Preparing for a Mississippi River Journey

I am already having that feeling—that little voice that says, “You are going to forget something.”

I call that voice Hall Baby, the tiny, panicked roommate who lives in my head and specializes in pre-trip doom.

Hall Baby is always pacing the walls of my mind, worrying about forgotten socks, misplaced passports, and luggage that somehow ends up in Madagascar.

This time the worry might be justified.

I once flew clear across the country to Washington, D.C., for an important meeting with the CIA—yes, that CIA.

The next morning, as I was getting dressed for the meeting, I discovered something unsettling.

I had forgotten my socks.

The CIA notices everything -- except missing socks.

Completely.

And so I walked into a meeting with America’s premier intelligence agency wearing a suit, a tie, polished shoes… and absolutely no socks.

Apparently the CIA can track people across continents.

But they cannot detect missing socks.

As I prepare for my upcoming Mississippi River cruise, Hall Baby is back on patrol.

He’s convinced I’ve forgotten something important again.

I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.