it's the only reason I always pack my hairdryer. And my makeup kit. And my jewellery box. Not to mention a few changes of clothes (it gets wet and muddy quickly and then clothes tend to get dirty) and matching shoes and a few hundred pairs of socks (my feet absolutely freeze and as yet that guy has not offered to warm my toes for me). I'm hopelessly shallow, I know. So sue me.
Anyway, more often than not I am usually the only female present at our club weekends, and as most of these guys are like brothers to me, they all feel they have the right to mercilessly mock me about my inability to "Pack Properly, Gracie!" Especially, they seem to feel it's necessary for them to mock the make-up kit.
I also tend to overpack with my dive gear. You never know when you might need a reel. Or a monkey wrench. Or spare batteries. Or a mouthpiece. Or tank bands. Or a spare weight belt buckle. Even a spare set of fins comes in handy occassionaly...
And while the guys may mock me mercilessly, guess who they turn to first if they just happen to need something? "Grace, you don't maybe have a set of tweezers, do you?"
Of course I do. In my make-up kit.
"Grace, you don't maybe have a pair of scissors, do you?"
Sure I do. In my make-up kit.
"Hey, Grace, have you got a safety pin?"
Guess what. Make-up kit is getting light these days.... I've had to dish out tweezers and nail-clippers and sorbolene cream and little make-up brushes and cotton buds and nail polish remover.... and my spares box gets about a 1/4 of the use my make-up kit does.
These days I've gotten smart - what, they thought I didn't listen to their mocking about my inability to pack? I've simply transferred my make-up kit into my spares kit (well, actually, it went the other way around because my make-up kit is a little bigger than the spares box I have!) and carry the one box around with me. Initially, they were all a little wary about digging around in a woman's make-up kit (obviously a bit scared of what they might find in there!) but it's not uncommon for me to find a very messy make-up kit if I left it lying around without supervision. I'm a little amused by the way they've all adopted my make-up kit (and call it such, as opposed to a "Save a Dive" kit), and am beginning to worry that they're getting to comfortable about using it - I'm waiting for them to start experimenting with Mascara and blush!!
Of course, the whole make-up kit/save a dive kit in one handy container is pretty damn useful for me too - it means that I can fix my make-up sooner and look prettier quicker for that guy, who still hasn't worked out that all the hassle and fuss and time-wasting with the make-up is purely for his benefit.
What, you honestly think that if I wasn't trying to impress someone, I'd carry around a hairdryer voluntarily?! :P
| 
