Hidden Talents

Who knew there was an Eiffel tower in Brisbane! Oddly enough it's part of an Italian restaurant.
Well now that you've asked....not really, no. (a sign by the powerhouse in Brisbane, which is now a gallery)

Flying clouds.



Remember Macleans a few posts back? To refresh your memory, it's a toothpaste. No pun intended. Well I'll get to why that's relevant in a minute.

I have a hidden talent. I will abbreviate this a la Dane Cook style to HT. My HT remains hidden unless you travel with me, at which point you will realize it is no talent at all. Such is the case with HTs. All treeplanters on Diana's crew should know this.
My HT is forgetting my toothbrush and toothpaste on nearly every single trip I go on. You see, I am very aware of my HT and not proud of it yet it happens (almost) every time. When I pack I write lists. Teeth-care (or is it tooth-care?) products always make it onto the list so technically it's not forgotten...but it is.

My theory is this: brushing my teeth is one of the last things I do before walking out the door, but not the very very last as that would make it easier to remember. So my theory goes that I don't pack it first because I'll need to use it, but I won't pack it right after use because I want it to be as dry as possible when it goes in the bag, by which time I've managed to forget all about it in light of important things like Wallet, Passport, etc. Still with me? I know, it's a talent you all wish you had.

Even when I do remember up to the point of actually packing it, something happens. Take my trip here for example. I not only remembered to bring my toothbrush and paste, I actually put them in my carry-on for use during the 20 hour flight + layover. As everyone knows, the flight was delayed by a day in L.A. I was therefore very pleased with myself when, at 4am, I could brush my teeth before trying to get some sleep in the hotel. But there's the catch. I forgot them in the bathroom in the hotel because a) I was exhausted after two hours sleep, b) we had voucher problems and had to go argue our case (to no avail) with the front desk, and c) I was worrying about forgetting important things like laptop and ipod chargers in the hotel room.

Don't get me wrong, I severely dislike aftertastes and fuzzy-tooth feelings; the end result is that I wind up buying a lot of new toothpaste and toothbrushes (T&T). I reckon I will own 3X as many toothbrushes than the average human being who does not suffer from a similar HT. I pretty much guaranteed this when I bought a pack of 5 toothbrushes when in Florida last year. I left 4 for future guests including myself :)

The upside to the problem is that T&T can be purchased just about everywhere (unlike passports, should you forget yours): airports, hotels, corner stores, petrol stations, grocery stores, etc. Of course, I was a little surprised when I went to the grocery store last week in NSW to find that Macleans toothpaste was nearly $6 for a small tube. Bummer. But that's where the little things in life like fresh breath make me happy. Think about it, the same could be true for you, you perhaps just haven't seen it that way before.

xoxo,
F