Plucky Survivors See Europe: The Magic of Inverse Correlations

In statistics, an inverse correlation is a relationship between two variables in which they move in opposite directions. As one variable decreases the other increases and vice versa.

For instance, let’s call the number of days until the Plucky Survivors See Europe trip begins Variable A. Then, let’s call my anxiety level Variable B.

I think you see where I’m going with this.

I have researched and planned and purchased and done more work trying to make sure I have all the bases covered for this trip than I have done on my actual job. I am ready. And I’m also totally not ready.

Remember, this is not a weeklong jaunt to Merry Old England to see Big Ben. This is over two months driving around to countries where I don’t speak the language. It’s a little intimidating, to say the least.

But it’s going to be great and it’ll be the trip of a lifetime and things are going to go wrong and that’s totally okay. This is my mantra. I am repeating it often under my breath.

In the meantime, I continue to make adjustments to my plans and preparation.

A big lesson came this past week as I went to New York and took a test drive of my new luggage. It sucks. Hard-side clamshell opening luggage sucks, y’all. You can’t just tuck it on the luggage rack in the corner and open it whenever you want something. No, you have to completely unfold it, requiring about a football field’s worth of space – something that doesn’t exist in most of the European hotel rooms I’m going to be staying in.

So, yes, I ordered brand-new luggage to replace the brand-new luggage I just got. It’s hard-side but TOP opening and comes with a built in, pop-out cup holder so I’m already happier.

I also made a strategic – or rather, financial – error by going shopping for clothes while I was in New York. Savannah doesn’t have places like Saks or Neiman or Nordstrom or Bergdorf and while I never knew it, my wallet is much happier for that. I’m not going to tell you how much I spent on three pairs of pants but let’s just say it was more than the new luggage I just got to replace the new luggage I already had.

The itinerary itself is about undergo some surgery but it’s for magical reasons. God bless the Facebook algorithm, which randomly showed me an ad for illusionist Helder Guimaraes’ upcoming run of shows in Porto, Portugal at a 22-seat studio. Helder is probably the best magician in the world, presenting dreamy, thoughtful, emotional, and completely mind-bending shows that mix immersive elements, storytelling, and sleight-of-hand tricks to leave you completely convinced that magic exists.

I was planning on being in Porto from a Monday to a Wednesday but the shows are only happening from Thursday to Sunday so I’m moving stuff around so I can catch one (or maybe two).

Meanwhile, I had a couple of meetings with Hallmark this past week about new projects, one of which is set to be set in Spain. We had been considering Bilbao, but I am reading a book that coincidentally features a few important scenes set along the Costa De Sol, the southern edge of the country along the Mediterranean. I’m going to be spending almost a week in this area and after doing some deeper dive research on the region, I’m convinced this is where I want to set the movie so I’m adjusting a couple of things to maximize my time there.

Other adjustments… I’m dropping Frankfurt and adding a second night in Stuttgart. This is mainly to accommodate a visit to the Urban Art Biennale in Volklingen, Germany. It’s a street, graffiti, and industrial art installation that takes over the Volklingen Iron Works, a UNESCO World Heritage site. I stumbled onto an AP article about it and it’s happening while I’m in the area, so bye bye Frankfurt. There wasn’t much there I really wanted to see anyway.

Stay tuned for more updates as the inverse correlation between time and my anxiety continues.